AFTER THE METAREX TAILS' AND COSMO'S STORY

Chapter Sixteen

"Dangerous Plans"

Tails walked nervously with his father to Happy Acres. It was a trip he hadn't been looking forward to making, as much as he wanted to see his Uncle Merlin again and hopefully get him out of the place. The memories of that time, the worst time of his life, were still fairly fresh, and despite the fact that Cosmo was alive and well, even if he couldn't currently be with her, he feared seeing the building might open up old wounds.

He looked up from the sidewalk as they approached the off white edifice. It had once been a private home, with wings added on either side when it had been converted into a mental facility. Inside he saw the same light blue walls. Blue because that was believed to be soothing. He looked around, wondering which room his uncle was in. Hopefully not his old room. He didn't want to go back there ever again. As they walked past several open doors, he noted the pale green of the rooms. Most of them were green, although his doctor had realized the color green upset him at the time and had arranged for him to be placed inside of a yellow room.

Fortunately he soon saw his uncle was in another room, quite some distance from the one Tails had been in. He was surprised at how old and frail Merlin looked. Had he changed that much since Tails had seen him last, or was it the dull orange outfit everyone had to wear while they stayed there?

Merlin looked up as they came into his room. "Miles! Amadeus!" he said, struggling to get up. "It's about time!" He placed his hand on his back. Tails wondered, not for the first time, if his uncle's problems with getting around would be alleviated considerably if he had a good back brace. Perhaps Tails should work on something like that. Why were there more advances in killing than in healing? What a sad world they lived in, and not all of it was Dr. Eggman's fault.

"Um…good morning, Uncle Merlin," Tails said, not sure of what else to say.

"How are they treating you here?" Amadeus asked.

"Reasonably," Merlin said. "But I'll be happy to be out of here."

"Yes, well…Miles, why don't you keep your uncle company while I go talk to his doctor?" Amadeus asked his son.

"Shouldn't we all go and talk to her?" Tails asked, starting to follow his father down the hallway.

"We'll see," Amadeus said, motioning for his son to go back into the room. "I'll let you know after I've spoken to her for a bit." He walked down the corridor as if going to address troops, which was the way he always walked, although there was something in the way he carried himself that made it clear he was eager to have whatever he had to do over and done with. Tails had seen his father walk the same way when he was about to tell someone their services would no longer be needed.

Tails sighed. "I'm sure we'll be called in soon to discuss your discharge, Uncle Merlin," he said to the old fox, not really believing it. If his father was going to ask for Merlin to be released he would have discussed it with them before leaving.

"Of course, Miles," Merlin said sadly. He looked like he didn't believe it either.

Tails looked around the room. "So, everybody treating you okay?" he asked, not sure what else to say.

"Passably," Merlin said, sitting down. "Except for that orderly you mentioned," he added, making a face. "What makes him think calling the people here 'loonies' is appropriate?"

Tails groaned. "I don't know why they let him stay here," he said. That had been one of the worst parts about his time at Happy Acres, the way that guy would just stand there and glare at the patients. Tails suspected he should have been there as a patient instead of part of the staff. But proving something like that wouldn't be easy. Nor would getting the creep kicked out. Tails wasn't sure but he suspected the idiot had a buddy somewhere higher up that was metaphorically sweeping everything he did under a rug.

"I suppose they need someone to do heavy lifting or wrestle with difficult patients," Merlin said. "There was one awhile back that was extremely violent and should never have been taken through this area where he could have injured or further traumatized someone completely harmless."

Tails gasped. "He didn't hurt you, did he, Uncle Merlin?!"

Merlin patted Tails' shoulder. "Don't worry," he assured him. "I'm not quite so helpless as I appear."

Tails looked back towards the door of his uncle's room. "Dad should be back soon," he said. "I'm sure we'll all be leaving this place in no time."

"Yes, well, we'll see," Merlin said, looking back towards the door. He looked back at Tails. "At any rate, you should know what happened, why I was brought here."

"Dad said you told people something about a robot, but not one of Eggman's robots," Tails said.

"No, not one of the mad man's," Merlin assured him. "It was one of the alien machines you and your friends fought last year."

Tails' eyes grew wide. "A Metarex?!" he cried. "Are you sure?"

Merlin nodded. "Quite so," he said. "I had gone to look at the seedling you had planted, and it appeared to be withered and lifeless."

"Cosmo's plant…?" Tails shivered at the thought. "But…but Cosmo's plant was healthy, Uncle Merlin!" he insisted. "I know because…because right after you disappeared…Cosmo showed up. Alive again!"

"Indeed?" Merlin said, looking surprised but not as shocked as most people did when they discovered Cosmo had come back. "I knew it was possible, if extremely unlikely. But that's the entire point, Nephew. The plant appeared withered and lifeless. But when I attempted to help it, to save it if I could, I discovered the appearance was false. An illusion."

"Someone made it look like it died?" Tails asked, horrified at the thought. He started to ask who could have done such a thing, but realized he already knew. And the thought of what that meant made him shiver. "And…and the robot?" he asked.

"Attacked me for interfering with its king's plans," Merlin continued. "It was surprisingly powerful. I managed to destroy it, but the effort was too much for me." He explained how he had been found after the battle, thought to be extremely confused, and ended up in Happy Acres.

"That's terrible!" Tails said. "I can't believe no one would listen to you!"

"When one starts getting old, more and more people assume you don't know what you're talking about any more," Merlin said sadly. "But I haven't told you why I went to see the poor young lady's plant. It was…and no, I assure you I did not imagine this…it was because she spoke to me. From the next world."

"I believe you," Tails said. "She spoke to me several times before she came back."

"I see," Merlin said, seeming to mull this over. "Fascinating."

"You were the only person that didn't tell me it was just a hopeless dream," Tails said. "You knew the chaos emeralds could give Sonic…and Shadow…the power." He made a face as he said Shadow's name.

"I knew it was possible if everything worked properly in conjunction," Merlin said. "Further evidence in my hypothesis that the emeralds were not, as is commonly believed, the remains of alien technology too advanced to be understood, but rather the work of a being or beings beyond time and space as we know them, with abilities that cannot be explained by any form of science."

"You mean God," Tails said. Not for the first time he wondered if perhaps he should have joined his uncle in studying the secrets of the past instead of trying to make discoveries of the future. Perhaps he should at the very least look into alchemy. He knew just enough about it to be aware that many existing sciences grew from the now discredited art. Well, maybe he'd try something in that field after he got his uncle out of this place and did something about his problems seeing Cosmo. Right now he had too much on his plate.

