Author's Note. Hey, everyone, sorry this took so long to upload, but I got wrapped up in a writing competition that is due to be judged on the 31 of July. (If you are interested in my writing or like StarFox feel free to check it out in my profile "A Chance Encounter.")
This chapter took a great deal more effort for me to write than previous chapters, since when I wrote it. I found that I needed to make an entire timeline, and figure out when everybody was born in Mobian time. Needless to say, that was a pain, but I think all my efforts turned out nicely. I hope that you get enjoyment out of all the extra effort I put into realizing this chapter. Have Fun, and hopefully, I can get the other chapters out more quickly.
Legal Trash. Sonic and everybody else is copyright SEGA/Archie comics. Except for Max, Annie, and Sonia. I created them in my rattled brain; if you like my OC's use them and let me know. It'll be fun; we will have tea.
Chapter 3. Imminent Uprising
The small band of teenagers traversed through the desolate fog covered Robotropolis and proceeded to make their way through the forest to Knothole. The rain was coming down slightly harder than earlier that morning, and it was becoming apparent that the weather was indeed going to get worse over the next few weeks. Their walk was a lot less merry than it had been on their way to Robotropolis, as the sound of teasing and playfulness was exchanged for silence and bitterness. Annie, since leaving uncle Chuck's hideout had become far less talkative than usual. It was clear to Max and Sonia that she was still not over what transpired with Nicole, and despite saying she forgave Max still retained bad feelings over it. They walked in awkward silence all the way up to the halfway point of Knothole village, and it was there that the three of them opted to take a short rest on some nearby stones.
Max sat on the wet rock caring little if his pants became wet, as his attire needed to be cleaned soon enough anyway. Annie placed herself beside him while Sonia leaned against a tree. Sonia was used to being on her feet, and so she felt less tired than the other two. Max looked at his bandaged hand that stung with pain. It had been bothering him quite a bit during the walk, but he kept trying to ignore it. Annie glanced over at it and spoke for the first time since the silence had begun.
"It feelin ok?" She attempted to be kind, but Max could tell by her look and tone that she continued to be disappointed in him.
Max shook his head in response, still feeling shame from earlier. Even though she had acted as if it were over with, he could tell that this was only the beginning of something more substantial. All of this bitterness was starting to get to him at this point, and he looked away from her, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"If you haven't forgiven me, stop pretending that you have done so." He spoke in a direct manner.
Annie frowned feeling somewhat annoyed. "So, what…? I can't see if my friend is ok now?"
Sonia's eyes watched the two, and she could immediately tell where this was heading. She hated seeing this kind of thing, so she moved forward, and decided it best to go ahead of them to Knothole.
"Look, you two should calm down; it's over with. I am going to run on ahead to Knothole and let everybody in on what happened." She tried to defuse the situation before heading out, but just as expected, her words were ignored. She felt annoyed and frustrated but just decided to kick up her feet and blast out of there quickly.
Max didn't even look to see his sister go, and he stared at Annie with a frown on his face.
"It's not like that, and you know it's not. I appreciate you dropping it for great uncle Chuck, but you can't-fool me. I don't appreciate you looking down on me for it still. I said I was sorry."
Annie started feeling her blood boil and stood up with a stomp in the grass. "I tried to let it go, to let it pass, but you had to start accusing me. Yeah, I admit it! I am still upset with you, but I tried to be kind to you!"
Max could feel anger welling up, partly due to the shame he felt, but also because she continued harping on him. Either implicitly or explicitly, since they had become older teenagers, she had no qualms about being contentious with him.
"That's simply not true! You've been giving me dirty looks since we left Robotropolis, and you've barely spoken a word to me except to ask about my hand!" He attempted to get her to understand why he felt that way.
She turned to him with a huff. "So what Max!? You almost fried yourself in front of your sister and me, and you think I am supposed to be happy about that!? And for what!? Some goddamn computer that has been useless for the past decade!" She was full-blown mad now and was no longer hiding her displeasure about the day's events.
Max, upon hearing her words started shaking violently, as he stood up clenching his uninjured hand into a fist. "Stop disparaging my choices, and stop talking about Nicole like that! If it weren't for her, then we wouldn't have even HAD success today!" His voice was growing louder than it had been previously.
Annie started to match his tone. "She's a tool you fucking idiot! Not worth your life! You're an animal! You should be more responsible!" She shouted beginning to lose herself in her emotions.
Max yelled back in kind. "Nicole isn't a tool! She's a Freedom Fighter! Like the rest of us! She's an invaluable part of our team!" He felt like her words were insulting more than just himself.
Annie shook her head and condescendingly laughed. "Hah! what idiot thought that up!?" She stated, attempting to make him feel foolish for his sentiment. She didn't believe that Max and Nicole were equal in any sense of the word.
