Hop To It - Advance 3

“Good to see you, Mister Fiver.”

“Right. Maddie, was it? The mayor’s daughter.”

“Oh, you remember me! I have to say, even after you saved me, I never expected to see you on the news, in space.”

“I can’t believe it either, and it happened to me. In fairness, I was very sleep-deprived.”

“Ha! At any rate, how’s the new house treating you?”

“We love it. We’re still working on furnishing it, but we’re very happy with it.”

“I’m glad to hear that. You know something? Technically Station Square’s jurisdiction ends at the bottom of Mystic Station’s stairs.”

“I suppose that’s interesting…?”

“Oh, nevermind. Hehe. Oh, and one more thing. Can you keep an eye out for a Mobian out in the jungle? Some kind of bug, I think. He used to be a server in one of the smaller casinos I frequented, but right after he passed the licensing exam to become a bartender, he hopped on the train to the jungle and vanished. No one’s seen him since.”

“Really? Wow, okay. How long ago was that?”

“That was four days ago.”

“Alright, I’ll keep an ear to the ground.”

“And let your red robot friend know he’s welcome in Station Square any time. A friend of mine at the news station wants to interview him.”

-------------------------------------

It was a lovely day.

Humi turned out to have a CD player in her hoard, and it was providing a pleasant backdrop while I lounged on the dock. I kept an eye on Humi down by the water as she haggled with the Omochao trio, and Big was keeping me company while he fished.

“I like this song,” Big said during the bridge. “Froggy likes it too.”

“Ribbit.”

“Yeah?” I sat up in my chair to look at him. His tail was swaying in time to the music. “Have you heard it before?”

“Sometimes I like to listen to the radio, when it’s raining too hard to leave my home,” Big said, which I think meant yes. “Froggy and me feel like it was made just for us.”

“It’s not bad,” I agreed. I settled back down. “Better than I remember.”

Amy, just like her crush, refused to stay in one place for too long, and took off not long after they arrived. Tails stuck around a little longer to catch up with Humi, but apparently Sonic was heading north and Tails wanted to catch up to him, so he left earlier that morning.

Heh. If Amy had been a little more patient she could have just tagged along with Tails and gotten to Sonic that way. Her loss.

Gamma and Iota were off in the jungle somewhere. Iota went into the forest often, so he was probably just showing his brother his way around, taking him to his favorite birdsong spots or something. I hoped they were having fun.

My ears twitched, and I turned the player down to listen in on Humi. 

“...sure you don’t want a nuclear engine?” she asked, writing down in a sketchbook.

“Nuclear energy is scary!”

“You know, it’s actually very safe if you maintain it properly.”

“I don’t know how to maintain it properly! It would blow up and kill me! And you two, I guess, also.”

“Thanks for that. It doesn’t matter anyway, a nuclear submarine sized for the three of us would be a colossal waste of energy.”

“It’s just I’ve never had chance to work with nuclear, and I--”

“And you’re not starting now!” I called, raising my voice to be heard. “Just use a chaos drive or two!”

“But that’s boring!” she called back. I could tell she was being facetious though.

I leaned back and continued to watch as the Omochao bickered, debating designs and accessories. Humi took notes for a minute or two before apparently getting bored and taking out some project or other to tinker with. “We really need to come up with names for those three.”

Big hummed in agreement, not really paying attention.

It didn’t look like any progress on their submarine was going to happen today, so I looked out over the water and relaxed, letting my eyes creep closed.

It was a lovely day.

-----------------------------------

[Iota]

The jungle was as beautiful as ever.

“Warning: Watch your step, Gamma.” Iota stepped carefully over an exposed root. “I have not yet walked this route enough times to have worn down a path… and I was away for a month, regardless.”

“I am not made of foil, Iota,” Gamma assured him. “I will not break if I trip.”

“You might not,” the shorter robot agreed, “But whatever you land on will. I weigh over a ton, and you’re twice my volume.”