"You seem less happy about her return than I would have thought," Merlin said, interrupting Tails' thoughts.

"I'm very happy about her being back," Tails assured his uncle. "It's just…" He stopped, not sure of how to finish that sentence.

"Amadeus and Rosemary were less than delighted to make her acquaintance?" Merlin asked.

"Well, Dad hasn't met her," Tails said. "But no, Mom didn't like her. And neither of them believe that she could have really come back. They think she…faked what happened to her last year, ran off someplace, then came back a few days ago and gave me a wild story about how she survived."

"And if she lied about her demise then they wonder what else she lied to you about," the old wizard finished, nodding. "Amadeus always did have a problem believing in what he couldn't see or measure. You must face the very real possibility that your parents will always think that your little friend's word is not to be fully trusted."

"I realize that," Tails agreed, running his hand through his hair, causing it to stand straight up. "But I'll never give up trying to convince them that they're mistaken about Cosmo."

"And do you still have strong feelings for the girl?" Merlin asked, leaning forward and staring into the younger fox's eyes.

"Yes I do," Tails said, looking back. "I always have, and I always will."

Merlin sighed. "I wish I could help you, Nephew, but I'm afraid I don't have much influence with your parents. They think I'm a doddering old fool, don't they?" Tails opened his mouth to protest. The old fox raised his hand. "No, that's all right, when you get to be my age you become used to it."

Tails hung his head. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Merlin patted his head. "Not your doing, lad," he pointed out. "You're not responsible for your parents, you know."

"I know," Tails said. That was exactly what he'd told Cosmo about her father. Sometimes he'd forget to take his own advice.

"Miles, there's something I need you to do for me if you can," his uncle said.

Tails looked around then lowered his voice. "You want me to help you get out of here?" he asked. "I mean…if Dad doesn't take you out of here today?" He winced as he said it. Tails hadn't wanted to admit it, but it was pretty clear by now his father did not intend to get Uncle Merlin out of there, and Tails had discovered the hard way from personal experience that not wanting to admit something unpleasant wasn't going to help a problem to go away.

Merlin glared at his nephew. "You know that wouldn't be right, lad," he said. And I would never ask you to get yourself into such trouble for me. Whatever happens now will be on my head, not yours, child. "No, I want you to get the ancient tablets I found during the months I was away and put them in a safe place for me. You did find them? Near your maiden fair's flower?"

Tablets by Cosmo's flower?" Tails thought. Since she'd returned, he hadn't been back to his greenhouse. The sprinklers were set on automatic and would water the plants for months unattended unless something went wrong and needed to be repaired. It hadn't even occurred to him to go in and preserve the flower she'd returned to him in. He should do that once he got home.

"I'll put them in a safe place for you," he promised his uncle. He just hoped the water sprinkling the tablets over the last few days hadn't damaged them. It would be a shame if they'd survived safe for centuries, even millennia, only to be ruined now by Tails' carelessness.

"Good," Merlin said. "I am eager to study them, but who knows when that may be?"

"Don't worry," Tails assured him. "I'm sure when Dad gets back that…"

"Miles," came his father's voice from the doorway. "I'd like to speak to your uncle a moment in private."

Tails jumped up. "Then are we going to see his doctor?" he asked.

His father handed him some change. "Here. Go get yourself a soda."

Tails looked at his father for a moment. He'd had a long discussion with his parents about how he had been consuming far too much soda. Now he was being told to get one? He looked over at his uncle. The old fox shook his head. "Go on, Miles," he said. "And don't worry. Everything will work out in the end, I am certain of it."

Tails stepped out into the hallway. He stood there for a few seconds, until his father closed the door. He briefly considered listening in at the door, but he'd find out what was said soon enough anyway, and he didn't want his father to suddenly open the door and have him fall into the room.

He started down the corridor, wanting to get out more and more the longer he spent here. If the place was affecting him that way when he'd only been here a few minutes, after he'd been out for months, what did being stuck here do to people that couldn't get out?

"Psst, Miles," came a voice from behind a large flower pot in the hallway. Tails noticed two hands motion to him. They were both left hands, so he suspected he knew who they belonged to.

"Heather?" Tails said, stepping around the flower pot. "Still here I see."

"Don't worry about it," the hedgehog girl said. "I've gotten used to being in this place."

"Anything I can do for you?" he asked. "Anything you'd like me to get you?"

"How about a cake with a file in it?" Heather asked.

"I'm sorry," Tails said. "I'd like to help you get out of here, but…"

"But you think I'm better off in the loony bin," she finished, leaning against the wall. "Well, maybe you're right."

"What?" Tails said. "No! That's not what I…"

"Something's bothering you," she said suddenly, staring into his eyes. "Not your problem with your girlfriend. Something else."

"Maybe you should be a psychologist," Tails suggested, surprised she'd noticed.

Heather laughed. "Nah, you'd have to be crazy to get into that line of work!" she said. "Oh, wait. I already am. Meh. Too much studying."

"I wish you'd stop saying that," Tails told her disapprovingly. "You'll never get out of here if you think that way."

"You really think they'd ever let me out of here?" Heather asked him. She sank down to the floor. "When I'm an adult, maybe. If they don't think I'm dangerous. Which they probably will, considering all the threats I've made against people."

Tails sighed. "Why did you threaten people?" he asked, already knowing. They'd discussed this before while he was here.

"You never threatened anybody that called you a freak?" Heather demanded. "A monster? A retard?" She leaned forward, glaring at him. "Have you ever been called a retard by someone you knew was a low grade moron that could barely tie their shoes without somebody helping them?"

"All the time," Tails said. "Stupid people use that word to make themselves feel smarter than the person they attack. And only small minds do that sort of thing. Losers that need to feel good about themselves and the only way they can is to drag down someone better than they are to their level. Bullies that gleefully push around anyone they think they can get away with harassing, then run screaming for help when someone stands up to them and hits them back." He remembered an idiot neighbor that had thrown beer bottles into his backyard, then, when he'd complained, started towards him calling him the most offensive words he'd ever heard. "Come on, you #(%&* $(#& *! I'll kick your *( ! Come on you retard, let's go!" Luckily Sonic had heard and punched the jerk in his ugly face. The creep had ran off screaming they'd both die for that and agreed to work for Eggman, proving even further what a moron he was. The jerk had gone after Tails as a cyborg, yelling how the fox had ruined his life when it had all been the creep's own fault, and had blown up when Sonic damaged his power pack. That had been the first time Tails had watched a villain die and hadn't been horrified at the sight. He'd hated the idiot more for making him hate someone so much than anything else. Tails had seen an ugly side he hadn't wanted to admit was there. Fortunately the neighbors now were decent people. His parents wouldn't put up with garbage like that.

