Chapter 1 part 1
A pale moss green Swat bot walker flew silently through the smog filled air of Robotropolis. a carrier whooshed by as the walker flew by underneath it. neither vehicle impeded the other, and the walker stopped a moment to let two pale metallic doors allow it entrance. Only the wheels of the walker let out a small whirr as the walker slid inside, turned, and was still. the metallic doors closed, and the elevator began to rise.
a loud whine emitted from the hydraulics as the small black box in the upper left hand corner counted off each floor. Suddenly, the elevator began to slow at level 48. continuing to slow, the elevator came to a complete stop at level 52. The bay doors swooshed open again. This time, they revealed several room sized round fighter jets.
these jets were clad in purple metal with a red stripe heading towards the center. stretching toward the back of the jet, the red pooled in a large dot which took up most of the center of the jet. The pale moss green walker wheeled silently between the rows of the jets. As it reached the end of one row, it stopped as another walker rolled in its way. "Hall secure." the swatbot in the yellow walker reported, wheeling to the left green walker.
Continuing on its way through a pair of doors, the walker never heard the intrusion. Inside a air duct, two muffled sonic booms erupted within its bowels. a light blue hedgehog in a wheelchair and a darker blue hedgehog stopped by a nearby air vent. "Come on, come on! get the old leadski out, guys!" Sonic whispered back down the air duct. "Chill, Sonic." the light blue hedgehog whispered, wheeling behind the darker blue hedgehog to peer out a air vent.
"You know Ant's always been a old slow mo. Kat...well, no offense, but Kat is just old." Tristina whispered, smiling at her own joke. "I'm waiting." Sonic whispered, tapping his foot. Moments later, a Coyote and a gray and brown panther jogged up to them panting.
"Sonic." Tristina whispered, jerking her head slightly to the left. Sonic peered through the air vent with Tristina. "Chill. Swat butts." Sonic whispered, pushing Tristina back against the wall. Antione gasped, and Kat filed next to him against the grimy air duct wall. Sonic and Tristina watched carefully as the air vent retracted into the duct wall.
activating a finger light, the swat bot began to shine it around the vent searching for the intruders. Antione trembled freely in his royal blue uniform with gold buttons and red trim. on the other side, Sonic glanced worriedly at the light then grimaced. The light clicked off, and Tristina cautiously peered around Sonic's peach belly to see the walker slowly opening its visor. Both hedgehogs let out a smile of relief as the face of Princess Sally Acorn peered out of the Swat bot Walker. "Hi guys." she whispered, smiling kindly at them.
"About time, Sal!" Sonic whispered, smiling as Sally jumped out of walker. "You ready, Princess?" Tristina asked, wheeling more into view now. Sally smiled at the light blue hedgehog and nodded. "Ready." she whispered, watching as Sonic turned to the other three members of their party. "Okay guys, lets do it to it. Kat, Antoine, you guys cover our backs. Any bots show up, give us the signal. Any questions?" Sonic instructed.
"Yes, I am having a question." whispered Antoine "What if-" "Cool. C'mon, Tiff" Sonic interrupted, forward flipping out of the air duct to land beside Sally. "Show off." muttered Tristina, tapping a orange button on her wheelchair that had a picture of a spider. four long, spindly legs sprouted from the front and back of Tristina's wheelchair. two mechanical arms moved Tristina's wheelchair wheels to the back of her wheelchair.
pushing her forward, Tristina's wheelchair launched her from the air duct. while falling, the spider legs landed first, gently lowering Tristina to the ground. "Lets lock and load, Sal." Sonic whispered, walking ahead of Sally and Tristina. Tristina and Sally smiled to one another, then followed Sonic away from the air duct. "Bon voyage!" Antoine called in a whisper. "Good luck!" Kat's raspy voice followed, also whispering. Sonic looked back and gave them both a thumbs up before continuing to lead the way.
