Heart of Snow by -- Joseph DeLaCroix This story is based on characters created by Service and Games (SEGA), and on characters created by Archie Comic Publications, Inc. Any resemblance to actual characters are not coincidental. ;) Joseph, Bahb, and all other independent creations of Joseph DeLaCroix are the copyrighted property of JoCo Inc. Commander Packbell and Sandra Nightweaver are the copyrighted property of David Pistone. All rights reserved. Etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Timeline: A month or two later. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Winter had fallen in the Great Forest. The trees, long since bare, were covered in a robe of glittering ice. A few patches of snow laid on the ground, and occasionally blew around to other places requiring more. The rivers and ponds had long since iced over, and the sky had wrapped itself in a quilt of grey; it appeared that all of nature had fallen into a blissful slumber. But, as we shall see, not all life sleeps during the winter... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The forest was silent in winter, she noted, which gave her pursuers a distinct advantage. Lazer fire crackled behind her, and rushed increasingly closer to her ears and neck. As she ran between trees and leapt between fissures in the earth, she damned her small, yet idiotic mistakes. It had started innocently enough. Her replicator unit (which she had acquired from someone, who had stolen it from someone else, who had rebuilt it from the remainder of the parts someone -else- had stolen, which had been initally acquired from the smoking husk of a crashed spacecraft before it was mysteriously stripped bare the next night) had ran out of power, and she wished to acquire more. This wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the fact one of her favorite fences had finally been captured by SWATBots and had entered `re-adjustment'. (This was just a polite term for roboticization, she winced, that Robotnik occasionally used when he dropped propaganda near the edges of the Great Forest.) However, she had not had any success in finding a new source. Apparently, the powerpacks that her unit took were extremely rare, and could only have been acquired by her source...but there was something that gave her hope of finding more; his goods had not been found by Robotnik. Of course, it would figure that nobody *else* knew where they were, either. So, yet again, she was going to have to rely on her own detective work and wit to pull herself through hard times. She searched the Great Forest for months. All the while, the world kept spinning, changing, and becoming stranger than she was accustomed to. Mini-coups were held in Robotropolis, starting after Doomsday. (To her understanding, the odious Packbell was now running things.) Fall turned to autumn, and she had still not found his cache of items. She began to have more difficulty hunting down food. Her diet of the larger predators (which had been giving her a viable career in fur-trapping) slowly began to switch to that of the smaller mammals and the occasional bird. Chewing on bark seemed to be becoming more attractive. Yet, her search continued. But, she admitted to herself, she had not totally dedicated every waking moment to searching out the 'packs for the replicator... During one of her explorations of the Great Forest, she began noticing minor changes in one of the parts of the forest that she frequented often. First, a small creek had been dug out from the Great River and had been made to run through a normally barren part of the woods. Then, a pond had slowly began to appear, lined with multicolored stones. A wooden bridge had been constructed next, which went over the creek, and finally was replaced with a firmer stone one. At first, she assumed that one of the Freedom Fighters had simply wished to add some infrastructure to the forest, or wanted to build someplace where he or she could relax. But the arrival of the `SpyGlobe', which the floating device had called itself, seemed to denote a different presence. At first, it had chased her away when she tried to cross the bridge, firing stun beams. But, she had slowly began to develop a rapport with the device, eventually beginning to learn things from it. She had came to the conclusion (incorrectly, unknown to her) that the SpyGlobe and its owner, a individual named `Joseph', were seperate entities. Therefore, she attempted to learn about one by asking the other. And she thought she was making remarkable progress; she knew that this `Joseph' was a male, an alien, and a scientist. He was also a psudo-Freedom Fighter, and worked extensively on the deroboticizer project. This intrigued her. She knew little else of this man than what the SpyGlobe had stated after coercing...but she realized that if he could make a device like this, and change his environment around as he pleased, that he could probably assist her in her prediciment. So, after a few more days of discussion (seperated by further sporadic searching), the 'Globe finally determined that she was not a threat, and allowed her to cross the bridge over into the area by this `Joseph''s house. She was somewhat surprised to find that Joseph's home was not the normal cottage of the basic `Knothole' motif. Rather, it was had a classic `tech noir' look to it. It was a large dome that was constructed out of a sort of brown crystal. There were clear areas in it that served as windows, which one could not see into clearly. However, it was a fair bet that one could see out perfectly from them. This person became more and more intriguing...she needed to learn more. Leaving the area, she decided to spy on the residents of Knothole for a week or two...while quietly acquiring some of their stores for her own use, of course. Unfortunately, she couldn't learn much of him there, either. He was a reclusive fox (she had at least learned what his -species- was), and was not, it was rumored, friendly to uninvited visitors. Perhaps a more cautious female would have taken that as a pretty good reason to leave well enough alone, and not to disturb this person. Yet, there were other bits of evidence that seemed to justify the risk to her. For example, this fox had won the trust and loyalty of the upper level Freedom Fighters, and specifically Sonic. Sonic regarded Joseph as some sort of `brother' to him, for reasons that never did become clear to her. This could be an advantage to her in the future if she somehow was able to win his trust. Also, she found striking similarities between herself and the yet-unseen fox. He was an accomplished spy; somehow, he had acquired all of the info that Robotnik had on Robotropolis, the Freedom Fighters, and every other miscellaneous piece of information he had right from Robotnik's main computer. He was a crack security expert. The urban legends about the Dome seemed to follow a very coherent, common thread -- a unknowing, naive dupe would attempt to break in, and would be thrown in a cold, openingless, dark, opaque floating box somewhere within the structure. After a few minutes, you were surrounded by a bright light and teleported back into Knothole. Only if you solved Joseph's riddles would he let you through his various levels of security. She smiled when she thought of this. He had a level of class that was far above the norm. You wouldn't see Snively or Packbell be creative like that... He was also said to be a skilled martial artist. He had a practice area behind his fortress that he was said to frequent often during the warmer months, even though nobody had ever seen him there. When anyone aproached when Joseph was practicing, the legend said, they would find naught but a staff and a breeze there to greet them. Of course, the most amazing thing about this fox was the fact that he had somehow managed to instill awe and fear into the people of Knothole that could also be used to her advantage, in time...it was not a hatred that seperated him from the people of the village, but a sort of jealousy and Neanderthalic instinct against things they did not understand. Aside from the upper brass, they were almost uniform in their opinion of him; he was a powerful, brilliant fox...but it means your doom if you get him on your bad side. But, she had never been the kind to make snap judgements about people based on rumors and urban legends. She had been misjudged that way many times as well...another similarity. She smirked. Perhaps, she sarcastically thought, they were soulmates. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - All the while, Joseph had been observing the vixen as well. He had watched her and studied the records available on her life, trying to learn her nature. From his observations, he had rigged up a personal dossier on her. She looked youthful, about in her middle twenties...fur of a deep black, stood about 5'10". She had a very feminine, yet athletic, figure; a long, silky tail, a well-curved frame, sparkling, intelligent eyes...but she also had a sort of wary toughness about her that reminded him of some of the warrior caste vixens back home. The records he had available on her showed a turbulent early life. She was a professional thief, with a rap sheet a mile long. In and out of jail a lot...when the coup hit, she had nothing to lose. She'd worked for both sides for a while, finally switching over to the FF side after some incident with Packbell...the rest of her current history was based on rumors he had picked up on his hidden microphones and cameras. Yet, for completely illogical and foolish reasons, Joseph thought he'd like to be her mate. He found her irresistably attractive...despite her past, the way he had acted toward Tails and other incidents, he saw someone he could relate to. They shared many interests. Both were voyeuristic to a certain extent; her for survival, him for the sheer fun of it. She was obviusly an athletic type, who loved to push herself to her limit. They both were loners, spies, outcasts, and generally not people you'd likely find in `polite' society. He'd started observing her movements through the Great Forest almost obsessively...he wanted to understand how she was like, how she lived, what she cared about...for the first time in over 3 centuries, he felt the twinges of an early love forming. Thinking on this further, he laughed. He hardly even knew this vixen! He'd obviously spent way, way too long down in the Control Room... but he still kept watching. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A day or two after that, she had decided to try and catch a glimpse of what this mysterious uberfox looked like. Only a dusting of snow was on the ground at the time, so he'd still be able to go outside and practice. After convincing the 'Globe to let her through, she had snuck through the path to the training area. It was a small, densely wooded alcove within a dim part of the Great Forest. It was nearly impossible to see into it unless you went out of your way to observe what was going on. Pine trees and thick shrubs surrounded the 12' square that had been cleared for practice and meditation. Not even animals dared tread within it, which surprised her to a great degree. She climbed up a thick evergreen and perched precariously upon a thick branch. Hopefully, she'd be able to see him, while he would be unable to see her. The sound of nearing footfalls caused her to involentarily shudder. She quickly took her position, close to the trunk of the tree, and emitted not a sound as the fox approached. He was a tall, elegantly-framed fox. His fur was a shocking citrus orange, which she had not expected...yet, this did not seem to make him any less attractive. He was dressed in a training suit; cotton pants and shirt, which looked like they once were white. His black, reflective wraparounds kept his eyes from sight, and also kept her from being sure where he was looking. He was clad in naught else, but carried himself with an air of confidence that would make you think he was clad in a sturdy suit of armor. He said no word, but went right to his work. He started with some basic stretching exercises, which stretched out his tightly-packed, yet strong, muscles. She watched him as he bent and twisted, watching the rippling undergirding beneath the suit flow along in perfect harmony with his mind's command. After a while of that, he began to work himself into a sweat slowly. He did some minor meditations, moving his body to some rhythm known only to him. He slowly extended his arm to punch, and recoiled it in again. Then, a swift roundhouse, to throw some variation into the perfectly controlled dance. He flipped backward once or twice, and then did a forward roll back to his original position and lept to his feet. His mind and body were one. He continued training silently, her his only audience. But finally, as all things do, it came to an end. He took a series of deep breaths, sat down, and crossed his legs into the lotus position. He bowed his head, and began to slow his breathing... After she was sure he was lost within his meditation, she silently climbed out of the tree, and retreated back into the woods. His physical form had...affected her in a way that she had not been in a long time. He was a creature of an elegant beauty...he had perfect control of his body, mind, and soul at all times. Cold as ice...but the only way she could ever tell would be to see into his eyes. The eyes that were obscured by the black wraparounds were the ones she wanted to see...would they be emerald, blue, or brown? He smiled, and giggled as if she were a young kit again. This was such a silly way to behave. She should just go up to him and start a conversation, instead of treating him as some sort of subject to be studied and analysed for tactical potential. But that raised some interesting questions in her mind. Did she want to treat this fox as a potential mate, or as a resource? Could she do both in good faith? Whose side was she on, anyw-- "HALT, CITIZEN!" She started to run as the lazer fire began. She'd wandered right into a SWATBot hover patrol she should have seen coming a mile away. Stupid vixen! Never let your mind wander while you're in enemy territory! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And that's where we left our heroine all those pages ago: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - She ran as fast as she could, heading back to the river. If she could get to the Great Swamp, she could hide there until the patrol gave up and went back to Robotropolis. But things were starting to happen that were interfering with her plans. For one thing, it was starting to snow. Heavily. Second, the patrol was speeding up. Third, she was already fatigued from the lack of food she had taken in the last few days... maybe it was time to stop running. If she could irritate the SWATBots enough, she could earn a quick and relatively painless-- The sounds of metal being rended from metal resounded in her ears. Something had attacked the squad from behind! But what...? was not her problem. Her body was set to run, and it was going to. She didn't feel like stopping, and she honestly didn't want to be within striking distance of something that was big and nasty enough to polish off a squad of SWATBots. So she ran deeper into the snow, that was coming down in thick sheets now....not knowing that the thing that had terminated the SWATBots meant her no harm. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The wind blew an icy slap across the Dome, slowly covering its already crystalline design with a glimmering lining of ice. As the snow continued to taper down from the opaque, grey sky, slush accumulated along the sides of the sidewalk; a low-powered forecefield kept the ice and snow from reaching it, and instead pushed it to the sides. A closer examination of the structure would also reveal that it had semi-clear `windows' built into a few sides of it...via clearing up portions of the otherwise brown crystal. If we looked into one of the small, less-opaque clearings in the otherwise brownish crystal that made up the `roof' of the Dome, we would be able to see the nebulous outlines of a few Solstice decorations... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Joseph was putting the finishing touches on his entertainment area, preparing for a Solstice party for the `upper brass' of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. It had taken him a few hours of work every day, but he'd done what was required as the eccentric Mobian traditions stated: he had acquired a small evergreen tree and decorated it with colorful bright things, made a punchbowl full of a vaguely alcoholic substance called `eggnog', replicated a festive buffet of holiday foods, as well as some snacks, and set up a music generator that knew traditional Mobian music (as well as some contemporary hits). Comfortable sofas were set up around the room, and particularly one in front of his large fireplace for...well, he didn't know. It would depend on who saw it first. Either Bunnie and Rotor or Sonic and Sally. Probably Sonic would acquire it. He smiled. After all, he'd get there first. In the center of the room was a impromptu dance area. He was especially proud of it; he'd wired it to a series of auditory/visual triggers that would set the proper mood for any song. It was padded nicely, and was kept warm by a series of heating coils. After all, it certainly looked chilly outside... He checked his chronometer. 3 hours until he'd have to do last-minute setup for the party. Perhaps he'd go out on a walk... Oh, who was he trying to kid? He was worried about her. Sure, he'd followed her for a ways, and was about to actually -say- something when that brigade of SWATBots came roaring down from nowhere, blast them. And he'd taken them out, and watched the vixen escape. But it was snowing heavily outside, and the wind was blasting. He had the proper shielding to survive in the woods on a night like this, but she certainly didn't. Yes, he was going to go out and look. This was important. She looked unwell to begin with, so she couldn't have gotten far... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - She ran and ran and ran, deeper into the woods than she'd normally go. Her body ached, was cold, and needed food. She needed to stop running...but if she did, she thought she'd never run again. But her body made the choice for her seconds later; her knees simply buckled beneath her, and she collapsed with a wet *swak* into a snowdrift. She lied there for a moment, reflecting on how utterly pathetic this was. She hadn't eaten in days, her cave was miles away, she was lost, and she was starting to accumulate snow. And she still hadn't actually heard the sound of her strange fox's voice. That, on top of the fact she was lying in a snowdrift that was starting to collect additional snow to pile upon her every minute, was making her absolutely miserable. She wanted to cry, but couldn't even find the strength to do that...she was tired, so tired... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Joseph turned up his I/R vision to maximum range, rushing through the forest in hedgehog mode. He was desperately looking for the remains of her trail, hoping to find some trace of her...a trail, a scent, a heat signature--but all traces were gone beneath the gusting, icy wind and the blankets of snow that were falling from the sky. He shouted her name in vain, still running as fast as he could...and then, as he was about to turn back and pray for the best...he saw the very hint of a heat signature sticking out of a large snowdrift. Quickly, he rushed over to it, doing a deeper scan. She was in there, all right. He frantically dug at the snow, hoping to pull her out before she sufficated or drowned or whatever you do when you're crushed by snow. She was going into hypothermia, so he had little time to lose... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The dark-haired vixen was in a semi-delusional state. At first, the snow that draped her seemed to be the slow hand of death gripping her soul tightly, ever tighter...then, she felt it slip away, with her limp form being pulled away from it. A short figure (a demon?) was pulling her out into the cold again. Too weak to fight, she only moaned as the figure draped her as much as it could over its shoulders, and started running. Fast, so fast...the snow, trees, and her life streaked into a blur--she slipped into a state of unconsciousness. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - She awoke again inside a glowing white room with a shudder. She laid upon a king-sized bed, wrapped tightly in the covers. She was, for a change of pace, comfortable. Her fur was dried and cleaned, her wounds were tended, and her strength was somehow renewed. She tried to remember how she got here, but could not. She was outside, moving fast...SWATBots, speed...then nothing. As if that was all a dream. Perhaps it was. But if it was, where was she? She unwrapped herself from the soft covers, and hopped upon the strangely warm floor. Standing there, she felt she needed some sort of support for a moment, so grabbed against the side of the nightstand. Closing her eyes for a moment, and taking a breath, she opened her eyes and looked around. It was a cozy room, with a low ceiling and carpeted floor. The bed took up most of the room, but some chairs and a table were also present. A replicator...a replicator! Food! Water! At last! She rushed over to it, and spoke. "Computer, quickly! A plate of spagetti and a glass of Mobian black wine!" And, surprisingly enough, it gave her just that. She snatched it from the replicator and quickly imbibed it, filling her aching stomach at last. After she had completed her meal, she put the plate down on a table and wiped some of the excess spagetti sauce and wine off her muzzle. She felt much better now, and wanted to explore this strange place she found herself in. She walked over to a stepdisk near the back of the room. She walked on top of it, and got herself steadied on it. But before she could give it any orders, a hole opened above her and lifted her to the surface. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - She arrived in the inside of a large dome-shaped structure. It was decorated for the upcoming solstice holiday, but seemed to be ready for some sort of party. A buffet was here, as well as a roaring fire with couches facing it. It even had a jukebox, complete with a dance floor. She smiled when she looked at it, remembering times of old... "Up already, Miss Nightweaver?" She looked over in the direction of the voice, which came from a couch most directly in front of the flickering fire. "Please, come here and take a seat," he said, "I know you must be tired." Cautiously, she approached the couch, and sat down on the opposite side of it. She looked over to her right, and saw Joseph sitting on the other end. Neither of them said a word for a while. Joseph stared into the fire for a few moments, and appeared to be calmly collecting himself. Sandra (as you must have figured out by now) simply looked at him. "It appears," Joseph said, "that my party is going to have to be postponed. The weather has appeared to have come in the way." He sighed, smiling slightly. "Ah well. At least I'll have leftovers." "Why have you brought me here?" Joseph blinked quickly, and looked t her. Thinking, he answered with another question. "Would you rather be out there?" Sandra shook her head in the negative. "Well, what do you want of me?" Joseph smiled. "I want nothing of you." He paused, and drank a glass of wine. "I simply have developed a liking for you, that is all." Sandra pretended not to blush, then smirked. "Oh? And why might that be?" Joseph pondered for a moment. "You are attractive to me, mentally and physically," he said, stomach going into a bowline hitch, "and it would be hard for me to imagine someone not liking you." She swooned internally, but maintained her aloof facade. "My, aren't you to the point." She laughed quietly. "Well, you're no Antoine, yourself." His heart raced, but still he showed nothing of it, aside from a small smile. "Such kind words are unnecessary." She smirked. "Well, then most of what you've said to me is utter fluff." He smiled, beginning to fear unnecessarily that he'd offended her. "That is not so," he said with his mind reeling, "because you are all of those things to me." Her heart melted like a ice cube in a microwave. "But how could I be all of those things to you? We've only just met." He smiled, stomach knotting tighter. "I've watched you for a long time." She blinked, stunned. "You've been watching me?" He nodded. "Almost as well as you've been watching me." Sandra flushed crimson beneath her fur, humiliated. "So you've known..." He took part of her hand in his. "It does not offend me that you have done so, as I hope my observations have not offended you." They looked into each other's eyes for an eternity. They said almost simotaneously, "No, they have not." Both recoiled a bit, surprised. Then, they laughed quietly at their syncronised thoughts, and looked back into each other's eyes. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" Joseph said. Sandra looked deep into Joseph's eyes, and then deep into herself. She considered who he was, how he seemed to feel and about how she felt about him. The answer presented itself instantly. "I do now," Sandra said, and crept closer to him. He shrunk away a bit, but Sandra softly took hold of his shoulder. She stared into his eyes, and smiled. Joseph sent his other arm behind her back, and pulled her nearer to him in a soft embrace. No further words were needed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE END - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -