ACT 2
"HEDGEHOG, PRIORITY ONE," droned the charging unit of SWATbots.
"Zey 'ave spotted us!" squealed Antoine, stumbling backwards in terror. He bumped into the guardrail, and with waving arms and a warbling yell, he tumbled over then hit the water with a splash.
"Aw, man!" Sonic shouted and sped to the rail. "ANT!"
The coyote flailed in the turbulent water. "Sonic! Help!" he sputtered before disappearing.
Red crouched in a defensive stance. "You save him, Sonic! I'll hold them off!" He vaulted toward the first oncoming SWATbot with a ferocious kick.
Sonic glanced wide-eyed at Red and the onslaught, then decided. "I'm comin', Ant!" He swan-dove into the water and attempted to find Antoine but surfaced empty handed.
Antoine emerged farther away, pulled by the current. "Sonic!" he gurgled again. Sonic quickly swam over to the helpless coyote, grabbed him, and paddled to the edge. He zoomed out of the water, up the wall, and over the guardrail. Antoine was set on his soggy feet but collapsed coughing. Sonic whirled just in time to witness the SWATbots overwhelm Red.
"RED!" he bellowed.
"Sonic, get out of here!" grunted the fox, writhing against the two robots carrying him off. The remaining ones turned to close in on Sonic and Antoine.
Gritting his teeth, Sonic seized Antoine again and bolted through the side door with a bang of speed.
They landed in the pile of hay at the base of the slide to Knothole. As Sonic brushed himself off, Sally, Bunnie, and Tails rushed in, clearly anxious.
"You boys alraht?" Bunnie inquired with concern, looking from Antoine shivering to Sonic fuming.
Troubled, Tails gazed toward the slide. "Where's… where's Red?"
"They captured him." Sonic kicked at the hay. "SWAT-butts surrounded us at the hydro plant, and An-twerp fell in the water."
Antoine sneezed with a mighty "aCHOO!"
Sonic hung his head. "I - I couldn't save them both."
"Oh no… If they have Red…" Sally covered her mouth in horror. "Then there's no time to lose. Nicole decrypted the rest of Robotnik's transmission." She started pulling Sonic toward the village. "It's terrible!"
The tyrant's voice floated airily from behind his command chair. "Snively, how soon before the rodent is my first Megabot?"
Snively gulped and answered meekly, "He has, er, well he, that is… he escaped, s-sir."
"WHAT?!" Robotnik revolved to stare down his nephew, who squeaked in fear. "Did I or did I not specify sending all three of them to the Megaboticizer? Especially that loathsome blue pincushion?"
"You d-did, s-sir! And the SWATbots did c-capture one of the Freedom Fighters! They've brought him here for you now!"
The evil doctor growled, but excitement soon overcame his wrath. "That's something, I suppose…" He beckoned with his robotic arm. "Send in the chap."
A huge door at the back of the villain's lair rolled up, and in marched a unit of SWATbots towing Red the Fox in shackles.
"There's the lucky lad!" Robotnik greeted, his tone dripping with false amity. "You're no rodent, it pains me to say, but you'll do just fine."
Red still struggled against his captors. "What are you raving about, Robotnik?"
"Oho, I like the fight in you, my friend."
"I'm no friend of yours!" Red snarled.
"Not yet, lad." Robotnik corrected with a sickening smirk. "Soon enough, though, you'll be my biggest fan." He snickered malevolently then commanded, "Send him to the Megaboticizer!"
The brave fox set his jaw as the SWATbots carried him away.
Everyone gathered inside Sally Hut, where Rotor was working at the computer. "What terrible thing is Buttnik up to now?" Sonic implored.
"We couldn't believe Nicole's decryption at first," explained Sally, her voice tense, "but there's no doubt now. Robotnik has built a Megaboticizer!"
Sonic tapped his foot. "Meaning…?"
"It's like a Roboticizer, only its victims get super-sized!" exclaimed Rotor, gesticulating widely. "He wants to make an army of Megabots!"
"That's why he blocked the Great River and built the plant," Sally added. "A Roboticizer on that scale would need a vast supply of power and coolant."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Sonic blurted. "We gotta save Red and trash it, pronto!"
"We have a plan," Sally assured. "I downloaded schematics of the hydroelectric plant and Megaboticizer complex. Bunnie?"
"Ah'm all ears, Sally-girl!" the partially Roboticized rabbit answered.
"We'll need your help to get in."
"Y'all can count on me!"
"And if my code is correct, we can fry the sucker with this," Rotor said, holding up a cartridge of a dusty pink color. "It'll override the lock system holding the Great River!"
"When the water hits the electronic core," Sally said, allowing a hint of a conspiratorial smile, "the Megaboticizer will be history!"
"Alright!" Sonic pumped his fist. "Now all we need is a Power Ring."
"I already got you one, Sonic!" Tails said brightly, holding up a green backpack. "One came up from the pool a little while ago."
"Way to go, Big Guy!" Sonic praised.
"Aunt Sally, the rope you asked for is in there, too," the boy continued proudly as he handed it to the princess.
Sonic placed a hand on the young fox's shoulder. "Take care of Knothole while we're gone, okay?" He faced Sally, Rotor, and Bunnie. "You guys ready to rock n' roll?"
"What about moi?" Antoine sniffled from a forgotten corner. "I, of courze, will be going to protect mah prin - aCHOO!"
Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but Bunnie stepped in first. "You best stay raht here and fight that cold, Sugah," she said, kind but firm. Antoine replied miserably with another sneeze.
In the depths of Robotropolis, a unit of SWATbots marched down a polluted thoroughfare as a hovercraft hummed above. When they had passed, the four Freedom Fighters peeked from behind the rounded base of a water tower.
Rotor glanced left and right. "Man, the place is crawling with bolt-brains!"
"I bet Buttnik knew we'd be back to save Red," Sonic flared. "We gotta hurry!"
The princess whipped out her computer. "Nicole, display the Megaboticizer schematic."
"Accessing, Sally," Nicole affirmed, and a hologram of a complicated map appeared before them.
Sally pointed at a small square on the projection. "The holding cell is not too far. It's our best shot!"
Suddenly, light poured over them when the huge portal of a nearby building screeched open. From the blinding haze, three shadows loomed, one of which was enormous.
"Something's coming!" warned Bunnie as footsteps clanged and rumbled.
Sally squinted up into the glare. "It can't be…"
Sonic's eyes shot wide in utter despair. "Red!"
The silhouette of the colossal figure had a fox's ears.
