The Neutral Zone

         Two figures made their way through the thick cloud of Debris, trying to find a safe spot to hide before their enemy can fire again. One of them, a young fox about the age of 19, with dirty gray fur and green eyes, finds a large object, most likely Debris from the nearby building.

         "Sarah!" The fox calls out, hoping she can hear him. "Over here!"

         For a moment, he can't see or hear anything but the cloud of smoke and the sound of debris falling. Suddenly, a cloaked figure comes out of the smoke and kneels behind the debris with the fox.

         The figure pulls down the hood of the cloak to reveal a young female echidna about the age of 17. Her hair dark red and her eyes a sort of milky blue. A faint scar trails the left side of her face.

         "I'm so glad your safe!" Says the fox as he hugs the girl tight.

         "Friendly today I see, heh." She replies, hugging him back.

         "Sorry, I get a bit emotional when someone is trying to kill me ...wait... where's Raven?"

         "I don't know, the last time I saw him he...." She stops short as she hears the sound of metallic footprints getting closer. "..Oh-No..."

         The smoke starts to clear and another figure can be seen walking in their direction. At first, all that can be seen are a set of glowing red eyes, but as it gets closer, it's pointed razor body becomes more and more visible. Metallic blue frame, razor sharp quills, long pointed claws, and sleek, thin arms and legs all combined into one robot.

         "Damn it!" The fox whispers. "Do you have and power left in your buster?"

         "No..." The girl replies. "I used the last shot to slow Metal down so I could escape..."

         "Hmm....here...." The fox reaches into his buster unit and pulls out a power cell, handing it to her. "Use it..."

         "No.. you need it, Jesse!"

         "Sarah, I can handle myself, just take it. Don't argue, cause I ain't gonna put it back in my buster."

         Sarah sighs and reluctantly takes the last power cell, placing it in her buster unit. As the unit charges up, she looks at him, wondering what he's planning to do, but before she can ask, he tells her.

         "I'll draw his attention, you run for it and find Raven." Jesse then readies himself. "Once again, no arguments. Just in case though...tell Peta that I love her.."

         "Jesse.." Sarah looks at him a moment, then kisses him softly on the cheek. "Be careful..."

Jesse smiles and leaps out into the robot's path.

         "Yo, Metal! Anyone ever tell you that your ugly and you dress funny? Lemme be the first! You're ugly and you dress funny! Later!" Jesse laughs and runs off.

         "[.........]" Metal clenches his metallic fists and chases the fox.

         Sarah watches, waiting for Metal to get far enough away.

         "Oh come on Jes, think up some original lines for once." She giggles to herself, then runs off to find Raven.

         Seeing Metal catching up, Jesse leaps into the air and spreads his arms, revealing a set of wings, much like those of a flying squirrel. He grins at metal as he uses the air currents to keep his distance. Metal too grins, noticing the fox's attention is not yet drawn to the oncoming lamp poll.

         Not noticing it until it is too late, the fox slams into the poll head first and falls hard onto the ground.

         Metal walks up to him and laughs in a raspy, metallic voice. "[It seems your stupidity will be your downfall after all]"

         Unable to move from the hard blow he took, Jesse closes his eyes and waits for metal to shoot him. He whimpers as he hears the laser fire, but realizing he wasn't shot, opens his eyes quickly to see Metal picking up his detached arm and running off. Behind Metal was a male echidna with firey red hair and dark, red eyes. The Echidna stood there holding his buster gun, smoke still coming from the barrel of the freshly fired weapon.

         "R-Ravenblood..?" Jesse mumbles, still dazed from the blow to the head he took. "Is that you?"

         "Damn man! Can't ya do anythin' right? I'm tired of savin' yer sorry ass!"

Jesse smiles, knowing only his brother Raven would say something like that to him.

         Back home, Jesse turns on some music and sits down in his room alone, thinking to himself.

         "So much has changed. Seems just as I get things sorted out, they change again... Seems like only yesterday I first arrived. I can remember it so vividly.."

         The setting is now February 2, 1999. It's mid-day, but the city is dark and lifeless. The thick, reddish clouds, swirling overhead, block out the sun, keeping the vacant city wrapped in eternal darkness.

         The silence of the city is broken by the sound of two individuals fighting. One of them is the young fox, Jesse. The other is another fox that looks almost exactly like Jesse, except the fox had dark red eyes.

         "You're really getting on my nerves! Solar Chaos!" Jesse yells as he uppercuts the other fox.

         "Damn it! Stop calling me that! I am not your role play character, I am Ravenblood!" Raven replies as he sweep kicks Jesse.

         "Whateve.. OOOF!" Jesse falls hard on his back. "Oww! ...Why won't you get lost!"

         "Not until I have control again!" Raven lunges at Jesse and slashes at him violently.

         "This is pointless! We've been at this stalemate for years! All that changes is where we fight!"

         Jesse kicks Raven off him and gets to his feet, grabbing a thick branch off the ground from a nearby tree.

         "Grrr... I dun care! In da end I will triumph!" Raven grabs the branch and pulls it away, then slams it into Jesse's face.

         "Ahhh! You.." Jesse tries to block but Raven keeps hitting in different places, making blocking hard. "...STOP IT!"

"Never, dis is quite enjoyable! Hahahaha!!!"

         Raven continues to beat Jesse, laughing coldly as he pummels the helpless fox. Jesse kicks Raven between the legs hard and he drops the branch, stepping back a little. Jesse uses the moment to stumble to his feet and run.

         "Ugh...." Raven looks up to see Jesse got away. "You...are going.. to die!"

         Raven stumbles off, cussing and cursing. Jesse watches from his hiding spot and sighs as he rests back against the side of the building.

         "This is getting ridiculous.. I don't think I can handle him much longer.." Jesse looks around noticing for the first time where he is.

         "Hmm... Where am I anyway? He asks himself. "Outta all the times me and Ravenblood fought here, I never really got a chance to look around."

         Jesse looks at his watch and realizes it is time to head home. As he fades from this reality, back to his own, he takes one last look around him.

         "Both me and Raven have no control over this place. I wonder what this place represents? This place is different than any other place I've been, and completely neutral to me and him..."

         As he vanishes, he decides to come back. Not to fight, but to explore the city. To learn what this neutral zone is.