"And they win because anybody you try to talk to is stupid as hell and believe their snow jobs because they're so used to telling lies they can sound convincing while you have trouble saying what happened because you're not good at speaking and you're ugly and the stupid cops say you're lying because it's easier to believe the one that can talk good and looks respectable, and thinking about a case is too hard for their tiny brains and keeps them away from stuffing their fat faces with donuts which was the only reason they joined the police force in the first place because they sure don't give a damn about justice!" Heather added. There were tears in her eyes.

"You really believe that?" Tails asked. Heather had made a lot of complaints and jokes about the system when he'd been here before, but had rarely opened up and been so honest about her views.

"Believe it? I've lived it!" Heather said. "I escaped here once and was stupid enough to go to the police, ask them to take me someplace, anyplace, where no one would mistreat me. They dragged me back here in handcuffs and one of them said 'Keep better track of your loonies because we don't need freaks like that running around lose scaring decent people!' I was only six years old at the time!"

Tails looked into the hedgehog's eyes. Pain and suffering were in them, but just for a moment. Then they were replaced by the dull look she usually had. She'd said too much, admitted too much, and her protective shields had slid back into place.

"Miles? Er…time to go, son," came his father's voice. Tails turned, not surprised to find that Uncle Merlin was not with him.

"Dad?" he said as his father grabbed his arm and led him away from the hedgehog girl. "What about Uncle Merlin? Aren't we taking him with us?" He failed to notice the horrified look on Heather's face when he said that.

He didn't notice her look of relief, either, when Amadeus said, "We discussed it, Miles, and we both decided that it's really best if he remains here. For awhile, anyway."

"What?" Tails said, trying to pull free. "Wait! You're really leaving him here?"

"We'd need to make a lot of arrangements before getting him out," Amadeus said, steering his son towards the door leading out. "We'd have to decide where he'd stay and who'd be looking out for his welfare. We don't want anything happening to him, after all."

Tails opened his mouth to argue, then shut it, his teeth making a clacking sound. Fighting about it would just have his father worrying about him again.

As they left the building, his father looked down at him and said, "What the devil was that you were talking to?"

Tails sputtered. "She's not a devil, Dad!" he said. "Just a frightened person that wants to be treated like anyone else."

"But she's not like anyone else," his father argued. "She's a…a…"

"A freak?" Tails said, waving his twin tails around. "You mean like your son?"

"You're not a freak!" Amadeus said firmly. "You're gifted. And there have been stories about foxes like you. Oh, a lot of it is superstitious nonsense, turning into trees and things, but such stories sometimes have a basis of fact. Perhaps they were important individuals, foxes of great authority."

Tails shivered, but not because of the cold. Multi-tailed foxes were supposed to be able to turn into trees. Cosmo's race ended their lives as trees. Had that somehow had something to do with their attraction for one another? Was there some sort of connection? No, that was too far fetched. After all, Tails wasn't even a kitsune. Just born with a genetic mistake that had somehow proved to be beneficial. Sure, it was strange that he could fly while kitsune supposedly could walk on air, but that didn't mean he was suddenly going to start breathing fire like Vector or teleporting like Sonic or transforming into a tree or a human or the moon. Boy, that would sure be weird!

As they returned home, Tails' thoughts returned to Uncle Merlin. He clenched his fists. He knew the old fox didn't deserve to be there. That the Metarex were still alive, and he had probably saved Tails' life and certainly saved Cosmo by destroying the one that had caused him to end up in Happy Acres. It wasn't right to punish him for doing what was right!

Tails would have volunteered to take care of Merlin, even though he knew it wasn't necessary, just to get him out of there, but he was still trying to convince his parents he shouldn't be going back to that place himself. If only he hadn't built that stupid time machine and lost it when he went back to Coordinates Zero Zero Zero, maybe none of this would have happened. But it had happened, just like his shooting Cosmo, and all the wishing in the world wouldn't undo any of it.

Obviously his parents wouldn't agree to watch him, they would have taken him out today if either of them had intended to do so. That just left Simon, and his parents wouldn't be fooled by any claims that his brother would look out for someone else, since they weren't convinced he could even look out for himself.

Unfortunately there was no one else, and Tails couldn't exactly afford to hire a full time nurse. Well, actually, maybe he could, if he marketed some of his inventions. Hm. That was definitely something to consider…

…

Pink Andromeda had been watching the house she'd been told belonged to the people that didn't like her stupid old Aunt Cosmo. Maybe she could make them hate her even more and get Cosmo in trouble. She'd been watching for awhile, and had noticed several female animals walk down the street and knock on the door. The same female creature opened the door each time. What primitive doors! They didn't slide open, they seemed to be opened manually. These animals didn't seem very advanced. Yet her father's records showed that one of the destroyers of the Metarex, who lived in that very house, had used a big spaceship to attack them. Were they just pretending to be backward to confuse people that spied on them?

Andromeda waited for awhile to see if anyone else showed up. When she got bored waiting she snuck over to the side of the house. She walked carefully around it, and finally noticed a window with a curtain that didn't quite cover the glass. She peeked through it and saw the females sitting in chairs and apparently talking, cups of some kind of liquid in their hands, and a tray of what looked like goodies on the table between them. They were having a party and hadn't invited her! Well, they'd be sorry they did that all right!

Inside, one of Rosemary Prower's guests, a whippet, searched through her purse then held up a photograph of a heavyset canine girl with braces and wearing glasses smiling shyly at the camera. "Here's Tammy, my niece I told you about," the whippet said. "She's a lovely girl, and a very talented pianist. I'm certain she and your little boy would get along just swimmingly!"

"She looks very nice," Rosemary said. "And I'm sure she'll have a perfectly lovely smile in a few years."

"Not quite two years actually," the whippet said. "I don't know why she was wearing glasses that day. She has contacts but says they hurt her eyes. I suppose she got eye strain from so much reading. Always reading this or that. She's so clever! Why do you know when she was only four she could already spell her own name?"

"How clever of her," Rosemary said, remembering that Miles could spell cosmic energy at four. But then her son was a certified genius, no doubt about that, and all of his reading hadn't done a thing to his baby blues . Of course she couldn't expect to find someone of his intellectual level. There probably wasn't anyone. Still, this girl seemed nice enough and clever enough, and certainly more acceptable in polite society than some odd little green creature that talked about robots and had flowers growing out of her head like some sort of weed!

