This is my entry for the Halloween Fanfiction contest on FUS (Fans United for SatAM), which required to combine two or more universes from the Sonic canon. It's also the first fic I've actually been able to finish too. So yeah, enjoy!

Unholy Alliance

A Halloween Tale

by Rayzor

Staring at the wall once more, Scratch could feel himself cracking. He had to get out, he didn't care how he just had to find some way of escaping. A week spent locked up in Robotnik's dungeons was pushing him over the edge. It wasn't those same three cold rusted walls that surrounded him, or the prison bars opposite driving him nuts, nor the long dark days or lack activities, the problem didn't even lie in the neighbors in adjacent cells. There was something in the room with him that tested his patience and constantly clawed at his sanity. Grounder's constant small talk and inane grin was grinding away at him, he didn't know how long he could take this without snapping.

"Hello jailbirds. Trick or treat."

That snide remark from outside their cell was the final straw, the only thing worse than his robotic accomplice were the guards. Scratch tilted his head up and looked into the eyes that met his, Sleet was standing at the bars, peering into the small habitat the lackeys now occupied, Scratch could almost smell the arrogance on him. This was it, the metallic chicken was checking out, he'd taken as much as he could and was leaving. Nothing would stop him. Oddly, all his pent up rage had not metamorphosed itself into a physical assault, his thoughts for escape were now more focused and transformed into determination. His idea for deliverance hit him like a truck, it came from nowhere, he had no clue how it had formed, but he felt it was pure genius.

"And how are we this fine Halloween night? I would have come dressed up but I know for a fact you have nothing of any value. But then, what's new?" Sleet snickered.

Scratch said nothing, it went straight over his head. He got slowly rose his feet in an eerie silence and gently paced towards the bounty hunter, stopping at the bars, their faces inches apart. Sleet raised a curious eyebrow at the sly grin forming on the right side of the prisoner's beak, a lengthy pause commenced as he waited for a response.

"Well...?"

Nothing. Scratch hadn't moved or even blinked, he remained almost in stasis. Finally he replied.

"I'm good," his delayed answer was accompanied with a gentle but prominent knowing nod. "I have a proposition."

"Ha! This should be good. Let's pretend I care, amuse me."

"We're all better than this, taking orders from a supposed evil genius. A genius that can't even catch a stupid little hedgehog and his pathetic friends, I might add."

"Get to the point or I'll have you sent to the scrap heap ahead of schedule!"

"We join forces. Take out that pesky pincushion, then overthrow that coned-headed mustache bearing fool, we'll be in charge and rule over this land. There's no redemption from Robotnik if we don't succeed. We've been lackeys for too long, it's about time we called the shots!"

Scratch's steely stare remained, his eyes were locked on to Sleet's as he awaited an answer. He knew the wolf would say yes, he could see it in his eyes, he was beyond temptation, but still was thinking it over. The pause was almost unbearable, the only sound came was from the cohorts of the two as Dingo and Grounder arose from their respective positions and now stood beside their partner in crime waiting in anticipation for the answer.

"Come on Sleet, this could be our big chance!" Dingo pleaded.

"No." Sleet remained stubborn. "Why should we? They just want to escape, Robotnik is paying us big!"

"Well he says he is, but I haven't seen any money. Plus we don't get paid if we fail."

"What exactly makes you think we'll fail!?"

"Because we always do. Where have you been the last ten years?"

"Shut up. The answer is no!"

Dingo's face sunk, as did Grounder's. Scratch remained optimistic, he wasn't prepared to give in, he was angry with Sleet's reluctance but felt strangely calm. His mechanical mind franticly searched for another pitch to convince their sentry as he paced away from the bars. But just as he felt another one forming, a familiar female's voice did it for him.

"You really are an idiot aren't you Sleet?"

"You can shut it too, Breezy." Sleet snarled at the hedgehog in the neighboring cell. "Why should you care anyway, you turned your back on Robotnik years ago."

"And look where it got me. I was built for evil, maybe that's what I really am. You can count me in."

"Come on, Sleet, you big wuss. You know you wanna. An unholy alliance - we'll be unstoppable if we work together. And what better night than halloween to begin our reign of terror?" The smile returned with full force to Scratch as he goaded Sleet, he'd caught him.

