Back to Chapter 7

“Sonic, please, you can’t be serious,” Ben begged Sonic once more as the two of them made their way through the Green Hill Zone towards Rotor’s house.

“Look, pal,” Sonic responded, “I’ve been here for less than two days and already I’ve figured out that any friend of yours is a friend of mine”

“So, what, you think turning up at Rotor’s house and having an argument with his dad is going to make things better?”

“Relax, Mutt, I’m not going to beat up his old man! By the sounds of it, he wouldn’t be worth the effort”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Ben sighed, “So what exactly are you planning?”

“I dunno, some kind of distraction, something to help calm the situation, I haven’t exactly thought it through”

“Well then why are we heading there now?!”

Sonic rubbed his nose, “Planning isn’t my strong point. Improvisation, however, I can do”

Ben let out an exasperated groan but could see he wasn’t about to talk Sonic down. The two came over a small hill and heard the sounds of an argument down below taking place on the doorstep of a cliffside house. A walrus in a blue parka and reflective yellow sunglasses was gesturing animatedly at four other walruses.

“Let me guess, Mr. Personality there is Tundra?” Sonic enquired.

“Yeah, the others are the rest of Rotor’s family”

Sonic took in the scene. One of the other walruses was an adult female wearing a hair cover. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was Rotor’s mother. Likewise, the male of about the same age wearing a smart blue uniform was clearly Rotor’s step-father. Sonic was able to deduce the young boy hiding behind his mother’s legs was obviously Rotor’s younger brother.

This all meant Rotor must be the only walrus remaining- the one standing between his mother and father, angrily staring fire at Tundra and snarling as his father spat hatred at the rest of them.

“Georgette, at the risk of repeating myself, this is a step too far and I shall not stand for it!” Tundra bellowed.

“Why not risk repeating yourself now, Pop?” Rotor sarcastically fired back, “All you ever do is give us the same garbage over and over”

“Don’t you ‘Pop’ me, you insolent whelp!” Tundra growled at his eldest child, “You’re no son of mine!”

“Oh, I’ll pop you alright!” Rotor balled his hand into a fist.

“I would welcome it!” Tundra scoffed, “It would be the first time you showed any propensity for strength or courage!”

“Tundra, that’s enough,” Georgette replied, “You’re scaring Skeeter”

Tundra looked down at the youngest walrus, “If that is true then Skeeter is every bit the embarrassment his brother is. Imagine, the two children of Tundra the Walrus- pathetic, snivelling cowards”

Georgette pushed forward to get in Tundra’s face, “All you care about is how strong you look. Well, let me tell you something, Tundra, true strength doesn’t come from throwing fists or butting heads- it comes from making difficult sacrifices for the sake of your family! Something you would know nothing about, I’m sure!”

“Hah!” Tundra exclaimed, “I have sacrificed plenty in the name of you and our offspring. But I will not withstand the indignity of you ruining Skeeter’s chances with this… this simpering coward you call a husband!”

“Tundra, I refuse to rise to your insults,” Rotor’s step-father replied as calmly as he could, while putting a hand on Georgette’s shoulder.

“How very typical of you, Sherman,” Tundra sneered, “ducking conflict once again, just as you ducked out of military service”

“You know all too well my back injury prevents active service, Tundra,” Sherman responded

“Ah, yes, and so conveniently timed it was too, putting you out of service just before a battle with the Northern Ocean forces”

“I wish you would forget about that day and move on with your life, Tundra,” Sherman spoke softly.

“Forget about it?!” Tundra exploded, “We can’t all get a cushy job as a driver and forget about our past, Sherman! How can I forget about it when I am reminded every time I look in the mirror?!”

Tundra removed his sunglasses to reveal two huge scars on his face. Sherman looked away from the other man, refusing to be drawn into staring or fits of anger.

“Woah,” Sonic said looking on, “Yeah, maybe I’d be mad all the time if I looked like that too”

“No way, Sonic,” Ben shook his head, “Rotor says Tundra was always like this. He just uses the scars as an excuse for his behaviour”

“Relax, buddy,” Sonic glanced over at Ben, “I wasn’t being serious. There’s no excuse for being a bully. So old Tundra was in the army, huh?”

