"She what?" Sally started in on him.

"Shot me," Sonic muttered as he clutched a bandaged arm, not proud of the fact that someone had managed to hit him.

"And you just let her get away?"

He hadn't, far from it in fact. Fiona was only a couple seconds from taking the big sleep, but someone had been looking out for her, someone whom he thought was a friend put a gun to his back. However, it was hard to hold that against Tails given the circumstances. Sonic had neglected to tell the kit about what he was doing and should have expected as much. The fox had always proven himself more resourceful and intelligent than anyone could have imagined.

"Not exactly," Sonic clarified, "she had a little help."

"You mean two Dominion agents were too much for you to handle?"

The hedgehog sighed; he had been having fun with the human Dominion soldier. The man put up a decent fight, but in reality stood no chance. It was the two-tailed fox lurking in the shadows that caught him off guard.

"No, her partner ran away like a little girl."

Sally closed her eyes and took a deep breath before proceeding, "Please don't tell me that Tails had anything to do with this. He's been missing again."

Sonic had been trying tell her that without saying it. He didn't feel the need to get his friend in any more trouble, but he put himself in a difficult spot. At least if Sally figured it out on her own it wouldn't weigh as heavily on his conscience.

"I think you underestimate how much he loves her," the hedgehog replied. "I certainly did."

Sonic could still feel the cold metal of the kit's pistol against his quills.

"So instead of killing her like I asked, you let that little twerp talk you out of it?"

"He didn't really give me a choice Sal. Besides, he made his case. I am on his side for this one. You want her dead, do it yourself, or find someone else."

"I thought I gave you an order?"

"You asked me to do this as a favor for you, and now I am saying no. I told you I would do anything for you Sal, but this, this isn't like you."

"Fiona is the enemy, and I want her taken care of, simple as that."

"Fiona isn't the enemy, she is just caught in the middle. The enemy is the one making us all turn on each other. Does she really deserve to just die because you hate her?"

"God damn these stupid foxes," the squirrel growled as she slumped down into her chair. "The only thing I can safely rely on Tails for anymore is to save Fiona, despite the fact that she is working for Kintobor. This is why I never wanted her in the picture in the first place."

"Perhaps we can use that to our advantage," the blue quilled Mobian suggested.

Sally raised an eyebrow, curious to what thought may have struck her partner in crime.

"Well you said it, Tails is unpredictable when it comes to Fiona, but in that regard he is actually very predictable."

"So?"

"So, take her out of the equation."

"What the hell do you think I have been trying to do? Why do you think I sent you to kill her?"

"That's not what I meant. You need to forget her and start focusing on everything else we should be doing. Tails will come around as soon as he thinks she is safe again."

"You want me to pretend like none of this happened?"

"For starters yes. Think about it Sal, we have a small bridge into Kintobor's world, and he doesn't even know it. We already lost out on our only hope at a mole, this is our chance to make up for it."

"What do you mean? She isn't going to just spill everything, not with that collar on her anyway."

"Do you think Julian would let Fiona run around like this if he knew about her and Tails?"

"No," the squirrel admitted, "he wouldn't. She would be more than dead."

"Exactly. Besides, she and that other oaf of a soldier are heading up Julian's top tier team."

"And?"

"Take the leash off of Tails, stop treating him like a child, and let's see where he goes in his spare time. I bet he'll be following her, all while they'll be looking for…"

"The inhibitor," Sally exclaimed after having a moment of clarity. "It's hard to remember that you can have good ideas every once in a while."

That was a low blow, but Sonic had a track record for plans that earned him such comments. He, more often than not, let Sally and Tails do the strategy work, which is probably why this plan was working so well. Had the hedgehog gone about things his way, the two would only be yelling at each other right now instead of having something that resembled a conversation.

"It's a two way street you know," she continued. "This little conduit you have in mind works for Kintobor as well. Fiona could just as easily follow him and we already know how she can manipulate him. Julian could learn a lot more about us."

Tails had told him she would say this, and thankfully he had provided an easy answer.

"That would only work if Kintobor knew what we know about the two of them. As far as he is concerned Fiona is fine with killing Tails and perhaps even wants to. After all, she does think it's his fault that she has that thing around her neck," Sonic replied while passing a judging look onto the squirrel.

"So it's my fault she got captured and has a bomb strapped to her?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Tails didn't know about Julian's nephew, Colin. Nor did he know what they intended to do to him. The poor kit blamed himself for the vixen's abduction, but only because he knew half the truth which was convoluted at best. Although Sally could easily make the argument, if necessary, that she saved Fiona's life. Without the collar, Kintobor would have had no use for her. Sonic shuttered to think what might have become of her then.

"He wouldn't have that stupid thing if it wasn't for…"

"For a plan we should have never even considered. We brainwashed him Sal, with that crazy ass thing that you have never even tested."

"It worked didn't it? He knows everything he needs to know to work with Kintobor."

"Except for the part where he went crazy, broke out of his cell…. Probably with all the fancy knowledge you stuffed inside his brain and then ran back to the only man he thinks he can trust hating Mobians every bit as much as his uncle. All we managed to do was create another monster."

"Have you had any luck finding him?"

"Do you mean while I was looking for Fiona or since I got home? Sal, the fat man has got him locked up good. Think about it, your estranged nephew walks in the front door, twice as smart as he ever was, claiming to have been kidnapped by the Mobians. While Julian figures out whether Colin is a spy, crazy, or something in-between, he is going to be damn sure to figure out how much the kid knows."

"And luckily since Rotor's imprinting nearly erased his brain of all of his former memories, he will pass just about any test Kintobor gives him. He would have been the perfect spy if only we had been able to hold on to him a little longer," the Squirrel sighed.

"Let's not forget about the part where he repurposed that fine piece of tech you and Rotor designed."

"Do you think I wanted any of this to happen?" Sally sobbed, finally showing so emotion.

"Of course not, but it might help if you stop pretending its all Tails' fault."

"But it is."

"He made one mistake."

"Ha," she laughed miserably, "and every time he tries to fix it he makes things even worse."

"Well at least he is trying," Sonic said as he got back to his feet to leave.

"You didn't tell him did you?" Sally asked nervously. "About the collar?"

"Of course not," the hedgehog answered, "He would lose what little grip on reality he has left."