Comforting Nicole

A/N: Nicole is going through a very hard time right now. The people don't trust her anymore; Naugus has overpowered her nanites and, worse of all, she's lost her best friend. I feel so sorry for her. Here is a little story for our favourite AI, although in my opinion, she's practically a Mobian now.

I was on my way to Freedom HQ. I'd been told that Nicole had uploaded herself there shortly before the Battle Kukku had destroyed Castle Hedgehog-Acorn. I had decided to speak with her; to comfort her because she was obviously in a state of utter misery.

As I walked, I thought of the recent events. First, Geoffrey St John and Ixis Naugus had come to the city with Naugus claiming to be the 'rightful' king. Oh, I really hate that guy! He couldn't lead a parade!

Then Robotnik had launched his new Death Egg Mark II and tried to warp reality itself. Sonic and Sally had managed to foil his 'Operation: Clean Sweep' but that had come at an awful cost: the Roboticization of Sally Acorn.

Then the people had actually had Naugus crowded king just because he'd saved them from Titan Metal Sonic. How stupid can you get? He hadn't saved them because he cared about them; he'd only done it to win their support. How could they be so darn stupid?

The Battle Kukku had then attacked, destroying the castle and resurrecting Babylon Garden. Sonic had managed to foil this plan and let them go, because he had to make sure his friends and family were safe.

I'd been told that Sonic had hinted doing something awful to his old rival Jet the Hawk just before they'd retreated. Well, Sonic hadn't been the same since he'd lost Sally. He was such a powerful hero, with great ability and strength. He'd saved Sally, the one he loved more than anything else, from death but he hadn't been able to save her from… this. I didn't really blame him for what had happened to Sally but there was no shaking off the feeling for him; it was his worst nightmare. The truth was, Sonic was angry with himself and his confidence had taken a serious blow. I felt sorry for him too but hopefully, he would still save her. I had complete confidence in him.

The trial of Geoffrey St John had changed my view on him; I did actually pity him for the loss of his wife. Hershey had been a good friend to us. Still, that didn't excuse St John's behaviour; he'd still committed treachery. He'd been convicted but Naugus had given him a royal pardon. He had no power; he was no king. I longed to give him a piece of my mind but friends came first, so I was going to see Nicole.

I felt very sorry for Nicole indeed. A lot of people like Mina Mongoose believed she was evil because of something beyond her control. They'd turned on her when they hadn't turned on anyone else who had turned evil, against their will. Mina Mongoose had upset her with a song against her and Naugus had proven he had power over Nicole's nanites. To cap it all, she had now lost her best friend. I had never felt sorrier for her. And people said she was but a computer program! Outrageous! After all she did for them! The injustice of it made my insides boil with anger! I hate injustice! I didn't hate the people; they just made me so angry right now.

I reached Freedom HQ and pushed open the door. It was quiet here and there was no one in sight.

"Nicole?" I asked quietly. "Are you here?"

There was no reply.

"Nicole, please" I said, "come out and see me. I want to talk to you."

Still, no reply.

"Nicole," I said, "you need to talk to someone about your troubles. You can't just bottle them; it's not good for you. I know how you're feeling. Please just tell me your problems, so I might take away."

"How could you?" said Nicole's voice, shaking from apparent sobs.

"A problem shared is a problem solved," I said gently. "No good comes from shutting yourself away, my dear. Please…"

For a moment, nothing happened. I was tempted to try and make Nicole come out. Before I could however, the lynx materialised slowly in front of me. She looked terrible; her black hair was messy and hung around her face and her green eyes were red and swollen and full of tears. She was indeed crying. My heart melted at the sight of her looking so miserable.

"Nicole," I said quietly, approaching her, "I'm… I'm so sorry about Sally. Truly I am. It was… awful… what happened on the Death Egg. Obviously, you were with her when it happened."

"She was my best friend," Nicole whimpered, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Why did it have to be her, Thomas? Why?"

"I wonder that myself," I said sympathetically. "I understand how you feel. Sally was like a sister to you; she was a sister to us all. You have to admit though; her sacrifice was noble and selfless. She saved all of Mobius. Don't forget, Nicole; had Sally not acted, Robotnik would have won at last and you would have been destroyed. I suppose the people would have been happy," I added bitterly. "Although they might have ended up mindless slaves, so it might not make any difference."

"Well, yes," Nicole said, "but only I'd done something to at least protect her from being controlled… I wouldn't care what happened to me if I knew she'd have her free will. I told her what would happen but she did it anyway. What use am I anymore? Nobody wants me! Everyone hates me!"

"That's not true," I said.

"But Thomas, the people want me shut down and Naugus' magic is stronger than my nanites. Sally's gone and the city I built myself has been mostly destroyed. I'm no use to anyone!" she wailed, finally cracking. She flung her arms around me, buried her head into my chest and burst into tears.

I wrapped my arms around the sobbing lynx, holding her tightly. I felt so sorry for her that I was almost crying myself. Poor, innocent Nicole; how pathetic she looked right now. It was so cruel, how she was being treated by the people. It made me so angry at them; after she had done for them! She had put a lot of effort into building New Mobotropolis and she had brought the people to their new home when Knothole was destroyed. Yet now, because of something that wasn't her fault, almost everyone wanted her taken offline. Terrible way to repay her! I was actually tempted to go back and give them all a piece of my mind; to even hurt some of them for hurting Nicole. But somehow, I knew I couldn't do that. I was hoping they would see the error of their ways sooner or later. Right now, Nicole needed to regain her confidence.

