Chapter 1 - Elastic Origins
It was another day in Knothole Village; the other Freedom Fighters were ready for another raid in Robotropolis to sabotage yet another Robotnik scheme.
In the hut of Sally Acorn, Sally was getting ready to depart when Sonic comes in through the door to inform her that the other Freedom Fighters were ready to head out.
"Hey Sal, you ready yet?" asked Sonic.
"Just about Sonic," Replied Sally, she got up and walked out the door with Sonic and was on their way to Robotropolis, along with Tails (whose technical knowledge was always handy in these missions) and Bunnie, as they would probably need her strength to break in: when they arrived, Sally began debriefing on their mission to take down a research lab where Robotnik was working on a new weapon that would turn organic matter into rubber called the Elastomatic.
"The research lab is on the fifth floor, if Sonic and Bunnie set up charges along the base of the building, while Tails and I sneak in through the ventilation system to destroy the Elastomatic, we'll be out almost immediately," said Sally.
Once Tails deactivated the perimeter's surveillance, he and Sally then made their way to the ventilation system, up the shaft to a nearby changing station for the roboticized scientist; all the suits were blue and white.
"These can actually provide some protection during a fight. I'll take one so we can replicate the material later." Sally grabbed one and put it on and felt it was form – fitting and went on to find the Elastomatic still wearing the suit she picked up, as it was easier than just carrying it around.
Meanwhile, Tails had found the laboratory and called Sally to join him, mostly though some communicators he had designed for the occasion (wrist ones) so they could talk in whispers. There, he and Sally found Dr. Robotnik and Snively working on a random machine.
Sally motioned Tails to move before getting discovered, and they both soon found Robotnik's main computers. Tails lost no time to hack the system and started copying files before erasing them from the machines, to learn from the mad scientists' projects and inventions before he made them.
Meanwhile, as Bunnie was setting up explosives outside the lab, Sonic started moving around the factory, setting up the explosive charges his foxy friend had made for the occasion. Unfortunately, Robotnik had learned from experience, and he no longer relied just on the security cameras Sonic was expertly dodging to avoid detection; the hedgehog had no way to know there were several motion sensors around him, all of them programmed to detect anything moving at super speed, so, ironically, Sonic's fast running around, evading the cameras, was making him more noticeable for the sensors.
"Heh, I wish I could see old Robotnik's expression when he looks at this place once we explode it." Sonic grinned after placing another explosive charge.
"YOU CAN'T SEE MY EXPRESSION, BUT I'M SURE YOU CAN HEAR ME!"
Sonic froze on the spot and then looked up at a swarm of mini-robots flying over him, aiming at whim with what seemed to be laser blasters. One of those robots, a bit larger than the others, was the one Robotnik was using to send his voice.
"AND I'LL SOON BE HEARING YOUR DEMISE, RODENT!"
"Wow, Robby, you practiced that line or it`s spontaneous?" Sonic grinned in his usual overconfident way, yet still assessing the situation and finding a way to escape, finding an open spot that the robots weren't covering. The blue hedgehog used this chance to dash away, evading a multitude of shots. Still, he had to keep moving since these mini-robots, even if obviously not as resistant as other larger models were faster and more maneuverable.
"Guys, Ro-Brain found us!" Sonic talked to his companions through his mini-communicator while dodging another barrage of shots.
"We know!" Sally yelled back. The moment the sensors detected Sonic, Robotnik sent his mini-bots all around the factory, and now Sonic's friends were being attacked as well. During the battle, Tails and Sally got separated, with Tails going to the upper levels while Sally made it to the laboratory where they were keeping the Elastomatic; there, after missing the mini-bots after her, she saw Dr. Robotnik and Snively, despite still being aware of the intrusion, were testing out a ray gun on a broken PC, when the ray fired a beam of red energy was shot at the computer and it melted before their eyes as if it had turned to rubber.
"Oh, my gosh, I have to tell someone about this," said Sally as she tried to make her way back to the vent shaft but then knocked over a box of lead pipe, this caught Robotniks attention as he was expecting the young princess.
"Well, well, well, Princess Sally, I've been wondering when you'd arrive," Said Dr. Robotnik, talking on a monitor, while two of his SWAT bots apprehended her.
"Snively, keep an eye on the Princess, the Hedgehog's all mine," ordered Robotnik, not wanting to lose sight of Sonic, knowing he was (as usual) the main threat.
"Yes, sir," Replied Snively, approaching Sally to handcuff her.
Just then Sonic ran in with the swarm of mini-robots still pursuing him and the SWAT-bots started shooting, Sally managed to have broken free from the SWAT bots holding her captive. Suddenly, one of the SWAT-bots shot one of the mini – bots that was chasing Sonic and it crash into the Elastomatics' control console, which caused the Elastomatic to fire a red beam at Sally that caused her body to melt.
"What's happening to me," Slurred Sally as her body began to drop to the ground.
Her handcuffs slipped off her wrists and then a SWAT bot came and punched her in the stomach, sending her flying into a wall, changing into a ball and bouncing all over the walls of the room and hitting all of Robotnik's SWAT bots, then changed back to her regular form.
