ACT II

Chapter 5

"No way they're leaving me behind." Tails knew the meeting went good last night. Everyone was telling him how well he did, and that he should be proud, but he knew better. Time to keep the kid at home, where he's safe.

As he packed his backpack, he winced as his bandaged tails waved slowly. "Bunnie told me not to get too excited... Well, I can't help it, okay?" The light bandages allowed for some movement, but obviously flying was gonna be a problem. Before he closed the door behind him, he focused on the names of all his friends, his fellow freedom fighters, carved into his new bed. "I won't let you down. All of you!"

"Here he comes..." Sonic said, halting his relentless pacing around Tails' hut. The hedgehog had already worn down a tiny trench in front of the premises. He raced to his partner and she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder before he could say anything else.

"You know this is hard for me too, Sonic.", Sally replied, showing her usual concern. It was a quality that served her well in the past, but it also had crippled her at points. Even more so when dealing with Tails, for better or worse. Such was the curse of being responsible.

"I know what you're gonna say..." Tails caught them both before they could speak. "...I'm a liar-bility, right?" Sonic and Sally exchanged bemused glances, with the blue one stepping forward.

"You been hanging around Ant too much! You meant "liability" and you're definitely not one, big guy!" He glanced over to Sally and gave her a quick wink to show solidarity. She in turn gave him an encouraging nod.

Dropping to one knee, Sonic placed his hands on Tails' shoulders to give the good ol' patented pep talk, and found that he had to reach a little higher up this time.

"Sonic, Sally, I-I'm going with! I have to!", Tails piped up suddenly, catching Sonic a little off guard as the young boy stared pleadingly into his eyes.

It was Sally's turn to step forward, approaching with arms crossed, with an stern expression. "Tails. What you did last night was brave, but it was also very reckless. Sonic can get away with SOME risk because he has more experience out in the field, and now that we know what we're dealing with-"

Suddenly, the kid interrupted her, unable to hold in his exasperation any longer. "That's even more reason for me to go, right? I found that Sally-bot out super quick! I even told Sonic right away!"

Sonic couldn't help but agree deep down, but... "You're a little broken right now, Tails. It's gonna be hard to keep up." The words stung leaving his mouth, he knew what he saying was super lame, but it was the truth.

"No way, Sonic! Aunt Sally. You taught me the basics, but I've been training with Rotor and Uncle Chuck too, and... Well, lemme show ya!" The young fox began rummaging through his pack, bringing out a small earpiece with a microphone at the tip. Tapping the headset, Sally's computer lit up suddenly!

"Nicole?" She stared at the screen, which only showed an image of a question mark. Static soon followed as a voice belonging to a certain amber fox came from the speaker unit, clear as a bell.

"Can you hear me, Aunt Sally! Me, Rotor, Uncle Chuck...we made a communicator!" Sally was dumbfounded for the first time in a while, speechless even.

Sonic whistled out loud, clearly impressed. "Yo, how'd you get a hand on Nicole, Tails? Sally never gives her up to anyone!"

The chipmunk finally found her voice as everything started to piece together. "I gave Nicole to Sir Charles for repairs after Operation Doomsday, Sonic. The effects of the power stones had overpowered her circuits..."

Sonic's uncle, once enslaved by Robotnik, had become their most trusted ally, and continued to surprise her with how much he was truly capable of. A true genius, as well as someone she deeply admired and respected.

"Pretty cool, huh!", Tails beamed expectantly, clearly pushing his advantage. "Sonic even said I was the best code-breaker he's ever seen! What's more, it means you can't leave me behind AND you always know where I'm at. So...?" Well...we'll see. I think this just might be a good idea after all...

Sonic looked to her, who appeared to be in her "pondering" mode, hand clasped to chin. "You ain't seriously..." Hope burned in Sonic's heart; he knew Tails needed a second chance! So did he.

"Well..." Sally remarked, and glanced to her side with a knowing grin as Bunnie came into view with a pep in her step. The young fox's eyes began to widen...an open smile forming. "...If we're doing this, then we need to implement a buddy system from now on."

Bunnie waved to the lad enthusiastically, a large smile also on her face. "...and guess who's gonna be yer buddy, muffin!" Tails could not contain his excitement, as he rushed to hug the half-metal rabbit.

Sonic could not be more confused and searched his auburn-haired companion's face for answers. "No way! You...had this planned all along didn't you? Why didn't ya tell me!?"

