Sam couldn’t wait to get as far away from the Guardian World as possible.
Sonic had helped her pack everything onto the Blue Typhoon, after she’d explained that what she didn’t take with her would be sold if she wasn’t around to earn the money for rent, and they’d been moving again before she had even finished unpacking the first box.
She smiled slightly, her third one in over two years. Things had been so bad on the Guardian World that had she not had a tie to the worlds she’d visited in the past, reminding her she wasn’t alone and there were people who depended on her, she wasn’t sure she could’ve fought as long as she had.
Even her pendant, which was her tentative link to her friends, she’d been on the path to destruction.
All her dreams crushed, living alone and friendless on a world that hated her, facing endless battles…
Sam shuddered as she unpacked enough to make her feel at home, then wandered up to the bridge, where Tails and Chris were making adjustments to some software, Cream and Cheese were busy passing around tea and cakes, Amy was looking up some data, Sonic and Knuckles were busy playing some sort of game and the strange plant girl was watching them.
“I don’t think I’ve had a proper introduction yet.” Sam said, coming to stand next to Chris’ pod. “I’m Sam.” She said, offering her hand to the plant girl first.
“I’m Cosmo.” She replied, not quite sure what to do with the human’s hand. Sam laughed and took Cosmo’s hand and shook it.
“And what’s your name?” She asked Chris, feigning ignorance.
“I’m Chris.” The human said without taking his eyes from the screen. “Chris Thorndyke.”
“Samantha Walker,” Sam replied, “Sam Vixen to some. I also accept Fox Faker.” She pulled a face in Sonic’s direction, who just grinned.
“You have two surnames?” Chris gave her a passing glance.
Sam laughed, ease flowing from her, “Vixen is a nickname from my…” Sam trailed off, her throat suddenly going dry.
“Sam?” Sonic sounded worried.
“Sorry.” Sam shook her head. “Vixen is a nickname.”
Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other, both realising there was more to Sam’s pause then just forgetting where her nickname had come from, just from her tone.
“So where’re we heading?”
“You don’t get off that lightly.” Amy laughed, “You have to tell us what happened after you left our world!”
Sam looked over at the pink hedgehog who had once hated her, as Amy hated all girls that attracted Sonic’s attention and were old enough to be rivals. “There’s a lot to tell, but don’t you think I should be told exactly what and who we’re fighting?”
“I will explain.” Cosmo said, looking over the human woman who was watching her with a look of interest.
“OK.” Sam said, sitting on the steps leading up to Tails’s captain’s seat. “So?”
“Well, they’re called the Meterax.” Cosmo started, a little nervous under the woman’s unwavering stare. She got a reassuring smile from Sonic and continued, “They’re evil monsters who are collecting Planet Eggs and destroying worlds.”
“What is a Planet Egg?”
“It’s the Heart of a World.”
“What?” Shock and fear reigned in the woman’s posture and eyes, “Stealing the Hearts of Worlds?” Sonic could see the gears working as the Keyblader quickly thought through everything this would mean, her eyes skimming empty space as if seeing things. “But… the Heartless…”
“Unfortunately we’ve run into our fair share.” Sonic nodded.
Sam growled, her look turning angry and harsh for a second, then it cleared and she turned to Tails, “Have you contacted Disney Castle?”
“We don’t have their exact co-ordinates.” Tails shook his head.
“And my communicator isn’t charged… I don’t even know where the charger is…” Sam growled.
“Don’t you know where it is?” Knuckles asked, looking surprised.
“I’m not a pilot. Last time I drove anything that didn’t have wheels, I crashed it.” Sam smiled slightly in remembrance, “So I never had a chance to learn the co ords.” She grinned slightly, “I guess we’ll just have to deal with them on our own.”
Sonic smiled at her enthusiasm. “We’re tracking down the next Emerald now.” Chris told her as everyone went back to doing what they’d been doing.
“So, what have you been up to?” Amy prodded.
“Same old same old, really.” Sam replied, not really happy to go into details yet, “Beating Heartless, earning a living, you know, the usual.”
“What about those hooded creeps?” Sonic asked, emerald catching cobalt for a second before his attention turned back to his game.
“We beat em.” Sam said.
“Like there was ever any doubt.” Sonic grinned at her and she found herself grinning back. Sonic’s confidence and smile was contagious.
“What’re you two playing?” She asked hedgehog and echidna, who were deeply engrossed.
“I think it’s like chess.” Chris said, then frowned, “You’ve probably…”
“No, I’ve heard of chess, my brother’s really good at it.” Sam answered his kind of question. “Who’s winning?”
“I am.” Knuckles smirked at Sonic who frowned and captured the equivalent of Knuckles’ Queen.
“Checkmate.” Sonic grinned.
“What? But! How?” Knuckles stared at the board, then growled and got to his feet as everyone burst into laughter. “Fine.”
He stomped off and Cosmo went to follow him.
“I wouldn’t worry Cosmo.” Cream said, handing Sam a cream cake and a mug, into which she poured some herbal smelling tea, “Knuckles always goes off on his own.”
“What’s in the tea?” Sam asked, wondering slightly about the turnabout of her day, from mundane to Meterax to tea in the Control Room of a Spaceship…
“It’s a herbal mix my Mother makes.” Cream looked a little nervous, “She says it helps people relax.”
Sam took a sip and stared at her cup before taking a much larger gulp and grinning, “It’s great! Thanks Cream!”
The rabbit smiled and moved on to the next person.
“Where are you from, Chris?” Sam asked, trying to work out things in her head.
“I’m from another dimension, my world occupies the same space that Sonic’s does.”
“Which is how we ended up there in the first place.” Sonic grinned.
“Chaos Control?” Sam laughed.
Sonic just laughed in response.
“What about you?” Chris asked, “When did you first meet Sonic?”
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