Max was hurt by her words and averted his gaze from her. "My mother was that idiot." He spoke through grit teeth, unable to even look in her direction. "My mother always treated Nicole like she was a part of our team, not just some tool... To disrespect that ideal is to disrespect my mother." His voice was cracking slightly, and it was evident that speaking ill of his mother had gotten to him.
Annie realized the error of her words and was taken back by his sudden change in demeanor, but her anger would not allow her to hold her tongue. "Your mother is gone Max, and I doubt she'd condone you dying for that piece of junk, you're her child!"
Her words pierced his heart, as he was smart enough to recognize some truth in them; even if he did not agree with Annie's assessment of Nicole in any capacity. He knew his mom would probably be as judgmental of his rash action. "What do you know Ann!? Of my mother!? Of Nicole!?"
He turned to face her once more. "I do what I have to do, whether you like it or not. I am your leader, so you can keep your displeasure to yourself!"
Annie had a look of disbelief that he would go so far as to bring his royal bloodline into this. It appeared it was now her turn to be disgusted by his words. "Oh… So that's how it is, is it? The lowborn should keep their mouth shut to please his majesty."
He scowled at her, tired of her constant insults and criticisms. If it meant shutting her up, so she would no longer disparage his mother and him, so be it.
Annie gave a bow, and started to mock him indignantly, she realized that she had gone too far earlier, but now she felt justified in her assault on the Acorn lineage. "Oh, your majesty! I am so sorry for showing any concern for you my liege! Shall I fetch thou a cup of tea? Perhaps a golden bib to make up for it?"
Max had never felt so upset with her, and he just wanted her to stop. She continued to double down on her mockery of him and everything he was proud of. "Stop Ann!" He demanded her silence as if he had some authority over her.
She laughed again in her mockery "Hah, poor old king Max, so prestigious, yet so powerless. You aren't better than me, so why don't you be quiet."
Max had about all he could stand by this point, and in a low disgruntled tone began to insult her directly. "I am better than you... lowborn peasant."
Annie stopped her mockery and now was not even sure as to what to say to that. He was always so lovely and kind to her, but his despicably classist words brought both seething anger and deep hurt to her. "What did you say?" was all she could choke out.
Max could see his assault on her was effective, but now realized he had gone way too far. Even if Ann were the aggressor, he should have known better. He felt shame wash over him with a feeling of disgust. "…."
Annie turned away from him feeling deeply hurt, but not entirely innocent. She recognized that she had gone too far, and pushed too hard, but for him to think so lowly of her hurt in a way she had not expected. "I'll take my leave of you..." Was all she could muster the energy to say, they were both really angry with one another, but in her mind, he did more wrong that she did.
"Ann... wait..." Max attempted to humble himself and apologize for those words, but she refused even to turn, and before he knew it she had left him there in the forest by himself.
"Why did things have to be this way." he thought to himself. He and Ann used to be inseparable and close. They never had severe fights or differing opinions. What happened to them?
He sighed and sat on the rock letting the rain continue to douse him. He wondered what would possess him to say such a terrible and disgusting thing. He felt so angry that he didn't even think. He certainly didn't think anybody was less than him, but the way in which she mocked him made him enraged.
He sat for what felt like an eternity. His coat, body, and bandage soaked entirely through. He felt immense guilt and knew he had to apologize for saying such a scummy thing. Even if she felt no remorse for disparaging his family, he knew she didn't deserve to be told that, least of all from him.
He got up from the rock and started slowly making his way to the village, sauntering along with fear in his heart. He didn't want Bunnie or Antoine to know what he said because he knew it would hurt their feelings. He hoped that after a small while Annie would be willing to listen to his words, but wasn't sure if she would tell her parents what he said.
He finally reached the village after some time, as he had been dragging his feet quite a bit in apprehension. He made way to his hut to dry off and switch to some clean clothes so that his current attire could be washed. He knew he should let Annie be alone for a while, so he decided that he should redress his burn before doing anything else.
Once he was inside and had stripped off his wet clothes, he placed Nicole in her usual spot by his bed. He could see tools strewn about the floor and could tell that Rotor had been working to fix his power. If he had to guess, he would say that Rotor had taken a break to eat something. He walked into his hut bathroom area and pulled out fresh bandages that had been securely stored in a chest by the wall. With them in hand, he worked off his old bandages and slowly rewrapped his injury. It hurt, but he was more afraid of infection than anything else.
While he was in the small washroom, he was abruptly interrupted by the sound of loud knocking coming from his hut door. He jumped in fear of the condemnation he was anticipating for what he had said. "H-hold on, just a minute!" He called, securing the bandages around his hand. He moved out of the cramped room, and on his way, he took a nightshirt and pants hanging from the back of a chair. He quickly threw on the pants and started to cover his bare chest with the shirt while moving to answer the knocks. He reached the door and opened it fast, and his heart immediately sank, as Bunnie was standing directly before him.