Sleet looked back at Scratch once more, an element of doubt about the sincerity of the offer crept into his mind, not to mention thoughts of what could go wrong. He and Dingo had a pretty much non existent success rate, Scratch and Grounder were probably the biggest goons this side of Mobius and he wasn't sure Breezy could be trusted. However, he noticed the chicken's mood was different, there was something almost unsettling about his voice and stare, he seemed focused and composed. Sleet turned to Breezy, who had since approached the bars of her cell too, she seemed deadly serious, the look on her face was more than confirmation of that. Maybe it could work.

"Fine," he conceded. "Let's do it. But if you three try to escape when I unlock your cells-"

"Yeah, yeah." Scratch rolled his eyes. "You'll rip our circuits out and dismantle us where we stand before we can say 'Oops, I think he spotted us.' We know how it works."

The anticipation among the three robots was immense, not just at the prospect of freedom, but their plans of domination seemed foolproof, even Dingo was having a hard time concealing his excitement. Sleet unhooked the keychain from his belt and studied each of the six keys carefully, being sure he had the correct one, then unlocked the cell of the duncebots. Scratch bared his teeth with a victorious smirk, punching the air as he exited his prison. A second heavy click, followed by a long rusty metallic creek echoed in the small dungeon. Opposed to the feeling of euphoria her fellow badniks seemed to be experiencing, Breezy was irate and made no attempts to conceal it, she'd spend weeks cooped up there and felt her liberation was overdue. The five stood in a circle, Grounder and Dingo felt a childlike elation, whilst the others possessed a menacing sense of serenity.

"Oh boy, the S.S.S.S.S. Squad is back in business!" Grounder turned to his accomplice.

"Forget that. We're beyond it, the old Search and Smash Squad will appear feeble in comparison to..." Scratch began thinking, unsure of what to call their alliance. "The League Of, uhhh."

"Henchmen?" Sleet assisted, albeit with reluctance and a minuscule amount of shame, he had little faith in their plans.

"Yes. Yes! The League Of Henchmen!" Scratch received an intimidating glare from the only female among them. "... and Breezy."

Outstretching his arm, Scratch suspended his hand waist height at the centre of the group. The others quickly caught on and one by one another hand was added to the pile, resting upon the one below it until a stack five was created. A malicious smile formed on each of their faces, a sinister aura surrounding them and their grins turned into infectious wicked chuckling. They traded stares as their cackles grew, accompanied by an apt roaring clap of thunder and a deathly chilling breeze shimmying past them. However, the mood suddenly changed, the corruption in the atmosphere was completely shattered by Coconuts, who had been listening whilst on his regular cleaning duties. Firmly clutching his trusty plunger in his hands, he seemed a little hesitant as he approached the pack of villains.

"Uh, h-hey guys. Breezy." The pitch of his voice tried their patience. "I couldn't help over hearin' ya and, uhh, I was thinkin' maybe I could help ya! I'd like to take Robotnik down a few pegs!"

"D'oooh, beat it Coconuts! We don't need you." The instigator of the coalition became incensed.

"Yeah, get lost!" Grounder supported his robotic colleague.

"Aww, c'mon guys, I won't get in your way or nuthin'! Honest! I'm an abused lackey too, y'know."

"Lackey? You're a janitor! We're the League Of Henchmen, not the League of Sanitation. We're not mopping our foes into submission!" Scratch remained adamant.

"Aww." Clearly despondent, the light bulb atop his head dimmed and Coconuts slowly wandered away with a dejected slouch.

"So," Sleet waited until Coconuts was out of sight before continuing. "What do we do now?"

The dominance Breezy's personality once possessed returned. "We dispose of Sonic and his little woodland friends first. Dr. Robotnik will be twice as devastated when we defeat him."

"Good thinking. But the Great Forest is enormous, we don't have time to search for Knothole, not even Robotnik has any data on where it is."

"Well, today is our lucky day, Scratch. It just so happens I have the perfect tool to help us."

Smiling with a satisfaction, Sleet removed a high tech gizmo from his pocket. He grasped it by the handle, holding it in front of him almost like a mirror as he looked at the small display and hovered a finger over a small collection of buttons, pondering which one turned it on. Through a process of elimination, he figured it out and the device emitted a pattern of bleeps in unison with three small lights up each side, as it switched on. He received a mixed reaction, Grounder and Dingo seemed somewhat in awe at this highly sophisticated piece of equipment. Whilst Scratch and Breezy were less than impressed, having already made their judgement on what they saw as a worthless piece of junk. Their minds would soon change.

"It's a tracking radar, it can locate and pinpoint the location of any animal we program it to find. I bought it from that creepy pet shop that only seems to turn up at this time of year."