That might be an overestimate, but the fact remained that Gamma was bigger, and Iota had a lot more empty space inside him. With Humi’s pocket spaces and Iota’s own lack of interest in storing ammunition, Iota was much lighter than he appeared.

“Addendum: There is a mud puddle ahead. Watch your wheels.”

“I am built for outdoor reconnaissance, Iota, I can handle getting dirty.” Gamma’s voice lacked most inflection, but he nevertheless managed to sound exasperated. “You have yet to inform me as to why I am following you.”

Iota paused. Not to consider the question, but because he wanted to make sure he knew where he was. He hadn’t had the mini-map function last time he was here. “...Right, yes. This way. Oh, my. Observe that vine, snaking up the tree. It is in bloom, and a trio of hummingbirds are enjoying a meal from it; but look, a small frog is relaxing in one of the bulbs, and the smallest bird is getting a bit too close…”

They both watched as the small hummingbird attempted to sneak its beak past the frog to the nectar beneath it, only for the amphibian to shift, planting a foot on the needle-like beak and pin the much lighter bird in place. The hummingbird immediately landed on the petal next to it, scratching ineffectively at the frog with its feet before managing to touch its eye. The frog flinched, lifting its foot to swipe back at the assault--but the bird had vanished, fleeing the instant it was able to.

“...Alas, not all are as kind as our friend Froggy.”

Gamma stared at the scene a bit longer before turning to his brother. “I can appreciate your love of nature. I enjoy the natural world as well, to a lesser extent. But I would appreciate it even more if you could tell me why we are out here.”

“Can I not simply wish to share my interests with my brother?” Inwardly, Iota winced at his tone. He didn’t mean to sound that whiny… or was that his servos? Maybe he needed to be oiled.

Gamma looked to the side. “...I understand that I need to find a hobby, but I do not believe I am… developed enough, mentally, to do so as of yet. I thank you for the effort.”

Iota shrugged, a little disappointed but not too much. “Supportive: You’ll get there. I’ve had a head start, and friends to encourage me. Enable me, even. You simply need to experience more things.” He let out a bitcrushed laugh. “Honest: I did, in fact, bring you out here for a reason. Since you plan on tracking down your former battery, I thought I’d give you some insight.”

They emerged into a small clearing, dominated on one side by a single tree; not terribly tall compared to its neighbors, but very wide. It looked partially raised off the ground, but only because some animal or other had burrowed under it thoroughly. In the tree’s branches, a number of curiously same-sized animals looked down from their nests. Peacocks, parrots, tigers, bears, gorillas, and more--all of them small enough to fit in Gamma’s hand and with a look of intelligence in their eyes not usually seen in animals.

Gamma looked again, zooming in on the branches. What at first appeared to be oddly-shaped leaves were in fact nests made by carefully folding leaves together into tents.

Iota hummed, pleased. “Encyclopedia: Mobini, believed by some to be the missing link between Mobians and normal animals, retain a mostly-non-anthropomorphic body structure but have been found to be as intelligent as small children, on par with the average Chao. Chao are capable of becoming smarter, but not often.” Iota settled down on the ground, bidding Gamma to join him. “Here, they have constructed for themselves a small village. Such a thing is entirely undocumented, both because Mobini are rare and avoid settling down close to civilization, and because most scientists lack interest.”

Gamma studied the small ‘village’ for a time. The animals, for their part, slowly began to go about their business, though a few kept watching them back. “...They are rare, you said. And I will assume that they do not typically form interspecies communities like this.”

“Correct. Or so they tell me.” Iota opened his chest hatch and pulled out a paper bag, setting it on the ground in front of him. A parrot swooped down to grab it, accidentally tearing it open instead, and revealed that inside were three large ears of corn, pre-cooked. 

The animals descended on it, and Gamma prepared for a frenzy. Instead, a gorilla and a boar grabbed the corn cobs and started plucking kernels off, each taking two for themselves before starting to pass them around. “Fascinating.”

“Isn’t it just?”