The walk to the first fighter jet, more commonly known as Stealth bots, was uneventful. Sally, Tristina, and Sonic climbed up onto the docking bay, then began the climb to the stealth bot. Tristina entered the plane first, then pressed the spider button on her wheel chair to retract the legs. As her wheelchair wheels moved back into place, Tristina looked over to Sally. "Okay Tiff. cut the alarm."
Tristina gave the Princess a thumbs up, then shifted her hand so her palm was open. Tristina then closed her eyes momentarily, only to re open them as white pupiless orbs. Sally and Sonic waited as Tristina typed quietly on the light generated keyboard. "alarm disabled, Princess. switching to stealth bots visual sensors." Tristina reported.
Sally nodded then began to type at a small keyboard. "What is all this stuff anyways, Sal?" Sonic asked, looking around the inside. "It's the brains of the plane." said Sally as she began to type on a keyboard. "Your gonna do a little brain surgery right?" Sonic asked "More or less." said Sally, pulling Nichole (her pocket computer) from her boot.
"First I have to break the access code, get into Robotnik's mainframe computer, and reprogram the launch data." explained Sally, placing Nichole on the small hologram projector station she was working at. "Swat bot walker approaching lane 5, Sally." Tristina reported, still typing on the light keyboard positioned at her hand. "Thanks Tiff. keep me updated." Sally replied.
"Then kaboom! these stealth bots are luncheon, yes?" Sonic asked, thrusting his fist in the air. "They're luncheon, yes." Sally replied as Sonic ducked to check their surroundings. "Swat bot walker approaching lane 4, Sally." Tristina reported in a monotonous tone. "Keep on it, Tiff." Sally replied as she gently pushed the port end of Nichole into a receipt slot. "Nichole." Sally stated to activate the computer.
"Ready Sally." said Nichole, her lights flashing as she and Tristina worked. "Access main database." "Password, Sally." "Run decoding program for 'X'" with that, a holographic screen appeared in front of Sally and began to display multiple letters. finally, the letters slowed to display the word 'meteor.' "Yo Tiff, wheres that swat butt?" Sonic asked, drumming his fingers on the inside of the stealth bot.
"Lane 3, stealth bot 4." Tristina replied, her fingers still typing. "Sonic, don't bother her." Sally said softly as Sonic drummed his fingers. "Do you mind?" Sally asked with a glare. "Not very well. Dogs mind, not hedgehogs." "Hey. watch it." Tristina replied in the same monotonous tone. "Sorry, Tiff." Sonic muttered, abashed. "Well show a little patience." Sally chided softly as Sonic tapped his feet. "Hey, hey hey! Patients are for hospitals." Sonic whispered. "We're in Robo country, and that makes me edgy." Sonic replied, checking around them again.
"Princess, Swat bot walker is now at lane 2, stealth bot 4 and proceeding our direction." Tristina reported. "Tiffs right." confirmed Sonic. "Better hurry it up, Sal. Party crashers coming'" Sonic whispered, pointing at his feet. "Incoming message." Nichole reported, displaying a odd word on the holographic screen. "'Bean'?" Sonic asked, taken aback. "Oh my gosh, Sonic. My father called me 'bean' when I was little." Sally said. "Princess..." Tristina started "I know, Tiff. I know. just give me a moment." said Sally
"Nichole, give me message origin." Sally ordered while Sonic ducked to check the status of the swat bot walker. the yellow machine was now coming around the corner and heading towards the air vents. "Sal, we gotta put the pedal to the metal!" Sonic whispered. "I have to check this out!" Sally pleaded. "It may be from my father."
"Swat bot walker veering off course, appears to be inspecting air ducts." Tristina reported. "Message origin: Area 12, Sector 9, quadrant 32" Nichole reported, displaying a picture of..."The Dark Swamp?!" Sally whispered.
