Psionic the Hedgehog - Part VI

By Shariq Ansari aka DarkeSword

Comments? Email me at darkesword@exphyl.com

* * * * *

"It seems as though the Sentry has met with the Guardian."

"Yes."

"You must choose a Keeper soon, so that your Proctorhood will be complete."

"Do not rush me.  I still need to find a proper candidate."

"What about the vixen?  Were you not considering her?"

"She is too young."

"She is intelligent."

"She is still too young."

"Do you forget Prower?  He is as young as her."

"Prower is of no concern to me.  He lives on another world."

"I still think that the girl will make a fine Keeper."

"I did not ask you."

"Since when do I need to be asked to voice my opinion?"

"I will take your opinion into consideration.  Now go away."

"I knew you would listen to me."

* * * * *

Psionic was getting impatient.  "We need to figure out a way to get off this 
island, Tales."  The blue hedgehog quickly glanced over to Knives the Echidna, 
who was making lemonade.  "No offense, Knives."

Knives shrugged.  "None taken."

Psionic the Hedgehog, Claire "Tales" Voyant, and Knives the Echidna were sitting 
in Knives' tree hut, resting after trying to salvage anything that they could 
from the mangled Tornado II.  It had been a tough job, trying to find anything 
that they could use, and all they had come up with was a broken-but-fixable 
radio, the CED, and Tales' stuff.  Once they decided that there was nothing left 
to salvage, they hitched some strong vines to the wreckage and dragged the 
remains of Espio's biplane over to one of the utility sheds Knives had set up 
throughout the island.  Once they finished that, they made their way back to 
Knives' tree hut to relax.

Tales looked up from the broken radio she was trying to fix.  "Maybe we can call 
someone...if I can get this stupid radio fixed!"  She leaned back over the radio 
and pushed her slipping glasses back up her nose with her index finger, 
muttering to herself about "transmitter-frequencies" and "signal-decoders."

Knives smiled and put a glass of lemonade down on the table in front of Tales.  
"Maybe you should talk to Angel.  She could probably uh...tell you how to get 
home."

Psionic's eyes flashed purple and his blue spines bristled with excitement.  
"That's a great idea!  Angel would know what to do.  After all, she's a Chaos 
Emerald!"

"I got it!"  Tales' yell startle both Psionic and Knives, the latter spilling 
his lemonade.  "The radio works!  We can call someone!  Looks like we won't have 
to visit that Chaos Emerald after all!"  Tales beamed, as Psionic and Knives 
gave her nervous smiles.  Tales started fiddling with the dials on the radio.

Psionic looked down at Knives, who was cleaning up his spilled lemonade.  "Hey 
Psionic.  Is she always this excitable?"

Psionic laughed.  "You'd be surprised.  She's pretty calm right now."

Tales finally found a signal that seemed to be clear.  "Ah, there we go.  Let's 
see if anyone is out there, shall we?"  She giggled and picked up the 
microphone.  "This is Sky-Vixen, calling any available aircraft, repeat, Sky-
Vixen to any available aircraft."

Psionic recognized the callsign Tales used when she was communicating with other 
planes.  He also recognized the voice that responded to Tales' call.  "This is 
Rose-Thorn.  I read you loud and clear, Sky-Vixen."

Tales' face lit up while Psionic felt his face turn red.  "Ellie Rose!"

Knives was putting the glasses in the sink, the blades hanging on his wrist 
tapping against the wooden counter.  "Who is Ellie Rose?"

Psionic coughed.  "She's uh...a friend of ours.  A cargo pilot.  She flies 
shipments of chocolate from South Island to other the other islands."

Tales looked up from the radio with an evil grin on her face.  "She's also 
Psionic's girlfriend."

Psionic's eyes flashed a bright violet and his quills bristled up.  "She's not 
my girlfriend!  She's just a...friend."  Psionic could faintly feel Ellie's 
presence through the psycho-chaos field now.  He could almost see her; her cute 
pink quills, her warm smile, her musical laugh, and best of all, those deep blue 
eyes, deeper than the color of his own quills, the eyes that he didn't dare try 
to read, lest he lose himself in them forever.

Knives' hearty laughter broke Psionic from his reverie, his hanging blades 
jingling against eachother.  "I get it!  You have a crush on her, don't you?"

Psionic gave the fierce echidna an icy stare.  "You know, for a guy who lives 
alone, you sure know a lot about people."

Knives gave Psionic a big, toothy grin and shrugged.

The female voice spoke again through the static, and Tales twisted some dials to 
fix the signal.  "Tales?  Is that really you?  How are you?"

Tales laughed.  "We're in some trouble, actually."

Ellie's voice laughed the musical laugh that Psionic loved so much.  "We?  Let 
me guess, Psionic's there with you?  Hi Psi!"

Psionic felt himself go as red as Knives, who was trying hard not to laugh.  
"Uh...Hi Ellie!"

Tales giggled silently at her hedgehog companion and turned her attention back 
to the radio.  "Anyway, you're never gonna believe what happened to us, Ellie."

Ellie laughed again.  "Listen Tales, if Psionic's involved, I'll believe 
anything."

Psionic scratched the back of his head, smiled sheepishly, and felt himself go 
red once again.