“And this is only possible because of… Eggman.”

Iota nodded. “Correct again. All of these Mobini were once trapped in a badnik within the Final Egg. You might have freed some of these yourself.” He sighed. “They were not able to return to their points of origin, but they have made a new home here, and a community as well. I help them where I can.”

Gamma watched for a moment longer. He raised his arms so that he could look at his hand. The gun that adorned his right arm was a reminder that he was made to be a weapon… but he had raised it in defense of others instead. He still wanted to know what having two hands feels like, but maybe… maybe he would keep the gun after all.

“...Thank you, brother. I was not even aware that I still worried for the animals, but knowing that they are safe and… happy? After being freed is a comfort to me.”

Iota shuffled awkwardly. “Er. Yes, that as well, but I actually wanted to show you this.” He extended his arm and reached into the crowd, plucking a blue rabbit out of the line. The animal kicked and protested at the treatment, only stopping when Iota pulled out a plastic cup filled with cherry tomatoes to give it. It settled down pretty quick after that.

Gamma stared at the rabbit, patiently awaiting an explanation.

“You want to seek out your Flicky. This little rascal was my battery.” Iota said, scratching between the rabbit’s ears. It grumpily waved a paw at him but didn’t put any real effort into stopping him.

Gamma focused on the rabbit, who stared back warily. “Truly? You found it and made amends?”

“...Eh.” Iota waggled his free hand back and forth. “I encountered him by chance shortly after my reactivation, and he recognized me. He was… hostile at first, but I don’t blame him. I was a bit of a clumsy oaf, tromping through the jungle and scaring everyone. I learned a gentler touch, and now we have an understanding.”

He set the rabbit back down with its prize. It was immediately mobbed by a couple of tiny sheep, begging for a tomato each that was reluctantly given.

“I wanted to assure you, Gamma, that your chosen task is indeed possible,” Iota said softly. “My rabbit friend has, if not forgiven me, then learned to tolerate me. And from what I’ve been told, Birdie and his friends were very kind. You can do it.”

Gamma settled down onto his chassis slowly. “...Thank you, Iota.”

They watched the animals eating a moment longer. The rabbit hurried over to break up a fight over some corn kernels.

Iota turned to Gamma again, pulling out a bag of peanuts. “Would you like to feed some of them?”

Gamma took the bag gently. “I believe I would, yes.”

------------------------------------------

[Heyu]

“Urgh!”

I woke up with a start, because something heavy landed on my stomach. I blinked rapidly, wincing at the sunlight shining directly in my eyes, and tilted my head up to come eye-to-bulging eye with Froggy.

The oversized amphibian went cross-eyed in an attempt to meet my gaze. “...crrrrrroke.”

“...” I groaned and sat up, letting Froggy fall placidly into my lap. “Hello to you too, Michigan. Where’s Big?” The cat wasn’t where he was sitting before. He took the radio with him, too.

“Ribbit.” Froggy jumped off of me with enough force to make me grunt, frogging away back towards the station.

I rubbed my stomach, annoyed. “Yikes, that thing is stronger than he looks…” My ear twitched and I looked down the stairs to see Humi approaching.

“Hey, Pops!”

My lip quirked up. I swung my legs off the lounge chair to face her. “What’s up? The Omochao giving you trouble?”

Humi snorted, jumping onto the chair next to me. “Not as much as they’re giving each other. They’re arguing over what color to paint it now. Yuno wants to leave it blank, Ono wants it blue to blend in with the water, and Dono wants it yellow for reasons it won’t say.”

I stared blankly. “...I take it you named them, then?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t just keep calling them all Omochao.” She shrugged, then pulled a small gizmo from behind her back. “I got tired of taking notes when they started contradicting each other, so I started working on this.”

She handed it to me and I turned it over. It was round, and appeared to have been made from an oversized, silicone coin purse and an old rotary phone. I don’t even know where she found a rotary phone, those things were obsolete twenty years ago. I popped the mouth of the purse open and looked inside, though it just looked like a mess of wires and circuitry to me.