Meanwhile, in the air ducts, Kat and Antoine waited patiently for Sonic, Sally, and Tristina. The two hid against the grime and dust covered duct wall while a swat bot approached, then left. Antoine let out a sigh of relief, then peered out the air vent slats. "what is taking them from so long?" Antoine asked, searching for any sign of his friends.
"Those computers can be tricky." whispered Kat in a raspy voice. "Relax, Antoine." Antoine put up a finger, as if he had a idea. "Relax?" he asked before answering his own question. "Yes...yes..." said Antoine, leaning against the air vent. "A very good ide-"
Antoine was cut off as the air vent fell out...and he fell with it. Landing on a pair of yellow boat shaped feet, Antoine looked up into the laser rifle of a swat bot walker. screaming, he grabbed onto Kat's tail and let the aging cougar pull him back into the air duct. Antoine screamed again, diving out of the way as the two dodged continued laser fire.
Tristina let out a groan as Sonic popped back up in the brain of the stealth bot. "Aw man, Ant did it again." he groaned. Tristina gave a start as she finally lowered her hand and closed her eyes. "Tiff, you back yet?" Sonic asked, looking over to the handicapped hedgehog. "Yeah, Sonic. we'll rail on Antoine later. right now lets juice." said Tristina, turning her wheelchair towards Sonic and pushing herself towards him.
"Okay Tiff. Look Sal, when Tiff and I juice, jam for the air duct. we'll meet you at the usual place." said Sonic. "Be careful, Sonic. You as well, Tiffany." said Sally. Tristina flashed a smile to the Princess before allowing her wheelchair to bump down onto the docking bay. easily sliding down to the floor, Tristina revved up besides Sonic and headed for the Swat bots.
"Yo, Swat butts." Sonic called as the two walkers began to fire lasers at them. "How about a little laser tag?" Sonic asked, running across the swat bot walker's foot in emphasis. "Your it!" Tristina called, easily keeping up with Sonic's break neck pace. Turning the Swat bot walkers chased after the two. once they were gone, Sally raced for the air duct.
"Upsy-Doozy, my Princess!" Antoine whispered, grabbing Sally's left hand while Sally grabbed Kat's tail with her right. Meanwhile, Tristina and Sonic continued to do double helix's with one another. Weaving thier paths in between the swat bot walkers, the two circled back on opposite sides of the hanger. As Sonic and Tristina kept the Swat bot walkers busy, Kat, Antoine, and Sally continued running down the air duct.
Back in the stealth bot hanger, Tristina skidded to a stop by a pile of scrap metal. looking up, she noticed Sonic already sitting atop it. "Think they've made it out by now?" Tristina asked, pressing her finger on a button with wings on it. "Yeah." said Sonic as he watched the swat bot walkers look around, clearly confused. "Lets blow this pop stand." Sonic added, as Tristina's wheelchair wheels were moved to the back of and underneath her chair.
Once she started hovering, Sonic called "Yo, Swat butts! You wonder weasels looking for us?" Sonic asked, waving. "We're the only ones around!" Tristina added, smirking as two Swat bot walkers fired lasers at them. Tristina shot towards the air duct as Sonic back flipped into it. converting her wheelchair back to ground mode, Tristina then raced along side Sonic as laser fire burnt the wall behind them. Up ahead, Sally, Antoine, and Kat continued running down the air duct.
As they turned a corner, Kat stopped and looked back. a little ways behind them, a swat bot walker was hovering along in persuit. "Here comes trouble." Kat growled, backing against the wall. glancing down the direction Sally and Antoine had run, Kat squinted one of his emerald green eyes at the walker.
Nodding to himself, Kat ran down the opposite direction of Sally and Antoine. Within a split second, the swat bot walker arrived where Kat had been. with not a backward glance, the swat bot walker turned and fell for Kat's diversion. As the elderly cougar continued to run, He could hear the swat bot walker coming ever closer.
Suddenly, another swat bot walker appeared in front of him. Kat gulped as he knew his fate was sealed.