"And you should hear her play the violin," the whippet went on. "She's been playing since she was six, and her playing sounds just like…"

"Scraaaaape! Scraaaaaape! Scraaaaape!" came a sudden odd sound.

"What was that?" the whippet asked, looking up from her tea cup. She and the other guests began muttering.

"I'm quite certain it's nothing, girls," Rosemary said quickly. "Perhaps something my son made and forgot to turn off. He's quite the genius, you know."

"It sounded like nails on a chalkboard," a coyote said.

"It sounded like it came from outside," added a wolf.

"Probably just a branch scraping against a window, girls," Rosemary said uncomfortably. It did sound like someone was right outside, rubbing something against the windows. Oh, but no one would dare do something like that, would they? It simply wasn't done in the better neighborhoods! "Now, tell me more about your niece." She added, hoping to change the subject.

"Well," the whippet said, twirling her spoon around and around in her tea, "Tammy came in second in the National Spelling Bee Competition. Oh, but you'd know that, your boy was the one that beat her."

"That shy little thing?" Rosemary said, suddenly remembering the shrinking violet that had to keep being asked to speak up because her voice was so low. She recalled that Miles hadn't wanted to compete. Had claimed it was unfair because of his high intelligence. But what good was being better than others if you couldn't show off your skills every now and then? "She looked positively terrified on that stage."

"I think she liked your boy then but was afraid to say anything," the whippet said. "Of course modesty is a good trait in a woman. Mustn't show up our men folk, you know."

"Of course," Rosemary said, sipping her tea thoughtfully. My but this woman prattled on and on! But her niece did sound like a decent catch for Miles. "Why don't you bring her over next time so we can chat?" she suggested. "Miles isn't currently home, he's with his father, looking in on poor old Merlin, but I'll be certain he's here when…your niece comes for a visit." She wouldn't admit it, but she'd already forgotten the girl's name.

"Of course," the whippet said with a vapid smile. Rosemary certainly hoped little…what's her name…didn't take after her aunt!

"I heard the old fellow is senile," the coyote said. "Such a pity. He always had such a quick mind."

"Yes, well, time tends to play cruel tricks on even the best of us eventually," Rosemary said, taking another sip. "But I suppose we all saw it coming, the way he'd wander around in the wilderness, and with that bad back of his. He's fortunate he had an attack close enough to home that someone was able to find him and put him someplace safe so he wouldn't get himself into any real trouble."

"He's in a home?" the wolf asked. "Is he staying there or will you be bringing him home?"

"Oh, we'd love to have him," Rosemary said quickly, "but we're simply too busy with other things such as taking care of Miles and his brother. He really needs around the clock care and we simply couldn't provide it for him."

"Simon up to his old tricks again?" the coyote asked, giggling. "Why, do you know I once saw him with five, no, six girls at the bowling alley? What sort of women hang out at a bowling alley?"

"I'm afraid we all know what sort of women hang out at a bowling alley," the wolf tittered.

Rosemary's face colored. She'd object strenuously if she hadn't seen her eldest with all of those girls herself as they left that place and fawned around Simon as they'd walked to that cheap little eatery. She doubted there was a single item on the menu that wasn't fried, and that probably included the drinks! She shuddered to think what eating such slop would do to one's arteries!

"Simon has been a handful," she admitted, "but boys will be boys, and he's started to outgrow his early wild behavior and find interests in more important things in life." And he'd continue to do so if she had anything to say about it! "Why, he was just mentioning a science class he'd…

"Scraaaaaape! Scraaaaape! Scraaaaape!" came the sound again.

"What the devil is that?" Rosemary demanded, getting up. "Excuse me, girls, I'll be right back." Someone would pay for this, embarrassing her in front of people! She reached the door and threw it open. There seemed to be no one in sight. She stepped out onto the porch, and that was when the water suddenly came on. It enveloped her, pouring down both her front and back, cold as ice. She cried out and threw herself to the side. When had it started raining? Wait. Why wasn't it raining here? Then she noticed the garden hose had been uncoiled and apparently tossed up to the roof. Stepping around the fall of water, she walked down the front steps and looked up. Sure enough, the hose had been placed across the roof with the end hanging down in front of the door. She looked around for the switch to turn the water off. There it was, against the side of the house.

Rosemary shut off the water, then tugged at the hose to pull it down. She had to jump to keep it from smacking her right across the face. Whoever did this would pay! But who could have gotten up there? A flyer? Miles wouldn't do such a thing. And he was seeing that strange little bunny girl so it couldn't be her, could it? Wait. What about that weird trio that claimed to be detectives? Wasn't one of them a wasp or hornet or something? She vaguely remembered him making some sarcastic remarks that had angered the big stupid one. A lizard of some sort? Just the sort of creature that would pull such a prank. Well, she'd deal with him later! She attempted to coil the hose to put it away, but it refused to cooperate with her. She finally tossed it as far out of sight as possible. She'd have to insist Miles keep such things locked away in the garage from now on!

Pink Andromeda put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The animal had made such a silly sound when she'd gotten all wet! And she smelled funny. Did all animals smell funny when wet, or only ones with long bushy hair? Her hand failed to completely block her giggle.

"Who's there?" came Rosemary's voice. "You're in big trouble if I catch you!"

Andromeda sprang into some bushes and crawled underneath. She could see the animal's feet moving just outside of her hiding place.

"I know you're here!" the fox cried out. "Show yourself, you little brat!"

Andromeda puffed out her cheeks furiously but didn't move from her hiding place. How dare this inferior, stupid, ugly, smelly animal call her a brat?! When her father arrived she'd see to it that this creature was punished for that!

Not noticing Andromeda in the bushes, Rosemary looked around the yard and down the street in each direction, then marched back to her house. Whoever it was, they were gone now. And good riddance! She started to go inside, then felt her hair. Heavens! It was all wet and stringy! How embarrassing!

She felt around in her pockets, finally finding a handkerchief. She mopped up as much water as she could, then, holding it over her head, stepped back inside. "Er, pardon me a moment, girls, while I freshen up a bit." She felt her face grow warm as she heard whispering behind her back. She forced herself not to hurry but to walk dignified into the nearest bathroom (the house had three) and grimaced at the way her hair looked. She got a comb and brush and began trying to repair the damage. Oh, whoever did this would pay!

After working for several minutes, she decided she'd done the best she could without a blow dryer, which would have been much too nosy and told her guests exactly what she was doing. She wondered if dear Miles could make a quieter model? She'd have to ask him when he got home. She left the bathroom and walked as dignified as possible to the others.

