Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I still don't want Knuckles' job

The Day from Hell

Knuckles' year were on their day off. It was a hot summer day, he and his friends were laid on Angel Island's grassy plains, sunning themselves. Above the sky was blue, broken only by the occasional white cloud. They lay on their backs making shapes from them.
"I can see a hedgehog… but it looks like its on fire…" Knuckles told his friends, a little bemused. Coral burst out into her tinkling laugh. Coral often laughed at him but he didn't really mind. Knuckles truly admired her, for her wit, her patience and her intelligence, if anything; Coral was a little too clever for her own good.
"I can see a bunny rabbit" Moonstone said
"Yeah I see it too… Looks like it's about to have its head ripped off by a fox"
Everyone laughed at that, except maybe Moonstone. In sympathy Kathy kicked Custos where he lay near her. Knuckles laughed softly to himself, he wasn't adverse to a little Custos abuse.
"Hey, can you hear that?" Kathy asked sitting up
Everyone else, too busy laughing at Custos' grumbles, hadn't
"Hear what?" Knuckles asked lazily.
No-one answered him, because at that moment they all heard it. The thumping drone of helicopter engines. Knuckles sat up, it wasn't unusual for humans to visit the island in their machines, but their presence never boded well. The noise grew steadily louder, until suddenly a helicopter flew over the top of them, so close they felt the downdraft from its blades. Just across from it there was another, then another, all heading towards the Guardian School. Most of the girls had their hands over their ears, Moonstone was screaming, though the sound was mostly drowned by the noise of the engines. Custos was on his feet, his fists, covered by his red training gloves, bared. Knuckles and Custos exchanged a nervous glance, a deep feeling of foreboding rising in their stomachs. Then as they watched the helicopters disappear towards the horizon they heard it-an Echidna's rumbling alarm call.
"What do we do?" Custos asked
Alarmingly Knuckles found that all eyes were turned towards him
"Urrr… We go back to the school. Come on, everyone together"
Trying to hide his nervousness Knuckles got to his feet and led them forward. They moved as a pack, all tightly together, suddenly Angel Island's sunlit plains didn't seem so tranquil.

As they approached the school they could hear the heavy thud of the helicopter's engines. They'd landed in the middle of the school, and in the combat ground, in fact, they seemed to be positioned on every available flat surface. Knuckles and his group looked down on the school from a low hill. Alarmingly all the humans seemed to be touting guns. Several Trainees and their Masters were being route marched towards the school's only Central Hall. When Knuckles looked to the combat grounds he saw something that made his blood run cold. Scattered around the sandy ground of the arena there were several dark Echidna shapes, unmoving.
"Wh-What's happening?" Coral's voice asked weakly where she stood beside him. Knuckles knew by her tone she was crying "Why have they attacked us? What have we done…?"
"They're human, they don't need an excuse" Custos growled bitterly
"We can't go back to the school-" Knuckles broke off because a human had shouted and pointed in their direction. He swore "They're rounding us up" The humans suddenly produced a pack of dogs from somewhere and they commenced charging up the hill towards them "Run" Knuckles said bluntly, lifting his fists "Run to Samba and the Master Emerald, go"
The others started running but Custos remained.
"Custos go! I can hold them off better than you, and the girls need someone to look after them. Go!" Knuckles turned to face the oncoming dogs. "Go!" He yelled and Custos finally turned to follow the other's retreating forms.

It was a pack of six. All large dogs heavily built and well armed. They obviously held no fear of Knuckles. He looked back over his shoulder as they approached, Custos was dragging Moonstone along, Coral was leading the retreat through the lengthening grass towards the Emerald, but they weren't far enough away yet. Knuckles would have to face the dogs. He hoped the humans wouldn't approach with their guns too soon…