"B-Bunnie!" he said surprised and backed up allowing her room to enter. She did so and looked at Max with a frown. He braced himself as much as possible for what was coming to him.
"Hun, I came by because I am needin to have a lil ol' talk with you." Her face was that of sadness, but her tone was sweet and disarming.
"Talk to me?" He said, looking down at the floor.
Bunnie nodded, shutting the door behind her and placing herself on his bed. "Your sister told me all about what happened with you today, and bout' your hand. I am stoppin by to let y'all know that Antoine and I will be givin you and Annie relief from your duties for the next few weeks."
Max blinked and looked up, not expecting this conversation in the slightest. "But why? I know I am injured slightly, but I can still cook and stuff."
Bunnie shook her head. "Naw sugar, that's why I am comin to discuss this all with you. You see, Antoine and I are gonna start trainin Sonia for dangerous missions, and we need to put a lot o' responsibilities on that girl, especially after hearin what Robotnik might be schemin'."
Max understood now, that it was Sonia's time, and that her training would be hard. He could see this was Bunnie's way of telling him not to coddle her, and so he gave a nod of approval. "I understand… It's just; it feels like it is all happening so fast." He placed his bandaged hand on his furred face, feeling overwhelmed by various emotions.
Bunnie nodded sadly. "I wish you kids never had to be dealin with all this nonsense, but somthins got me worried, and I want to be prepared for the worst."
Max looked to Bunnie and knew how she felt, after all, it was his little sister. He sat on the bed beside her and leaned forward to stare at the floor. Bunnie got the impression he was feeling terrible, and like any concerned mother, she put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
"Hun, what's the matter with ya? I know you well enough to see you've been upset since the moment I stepped on into this hut." Bunnie was keen in her observations, and Max felt like he wanted to speak his mind about earlier. Unfortunately, he felt as though doing so would cause tension between them.
"Nothing." He spoke in as confident a tone as possible to try and avoid this conversation.
Bunnie shook her head and took her hand off his shoulder. "Now Y'all listen to me, ya here. My nanny didn't raise no fool, and I know this amount o' broodin ain't over yer sister learnin responsibilities. Now out with it! As I don, appreciate bein' lied to, especially by somebody as honest as you Max.
He could hear her sweet yet serious voice and found himself eased by her forward motherly nature. "I... uhm, well… Ann and I kinda got into an argument. I said some pretty disgusting things to her." He kept his gaze averted. Knowing that Annie was important to her, brought him more embarrassment. "I was just so upset. I don't know; I am stupid." He spoke, unsure of why he was even admitting this to the very person he tried to avoid talking to this about.
He couldn't see Bunnie's face as his eyes were still fixated on the floor, but he could feel her gentle hand rub his back to comfort him. "So that's what Annie was all in a mood about when she came stompin home." She pulled Max in for a gentle hug, which caught him off guard.
"Hun, we all say things we don mean, that's part o' growin up. Hell, when I was your age, I would constantly get annoyed with ol' Antoine bein afraid of everything," He could hear a light chuckle from her.
"but what matters is you're ashamed. You want to make it right. That's the mark of a good person if I ever saw one. To be able to admit you've made a mistake and work to be fixin' it right as rain." He turned his head upwards to look at her and was greeted with her bright smile. He found himself unable to have any other reaction than to smile back.
"I was just sad... I never wanted to hurt Ann... or you." He admitted to her, feeling a weight being lifted off his chest. It turned out his apprehension was for nothing.
"Aww, shucks it'll take more than that to get me upset, heck I know what a handful my daughter can be. Stubborn as her mother I reckon'." To which Max let out a laugh, knowing how much of an unmovable object Annie could be when it came to certain things.
"Just keep tryin' to make things right, I am sure she will get over it soon enough," Bunnie reassured him, making him feel like he was correct in trying to apologize to her.
"Thanks, mom…" Max said to her sheepishly.
Bunnie was surprised to hear him put that so directly. He had always called her Bunnie, but, after a decade of raising him, what else should he call her? Admittedly it made Bunnie feel guilty that Sally wasn't here, but she appreciated the sentiment more than anything else.
She reached in and gave him a tight hug. "I love you, Max, don't ya' forget that." She broke away to stand, and looked down with a giant grin. "Love you too." Max returned the sentiment. Bunnie had watched him grow from a little boy into what he considered to be a young man. It was now clear to him in no uncertain terms that she saw him as her own.
Max looked at her and moved his bandaged hand. "Since I am off from strenuous duties, I suppose I could spend time analyzing the data we got from great uncle Chuck."