"I am so sorry for the inconvenience, girls," she said, flashing a pasted on smile at her guests. "Now, where were we?"

…

Tails hoped they weren't making a serious mistake as he approached Cream. She had thought there was a chance for the two of them, and pretending they were dating was bound to hurt her sooner or later.

"Hi, Tails," she said, smiling.

"Hi, Cream," Tails said, trying to keep his face blank. He didn't want to seem encouraging but didn't want her to worry about him looking unhappy. Too bad he didn't know someone else he could have pretended to see. But his parents knew that Amy was only interested in Sonic and his mom liked Anita even less than Cosmo.

Cream pointing towards the swings. "Push me, will you, please?" she begged.

Tails sighed. He'd hoped to be pushing Cosmo on the swings. He looked around, wondering where she might be, as Cream sat down on a swing and he gave her a push. Finally he asked, "Where is she?"

"Huh?" Cream said. "Oh. You mean Cosmo, right? Well, that's an interesting story. Push a little harder, please?"

Tails pushed a bit harder and waited. After giving her yet another push he finally said, "Uh…about Cosmo?"

"Oh yeah!" she said. "Well, you know, first we decided that if she was going to meet you someplace, she needed a disguise so your parents wouldn't find out you were with her."

"And…?" Tails urged as he pushed her again.

"Well, you know Cosmo doesn't have ears like us," Cream said, kicking her feet. "That's not too difficult to hide, a big curly wig will take care of that. But she doesn't have a nose either, and that's harder to hide."

"So what did they decide?" Tails coaxed her. Was she being this dense on purpose because she was still in love with him, or was he being unfair to her and she was just interested in playing? She was after all still a child. Like he was technically, although he couldn't remember a time when he really felt like one.

"Well, Amy suggested a suit of armor," Cream said. "You know, with a helmet with a…what do you call the part that opens and closes?"

"Visor," Tails said. Yes, that was Cosmo needed to feel better, dressing up like a Metarex!

"Right," Cream agreed, nodding. "Well, Anita said it was a dumb idea, and suggested Cosmo dress up like a clown. You know, because they have fake noses so nobody would wonder why Cosmo was wearing one. Which Amy thought was a dumb idea."

"They're both dumb ideas," Tails agreed, trying and failing to picture Cosmo wearing a baggy suit, oversized shoes, and a big red nose. "So what did you finally decide upon?"

"Oh, I didn't decide on anything," Cream assured him. "Amy and Anita decided everything and Cosmo and I just went along with them. I couldn't think of anything and Cosmo said she was already confused about the messages Amy was having her send you."

"And what did Amy and Anita decide?" Tails asked, starting to get very impatient. Had she been hanging out with the Chaotix too much lately? This sounded like one of Vector's and Charmy's comedy routines. Next Cream would be asking him who was on first.

"Well," Cream said, "you know how since it's so cold they have that big indoor heated pool? Well, you know Cosmo loves water and all, and Amy said sometimes the best place to hide is right out in plain sight."

Just then, someone bumped into Tails. "Uh, excuse me," Tails said, looking over his shoulder at the person. He couldn't help but stare. This…this was Amy and Anita's decision?! The clown would have made a lot more sense! This…this was ridiculous!

"C-Cosmo?" Tails asked.

The strange figure tried to place a finger to her lips, but the snorkel she was currently wearing got in the way. "Shh," she hissed. In a whisper she said, "Don't call me that, Tails." She looked around nervously, then motioned for him to follow her. Tails also looked around, then followed the Seedrian, whose oddly shaped feet were covered by the oversized and even odder shaped flippers. Hide her in plain sight? By dressing her up so everyone couldn't help but stare at her?

"Please don't laugh," she hissed as they walked towards the pool area. "I feel foolish enough already!"

Laugh? The last thing Tails felt like right now was laughing. This was starting to seem like one of those weird dreams he used to sometimes have after staying up past midnight when he couldn't sleep and watching old monster movies on television. Next the hand would come out of the TV set and try to pull him in again…

…

"Final weapons check," the leader of the platoon, a tall muscular man with a crew cut and an expression so sour it seemed unlikely he had ever smiled in his life announced, looking over the men and women that followed him. Hopefully it wouldn't be necessary, but years of experience had taught him the hard way to prepare for anything and then still expect to be unpleasantly surprised. Having a weapon jam during a mission could spell instant death, both for the person with the faulty gun and anyone around him.

"Why exactly are we going in, Sir?" one of his men queried. "This place has been abandoned for over fifty years, and…"

"You're not here to ask questions, Watson," his superior pointed out. "The big brass doesn't want any more surprises like that hedgehog creature that showed up six years ago, so we're going to go through the satellite with a fine-tooth comb. Anything that even looks like something could be hiding in it, a cabinet, a clothes hamper, even a sock drawer, will need to be searched. Remember, Gerald Robotnik was violently insane in his last days. He could have stashed test tubes or cages containing who knows what anywhere."

"I heard he experimented on his own granddaughter," a tall, freckle-faced blond guy with a slight Southern accent said. "Tried to turn her into some kind of Frankenstein or something."

"I heard she was dying because he tried to give her some kind of super powers," a short guy said. "They put too much of a strain on her heart."

"We've all heard crazy rumors," the lieutenant said. "About the doctor and his lab. They say he was making monsters, and we know that one's true. Most of the others, that he was practicing witchcraft, or that he had space aliens visiting him, those are clearly a load of rubbish! I see anyone overreacting to anything found in there, you'll wish you'd gone into plumbing!"

"So what do we do if we see one of the doc's monsters?" a redheaded woman, one of only two females in the group, asked. "Shoot to kill or try to take it alive?"

"Depends on how much trouble taking it alive proves to be," the officer said. "The scientists want to experiment on them, they can just be satisfied with dead subjects. This isn't supposed to be a combat mission. I don't want any casualties if I can help it, so anything that doesn't give up fast, put it down permanently with your rifles. And remember, that hedgehog didn't have to touch someone to hurt them, so don't be surprised if they spray poison or even breath fire at you! Anybody sees anything like that, take it down hard and take it down fast! I don't want to have to write any letters to your next of kin when this is over! Everybody got it?"

There was a chorus of agreement. "All right, lower helmet plates into position and move out! But stay close together!" the leader shouted. The group locked their helmets, activated their built in sensor systems, and entered the ARK.