That last sentence sent a chill up Dingo's spine, he became nervy and his eyes filled with horror. "You mean... the same one as last year. The one where you got that-"

"Yes, Dingo!" Sleet was quick to interrupt and keen to change the subject. "We agreed never to mention that incident again, remember?"

"I'm still really sorry, Sleet. I didn't know feeding it after midnight would make it-"

"Don't!" He recoiled with a fright, cutting off his ally once again. "Don't ever speak of that again."

"If you two are finished," Breezy started. "Let's go hunting."

Unbeknownst to them, the horror for the Freedom fighters had already begun as soon as night fell. Seated around a small fire, their hearts raced as a cold sweat enveloped their entire bodies, they pressed their clammy palms against tightly shut eyes in fear. At least, that was what Antoine was intending to happen, but instead was actually terrorizing his friends with an awfully bland horror story. Sonic noted the flashlight shining under his chin was scarier than his tale.

"An' zen, 'e was coming back to lives! But ze brave 'ero - moi - was not a-scared of ze beast and defeated 'im with 'is faithful sword! Ze end!" Antoine proudly finished his story, expecting to receive a resounding round of applause, having entertained himself more than the others combined.

"That was very..." Sally searched for the right word, not wanting to offend him. "... good, Antoine."

The fastest thing alive was less than complimentary, starting his brief review with a yawn. "I've had bigger scares standing on the edge of a 3 inch

high rock."

"Well! I 'ave never been so insulted in all my day. You clearly 'ave no tastings, Sonic. Unlike ze others, right?"

Antoine turned to the only two yet to give him feedback. Bunnie and Tails both shared Sonic's view, but opted to take the same option as Sally, sparing a thought for his feelings. The fox gave him a thumbs up and a forced smile, copying the one Bunnie offered. Sonic rolled his eyes watching Ant's chest puff out, with his ego boosted.

"Just as I was thinking!"

"Can I tell one now, guys? Please!" Tails was practically begging on his knee's, he'd been waiting for what seemed an eternity for his turn.

"Okay," Sally giggled adoringly. "Go, ahead sweetie."

"Yes!" Clearing his throat, he prepared himself and was just moments away from starting when his eyes widened in conjunction with gasp. "Scratch and Grounder!"

Sonic laughed. "Now that would be scary!"

The hedgehog soon realised something was up when the distress etched on his best friend's face didn't fade. Tails raised a trembling arm and pointed behind the log Sally and Bunnie were seated upon. They all slowly turned their heads to see five contrasting figures that only shared one trait, an unnerving stare that shot right through each of them. Perhaps most threatening of all, was a large axe clenched in the hands of Scratch as Breezy caressed the lethal edge of the blade with a finger. The atmosphere that surrounded them didn't register with Sonic, he slipped into his natural reaction that he always did upon seeing Robotnik's lackey's.

"What have we here? Scouts? Where are your uniforms?" They remained motionless, not even retaliating when he paused momentarily to let out a roar of laughter to himself. "You want me to order you guys an ambulance, or is Robuttnik going to deal with patching you guys up after I'm done with you this time?"

"Sonic, I think we should go." Backing away from the imposing group and holding Tails' hand, Sally remained calm, although her voice was laced with concern.

"Ah agree Sally-girl, ah think we should be makin' tracks. Y'all with us, Ant?"

"I-I am b-being right be'inds you, Bunnie."

"Your friends have good reason to be afraid, hedgehog! For we are The League of Henchmen!" Scratch's pleasure in his announcement was stalled as, once again, noticed a frustrated stare from the femme fatale at his side. "... and Breezy."

Sonic suppressed an attack of uncontrollable laughter, snorting so hard it nearly hurt before resuming his taunting. "Nice name guys! I'm sure it took weeks to come up with. But it's not as nice as that axe, you here to chop up some more firewood for us? Getting kinda low."

"Actually, we're here to chop up YOU!"

Usually Sonic wouldn't feel in any kind of danger and wouldn't cease mocking his adversaries. But Scratch's eyes dilated, glowing a maniacal blood red and he slowly cocked his axe above his head, lining up a shot. He smashed the axe down at the hero with full force! He blinked, staring at the rusted blade embedded deep into the log upon which Sonic was previously seated. How did he miss!? He was right in front of him, surely even he wasn't that fast, he was centimeters away from finishing that rodent off!

"Nice going hotshot, but you missed your target!" Sleet pointed a furious finger in the direction of Sonic speeding off with a train of buddies holding onto the back of him.