“Still is. He’s the leader of the Cool Edge Zone’s armed forces. He values strength above everything else. I don’t get how a sweet lady like Rotor’s mom ended up with him, but I guess maybe he wasn’t always a jerk”

“Trust me, pal,” Sonic raised an eyebrow, “he may not have shown it to begin with, but that guy was definitely always a jerk”

“I dunno,” Ben shrugged, “my dad says war changes people”

“Yeah, sometimes it makes them show their true colours. Not all that fond of war myself”

Ben chuckled, “You’ll want to stay away from Sergeant Doberman, then”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Army barmy, that’s what they call him! He’s alright, I guess, he’s an okay guy. But everything is about war with him! You know he’s not allowed to drive to the supermarket anymore because his car’s a tank?”

“No kidding… Muttski, I think I’ve just hit on a plan”

***

“This is, without question, the dumbest excuse for a plan I have ever seen”

Ben stood incredulous at Sonic. Having paid a quick visit to Sergeant Doberman, the boys had managed to borrow one of his old army helmets. It wasn’t a great fit for Sonic as Sergeant Doberman had a completely different head shape but Sonic reckoned it fit his purpose just fine.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, bud,” Sonic rolled his eyes.

Ben shook his head, “When this goes south, don’t expect Tundra to go easy on you just because you’re a kid”

“He’ll have to catch me first”

“He’s a grown-up, noodle-legs,” Ben sassed, “Not to mention he has military training- I’m sure he can catch you”

“Somebody didn’t see me at work at Uncle Chuck’s today,” Sonic smirked, “Here, just for you!”

Sonic decided to show off his speed as he rushed down the hillside. Ben barely had time to process what he’d just seen, blinking confusedly. Of the assembled walruses- still in an increasingly heated argument- only one seemed to have spotted to display. Rotor furrowed his brow for a split second then turned his glance back to his irate, ranting father.

Sonic walked over to the scene and tapped Tundra on the shoulder.

“General Tundra, sir!” Sonic hazarded a guess at Tundra’s rank and wasn’t corrected so he figured he’d landed lucky.

Tundra turned to see the brown hedgehog in an ill-fitting army hat stood behind him, “What is it? Can’t you see I’m conducting private business?”

“Urgent news, sir,” Sonic decided to bluff his way through the conversation, “Forces are amassing near Cool Edge Zone. Suspected work of the Northern Ocean army, sir. I was ordered to relay this message to you”

Tundra exploded, “What!? This must be the work of Akhlut, that filthy—” Tundra stopped mid-sentence to eye Sonic up and down, “Why do they send a hedgehog to bring me news regarding my Zone?”

“Allied forces, sir,” Sonic talked as fast as his feet moved, “Or, rather, a neutral party. The nearby Hedgehog Village may not be as strong as most, but we value protecting our own”

“I see…” Tundra seemed almost convinced, “Perhaps I should head to the village to confirm if—”

“No time!” Sonic barked, “Uh, sir! There’s no time- you can’t risk an invasion from the Northern Ocean. That was part of the message. I forgot to relay that bit. Sorry. You’re wanted home immediately”

Tundra paused as he weighed up the increasingly garbled message given to him by this pint-sized messenger, “Very well. I shall return home” He glanced back over his shoulder at Rotor’s family, “Georgette, do not think this matter over. I shall return”

Tundra began walking apace away from the house. Sonic relaxed a little and gave the slightest hint of a smirk.

“Let me guess,” Rotor asked, “you’re not really a soldier are you?”

“Nope,” Sonic grinned. “And if you liked that, you’re really going to get a kick out of this”

As Tundra walked away from the house, he couldn’t help but feel a cool breeze kick up around him before immediately dissipating. Tundra took a few more steps and tripped face-first to the floor as he suddenly found his cleanly-pressed trousers around his ankles. Humiliated, Tundra glanced back at his ex-wife’s house and saw his children roaring with laughter. Georgette and Sherman stifled a laugh so as not to cause too much of a stir. The only one seemingly not amused by the situation was the messenger- was he wearing that belt before? Tundra glanced down and realised his own belt was missing. But that would mean—no, it couldn’t, that would be impossible. Wouldn’t it? As tundra felt his face get hotter, he skulked off.