The lead dog was a huge silver thing with glacier blue eyes. Knuckles watched it slow as it approached him, but it wasn't fear in its eyes, rather a kind of calculating aggression. Knuckles, trembling, held his ground, his youngster's fur rippling along his back. The other dogs spread out and then, inevitably the attack came. The first, a huge black thing jumped straight into Knuckles' waiting fists. He destroyed its jaw enough for it not to be an issue anymore. The next thing Knuckles was aware of was a searing pain in his tail. He swung round, jumping up. A tan dog let go with a yelp as his foot kicked out into its head. Knuckles landed in an uncomfortable muddle, only to be pushed to the ground under the weight of at least two dogs. He squirmed ungainly, kicking and punching. He slammed his hand into the side of a dog's head only to have it collapse on top of him. All the while he was aware of teeth biting into his limbs, tearing, pulling, and his own high pitched screams. He managed to shove the dog's body away. Immediately another weight descended on his chest. He found himself looking up into the calculating eyes of that first wolf-like dog. It snarled at him. Knuckles tried to snarl back, but his response was little more than a whimpering moan in comparison. The dog bent its head, and grabbed hold of the side of his cheek. Angered and desperate he managed to wrench his arms free of the other dogs, surviving on adrenaline he reached up to wrap one arm around the dog's neck, putting his other hand under its jaw. Knuckles pushed. Pushed until he heard the dog's neck snap. The vice grip on his cheek relaxed. He heard the remaining four yelp and jump back as their leader fell. Somehow he managed to haul its heavy body off him and stagger to his feet. The dogs stood back now, barking and snarling. He thought to run, but he had no-where to go, and he doubted his chances to outrun them. He spotted something black move, and another dog met the sweep of his fists. There were only two left now, plus the one whose jaw he'd destroyed, it was staggering around, dying. As Knuckles watched, swaying slightly, the other two charged it, and began biting into its flesh. Knuckles took that moment to stagger away.

He followed the brow of the hill parallel from the school, weaving as he walked. He fell, tried to get up again, but failed. He lay panting on the ground not far from where he'd been attacked. He lay half concealed by the knee high grass. His mouth tasted of metal and sour bile. He watched an ant crawl up a blade of grass, listened to the baying of other dogs, humans' shouts, Shremu's screams, and then somewhere the sickening finality of a gunshot. He would have buried his head against the earth to escape, but his face hurt too much. Everywhere hurt. He was loosing a lot of blood. He knew only two options lay open before him, he had to get down the hill to the school and the infirmary, or die. He took a deep breath and forced what remained of his shredded muscles to respond. Shakily Knuckles climbed to his feet. He stood swaying for a moment, before staggering towards the school.

He passed humans in their oddly familiar military uniforms but none approached him, rather looked away, revolted. He passed rows of older Trainees and Guardians with bloodied gloves lined up before humans and their guns in a daze, unable to do anything to help them. Behind him he tried not to hear the sounds of more gunshots, and the smothered screams of the youngest ones. He focused on the long squat shape of the infirmary block, and tried to ignore the carnage around him. Finally after what seemed like an eternity walking through the agony of the Pit he arrived at the wooden double doors and shoved them open.
"Dear stars! What happened to you?" A familiar female voice asked, Knuckles tried to respond but all he managed was a metallic tasting gurgle. He fell into someone's arms "… Knuckles?"

Custos and the others had made it to the Emerald Shrine. A small group was assembled at the base of the steps all talking loudly. Samba, Guardian of the Master Emerald stood atop the it, calling intently in the Long Distance language, desperately trying to get any information at all. Custos, Kathy, Moonstone and Coral ran up to try and join the conversation.
"What's going on?" A very small Kitsune asked "Why did the humans shoot Master Thistle?"
Custos' heart went cold.
"We don't know! Please, could we have some quiet?" they all looked up with some relief; they recognised that voice, Master Almer, the second in command on the Island followed by Master O'Hare. "Would everyone please calm down? We're not helping anyone by panicking"
Custos looked around. Everyone was terrified, most of the faces around him were all younger than his group, aside from one or two who seemed to have acted as escorts for the smaller ones in the confusion. One of those was a Guardian of Trainees. Of the thirty or so at the base of the shrine there was only one true qualified Guardian, his tiny terrified Charge was clinging so tightly to him it was obvious they were only recently Bonded, and would be of no use in a conflict.
"Samba!" Almer shouted towards the top of the shrine. "Samba!"
Samba turned his old grey head to look down on them "Yes Almer?" He called down.
"Issue a Local Recall. Get help"
The faces of all those around grew all the more uncertain. Things seemed suddenly all the more desperate. Custos looked across at Coral and Moonstone, who like many, were crying still. Over the noise of the wind he heard Samba issue his call.
"Guardian of Master Emerald Calls. Local Recall. All Guardians come Angel Island. Many dangers humans attack. Many dead… Local Recall… Local Recall… Guardian of Master Emerald Calls…