"Are you dolts going to stand there all night? Come on!" Breezy lead the pursuit, running fast as she could, as the rest of the pack quickly followed.

The full moon provided the only source of light over a dense mist shrouding the marshland, the tall trees lush with thick orange foliage created a feeling of claustrophobia, completing an already spooky setting. All was not quiet, the nocturnal creatures that inhabited the area kept a persistent ambience with gentle sounds of crickets chirping and the occasional hoot. A foreign noise entered the midst of the marsh as Sonic, with his friends holding tight, sprinted up the bog, not even thinking about where he was headed. Feeling he'd come far enough, he dug his heels into the ground sliding to a halt, splashing brown cloudy water as he did. The rest of the gang all breathed a sigh of relief, the ride had been scary enough and they were pleased it was over.

"What the heck happened to those guys!? All that time washing Robuttnik's underwear send them over the edge?" Sonic panted frantically.

"I don't know, I've never seen any of them like that before. Is everybody okay? Bunnie?"

"Li'l shaken but not stirred, Sally-girl."

"Tails? Oh, Tails, don't worry, we're safe now," the Princess walked over to a slightly unsettled Tails, kneeling down to his level and wrapping him in a loving hug, ending it with an extra special version of the funny kiss and gaining a smile from him. "Antoine?"

"Eep!" Antoine was visibly as scared, if not more, than Tails. "Oh, I... I mean, yes, I was not being even slightly fearing."

A brief rolling of eyes accompanied Antoine's typically bad English and they all regained their bearings.

"Uh, Sonic?" Sally started, noticing her surroundings. "Why have you brought us to the Dark Swamp?"

"Don't ask me, I just ran as far as I could. Believe it or not, it wasn't exactly the first thing that entered my head. So now what do we do? Sal? Mobius calling Sal. Hello?"

"Sorry Sonic, I was just thinking, how did they find us? They appeared as if they knew we would be there, how could they possibly know that? We weren't all that far from Knothole and Robotnik hasn't discovered it in the past ten years, so how did they find us with such ease?"

"Sally-girl, are y'all tellin' us that they're trackin' us somehow?"

"That seems to be the only logical explanation, Bunnie."

"I think the hedgehog has the solution to the problem, once again!" Sonic proudly pointed to a large abandoned stone building.

"Ironlock Prison!?"

"Hold your applause, a round of chili dogs for the hero later on is all the adulation I need. C'mon guys it's perfect, if they do have some tracker

thingy on us, going inside here will surely make them lose the signal."

"A rundown building on Halloween night, isn't it a little cliché? Besides we have a perfectly operational radar jammer back at Knothole."

"It's this or we go back home and let Rote, Dulcy and the others rope us in to their stamp collection night. Again."

Sally paused, taking a brief moment to weigh up their options before pointing to the building. "Let's go!"

The others followed Sally, rushing over the unstable rickety drawbridge, above an enormous drop, with hurried care. After making it across safely, they took refuge inside the uninviting doorway, hiding in the shadows as Sonic and Sally peered around the cold entrance, keeping watch for their hunters. Ten minutes passed and still no sign of them, they all remained silent with the only sound coming from their respiration. Tails had taken to watching their breath, made visible by the slight chill in the air, as Bunnie comforted him, holding him tightly in her arms.

Another period of ten minutes passed agonizingly slowly, they knew their safety was by no means confirmed, it could surely take them a long time to cover the distance Sonic could do in under five minutes. Movement! Sonic spotted some dark figures in the mist, this was them, surely. He nudged Sally and pointed, keeping silent. She'd seen it too, they waited a moment as the silhouettes drew closer, it was definitely them. Their hearts raced faster and they signaled to the others to go further inside and hide.

"You sure they're in there?" Scratch stared at the blank screen on Sleet's gadget.

"Signal is a little faint, but I'm certain."

Sensing the end was nearing, Scratch became overwhelmed with a warped pleasure. "This is gonna be easier than shooting fish in a barrel."

The Freedom Fighters had made their way through a maze of dimly lit corridors, at first they ran and then slowed to walking, trying their best to catch their breath as quietly as possible. An element of panic was beginning to seep into their minds, scrambling any thoughts of how to escape. Sally was desperately trying to come up with a plan, but options were extremely limited. There was only one way out and it was the same way they came in.

"So, Sal, any ideas?"

"I'm afraid we only have two possibilities. We run around here for a while and then hopefully shake them off enough to get out the front. Or face them."

"Even I gotta admit that last option isn't very tempting." Sonic looked back at Antoine and Tails before noticing something was missing. "Where's Bunnie!?"