For a few moments, I stood there, holding Nicole tightly, rubbing her back and rocking her gently as she cried into my shoulder. "Shh, shh, shhhhh," I whispered in her ear. "It's okay, Nicole; it's alright. I'm here." Finally, Nicole calmed down, sniffing.

"Nicole," I said as she took deep shuddering breaths, "listen to me. Don't believe what the people say. You are not useless; you're possibly the greatest AI I've ever seen in my life. You've done incredible things for us; you have powers we can only dream about with your control over those nanites; you can do incredible things with that nanotechnology. Naugus' magic can't hold against it forever. And remember this as well; Sonic, Sally and the Freedom Fighters stood by you, didn't they? We defended you and there's no way they'll let you get shut down. We love you, Nicole. You're one of us. In fact, you're more than an AI; Nicole, you're practically a Mobian now."

Nicole looked up at me, staring at me with swollen green eyes. "You think I'm an actual Mobian?" she asked.

"Of course," said I, "the fact that you feel pain and emotion shows just how far you've come from a basic handheld computer. This pain is all part of being Mobian. Hasn't that always been your greatest wish?"

"Yes," Nicole admitted, "but why does it have to hurt so much?"

"That is a good question," I said. "But believe me; I know how it feels to lose someone very close and important to you. You might have heard about it."

"Oh yes," Nicole said, "Beatrice…"

"Yes," I said, wiping a tear. For those who don't know, Beatrice was my best friend and love interest a long time ago until she was killed. Her death still haunted to this day sometimes.

"But I also learned that we have to let go sooner or later," I said, "because if we don't, we'll never be great; we'll never be able to make up for any mistakes we've made in the past. Nicole, I don't care what the people say; you are the greatest Mobian AI I've ever met."

"You still think I'm great?" Nicole said. "After failing to save Sally or protect the city from Naugus or the Battle Kukku?"

I reached up and took off my glasses, revealing my deep blue eyes, which shone with kindness. "Of course I do. We can't always be great in battle. If we didn't make mistakes, we wouldn't learn. We haven't lost, Nicole; we've just had a setback. Sally wouldn't want you to be like this, Nicole. She'd want you to fight on… for her. She always believed in you; she was always there for you when you were miserable. If we just give up because Robotnik has her, then all she did on the Death Egg, her sacrifice… it will have all been in vain. Do you want that, Nicole? Do you want to let your friend down because you listen to things you know in your heart are not true?"

Nicole stared at me for a moment. "No," she said.

"Besides," I went on, "didn't Sally come for you when you were controlled by an enemy?"

I was, of course, referring to the time when Regina Ferrum, the Iron Queen, had taken control of Nicole for a short time.

"Sally was upset and distraught over losing you," I said, "but did she let her grief get to her? No she didn't. She learnt from her mistake and realised there was still hope for you yet. If she'd given up, you would never have been freed from the Iron Queen's control. You own Sally a favour, Nicole; a big favour. This is your chance to return that favour. Sally is counting on you to help her friends. If you continue to wallow in your misery, you'll let Sally down and you'll never be able to return that favour. Do you want that?"

"No," Nicole said, "I don't. But what about the people? They think I'm useless."

"People said I was useless when I was younger," I said, "and I believed them once. But then I learnt an important fact. Who you think you are is entirely up to you; no one else. Do you really think you're useless when you've done so many great things in the past?"

"No," Nicole said, "No I don't. You're right; I'm not a piece of software; I'm not a machine! I'm practically a Mobian now."

"That's the spirit! So," I said, "will you help us save Sally?"

Nicole thought it over for a moment. "Yes," she said finally, "I will. She would have wanted that. I own a favour. I guess it's the time to call in the debt."

"That's much better," I said, stroking her cheek. "And don't worry the people. It's never too late to win them back. And if they do try to shut you down, they'll have to kill me first."

"You'd stand between me and them?"

"I'd gladly stand between you and all of Mobius if I had to! Not just because you're a fellow Freedom Fighter, but you're my friend. You can always count on me to protect you from injustice."

"Thomas Holmes II," Nicole said, happy tears now in her eyes as she hugged me again, "you're so loyal to your friends; so brave and kind. Thank you; it's more than I deserve; thank you. You really are your parents' son."

"I know," I said, smiling and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I never turn my back on those I care about."

"It is hope for Sally," Nicole said, "I was being silly. I just… I've never pain like this before."

"I know," I said, "but like I said, it's all part of being Mobian."

"Yes, it is. Thank you so much. I feel much better now. I will help you save Sally. I won't rest until I do. I'll fight on. I'll do it for her."

"We'll all do it for her," said a voice. Nicole and I jumped. Sonic was standing in the doorway. His face was still creased with stress.

"Nicole," he said, "it's not your fault; it's mine. I wasn't fast enough to save Sally. I should have been faster; I should have tried harder!"

"You did all you could," Nicole said gently. "There was nothing you could have done. You're still a great hero; I'm sure Sally doesn't blame you either."

"I still should have tried," Sonic said. It was obviously hard to change his mind on the matter.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "We need a plan. We need to find the Death Egg. Where we find the Death Egg, we find Robotnik and where we find him, we find Sally. We won't rest until she is back among us."

"Agreed!" Nicole said. "Thank you again, Tommy! You're the kindest person I've met!" And she kissed me directly on the cheek.

"No problem," I said, sharing another hug with the virtual Mobian I had helped regain her confidence and spirit.