Master Ribern looked out of the window of his small hut at the Guardian School. It was beginning more and more to look like a scene from one of the tapestries on his wall, or like the Black Pit-Ribern was beginning to think he'd walked into hell.
"What is it that you want?" Ribern asked turning to the leader of the humans.
"You know why we're here Guardian scum"
"I do not. I don't see any reason why you should come here to slaughter innocent children"
The human made a snorting noise. Master Drew the Weapons Master struggled against the burly human holding him off the ground and shoving a gun into his head.
"You're kind attacked our cities"
"We did no such thing" Ribern snarled
"We have video evidence"
"I sympathise with whatever losses you may have suffered but I seriously doubt that we have any involvement in this. Although I remind you that any Guardian required to protect their Charge, even if they are committing atrocities. I question if the Guardians you believe you have seen were Bound to humans?"
"Why would humans attack their own cities?"
"Why would humans develop the Atom Bomb but to use it against human cities?"
The human man snarled, against popular misconceptions Ribern was anything but stupid.
Ribern drew himself up "You have made a huge mistake human. One Guardians will pay for with their blood"
"Don't be so sure Echidna. For now I suggest you tell your followers to come quietly and we won't be forced to harm anymore of them…

Vulpus, an Echidna Trainee in the year below Knuckles sat on the floor of the Central Hall surrounded by other Trainees and many of the Masters. The room wasn't designed to house all of Angel Island's 300 or so inhabitants at once. Inside it was hot and stuffy. All around people were crying, terrified, some were nursing injuries. All the while the humans marched around with their guns, oblivious, trying to shout and terrify the youngest ones into silence. The room stank of fear and of blood. Beside him, Ebony sat shaking, clutching his hand with a decidedly un-hedgehog like ferocity.

"This is Ranking Master of Angel Island. Local Recall stop. No Guardian come Angel Island. Many dangers. Obey humans for safe"

Knuckles stirred to the sound of sobbing and faint moans. It was hellishly hot. His mouth was dry, his tongue like sandpaper tasting sickeningly of metal. He rolled onto his side and wretched. He took a moment to force his stomach back under control before licking his tongue around his mouth in an attempt to put even a little of the moisture back. The sounds of crying were growing louder, and now he could tell that what he though had been groans were in fact smothered screams. He didn't want to open his eyes, he was afraid of what he might see. For a long time he squeezed them shut, wishing the sounds would bleed away and turn out to be no more than a vivid nightmare. They did not. He was aware of a fly buzzing around his head. It settled on his cheek. He reached up to brush it away. Someone walked quickly past him, their shoes tapping against the stone floor. He was laid on the floor. The strangeness of that made him open his eyes. He looked across a grey stone floor. Sickeningly he could see puddles of blood, growing sticky as the water evaporated. There were people laid on the floor. Knuckles sat up, his body shaking. The infirmary staff were running around as though in a muddle. There were people everywhere. Knuckles had never seen the infirmary so full. Blinking in the panic he tried to remember what had happened. All he recalled was the barking of dogs and the snapping of teeth. His face hurt. He reached up to touch it, and with a sharp sting felt the rough ends of a hastily stitched wound. He let his hand drop away… Master Pedra was leading a team trying to resuscitate one of the Guardians of Trainees. As he watched they gave up… they moved the girl's body away and put another bloody shape on the bed…

Custos and the group of Trainees sat at the base of the Master Emerald uncertain as to what to do. They'd heard Master Ribern's message some hours ago and had done as he'd requested, and remained where they were. But now it was getting dark and nothing had been done. The ranks were divided, half wanted to continue to follow Ribern's instructions, and stay away from the School, the rest were growing tired of inactivity, and wanted to take back the School by force. Almer was in the second group.
"The humans don't see so well in the dark, we have the element of surprise!"
"But there's so many of them! We can't beat them all, not with their guns and their machines"
"We can try!"
Custos and his group were keeping silent for the most part, if it came to a conflict, of the group they were among the oldest, and therefore the most likely to be involved.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing!"
"That's what Ribern told us to do… he'll sort things out, but these things take time!"
"For him to issue an order like that he must be under duress… the humans must be holding him hostage, he's probably waiting for us to come and save him! No one else is going to… This is a Guardian's island. No-one but Guardians are going to help us!"
A murmur ran around the group, more and more were coming round to Almer's argument.
"We have surprise on our side, and sufficient numbers to mount a small attack, we go, and try to take back our School…