Lights shined about from their helmets, providing the only illumination as the light systems of the satellite had long since burned out. The only sound was their footsteps and an occasional clink from one of their weapons.

"First area clear, Sir!" the Southerner stated some minutes later.

"Keep moving," the officer ordered. "Nobody get careless or cocky. If there is anything dangerous, it's probably in the lab area, but something could always have gotten out and started wandering the ARK."

"Wouldn't it have run out of food?" the red haired woman enquired. "The food processors wouldn't still be working by now."

"From what I've heard that hedgehog lived off of sunlight like some kind of damned plant," the leader said. "Who knows what kind of weird freaks a mad man might have come up with?"

The group continued to move slowly through the ARK. It was a difficult and slow process, as the satellite was roughly fifteen kilometers in diameter, and every possible hiding place needed to be searched. Fortunately some areas were large and contained little that needed to be looked into. The living quarters took longer to be examined, as every bedroom, bed, closet, and whatnot had to be checked carefully.

"Nothing here, Sir!" the Southerner announced over his radio, he and the red haired woman having gone through all of the cupboards in the kitchen.

"Although if the food in this shelf were any older it would probably get up and walk," the redhead said, making a face.

"Make jokes on your own time, Rogers!" the officer shouted.

"Yes sir!" Rogers said, looking at the Southerner and rolling her eyes. He covered a sudden grin with his hand.

Finally they reached the laboratory area. To protect his granddaughter as well as the staff, Professor Gerald Robotnik had had the strongest possible doors installed. The mechanism to open them had long since failed, and Dr. Eggman had clearly resealed them after forcing his way in.

"Okay, everyone with a laser rifle, aim it at the doors," the officer said. "We'll have to burn our way in to search this area."

"Uh, begging the captain's pardon," Watson said. "But if anything is in there, and it's been sealed up all these years, do we really want to risk letting it loose?"

"Do you want to leave it here until it decides to come out on its own?" the captain demanded. "Maybe catch a guard unaware? Maybe you?"

"No Sir!" Watson said, aiming his laser rifle at the doors.

"Awaiting orders, Captain," Rogers said, ignoring the thick red curl that had gotten in her face. Unable to move it with her helmet in place, she hoped it didn't get in her way and the captain wouldn't notice. She could do without having to get a crew cut. She aimed her rifle.

"Okay, let's blow the doors, and then see if anything comes out!" the captain said. "Fire!"

Brilliant colored lights struck the doors. There was a sizzling sound, like bacon frying in a dozen frying pans at once, as the special alloy began to give way to the attack. Smoke rose, producing a nauseating odor that fortunately couldn't get through their suits.

"Okay, cease fire!" the captain cried after several minutes. "Let's see if we can pry them open now! Clemens! Get that thing!"

"Got it here, Sir!" the Southerner said, holding up a tool similar to a twentieth century "Jaws of Life," connected to a large black and orange battery pack. Clemens, with help from Watson, managed to pry it into the long gash the lasers had burned between the doors. "Let's hope it's got enough power to do the job!" Clemens said, activating the device. It made horrible noises as it struggled with the resisting doors, but finally managed to enlarge the gap until a human being could fit through. Clemens shut it off and moved back to put it away, leaving Watson standing by the doors.

Watson stepped forward, shining his light into the opening. "Doesn't seem to be anything inside here either, Sir," he said.

"Don't get careless, soldier!" the captain said. "Move back! We'll fire some shots into the interior before we head inside and…What the hell?!"

A huge, shaggy blue arm reached through the opening between the two doors and grabbed Watson around the neck, cutting off his cry of surprise. He was dragged through the door as if weightless. The sound of coarse laughter filled the air. "Ha ha ha ha!"

They had found one of Doctor Gerald Robotnik's forgotten experiments. Or rather, it had found them…

…

Bokkun kicked back in Eggman's easy chair and opened the last carton of ice cream. He'd have to remember to get more before the fat man decided he wanted some. He picked up the tv remote and began channel surfing. Darn it! Too many stations were owned by Eggman and just ran "surrender or else!" programs 24/7, never ending infomercials meant to demoralize anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck having to watch them. He'd have to talk to the doc about forcing some good actors and writers to make some cool original programming. Maybe a bunch of cartoons and some of those weird psychedelic shows like those two brothers made, what was their name? Craft? Krofft? Something like that.

"Bokkun," came a message over the loud speaker. "I want to see you in my lab. Now." The voice wasn't loud or angry sounding, but the tone made it clear he expected to be obeyed. Bokkun sighed and got up. He actually liked it better when the doctor was angry. He was scary when he was calm.

He found the doctor sitting in the room he usually used when trying to deal with stress and relax after losing yet again to Sonic and his friends. Only when he relaxed he usually sat in an overstuffed easy chair that sagged badly or a large couch that sagged even worse under his weight. At the moment he was sitting in the swivel chair that he normally used for brooding purposes when he was especially ticked off at Sonic. Not a good sign.

"Um…you called me, Doctor?" Bokkun said, hoping Eggman would make a joke like "Why would I call you Doctor?"

Instead Eggman said softly, "You've been spending a lot of time away from here lately, haven't you, Bokkun?"
"Uh…well, Boss," Bokkun said nervously, putting his hands behind his back to hide the fact that he'd just started twiddling his thumbs, a sign that he was nervous. "I've been…watching Sonic and his goody-goody friends to see if I can spot any weaknesses."

"Oh really?" Eggman said. "And have you learned anything useful yet?"

"Well," Bokkun said, "I found out when he was a kid that Sonic used to pick his nose…"

"Yes, I'm certain that will prove to be a vital piece of information," Eggman said, sounding like he didn't think it would be important at all.

"Um, well…it might be a good way to…demoralize people if they thought Sonic wasn't so perfect?" Bokkun suggested.

"Hm, yes, I suppose so," the doctor said. Okay, normally that idea would have had the big guy doing his Santa Claus impersonation. Something was up, and it wasn't the doctor's weight.

"Bokkun," Eggman said suddenly, leaning slightly forward and looking into the messenger robot's eyes. He tapped Bokkun's forehead with his finger. "Do you know what happens to those that betray me?"

"Uh…not really…" Bokkun said nervously, wishing something, anything would happen to distract the doctor. This was getting more and more disturbing.

"They become scrap for future inventions," the obese man said, chair swiveling around to signify the end of the interview. Bokkun decided to make himself scarce.

Phew! I thought for sure he'd found out I was helping Cream and Cosmo! the messenger robot thought, hurrying towards the area of the lab that he was usually actually supposed to be in. As much as he wanted to see Cream again, now would be a really bad time. He was probably being watched.