Ben came running down the hillside mere moments later and up to Sonic, “You’re insane. You’re absolutely mad”

“Do you see an angry walrus here any more?” Sonic quizzed his friend.

“Well, no, but—”

“Then job done,” he popped the helmet off his head and passed the belt to Sherman, “Here, have a freebie on me”

“Thanks,” Sherman chuckled, “And who might you be?”

“The name’s Sonic. I’m a friend of Ben’s and I’m not keen on bullies”

“You could put that on a business card,” Rotor replied.

“Ha- ‘Sonic the Hedgehog: food delivered, bullies pantsed’” Sonic grinned.

“That was a very impressive display of speed, Sonic,” Georgette complimented the hedgehog, “But you must be careful getting involved with someone like my ex-husband”

“It was so cool!” Skeeter burst out, “I’ve never seen anyone else move that fast”

“Nobody else does move that fast,” Sonic boasted.

Rotor extended a hand, “Rotor. Though I get the feeling Ben already told you that”

“Pleased to meet you, pal,” Sonic shook Rotor’s hand, “I have a feeling we’re going to get on famously. And don’t listen to that blowhard of a dad of yours- you seem plenty tough to me, refusing to back down like that”

“I just don’t like to get physically involved in altercations,” Rotor straightened his baseball cap, “I prefer to use my other skills”

“What skills are those?” Sonic asked, his interest piqued.

“Maybe I can show you myself in my workshop- well, my bedroom. Same thing”

***

Rotor’s bedroom-workshop was impressively paradoxical, at once perfectly organised yet in total disorder. It felt like everything was in its place, yet nothing was tidy. If you’d asked Rotor where you might find a screwdriver or a hammer or a sprocket or a 14B pipe cleaner, he’d know exactly where to find them. Not a single one of them were in the place they belonged on the wall or in a drawer, but Rotor knew where they were.

“Here it is,” Rotor proudly motioned to the room, “my little hideaway!”

“Your room is a tip, Rotor,” Ben folded his arms.

“I dunno,” Sonic glanced around the room, “I think compared to my old room this is pretty organised”

“I don’t tend to stop long between inventing stuff to allow me to tidy things. My mom always says that as long as the mess is confined to this room and it doesn’t get in anybody else’s way, she doesn’t mind- just so long as I don’t expect her to tidy it up!”

“Seems fair,” Sonic rubbed his nose “So what sort of stuff do you invent, Rotor?”

“I’m pretty specialised, I’ll admit”

“He’s a gun nut,” Ben gently nudged Sonic with his elbow.

“I am not a gun nut, Mutt,” Rotor folded his arm “A gun nut is obsessed with firearms. I research and develop non-fatal methods of stopping enemies in the hopes that one day more peaceful resolutions to conflict can be found”

“Right, my mistake,” Ben raised his hands defensively “He’s a peaceful gun nut”

Rotor sighed, “Why don’t I show you, Sonic?”

Rotor picked up what looked like a large blaster gun, the sort Sonic had only ever seen in comic books before now, “This, for instance, would subdue pretty much any enemy on the field of battle”

Sonic took a step back, “By blowing their head off, by the look of it- careful where you’re pointing that thing!”

“Relax,” Rotor flicked a catch on the gun, “It can’t hurt you. Watch”

Before Sonic could even react, Rotor fired the gun at Ben, keeping his finger on the trigger. Instead of bullets or even lasers firing out of the end, nothing visible seemed to fire out at all. Then Sonic noticed Ben’s reaction.

Instead of pain, Ben fell to the floor, laughing uproariously, “St-stop! Haha-hahastop it, Rotor!”

Sonic looked at Rotor for the explanation as Rotor kept his finger on the trigger for just a moment later, “This vibration gun irritates the airwaves to tickle your opponent into submission. Non-lethal and runs on clean energy. I think he’s had enough now” Rotor let go of the trigger and flicked the catch back on.