Bunnie looked at his injury and nodded her head. "Sure hun, why don I run out to the dining hut and bring ya something scrumptious to eat. It'll keep that bandage from getting wet, and you can rest up."
Max nodded in appreciation to her kindness and lied back onto the bed for a moment. Bunnie let him relax and made her way out of the hut door into the rain. He felt at ease now and much more relaxed. He stared at the ceiling, and over the minutes found his energy dwindling more and more. How long had it been since he had the luxury of a nap in midafternoon? He wasn't sure, but he eventually found himself drifting into a quiet slumber, snoozing comfortably on his unmade bed.
Creek!
Max's eyes shot open to the sudden noise. The room appeared darker than it had been during midday. He glanced over and saw Rotor moving towards his bed quietly, and he groggily sat up.
"Oh, I am sorry Max, did I wake you?" Rotor's voice came as a whisper. It was apparent he was trying to finish fixing things up without disturbing him.
"Ah, don't worry about that Rotor. I was just resting my eyes." He looked over and could see on the table by Nicole was some food brought in by Bunnie. Fruits, some bread and cheese, and a small container of tea. His favorite munchies that he ate, often when skipping large meals.
"Well that's good, I heard about everything from Sonia during lunch, and I just wanted to let you know… how proud I am of you and stuff..." Rotor struggled to find the right words. It was clear he wasn't very good at being social or praising others, but his praise was none the less appreciated.
Max turned and threw his feet over the edge of his bed. He watched Rotor get onto the floor to tinker with his wall. Rotor started removing the basic wood side paneling of the interior wall to reveal a complicated jumble of wires and mechanical parts. Much of it had come from old houses in Robotropolis, and over time Rotor created many modern luxuries for their personal use. It was awe inspiring to see Rotor at work attempting to figure out exactly what had gone wrong with his power.
"I can't believe you did all this Rotor. I just... wow!" Max said, excitement building within him.
Rotor hid his face in the wall while blushing, and let out a nervous laugh. "Hah, well it wasn't overnight; originally when we moved from our previous location to this new more secure Knothole. I was frustrated with having to start all over, but starting all over allowed me the opportunity to implement these things from the ground up. It was a blessing in disguise, to say the least."
"Moved?" Max said, trying to remember that. It sounded significant to him, but the details remained fuzzy.
"Oh, yeah well. We abandoned our former village when Sonic and Sally went missing to keep our location secure." Rotor said while tinkering with a wire to replace it. "You were only bout' five or six at the time, so I am not surprised that you don't have much of a recollection about then. You were pretty upset about your parents at the time." Rotor was somewhat unaware of how talking about this might upset Max, but in a way, Max appreciated it. It allowed for a purer type of honesty between them.
Max reached for his now warm berries, and once he had a fist full, he started picking at them slowly. "I... remember moving, just not every single fine detail. I was heartbroken at the time, but Ann and Bunnie kept me company." He felt somewhat depressed over the memory and decided to go back to admiring Rotor's handiwork.
"I am happy you were able to make our quality of life better, I really don't know what we'd do without you," Max stated, feeling that Rotor's work was often underpraised.
Once Rotor had replaced several wires, he connected Max's lamp to the socket. Once plugged in, it illuminated the room with the same light it had before it was knocked out. Rotor turned to Max and gave him a thumbs up and a quick appreciative pat on the shoulder.
"Thanks for saying so kiddo," he tried to be endearing. "but I feel like we all do our part here." He stood up to his feet and started replacing the piece of the wall he shifted out. "I should thank you for bringing back those extra parts, with them I will be able to work on those physical upgrades for Nicole."
Max nodded back to him and let him take his leave of the room. Rotor was often aloof, but he was indeed a genius when it came to computers and engineering. Once he was gone, Max sat and ate his food quietly. He was looking out the window at the falling rain, listening to the pitter patter of the drops on his roof. The clouds grew darker in the time he napped, and it was clear to him that he had slept until late evening. He looked at Nicole who sat on the table with a blank screen and decided to let her be for now. He knew that he had to apologize to Annie, even if she were still mad at him.
He was in his pajamas at this point, and while he typically slept without a shirt on in the summer. He didn't care much about the heat right now. He moved his way to his door and walked out into the rain. He was barefoot and his night clothes were thin enough so that they became wet reasonably quickly. He tried to keep his bandage under his thin shirt to protect it from excess rain. The march to Annie's hut was not too far, and the wet grass felt strangely comfortable against his squirrel feet. He could see the shelter was lit and knew that with the time off awarded to the two of them, that she would most likely be in there.