The doctor often acted like a buffoon, but that's what it was, an act. Bokkun remembered once after Sonic had broken into one of the boss' labs and destroyed his latest super robot, Eggman had jumped up and down and ranted and raved and called Sonic a bunch of childish names and yelled "Snot snot snot!" As soon as Sonic had left, however, the scientist had become quiet. He'd walked over to a chair and sat down. Then he'd grinned. It was an ugly grin.

"What are you smiling about, Doctor?" Bokkun had asked, not seeing anything to grin about. "Sonic really ruined everything! Again!"

"Everything?" Eggman had repeated quietly. Too quietly for someone that had just been having a temper tantrum a few moments ago. "Look around you, Bokkun. What do you see?"

Bokkun had looked about the damaged lab. "Uh…pieces of giant robot all over the place?" he'd finally answered.

"And the machines that made the giant robot?" Eggman prompted.

Bokkun looked around again. "Uh…they're still here?"

"In one piece?" Eggman had asked, leaning forward.

"Uh…yeah?" Bokkun had said, wondering what the doctor was getting at.

"Wouldn't the logical thing to do after destroying a giant robot be to destroy the machinery that made said giant robot to prevent any more from being made any time soon?" Eggman had pressed, grinning again, lips pulling back to show his teeth.

Bokkun had backed away from that grin, deciding he liked the doctor glaring furiously better. "Uh…yes?" he finally said.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Eggman demanded. "Very well. If Sonic had thought about it, he would have smashed the machines as well. Why didn't he?"

"Uh…because…because he was too busy laughing at you having a hissy fit?" Bokkun said, finally getting it. "Wow! That's…brilliant, Doctor!"

"But of course," Eggman said, leaning back in his chair. "If I had remained the sinister, snarling villain I'd been when I first launched my attacks upon those inferior life forms, Sonic and his friends would eventually have done away with me, particularly that violent but amusingly naïve echidna. I believe dear Knucklehead still believes there's some good buried deep down inside of me. The fool!" He threw back his head and laughed. Not his usual "Ho ho ho!" more like a maniac in a bad horror movie.

Bokkun shivered at the memory. No, there was nothing funny about the fat man. Not once you really got to know him…

…

Merlin clenched his fists. So much for doing the right thing and waiting for his family to get him out of here. As much as he hated to do it, he could see if he wanted to leave he'd have to break out, something he'd wanted to avoid. But he had a feeling that Miles would need him soon, and he'd be of no use to him or anyone else, not even himself, as long as he remained here.

He got up and reached for his cane. He stuck his head out of his room and looked up and down the hallway. No one in sight. Usually by this time most of the patients were medicated and either asleep or in a daze. As a sleight of hand enthusiast before learning actual magic, Merlin could easily make it look as if he'd swallowed something he hadn't, and as a life long storyteller he knew enough about acting to pretend to be in a drug induced stupor if he had to be. Not that he had needed to once he had decided to play the good patient and stop complaining about wanting out.

While he didn't want that dratted orderly catching him, he was really more concerned about Heather suddenly showing up without warning, as she had a tendency to do. The girl would want to go with him if she knew his plans, and it was just possible she might yell and alert everyone in the building if he refused to take her with him. He wished he could get her out. She wasn't violent, and being away from this place and with people that might treat her like a person instead of a freak might improve, but he was about to become a wanted fugitive, and that was no life for a child.

Merlin walked as quickly and as quietly as he could to the back door of the institute. He gestured and muttered some strange words. There seemed to be no change, but he knew the door was now unlocked. He didn't open it, however. He could see the security alarm connected to it, and, having no idea how to disconnect it manually, couldn't do so magically either without blowing it up. But then he didn't intend to go out that door.

He turned and walked towards the janitor's closet, which was about halfway down the hall. Reaching it, he repeated the previous spell. This time he turned the doorknob and opened the door. He stepped inside and was nearly bopped upside the head by a mop. Very little pride in work in this hospital. He pushed the mop against the far wall, then pulled the door nearly shut. He looked towards the back door and gestured. The doorknob turned by itself. A few more words and it began to open. Naturally, this set off the alarm.

Within moments he could hear footsteps rushing past his hiding place, and the shouts of that idiot orderly. My, such language from a caregiver towards patients he was supposed to want to help.

Merlin waited a few minutes, then cautiously pushed the door open just enough to peer out into the corridor. No sign of anyone, and the corridor turned slightly just ahead of him, so that the back door wasn't visible from where he was. He looked up and down the hallway a few times, then cautiously slipped out of the closet, closing the door behind him. He moved as quickly as he could towards the front door, the still ringing alarm and chattering of excited patients and staff drowning out the soft sounds of his cane.

Reaching the front door, Merlin looked back and gestured at the closest room, causing the window to suddenly open, setting off the alarm in that room. Turning back towards the door, he repeated the spell once more, opening the front door. He stepped through and pulled the door shut behind him. He reversed the spell, relocking the door. This should hopefully stall any pursuers, assuming they didn't have the proper key with them. He walked through the driveway towards the gate. He used a variation of the spell on the front gate. The lock opened. He pulled off the chain, put his shoulder to the gate, and managed to push it open. It creaked loudly. Didn't they repair anything in this place? He stepped through, replaced the chain, and clicked the lock. He moved slowly away from the asylum. He wasn't built for speed, and hopefully their security system wasn't complex enough for them to realize the front door had been opened since it was once again closed, and would assume the later alarms came from the presumably still open window.

As he walked, he noticed something touch his hand, then his face. It had begun to snow. While snow would cover his tracks and make it much more difficult for anyone realizing he was gone to follow him, it also made the necessity of finding shelter from the elements all the more urgent than he had expected. He knew a spell for warming a room-sized area, but it worked better indoors. Not likely to find a house around here, while visiting Miles he had noted the asylum was pretty far away from anywhere. In his youth a brisk five mile walk had meant nothing to him, but these days a couple of blocks would take a lot out of him. Of course, he could always go back, but they'd watch him like hawks once they knew he'd escaped once, and he wouldn't get a second chance unless he used offensive magic against them, and he would not set fire to a living being, not even that blasted orderly. Not after what had happened in that little village, so many years ago…

In the distance he saw something like looked like a cave. Now if he could only reach it. Oh, his back! He'd tried every remedy he could find for it, magical and otherwise, and nothing seemed to help. Heat pads made it less painful, but he couldn't wear something like that all day long. When he was close enough to ascertain that it was indeed a cavern of some sort, he stopped to rest. It was so dreadful growing old. He didn't feel old inside, but a number of little aches here and there told him otherwise. Where had the years gone? It didn't really seem all that long ago that he was Amadeus' age. Even Miles' age didn't feel like the decades it had been, far more than half a century. So many, many years… So many plans and goals and dreams he'd had in his youth. So much he hadn't accomplished, would never accomplish. And now he couldn't even do what he had been doing only a few days ago. Instead he had to worry about getting caught and dragged back into that blasted home.