“Don’t shake it too hard or it might break,” she warned. “If it works, I’ll make a sturdier version.”

“What is it supposed to be, exactly?” I asked, poking at the rotary dial that was the only thing on the outside of the purse. No, wait, there was a piece of a radio poking out the bottom, and one of those tiny microphones they give to people on TV that are almost invisible from a distance.

“It’s a personal communication device!” she said proudly. Then, with a smirk, she clarified. “A phone. It’s only a proof of concept to see if I can actually make one. I’m pretty sure I figured out how those work, but I don’t know any phone numbers.”

“Huh!” I said, impressed. I turned it over in my hands again. “Interesting. And it’s connected to the cell network?”

“Only one way to find out!” she said, gesturing at the device.

I shrugged and went to dial a number. After a moment, I decided to call Ringo. The doohickey wasn’t exactly sturdy and I had to hold it very carefully to turn the number wheel without tearing the coin purse. “...Man, I haven’t used one of these since the last time I was at Uncle Avery’s house, and I was younger than you then. He loves old junk like this.”

“What’s he like?”

“Avery? He’s nuts. You’d like him, but he travels a lot.” I finished dialling and let it ring. “So this makes, what, your third project this week alone? This, the submarine… how close are you to finishing that new robot?”

Humi tilted her head, thinking. “The Hunter? It’s in one piece but I want to upgrade it before I turn it on. I’ve got some old truck hydraulics I want to work into the legs. We should go back to the Final Egg soon. Eggman’s got a bunch of specialty parts I want to use.”

“I’ll work it into the schedule,” I agreed. “Is this one going to be intelligent?”

“I dunno yet.”

“Let me know once you decide. I don’t want to be caught off--” I paused, because the speaker clicked. “Hello?”

“...Heyu?”

“Ringo?” I grinned, nudging Humi with my elbow. “Hey, look at that, packrat, it works.”

Humi pumped her fist. “I’m unstoppable!”

“Hello? Heyu? You still there?”

“Oh, sorry.” I brought the makeshift phone up to speak into the mic. “Can you hear me?”

“Agh, back off from the speaker, man!”

“Sorry. Is this better?”

“Much. Did you need something?”

“Just testing one of Humi’s inventions.” I winked at her and held the phone towards her. “Here she is now.”

“Hi, Heyu’s friend!”

“Yo, what’s up.” Ringo laughed through the speaker. “I still can’t believe you adopted a kid, Hayden. No offense, but you were the last one of our friends I expected to have kids. ‘Specially not first.”

“No, that’s fair,” I said, uncaring. “Not my fault you and Penny are dragging your talons.”

“Wh--C’mon, dude, we’re not even married yet.”

I grinned. “‘Yet?’ Is that what you said?”

I could imagine Ringo pulling away from the phone to groan. “Dude.”

“Sorry, sorry. Ringo, you’d like Humi. You two should come down to visit sometime.”

“I sure wish I could, man, but I’m booked solid. My next tour’s about to start. Oh, but hey! My manager finally locked the touring schedule down and it’s going to end with a show in Station Square in… uh, five months. I can get you guys tickets.”

“That would be cool. Hey Humi, wanna see a daredevil show?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Would I?!”

“That settles that then.” The speaker crackled. “Oop, my hot pockets are done. Catch you later, man.”

“Nice talking to you,” I agreed. Then I frowned, because there didn’t seem to be a button to hang up with. “Uh…”

Humi blinked, then slapped her forehead. “Here, let me--”

“Oh right!” Ringo said suddenly. “I can’t believe I almost forgot, I actually meant to call you! You remember my little brother, Cosmo?”

“Yeah, of course. He’s hard to forget.” I looked at Humi to explain. “I was in band in high school, and Cosmo was two years below me and Ringo. He was the band geek, played like four instruments. Got all the solos, became drum major the year after we graduated.”