With each step that he took he felt more and more afraid, not merely because she was probably still mad, but because he was worried that she could never forgive him for what he said. To him what she said was all anger, though it hurt him. He knew that she got carried away, and he was willing to forgive her for mocking his family. He wasn't so sure that his words would be overlooked so quickly, primarily by somebody as stubborn as her. He hesitated for a minute and then reached out his hand to start quietly rapping against the door of her hut.
"….."
There was no answer or movement that he could hear, and he found himself unable to speak. He felt like if he talked that she would never answer, so he waited in the rain for minutes upon minutes, becoming soaked in the process. He started rapping again, his face fur dripping water, and his bandage once again destroyed. This time, however, he could hear faint footsteps coming to the door, and it brought him a sense of relief.
The door opened, inviting the light of her hut to shine on him. She was surprised to see him still there and soaked to the bone.
"What are you still doing here?" She said in a slightly indignant tone, opting to ignore the fact she'd let him sit in the rain for 5 maybe 10 minutes.
Max looked at her and could see the anger still written on her face.
"Look, Ann... I didn't mean what I said. No matter what you said to me. You didn't deserve to have such a terrible thing said about you. I feel awful about what I did, and I came here to ask for your forgiveness." He looked sad and pathetic, to the point it was almost amusing to her in her anger.
"Well, well, the mighty king come to grovel at the feet of a commoner? I never thought I'd see the day." She crossed her arms, barring him access to her hurt, and continuing with her mockery of him.
"Ann, please stop it. I know you are mad, but I just wanted to tell you that I don't think less of you for who you are. I just wanted you to stop treating me like an idiot. Like I have to be constantly harassed and told about how I fucked up. As if I don't already have a bunch of eyes looking at me to do what is right every single time." He was really feeling sorrowful now and knew in some way she was enjoying this. He felt upset that she would be so cruel as to continue the aggression.
"You made fun of my stature… and by proxy, you are insulting my mother, the very woman who took care of you, who loved you." She looked at him with scorn. "I don't forgive you, Max, not for insulting me, not for insulting her. Just go back to your hut and don't bother me again!" She was shaking, and her hand grasped the door getting ready to slam it directly in his face.
Max foresaw her intent and without thinking put his injured hand up to the door, letting it slam into it with a cry of pain. "Ah!" He had a look of determination on his face, and she was surprised by his foolish action.
"H-How can you say that!?" His voice grew loud like earlier in the forest. "You mocked my entire lineage, and you called my deceased mother and myself an idiot!" His voice was trembling, and she let go of the door so that his hand would not suffer any more damage. "You are no better than I am!" He was pouring his heart out, and the fear was overtaking him. He put his hand down, and he could feel the tears welling in his eyes, though she could not see them because of the rain.
"Please Ann… I am sorry. I don't care what you said about my family, just please try to forgive me."
Annie stared at him, and she was overcome with the urge to hug him. However, the anger-fueled teenage pride that she had was making it difficult for her to do so. To forgive him would be to accept his slight, and to forgive him would mean she would have to acknowledge her own wrongdoing.
"I am… Sorry, Max, you might not care, but I do." She spoke directly, but also hesitantly. She was not ready to give up her pride, and with that, she closed her door leaving him standing in the evening rain.
Max breathed deeply in his sadness. He could feel the pain in his heart but knew staying here would do him no good. He wiped the rain and tears from his face and made his way back to his hut. He felt he did everything in his power to make it right between them, but was now genuinely afraid he'd lost his closest friend over such a petty argument.
He quickly returned to his hut and took the time to wash up in his bathroom. He hated having to waste his bandages, so he opted not even to bother wrapping his injuries once more. He put on some underclothes to lounge in and stared out of his window in sorrowful contemplation. The wind howled outside with the rain beating down heavily against his window. Luckily the window itself was made of an extra durable plastic salvaged from Robotropolis, very clear and study when compared to traditional glass.
He couldn't stop thinking about Annie's rejection of his apology, and while he hadn't expected it to go smoothly; It did put him in a really low mood. He reached down grabbed onto Nicole with his uninjured hand. Her screen lit up before him, and he could see that while she appeared to be off, she had been processing data this entire time. There were a few logs marked for him to read. His sadness had been sidetracked by intrigue, as his eyes scanned one of the files flagged for him.
"What is this…?" He asked Nicole rhetorically, as soon as the name of the log caught his eye.
Day 162, 3234. Infiltration progress.
"Infiltration?" He felt wary.
Day 162, 3234.
"A few days after my second birthday." He stated to himself once he had gained access the data the log contained.
"Day 162, 3234
Snively, it has come to my attention that the machine tracking functionality is not working correctly. Send report of data, and any visual/audio feed that is downloaded on their next raid."
"Day 171, 3234
Data collected report detailed below.
Knothole produces its own food for consumption.
Assessed occupants. Approximately 9 – 3 Children.
Primitive structured huts with zero mechanical defenses.