Ribern looked out his window at the moonlit plain. It was still unpleasantly hot, he could smell the sticky metallic scent of Drew's wounds, where the human had hit his head with his gun in an attempt to beat him into submission. He looked across to the infirmary, where shadows still flickered across the yellow lamplight. He couldn't see the Central Hall from his vantage point, but he feared conditions inside couldn't be good, with so many in so much heat without water. Angel Island was quiet tonight, but for the footsteps of the patrolling guards. The island seemed dead, lacking the children's songs, the laughter of the lovers sneaking out to the lake, even the night birds weren't singing. He sighed softly, closing his eyes to listen to the only familiar sounds-the crickets' calls and the rhythm of his own heartbeat. How many of his children had he lost today? How many more would he lose tomorrow? He felt a small tear slide down his cheek. Where had everything gone so wrong that the humans despised Guardian kind this much? It all seemed to have gone downhill in his lifetime, even in the 30 years he'd been Angel Island's leader. He was unsure as to what to do, by now word would have spread on the Message Network, if this crisis wasn't averted soon the Guardians from other schools would undoubtedly begin raising an army, regardless of his calls. They would walk into the humans and their guns, and only increase the carnage. Ribern hoped desperately they could come to some peaceful resolution, but humans always had to have their revenge, it was in their nature, as the Shards were in the Echidna…

Inside the Central Hall conditions were indeed deteriorating. Some of the youngest and oldest ones had collapsed from the heat. At first the humans had taken them to the infirmary, but now as more and more fell ill they were simply assigned to the Masters and Guardians of Trainees to take care of. The humans weren't even allowing them to leave to go to the toilet. The mood inside the hall was subdued, even the crying had stopped. Ebony's sweaty head lay in Vulpus' lap where he fanned her with his glove in a desperate attempt to keep her cool. She whimpered in her sleep, fractious in the oven heat. Vulpus just wanted it to end, to be outside in the air again, and not have to see anymore humans.

Almer, O'Hare, Custos' group and a few others looked down on the school, planning. The moon was high and full, leaving the night not nearly as dark as they would have liked. The humans were patrolling in ones and twos, some with dogs, but most seemed to have retreated, probably into the Trainee barracks. They could see lights in the windows of the infirmary, Central Hall and Ribern's hut, but for that the School was in darkness. The plan was to take out the patrolling guards as quietly as possible, then take it from there.

Of all the Trainees in the infirmary Knuckles was among the fittest. He found himself up and helping as the night wore on, relieving the exhausted workers, helping to stitch wounds not too dissimilar from his own, putting drips into the dehydrated children coming from the Central Hall, doing his best to comfort the smallest ones. They were trapped inside, unable to leave for fear of the humans, their dogs and their weapons. He stood for a moment, looking around the infirmary, at the bloodied floors, at the night-time insects buzzing around amid the carnage, at the side of the room where several bulky shapes lay covered with blankets… he swallowed hard and tried to keep himself composed. He was one of the oldest, one of the strongest, he had to old it together, for many in the room were looking to him, drawing strength and comfort from him, the one who said he would replace Samba, he couldn't afford to crumble… But right now, he felt anything other than strong. He'd already watched so many of his friends die on the infirmary tables. Now, he stood before the dejected Trainees and lifted his head towards the ceiling, and the heavens beyond.
"I am Storyteller" He proclaimed as loudly as he could make his still un-broken voice go "Since Cloudstrife left to be with her Charge, so I will tell you a story, of the days when the Guardians, from this very island were the masters of the world…