Ben gasped for breath, “You’re the worst”

“Then why were you smiling?” Rotor quipped.

Sonic raised a quizzical eyebrow, “So, aside from this tickle gun, what else have you cooked up?”

“Oh, all sorts,” Rotor placed the firearm back down, “I’ve got one that makes your hair stand on end like static electricity, I’ve got one that makes you sneeze, I’ve got another that makes you make cartoon noises”

“I guess it’d be pretty difficult to fight back if you’re reduced to looking like an idiot on the battlefield”

“Well wouldn’t it be better to have screams of laughter rather than screams of fear? I figure if everyone’s too busy having a good time, they’ll probably forget why they were fighting in the first place”

“It’s a nice thought, bud,” Sonic admitted “So, I have to ask- what’s with all the inventor types around here? Something in the water? Or have you invented a gun that turns people into inventors?”

“It’s inspiration, really,” Rotor replied as Ben nodded, “When creative people meet a great mind, they try to follow in their footsteps”

“So you look up to… Uncle Chuck?” Sonic asked.

“Well, yes, we all do, but he’s not who I had in mind,” Rotor began to rummage through a drawer, eventually pulling out a photograph, “Aha! Here he is look- Doctor Ovi Kintobor!”

Rotor showed Sonic the photo, depicting a kindly-looking gentleman- a human. Kintobor was balding on top but had a huge orange moustache above a friendly open-mouthed smile. His glasses perched neatly on his nose to complete and his white lab coat was immaculate. Kintobor seemed almost frail due to his skinniness but Sonic could tell from the photo there was a bold confidence and strength of character to him.

“A human,” Sonic mused, “I’ve never met a human before”

“Yeah, well,” Ben sniffed, “you’re not missing much. Kintobor is the real deal, but most humans are kind of jerks, honestly. They’ve caused more wars than a few over the years. Even Kintobor’s family are a bunch of weirdos. They all arrived here before we were born. Apparently the Doc was testing out his 4x4 Photon Stratocruiser and arrived here on Mobius by chance”

“So he’s an alien?” Sonic looked at Rotor.

Rotor put the photo back away, “Yeah, but he’s indistinguishable from the humans that lived here in their own colonies. Just a nice, normal guy”

“What did he do to inspire you?” Sonic asked.

“He’s brilliant. Not just a brilliant mind, but a shining example of a person. When Kintobor arrived, Mobius was very different to how it was today- and that’s only the work of a few decades. He revolutionised our planet. Science, the arts, religion, philosophy, culture, fashion- Kintobor brought so much of Earth’s greatest achievements to Mobius, refined them and shared them with us. Zones that were destitute became self-sufficient in under a year thanks to his help. He’s probably the greatest modern folk hero on the planet”

“Sounds like someone I’d like to meet,” Sonic smiled.

“Yeah, well, good luck with that,” Rotor shrugged, “He tends to keep hidden away from the public eye. For all the good he’s done, there are always people that want to take his good work and profit from it. Kintobor dreams of a utopic future where nature and science co-exist for the betterment of one another”

Sonic looked at Ben, who nodded, “Just like Uncle Chuck”

Rotor beamed, “Uncle Chuck once told me Kintobor was his greatest inspiration too. And that’s saying something as Chuck’s quite the inventor himself!”

“So where does Kintobor hide away exactly?” Sonic asked, trying to get back to the matter of the doctor’s secrecy.

“Nobody knows. Somewhere here on South Island, perhaps even the Green Hill Zone. It has to be, based on his few public appearances. But the Green Hill Zone is pretty big. He could be holed up anywhere, doing experiments in his lab”

“Well if I ever meet him, I’ll say hi to him for you,” Sonic smiled.

Georgette’s voice called upstairs, “Rotor, food’s about done!”

Sonic shook Rotor’s hand once again, “It’s been nice meeting you, Rotor. We’ll get going and let you eat in peace. We’ll have to hang out sometime!”

“Count on it, pal,” Rotor smiled back at his newfound friend.

On to Chapter 9