She nodded politely, clearly not knowing what I was talking about. That was fine, I’d explain later.

I turned back to the phone. “What about him?”

“I dunno if you know this, but he went full-on into music after finishing school. Got onto the local radio through a talent contest. He’s picking up steam.”

I snapped my fingers. “So it was him! I heard a song of his on the radio the other day, even bought an album with him on it! You must be proud.”

“Hell yeah I am. He wrote the theme song for my shows! And right now he’s looking to make his first music video, and he’s heading to Mystic Ruins for it.”

I blinked. “Here?”

“Yeah, dude. And I wanted to ask you to keep an eye on him, since there’s been all that trouble and robots and junk out there.”

“I--yeah, sure. Okay. I can do that.”

“Thanks man.”

“When’s he coming?”

“Uh… tomorrow I think. Sorry, I meant to call you earlier…”

I stiffened, then hung my head and sighed. That wasn’t much time to get ready, but it was better than nothing.

“Thanks again. Now, I gotta go before--aw, hell. I think my lunch just exploded in the oven. Gotta go.”

The mic clicked, letting the dial tone play until Humi reached over and did something to the innards of the device that made it hang up.

We stared at each other for a long moment. Then I stood up. “Welp. Guess we know our plans for tomorrow.” I tossed the phone back to her. “Nice work on the gadget. Do you have a name for this one?”

She nodded cheerfully. “I’m gonna call it the Y-Mi!”

I chuckled. “Yeah, that feels appropriate.”

-------------------------------------

[???]

Fry parked his truck by the train station. Maybe he’d get some more customers here, since it was a high-traffic area. Very high traffic; he’d never seen so many cars in his life! Finding a big enough space to park on the curb that wasn’t already taken took way too long. He hoped it paid off. Aside from that rabbit guy earlier he’d barely had any customers. The humans walking around took one look at him and then kept walking.

He didn’t get it! All he did was smile at them!

The alligator leaned out the window and raised a hand next to his jaw, preparing to sound the dinner bell, only to cut himself off when he noticed the sign next to where he was parked. ‘Permit Parking Only.’

Fry scratched his snout. “Maybe a vendor’s license counts?” He really didn’t want to deal with a fine…

“Hey!”

Fry jumped, then turned towards the sound. A blue hedgehog girl was looking up at him.

“You got hashbrowns?”

He grinned and fired a pair of finger guns at her. “You got it, coming right up! Hey, has anyone ever told you you look like--”

“Yes. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Fry made a zipping motion across his mouth. “Got it. Not talking about it.” He turned inside and got to cooking. He’d do one order and then move on; he didn’t want to risk it with that sign.

Fry was vaguely aware of someone else joining the line. Maybe two orders then…

“My word! My dear, have you ever acted before?”

Fry looked at the newcomer. It was a gray bird Mobian… in a very loud orange suit.

“Uh, kinda?” the girl said. “I’m in my school’s drama club, but I’ve only done bit parts. Why?”

The bird laughed. “Why, you’d be perfect for a production I’m putting together! You look just like him!” Hey, his voice sounded familiar…

Her expression flattened, and Fry winced. It was clearly a touchy subject. “I get that a lot. I’m not interested.”

“Oh, don’t be like that!”

Fry turned fully to face them both. “Hey, mac, the girl said no, so why don’t you--” Fry stopped, blinking. “Wait a minute. I know who you are! You’re that music guy, on the radio!”

“He is?”

The parrot struck a pose. “I am! Cosmo the Parrot, at your service!”

The hedgehog tilted her head. “Never heard of you.”

The parrot fell over.

“...” She looked up at Fry. “He’s famous?”

“Eh. I dunno about that, but he’s a regular on Jet Set Radio. Here’s your order, by the way.”

She took the basket of hashbrowns, handing him the money, and took a moment to chew on her food and her thoughts. “...Would I be paid for this?”

Cosmo bounced back up. “Of course! What do you take me for?!”

She nodded to herself. “What exactly would I be doing?”