Plus est en Vous

Chapter 1 Set Yourself Free

The city was filthy. Smog hung in the air. Debris and trash lined the streets. The dumpsters were overflowing. It was dingy and stank of rotten eggs.

In the dark of night, through one of the trash-lined streets, a small car drove quietly, slowly until it parked outside of a warehouse. Out of the warehouse, a figure wearing a cloak hurried cautiously to the vehicle and threw a suitcase in the backseat. The figure got into the front passenger seat.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" The figure asked the one in the driver's seat.

"I am. I've made all of the arrangements. I have no obligations holding me here any longer. Do you have any doubts?" The driver asked.

"No. I want this. I'm done. I have no guilt whatsoever." The figure leaned over and kissed the driver before he turned his eyes to the road and put the car into drive. As the car rolled down the road, it picked up speed and the wheels lifted off the ground. Once fully off the ground, they folded into the bottom of the car and the boot opened to reveal a pair of jets. They flashed twice before flames appeared and the flying vehicle took off into the sky.

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Several hours later, as the sun rose on the warehouse, an anthropomorphic hedgehog with blue fur and quills and hair zipped around the halls, getting ready for the day at top speeds. Another hedgehog with green dreadlocks and quills expertly side-stepped his brother, slipped on his red vest and went to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee.

However, when he picked up the pot, it was empty. He realized he needed to turn on the kitchen light. He looked around. "Have you seen Sonia? There's no coffee. Usually, she beats us both up and makes coffee."

Sonic stopped running about and looked around. "No, I haven't seen her this morning." He ran to her door and knocked. "Sonia, are you alright?" He called in, expecting her to respond with a groggy or congested voice. Except no response came at all. "Sonia?" He knocked again. He tried the doorknob but it wouldn't budge. "Manic, I think we need your lock picks. Something is wrong."

Manic nodded and knelt in front of the door, examining the lock before choosing a pick from his keyring. It took only a few minutes before the door swung inward. The room was empty. The bed was neatly made. "She's gone."

He barely had time to get out the words before the sound of an explosion caught their ear. The wall of the bedroom fell in and SwatBots swarmed them. In their shock over the discovery, they didn't even fight back.

Two men, both wolves, entered the room. "Well, capturing you was disgustingly easy today." The first, with long silver hair and goatee complementing his blue-gray fur laughed. "But... we seem to be missing one... Sire!" He called out.

Sonic tried to get away but his ankle was already weighted down with a Mobitanium cuff and ball-chain. He tried to activate his medallion but nothing happened. "Manic? What's going on? Can you use your medallion?" They wouldn't have time to try as they heard heavy footsteps stomping into the bedroom. "Robuttnik... Where is Sonia? What have you done with her?"

The old man's eyebrows went crooked. "I don't know where your sister is. But I know you know where Bartleby is! Where is he! Tell me?"

Manic frowned. "We don't know where he is. You mean, you haven't somehow captured our sister? And you can't find Bartleby?"

The tyrant tapped his foot impatiently. "Bartleby would never leave. He is a devoted leader for his county. As well as my loyal nephew. Where is he?"

"We don't know! We didn't even know he was your nephew." Sonic said. "We don't know where they are." He kept struggling against the manacles.

Robotnik stood up straighter. "Both Bartleby and your sister are missing. On the same day..."