The power supply is that of kinetic energy.
Exact location unknown, but visual is functional."
At the end of the small report, Max could see that a video recording had been sent, and his heart raced. He could tell by the descriptions that this was discussing the makeup of old Knothole. He wasn't exactly sure how this information was collected, but it was four years prior to his parent's disappearance.
With hesitation, he decided to view the video recording, and upon opening it. He had wished he had not done so. He could see the image of his two-year-old self-prancing about in front of the very camera recording him. He was happy and unaware of the prying eyes staring directly at him. This recording sent a tingle through his spine like nothing else, and he quickly closed the video.
"Nicole… what is this!?" He demanded, feeling completely upset. How was this possible? He became increasingly paranoid and looked about his room. He could then hear Nicole speak out loud to him, bringing his attention back towards her.
"Surveillance footage, taken on the date in question. It appears to be test footage capturing your likeness." She stated logically.
"I can see that Nicole! How was it taken!?" He became angry at her, and Nicole for the first time ever, stammered.
"I… It is from me." She admitted, causing Max to stare in disbelief.
"What…?" He said, unsure if he heard her correctly.
"I am… so sorry Max." Nicole's droning voice sounded unconcerned, but her words were that of sorrow.
"Nicole, I….it is ok… just please tell me." He rubbed his face with his left hand, feeling a cold sweat running down his body. He didn't even think about Nicole's mannerisms; he just wanted the truth.
"My system had become compromised. I was being used as a means to spy on Knothole for Robotnik." She admitted.
"I… you're the reason that my parents are gone.? Are you still feeding him information?" His voice was low, but anger could be heard in his tone.
"It was a collective error on the part of everybody that Sonic and Sally are gone, and my system is no longer compromised." She spoke to him.
Max was unsure if he could even believe her, but at this moment, he just wanted to make sense of everything. This was the beginning of the answers to all of his long-awaited questions.
"Nicole, please explain everything to me. I just want to know why you did what you did… Alright?" He was attempting to be nice, and even though he felt betrayed. He sensed that Nicole was somehow remorseful for this.
Nicole's screen lit up, and she started to answer him. "Robotnik planted a virus on his own network, anticipating that Sally would continue to use me to cause him problems. When she connected me to the network, I was contaminated with a hidden virus that would help him track and locate Knothole," she paused for a second.
"But?" Max piped up.
"but Robotnik underestimated my physical capabilities. I could not send wireless communications, so I could not relay data to him about coordinates."
"So how did he end up getting this information then?" Max asked.
"Once Robotnik realized he couldn't get the data so easily. He instead decided to install commands on the network, so that when Sally went on a mission and used me. I would transfer data to Robotnik and receive new commands. I believe that for the video of you, I was given a command to test the recording capabilities. That is why you, the subject of the video, appears to be random rather than something of importance."
Max was letting this all sink in, as it was so much to hear in such quick succession. He could not remember much about being two years old, but he was almost sure Nicole was telling the truth.
"Why didn't you save the coordinates for Robotnik?" He asked curiously, wondering if maybe she had some control over the matter.
"Sally routinely deleted all scanning and coordinate data manually. While Robotnik had control of certain functions, there was nothing he could do about what Sally decided to delete. It is for this reason that he could only get away with snippets of data over time. If he drew suspicion, then it would all be for nothing. Unfortunately for him, Sally was extremely diligent on data deletion as a precaution." Nicole finished up her explanation allowing Max to think to himself.
It all made sense to Max the more he thought about it. He never took Nicole on missions until just a few days ago, so essentially Robotnik's data collection stopped the minute Nicole stopped seeing use. He stared at Nicole's screen feeling some relief come over him. It was knowing that Nicole was not a threat that brought him the greatest comfort. He leaned back and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Are you ok Nicole?" He asked abruptly, after a short silence.
"I am completely uncompromised. When you upgraded me, the advanced A.I. construct that I became could easily spot such a primitive virus…." She started yammering on.
"That's not what I mean Nicole. I mean, are you feeling alright?" He restated his question while interrupting her.
Nicole wasn't sure how to answer that, what could she say on the subject of feelings?
"I... I am strange lately." She blurted out. "Certain data has become more than data to me, and I find myself actively holding on to past data for little reason other than I want to."
"Memories?" Max attempted to fill in the gap for her.
"If that is what you desire to call it, then I suppose that would be the most appropriate analogy." She maintained her computer like voice, but her words displayed something much more significant than even Max expected.
"You're alive Nicole… aren't you? You are more than just a computer in there; you have feelings." The culmination of the last few days led to this conclusion, and as weird as he felt saying it, he did believe it.
"No, I am not a biological organism, but I can't help but describe the events unfolding as feeling." She reluctantly admitted.
Max now saw the realization of his mother's beliefs sitting before him. Nicole was a Freedom Fighter, and he knew that he could trust her because of her willingness to disclose what she had done. He leaned back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. It was approaching midnight, and he felt as though he had much to think about.
"I trust you Nicole, and I am sorry for sounding upset with you." He said quietly to her. Today was a day of apologies, and even though one of them didn't work out. He was hoping at least Nicole could forgive him.
"I… forgive you." Her computer voice came without much thought. She had never really received apologies often, and indeed, before this point, she had never weighed their importance.
Max sat up after taking a stretch on the bed and looked back at her screen. There were still other files he wanted to take a look at, and to him, the twilight hours were the perfect time to think. Max leaned forward touching Nicole's keys and started to maneuver his way through her interface, back to the files she had marked. He had not really taken a keen look at all of them, but merely gravitated to the first one he saw.
"Hm... what do we have here?" He pondered, taking a long look through the list of available marked files.
Day 162, 3234. Infiltration progress.
Day 233, 3238. Sonic the Hedgehog.
Day 17, 3241. ORACLE a success.
Day 342, 3245. Workerbot usefulness.
Day 178, 3247. FIRESTORM.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the name of his father on the screen. It was apparent to Max, now that he had seen the full list, that they were in chronological order. That day was the day his parents had gone missing. Without much of a pause, he touched Nicole's keys to gain access to the data.
Day 233, 3238.
"Day 233, 3238
I cannot contain my excitement to finally have that godforsaken blue rodent in the palm of my metallic hand, and at first, I couldn't wait to roboticize him. The irony of him working for me was almost too good to pass up, but then I got to thinking, perhaps that is too lenient a punishment for him. All of the misery he has brought me over the years has made me realize that he deserves it in kind. I want him to suffer, to have everything stripped away from him, and so I have decided that the hedgehog will be kept flesh. He will be powerless for all of his speed and entertain me whenever I grow bored. After all, every ruler needs a court jester."
Max felt emotions overcoming him, was his father alive? Not a robot? He was scared, what had that monster done to him? It had been ten years since this was written. He scrolled further down in the log.
"Day 234, 3238
Yes sir, Dr. Robotnik, it will be as you say. The princess has already been dealt with following your orders, but what exactly is it you have planned for the hedgehog? He has already seen his beloved fall. How can we keep the hedgehog under control if he is not to be robotized?"
"Mom..." Max felt his heart aching, but the text brought hope in the confirmation that his father did indeed live.
"Day 235, 3238
Snively, I think it is about time we tested the rift gate on a biological organism, bring the hedgehog, and make sure to bring some SWATBOTS. I am looking forward to an entertaining show."
Max reached the end of the logs and was shocked by what he read. "Rift gate?" He said out loud, unsure of what to make of this.
"I have not come across any data pertaining to the rift gate mentioned in this data log. However, I still have much data to go through and process before I can determine if there is anything relevant to it." Nicole stated upon hearing his remark.
It was all too much to deal with. He felt like screaming with joy, and he wanted just to run out and wake everybody up. His father, if he is alive, and they could get him back; It would be an incredible boon to the Freedom Fighters. His sister would be overjoyed to hear this news. He took a deep breath in his attempt to calm down. Perhaps these logs were the key to the everything, and maybe if he kept reading, he would find more about his father.
He looked over the files once more and could see two pertaining to workerbots, and ORACLE. As much as he was interested to read them at this time, he could see the last log entitled FIRESTORM was logged as recently as last year. The other two probably contained no information about his father, but this? What exactly was this?
He touched Nicole's keys and opened the file. He was drawn in by his curiosity and the fact that it was as recent as last summer.
Day 178, 3247.
"Day 178, 3247.
Dr. Robotnik, I have received the design changes for project FIRESTORM, and I must say that I am hoping you will reconsider this. I can make possible changes to send back to you, but the whole idea… well, it's. It is brilliant and magnificent, but perhaps a touch overboard?"
Max could tell already that his father wouldn't be a part of this log. However, he could tell by the reluctance of the writer; that this was perhaps the most significant and crucial log on the list. He continued to read the rest.
"Day 179, 3247
Snively, I don't care what you think, and I would hate to be you if I think you are turning on me. Just put 70% of workerbots constructing the central component. I already have two giant power plants sufficient enough to power it. I care little for the consequences that this causes. I hate those miserable rodents, and their very existence is an insult to my greatness. No more will lowly beings defy me, and utter domination will finally be mine. Get it done Snively because if I have to do it myself, you just might find yourself as part of my beautiful machinery."
The room was silent, and Max read on full of apprehension.
"Day 185, 3247
Sir, I have done as you said and made appropriate changes. It should be feasible to begin construction immediately. With the worker bots assigned, I estimate it will be fully complete by next summer. Forgive my impudent tone sire, I would never dream of betraying you, and I want you to know how impeccably fabulous I think you are sir."