"We're finished, come and look Guardian"
Master Ribern turned from gazing out the window to face the humans who'd set up a cumbersome video monitor in his hut. Ribern could hear the noise of the generator, smell the stink of its fuel, the humans seemed to carry it on their bodies, the smell of their world, exhaust fumes, pollution. A grainy image came up on the screen, the streets of a human city, some shops, and houses. Some shapes stalked slowly through the dark. They were Echidna shapes. As Ribern watched they used their Shard Touched fists to break down the walls of the buildings, running inside, as Ribern watched a human family ran out of the hole made by the Echidna fists, cradling their children. They were then followed by the Echidna hauling the human's possessions.
"We have reams of footage like this, need we go on?"
"These are not Guardians… they move like a gang of thieves"
"They are Echidna are they not?"
"Not all Echidna are Guardians you stupid human!" Ribern snarled
"They move in pairs"
"So do dancers!" Ribern gestured at the screen "We have no wish for humans' things. We take joy only in what the Earth can give us. We are not thieves, certainly not of humans' inventions"
"But you don't mind stealing our children"
Ribern made a scathing noise "That is a stupid belief that I thought was dismissed along with giants and with dragons… Is there no end to your foolishness-"
Ribern was cut off, because outside there was a disturbance.

They'd subdued some of the patrolling guards, at Almer's insistence, without any fatalities. But now Kathy had been seen taking one out, she'd reacted, taken up the human's gun and fired on her attacker. His partner had responded instantly, and Kathy had been shot.

Knuckles looked round from finishing up his story at the sound of the gunshots. One, followed closely by two answering shots. He ran to the window, just outside the humans were crouching over one of their injured, more were issuing from the barracks, a little further away a smaller shape lay on the ground surrounded by Shremu. Knuckles watched as the small shape was lifted into a pair of Echidna arms, and that Echidna ran towards the infirmary. As he drew closer, with sickening realisation, Knuckles recognised Custos. A moment later he burst through the doors, with Kathy in his arms.

She'd been shot twice in the chest. Knuckles and Custos stood back, stunned as they watched the medics attempt to stem the bleeding. They were failing. Knuckles and Custos watched her muscles spasm then fade into stillness as her life bled away, until finally with a sombre shake of the head the medics gave up, and Kathy's body was taken to join the others beneath the sheets.
"Custos…" Knuckles asked softly. Standing at his side "Where are Coral and Moonstone?"
"Still outside… they surrendered… and the humans… they let me bring Kathy here…" Custos turned to him "We were all afraid you were dead" He sobbed softly
"Not quite…" Knuckles said slowly, staring towards Kathy's body, trying to hold it together.
Then, finally Custos reached out and put his arms around Knuckles' shoulders, drawing his eyes away from the sheet, and they sobbed together.
"Custos… I… hate the humans…

A red dawn rose over the island. There had been no more disturbances. Coral, Moonstone and the other Trainees were taken to the Central Hall unharmed. Almer and O'Hare were taken to Ribern's hut. But now the mood had changed. The humans' leader was delivering his apology. Ribern wasn't in much of a mood to listen.
"Many innocents have gone to the Heavens today. It will be your children, and the children of the Shremu alike who truly suffer, for they will be left without Guardians. Now, get your stinking machines off my island, and let me cremate my dead"

Vulpus, Ebony and all the others emerged from the central hall blinking in the red dawn sunshine. It was a cooler morning, there was dew on the grass, it was a relief to all to be free to move, to breathe, to wash and relieve their burdened bladders. There were tears all round as separated friends were reunited, but then, as the weary infirmary staff were able to emerge from what had become little more than a morgue there began the weeping, as worst fears were realised. Custos and Knuckled looked on numb, until eventually Moonstone and Coral found them amid the fragments of existence.
"Kathy's gone isn't she?" Coral asked softly.
Knuckles managed only a nod; he'd seen more than just Kathy die today, he'd watched the infirmary staff fight for life, and fail.
"Gone to the stars…" Custos muttered softly…

Knuckles watched Kathy's body burn. Still numb. Just yesterday she'd been laid on the grass with him, happily abusing Custos. Fire had always been comforting to Knuckles before, now it seemed to have lost its warmth. Angel Island's winds were filled with the smell of smoke and with ash tonight. There hadn't been so many piers here since the last Guardian War, many years ago, long before Knuckles had been born. This night fire held a certain sombre finality; there would be no phoenix to arise from the ashes, no waking to find this had been a horrific nightmare. A small tear slid down his scarred cheek. Over the roar of the fires he could hear nothing but weeping…