He sighed and started walking again. He was growing sore all over, but he couldn't remain out in the snow for too long. If he caught cold he'd have no choice but to go back, and that was the last thing he wanted to have happen. As he passed a tree he broke off a few small branches. They were damp with the falling snow, but he could dry them out once he reached shelter. He stopped when he had as much as he could carry with one arm. He rested a bit, then started towards the cave again. Would he ever get there?

Merlin sighed with relief when he finally reached the entrance. The interior was small, perhaps about the dimensions of a medium sized living room, but that was good enough for him. He stepped inside. It was empty. Good. Nobody to ask him questions he didn't want to answer. He moved towards the back of the cave, then sank down to the floor. Oh, he was going to be stiff in the morning!

Well, first things first. He placed the branches in a pile, rubbed his hands together, and blew into them a few times. Smoke began to flow from the small branches, drying them out. They wouldn't last for very long, but hopefully they'd warm the cave enough while they burned, and he could make the fire last longer once he had it burning through magic. He started rubbing his hands together again. Once more smoke issued from the branches, then a spark, then another. Then the sticks caught fire. He moved a little closer. Ahh, much better! He laid down in front of the fire and shut his eyes. He'd just rest a moment or two.

Before he knew it, Merlin Prower had fallen asleep. Outside the snow began to fall harder, quickly obliterating his tracks. It wouldn't be easy for anyone to track him to the cave.

…

Heather shivered as she struggled to find the old fox's tracks in the falling snow. She cursed herself for not thinking sooner that Merlin might decide to finally break out once he realized his family wasn't going to take him home. She'd thought he'd be too upset to do anything, at least for a day or two. When she had seen him walking around the corridors, something he didn't do unless she dragged him somewhere, she had followed cautiously, careful not to be noticed by ducking into doorways. It hadn't occurred to her to grab her coat or robe.

She had been confused by the way he'd behaved, seeming to start out the back door, then hiding. Then she realized it was a trick to get everyone rushing to find him in the opposite direction from the one he'd really wanted to go in. Brilliant! Following him hadn't been easy. By the time she'd reached the gate it was locked again and she could barely see his thin figure far ahead. She'd scaled the gate with some difficulty, making it only because she had four hands to hold onto it instead of only two. At the top she'd slipped and nearly fallen, three hands waving helplessly in the air. The fourth had held, saving her a plunge that probably would have knocked her out and given her a concussion if not worse, but putting all of her weight on one arm so suddenly had hurt her shoulder. She hoped it wasn't out of joint. She had no idea how to fix it if it was. Well, hopefully the old fox knew first aid. She picked up some snow and rubbed it onto her aching shoulder. Now she'd probably get frostbite.

The snow began to fall more heavily. The faint tracks she'd been following soon vanished completely. Heather looked about her, afraid to call out to the old fox in case someone from the asylum was following them. Especially that creep of an orderly. But she had no idea which way to go. Would he have continued walking the way he'd been going, or veer off to the left or the right in order to confuse any pursuers? One thing she did know was that she couldn't stand in one place very long to think about it. She was starting to shake all over.

She stumbled, nearly falling face first in the snow. She struggled to keep going. Stopping now would be the end of her. Not that anyone would miss her. Well, maybe "Grandpa" would, a little. She again thought of calling out to him. But if he answered, and she was being followed, they'd drag them both back, and probably watch him constantly to make sure he didn't try to escape again. She clenched her frozen hands, wishing she'd worn gloves like most Mobians. She wasn't going to betray him, even if he'd abandoned her. Just like everybody else had. Well, why shouldn't he? She wasn't anything to him. Just an ugly little freak that had talked his ear off every day since he'd been moved into Happy Acres. He didn't owe her anything. She tried to make herself stop shaking and found that she couldn't. If only it wasn't so cold…

Up ahead and to the left she noticed something in the gloom. A cave? Well, anything was better than standing out in the snow until she froze solid. She started towards it, hoping it would at least block the wind that was chilling her to the bone. It seemed so far away, and Heather had never been a very athletic person. Hadn't had much reason to be. She'd been locked away in small areas most of her life. First the basement in her home, then the room in the asylum.

The wind grew in force, blowing her hair in her face and pelting her with the snow that fell heavier than ever. She staggered twice before finally reaching the cave. She stepped inside, relieved to be out of that awful wind. She went further into the cave. What was that flickering light? A fire?

She was relieved when she came closer and saw the old fox laying on the ground. Then she took a good look at the fire. It was so small! It looked like it might go out at any moment. Heather sighed. She'd have to go back out and get more wood. Well, she'd at least warm herself a little bit first. She dropped to her knees beside the fire and held all four hands in front of it, wincing at her hurt arm. Darn it! Felt like there was really something seriously wrong with it. Well, maybe "Grandpa" would know what to do about it. She didn't want to wake him though. He looked so tired. So old.

She groaned as she rose shakily to her feet. If she stayed here much longer, she'd fall asleep and let the fire go out. She cringed as she stepped back out into the wind and the snow. She started walking towards the nearest tree. The problem was it was such a long way from the cave. She wished she'd known about the fire, she would've picked some up along the way. Damn she was cold!

She gathered up as many sticks and small branches as she could carry with three arms. Her injured shoulder felt numb and she didn't want to strain it any further. She turned and started back towards the cave. Actually she was starting to feel numb all over now. The wind picked up still further, and she found herself having to push through it. Any stronger and it might pick her up and carry her away!

Heather finally reentered the cave. The fire was nearly out. She placed a few twigs and a small branch on the fire, then laid the rest down a few feet away. She laid down in front of the flames and shut her eyes. Just for a minute.

Before she knew it, Heather was also asleep.

Outside, the wind tossed the snow at the mouth of the cave. It began to pile up, soon blocking the entrance well over a foot high, and showing no signs of stopping.

To be continued

…

What can I say? Not a single update last year. And yes, I know Cosmo was only barely in this chapter. I decided it was best to get this out and save her for the next chapter. I'll try to do much better in the future but the real world is sometimes very cruel. Thank you for your patience.