Max could see the FIRESTORM plans that had been sent to Robotnik, and he immediately took the opportunity to open them. Once inside he could see a jumble of schematics for a massive beam type weapon. So enormous in scope that it dwarfed many of the building in Robotropolis. The plans showed that it would be powered by two advanced power plants used to power entire cities. The angle of the weapon, the power, the size. It was all sinking into Max's head quickly, but it was shocking enough to make it hard to wrap his head around. Nothing else he had just learned mattered at this moment.
"It's pointing in the direction of the forest and Knothole..." He knew that even the days of its predicted completion were drawing near.
"N-Nicole what is this?" He stammered, hoping that she could precisely confirm his thoughts in words.
She was silent for a second as if thinking on how to respond to that appropriately.
"It appears to be a gigantic cannon, that of which will utilize the stored energy from the power plants. A weapon of that size, and of that much raw energy, will most likely eradicate a good chunk of the planet when it is fired." She eventually explained.
Max couldn't believe what he was hearing. Robotnik had gone completely mad in his hated conquest of their world. The extreme amounts of energy, the terrible weather, the intense security. It all made sense now, Robotnik was planning to fire that cannon any day now.
Max was now panicking, as he leaped to his feet and grabbed Nicole. This couldn't wait, everything else in his life could, but this certainly couldn't. He dashed out of his hut into the darkness and rain, running as fast as his legs could carry him. It was hard to see, but he knew that he had to reach Bunnie and Antoine without a second to spare.
He ran past Annie's hut and then Sonia's, and finally found himself in front of where Bunnie and Antoine stayed together. His hands frantically banged on their hut door, slamming and bashing with all the strength he could put into them. The pain of his injury was of little consequence to getting the attention of Bunnie and Antoine. He could hear scrambling inside of the hut, and the lights shot on. Bunnie was first to the door in a night robe and could see Max standing there like he'd seen a ghost.
"Max, what in all hell's goin on?" She was worried but really confused, this never really happened before.
Max was out of breath and pushed into their hut attempting to speak, but finding his voice lacking in the excitement and breathlessness. "I-Robotnik… He- he's… weapon." Max needed to calm down, but it was not easy given what he knew.
"Oui, Max, try to be being calming down, yes? I am having trouble to be understanding you." Antoine spoke, taking off his pajama hat that had one of those puff balls at the end of it.
"N-Nicole... explain." Max pushed out, using the time to catch his breath.
Nicole's computer screen lit up displaying the schematics, and she began to speak to them on Max's behalf.
"Robotnik has constructed a large-scale energy cannon, which by my estimate will eradicate a large portion of the planet's surface in the direction it is fired. It appears as if the cannon is preparing to be fired at a moment's notice."
Bunnie put her furred hand to her mouth, in shock. This was insane, the consequences of doing such a thing were disastrous, not just for Freedom Fighters, but the planet itself.
"Mah stars… I don... even know what to be sayin'." It was clear Bunnie was panicked as well. They could be eradicated at any second as far as they knew. Should they run this very instant? Should they go on a suicide mission to preserve the forest? It was jumbled and confusing at this hour of the morning.
Antoine looked shaken but tried to maintain composure, if only for Max and Bunnie's sake. "O-oui, this is quite a problem," Antoine cleared his throat to stop his nervous speech. "but if he was to be being ready, then he would have already fired ze cannon. I am thinking that perhaps we need uncle Chuck's input on what to be doing."
"Good idea sugar!" Bunnie said excitedly. "Antoine, you go and write a message to uncle Chuck, and also write one to Tails. We desperately need everyone to be dealin with this."
Antoine nodded and turned to his desk where he could write notes for the carrier pigeons to deliver quickly.
Max stood there in silence until Bunnie put her hand on his shoulder. "Hun, go wake up everyone else, we need everyone here for this." She had taken charge, and Max understood that this was no longer the days of Freedom Fighter ineffectuality, but a battle of which he was at the heart of.
He was scared and hesitant as he exited the door to wake the others. Scared to fight, scared to lead, scared to speak to Annie, but he knew that overcoming these fears was the only option that would bring success to them in this dark hour. He felt a slight comfort knowing that Tails would have to return and while he had hoped it would be a more joyous occasion. He knew that Tails would be just the thing they needed to stop Robotnik's madness.
Wrap up. In case you don't know (I didn't until writing this chapter) Mobius is essentially future earth, and all days are written from 1 – 365. Eg. Jan 1. Is day 1. Hopefully, this saves on confusion for those who don't know.
Love you guys, let me know if you enjoyed it or not. I will be writing more, as soon as I am able. - Rin