They all looked around them, scanning every single one of the three hundred and sixty degrees. All the wooden doors in the hallway were shut and padlocked, there was no way she could be behind them. They checked and double checked but nothing. She'd been standing there seconds before, how could she just vanish into thin air!? An uneasy sensation began forming in the pit of their stomachs, there was no other sign of anybody else with them. They just stood frozen, senses heightened from the adrenaline pumping through their body.

"Bunnie?" Sonic gave a quiet yell, his voice echoing down the long passage was the only response he received. "Now what?"

"I guess we go back and look for her. All for one." Sally's whisper remained calm on the surface, but underneath she was terrified.

They began retracing their steps in single file, joining hands with one another. Sonic lead, followed by Sally and Tails, she made sure to grip Tails' hand hardest of all, with Antoine at the back. They all stayed alert with ears pricked as they crept slowly along, peeking into the tiny barred window on each door they passed. There was no sign of her, not a single shred of evidence she'd even been there. Reluctantly, they started losing hope and decided to continue, making their way up a flight of steps, pessimistic of their chances of finding her and shaking their stalkers.

"Psst!"

The Freedom Fighters looked back at Antoine pointing to a small shimmering light coming from the far side of the hallway behind them. They all became in a trance wondering what it could possibly be. Then, suddenly... BANG! They gasped with a fright at the sound a metallic crash booming from the opposite end, their hearts nearly jumping from their mouths. Tails was now clinging onto Sally's leg for dear life, burying his face in her fur.

After taking a moment staring into darkness and reassuring himself there nothing down there, Sonic looked back to check on his friends. As he did he noticed the light that was once there had now disappeared and it wasn't the only thing, Antoine was out of sight too. Once again they surveyed the scene, finding nothing for a second time. Two down, three remained, Sally began shedding a tear at what now seemed an inevitability that they would be separated, picked off one at a time.

"What do we do now?" Sonic queried, barely holding his nerve.

"We're damned if we do. Damned if we don't." Sally sniffled. "I doubt we'll ever find them, this place is huge. If we stay here much longer we'll surely suffer the same fate they have. Our only choice is to get out, as unlikely as it seems."

With that said, they continued on, even slower than before and trembling from a mixture of cold and fear. They really didn't know what they were doing or where they were headed, but they knew they had to keep going. More time elapsed and with each passing minute the tension raised with it, just wondering just when the next strike would come.

They reached a decently lit section of the building, something that came as a minor relief. Although they felt safer being able to see where they were headed, they knew it increased their chances of being seen, not that seemed to have made any difference so far. Sally noted the flames on the torches began flickering, there was no wind to cause this. Before she could even fathom what was going on, all light suddenly vanished, she felt Tails hugging her tighter as he whimpered.

"Sal?" Sonic whispered, receiving no response. "Sal!"

His hushed shout met no ears, as he heard her and Tails yelling for help in the distance, the torches ignited back to their previous state, illuminating his surroundings. He was greeted with a sight he was dreading. Sally and Tails had too gone also, he panicked for a second until he heard Sally's distant cries for help once again. He followed the sound, going down the passageway they were coming from, only for the cries to shift location, forcing him to turn back and head another way. But every time he did this the same happened until he could hear them no longer. Sonic collapsed to his hands and knees, tears swelling in his eyes, he questioned if he could have done more to protect them.

A shred of hope returned as Sonic spotted two things on the floor a few meters in front of him. A blue jacket, it was definitely Sally's, but more importantly - Nicole! He rushed over picking her up with a little excitement.

"Nicole! Nicole!?"

"What up my main hedgehog?"

"Where's Sally?"

"I do not know, Sonic."

"Is there any way of finding her?"

"There may be one possibl-kzzzzzz-if w-kzzzzzzz."

Nicole's responses were interrupted by bouts of static, it seemed to increase and decrease in pitch as well as density at random. Sonic shook her, confused why this was happening.

"C'mon Nicole, shake the cobwebs out!"

"Sorry So-kzzzzzzzz-I ha-kzzzzzzz-dange-kzzzzzzzz."

Soon she was emitting nothing but white noise, the cause of it soon became apparent.

"So, finally I find you, hedgehog!"

Sonic's eyes widened upon hearing that voice, he dropped Nicole and spun around to see Scratch, still brandishing his axe.

"Scratch! I'm going to finish you off once and for all for what you did to my friends! Where are they?"

"More like where are mine! You lead us into this place and take us out one-by-one, huh? Well I'm gonna make sure you pay double for that!"