"What on earth has happened to me," Asked Sally in confused tone, as a SWAT bot was coming right at her. Sally then stretched her arm out, expanded her hand and punched the SWAT bot into a junk pile.
"This is getting too weird for me, my body's become rubber and I can't understand how I'm doing this," Said Sally, as she deflated her hand back to it's normal size.
"Sal, I could use some help here," Yelled Sonic as the mini – bots were still chasing him shooting lasers at him.
"On the way Sonic," Replied Sally as she began to stretch her torso like it was a rubber band, expanded her hands to grab the entire swarm of mini - bots, and crushed them to pieces.
"That was even weirder," Said Sally as she retracted her torso and arms, and deflated her hands back to their normal size.
"Hey Sal, how did you do that?" Sonic asked Sally, as the female was as curious as him about how she was able to do all that.
"I have no idea how, but I think when that blast of red energy from the Elastomatic hit me, it must've given me the ability to stretch, deform, expand, or contract my body into any form I choose," Explained Sally.
"Wow, I guess that must makes you the stretchiest thing alive," Cracked Sonic.
"Not funny, Sonic," Scorned Sally.
"Very interesting," both Sally and Sonic turned to see Robotnik glaring at them, "and I'll be willing to put that theory of yours to a test, Princess... on my lab table, performing all kind of painful analysis procedures on you."
"Ah, Robby, we haven't forgotten about you." Sonic grinned, yet still ready to fight or escape. At that moment, the wall behind them started cracking, and it fell after a few seconds.
"Guys, we gotta get out of here. I have several SWAT bots after me." Bunnie, still holding a large chunk of the wall in her robotic hand, said to the pair. Then, Sonic looked behind her, noticing another swarm of mini-bots.
"Got it. Tails, we're leaving!" Sonic yelled to his friend. Soon, the flying fox joined them and the furries ran through the destroyed wall before Robotnik could catch them. Then, Sonic threw the last remaining explosive charges he still conserved at the mini-bots, destroying them all.
"I hate that hedgehog..." Robotnik growled before getting interrupted by Snively.
"One of the mini-bots found an explosive charge, timed to detonate in less than one minute! If there are more charges around, we have to leave now!"
"As I already said... I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!" Robotnik practically roared as he and Snively went to their escape pods, barely getting out of the factory/lab before the explosions started destroying it.
Sonic and company, already at a safe distance, turned back to see the fireworks.
"Heh, very good job with those explosives, Tails." Sonic grinned at his friend, who was flying next to him, along with Bunnie.
"Yes, it was pretty good. Now..." Bunnie turned at Sally, "since when do you have elastic powers?"
"How did you know..."
"You are running at the same speed as Sonic by stretching your legs to make longer and faster steps." Bunnie interrupted her friend.
Sally then realized the rabbit girl was right, as she was using her newly acquired powers to move as fast as the blue hedgehog. Even if Sonic wasn't moving at his top speed, this was still a big feat.
"Wow, and I call myself a scientist... I didn't notice until now!" Tails said, turning at Sally and looking at her in awe.
"We just escaped a lot of security robots and exploded one of Robby's factories, Tails, so don't sweat it; anyone can make a mistake in a moment of stress... well, except myself, because I never get stressed." Sonic grinned.
"Oh, really, what about the time you had that nightmare of me getting roboticized and you just stood there scared," Smirked Sally.
"Okay, so I get little stressed out, big deal," Remarked Sonic.
Just then, Sally stretched her entire body and wrapped herself around Sonic until she covered him from head to toe. Obviously, Sonic had to stop running.
"Wow. What a way to stop him, Sugah." Bunnie chuckled at this.
"Okay, okay, fine, I admit it, I got very stressed about that. I had a nightmare about one of my closest friends getting transformed into a mindless killing machine; I'd need to be made of stone to not feel that." Sonic admitted. "Uh... and Sal... can you let me go now, please? Seriously, it's not easy to breath when you are trapped in an anaconda-like embrace."
Sally nodded and got back to her normal shape, Tails observing the whole process.
"It seems you got an instinctive ability to use your power, pretty much like a butterfly that makes its first flight without any previous sentient learning." Tails commented.
"So, Sally already knows how to use her power even if she just got it a few minutes ago?" Bunnie asked, surprised. When she got partially roboticized, Bunnie needed several days just to get a hang on the basics of how to use her new abilities; then again, the robotic parts weren't a natural part of her body, while Sally's powers were now a full part of her natural body.
"We'll need to give you a complete check-up when we get back home." Tails said while checking Sally's outfit. "Also, we must analyse this clothing, and see how it resists and adapts all your body changes, I mean, I doubt Robotnik created it with the specific purpose to adapt to an elastic body, since he didn't create his invention to use on organic matter... or at least, he didn't intend the organic matter to survive the process."
"Okay, and I'll just stand there and pretend I understand what you said." Sonic chuckled at this, as usual, making fun of his own ignorance on certain topics.