Scratch quickly swung his axe at Sonic, narrowly missing before becoming victim to a harsh triple spin to the back, forcing him against the wall. Scratch struggled, trying to shake his foe off, finally achieving it with an elbow to the face. He picked up his weapon after dropping it from the assault and came for Sonic once again, ending with the same result - swing and a miss. Sonic prepared for another spin dash, Scratch was quick to learn and spun around with a kick, catching the hero firmly on the chin with his foot. He landed hard on the floor with a grunt, rubbing his head and feeling a little dazed, his blurred vision noticed Scratch standing over him, axe held aloft above his head.

"Game over, hedgehog!"

Knowing he had only one chance, Sonic sprung to his feet and skidded under his enemy, just narrowly dodging the blade. With Scratch letting his guard down for microsecond as he pondered his aim, Sonic ripped open the back of his metallic body and began ripping out the wires inside not caring which ones he grabbed. Sparks flew as electricity surged, Scratch slowly fell to the ground with a smash, now lifeless. Sonic panted in relief at his hollow victory and laid on top of his nemesis, regaining his breath, now feeling mildly safe. He tried to keep his consciousness but felt so exhausted that he slowly drifted away until he felt nothing.

Soon his eyes began to lift, he still seemed to be in the same place, but something was different, he was in one of the rooms. He quickly awoke as he heard speaking.

"Sonic! Oh Sonic, you're okay!"

"Sally? That you?"

His eyes began to focus, he was a little shocked to see all his friends staring back at him, something was odd though, he couldn't move. He looked down at his body, noticing his arms and legs tied, Sonic turned to his allies, they too were bound. If that wasn't enough, things became more confusing for him. Lined up beside them was Dingo, Sleet, Breezy and Grounder, all bound too.

"It's good to see you again Sonic."

"Likewise Sal, but what's going on?"

An insane high pitched cackle met his remark as their captor revealed himself.

"Coconuts!?"

"That's right, Sonic!" The robotic chimp emerged from the dark, donning a red cape. "Not only did I catch you and your pals, I even seized that stupid little band of traitors!"

"Oh, that's a relief. I thought we were in real danger." Sonic sneered at their host, before turning to Sal. "Can you believe it? The one time we didn't suspect the janitor."

"Insult me all you want, but you'll really be in trouble soon!"

Almost as if on cue, the closed wooden door to the chamber began to splinter repeatedly, an axe began emerging through the door creating a thin hole, a long nose poked through and a blue eye peered in.

"Here's Snivvy! Oh I have always wanted to do that!" Snively's satisfaction was soon dashed.

"Grr! Snively, stop playing the fool and open this wretched door!"

"Y-yes sir!"

A hand reached through the gap, turning the knob on the inside and Snively walked in, followed by an extremely furious Robotnik, his mood quickly changed as he saw his prisoners.

"Ahh, how cosy. What a sight, all my most hated individuals gathered together in one place. I shall make you all rue the day you crossed me. Coconuts, you've done your creator proud. I believe a promotion is an acceptable reward?"

"Oh really!? Yes, yes, yes! Hahaha! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! This monkey is really going places now!"

"Snively!" Robotnik scowled at his nephew. "Get yourself a mop and bucket, you are now on sanitation duty!"

"Oh p-please, sir, I'll try harder at my job, I promise!"

"Enough, the decision is made. If you have a problem with it you can join the rest of these defectors!"

"We didn't mean to, sir." Sleet began groveling with a desperation. "It was Scratch, he forced us into-"

"Silence! You've had one chance too many, all of you! If that clucking ignoramus was here too I'd be really mad!" Robotnik walked down the line, stopping in front of his most hated rival. "Now, if there's anyone I want to see begging for my forgiveness, it's you!"

"Ain't never gonna happen Robuttnik!"

"Too bad, Sonic. I was considering sparing you from roboticization, maybe something in a servant capacity." He strolled away from them turning his back and closing his eyes with sheer enjoyment. "But too bad, I guess I'll have t-"

He turned back. Gone! All of them, every single one without a trace. It was impossible for them to escape, let alone that quickly. The evil genius, becoming confused and irate, turned to his assistant.

"Sniv-"

Gone also.

"Coconu-"

Nothing. Everybody in that room had vanished into thin air and he grew increasingly curious, almost sensing a presence with him. He slowly turned back around, his face turning to terror as something grabbed him from the shadows and everything went black to the sound of an all too familiar psychotic clucking laugh.