Sally smirked knowingly, as it was Bunnie's idea after all. "I don't know, Sonic. I think these past couple days are just full of surprises, aren't they?" She turned to him with a teasing look and clasped her hands. "...And look at you, all responsible and everything!" She giggled, knowing she got him good this time!

Give me a break, Sal. This hedgehog will show you how good I can be at this responsibility schtick! He stood up and gestured back at the fox, saying, "In that case, I call dibs on being next in line for this buddy buddy thing you got going on!"

Bunnie knew when she was being challenged and flashed him a coy look. With a playfully mocking cadence, she retorted, "Is them fighting words I hear? You just wait your turn, sugar-hog!"

Sonic raced up to the two, now upgrading the hug to a group hug. He couldn't resist a challenge. "Then, I think me and Bunnie have to find out who's the better buddy. Ain't that right, big guy?" With that, the entire group bust out into laughter, and Tails felt deep in his heart that he was finally a full-time Freedom Fighter at long last!

Interlude I

The swamp outside of Robotnik's old prison teemed with life, having taken over the rusted landscape. A damp mist settled over the area, lending a peaceful aura to what was once a barren and poisoned wasteland. However, there was one among the living that was having a difficult time with her surroundings.

Finding a dry patch of land, she laid down her black cloak, now stained with old, crusted patches of oil. A single brown furred arm with a metal reinforced end fell upon the material, along with some "borrowed" tools.

"Ugh. I'm going to have to go "hunting" again. My reserves are critically low. I made numerous fatal errors back in that village as well." The creature mused, running the attached arm over the small of her back, feeling a sharp gash that dug into her features. She rubbed her fingers together, with likewise borrowed chipmunk features twisting in anger as she observed the slickness she had become accustomed to.

Staring up at the sky and feeling the humidity in the air, she continued to process what had just happened. "That boy was going to help with this simple fix. I've seen him assisting the walrus earlier. Besides, he's the only one who would understand what I truly need, and far too innocent...to say no. After a little convincing, of course."

"If only I wasn't so foolish to go digging around my old birthplace..." It was mere glass from a shattered screen that marked her that day. She felt her time running short and needed to act soon! I'll find someone more capable complete my repairs, possibly that elderly hedgehog robot in the city.

Robo-Sally clenched her fist for a moment, thenreattached the arm. She was finished with what she could do on her own. Much like everything else in my time on this planet, I have to adapt and evolve. Soon, this frame will be more robust, more powerful...

Chapter 6

As the sun rose, a young walrus stripped off the tarp revealing an old favorite invention that he had been quietly improving, finally ready to show it off! Rotor was immensely proud of his work, which was saying something given how much of a perfectionist he was.

As he smiled as he ran his clawed hands over the old fuselage of the Freedom Stormer, coming to rest on some new additions. Staring down the dirt runway leading out from Knothole, he mind drifted to memories of a distant friend. A particularly crash prone one. With Dulcy gone to visit her folks, we needed to get back in the sky somehow!

Finally, he came to the pièce de résistance, to borrow a turn of phrase from Antoine. "A brand, new engine! That's what you needed, isn't that right ol' girl!" Suddenly he heard a voice right next to him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin!

"Hey, Rotor!" Normally, he could hear Sonic coming several miles away. Sonic was already admiring his handiwork with his typical snark. "Oh wow, this ol' jalopy? Are we replacing the dragon already? She's only been gone a week, Rote!"

Rotor adjusted his hat and gave the hedgehog a stern glare. "The stealth bombers have been toast since Robotnik croaked, Sonic. It's now more safe than ever and doesn't even need to glide! Here, listen to this!" The walrus had an impish look on his face as he flipped some switches in the cockpit and the plane roared to life, almost vibrating with power.

"Whoa!" Sonic was actually impressed, and he dreaded the inevitability of what was coming next. "That means I get to test drive it again...right?"

Rotor almost choked on air as Sonic zipped around the Stormer, coming to rest at the seat of the cockpit. "No way, Sonic. We already got a pilot in mind." The walrus could help but smile; he had been waiting for this all day long. "He had already been doing test runs with yours truly!"

Tails was a sight to behold, at least, that's how he felt when looking in the mirror this morning. Now, not so much, hearing Sonic's laughter when he showed up... "Nice goggles, Tails! Rotor, you're kidding right?" The hedgehog turned to find that Rotor's face told a completely different story.

He pointed accusingly at Sonic's face. "I'm kidding, WRONG, Sonic. If you were around when we were doing test runs through the mountains, you'd be proud of him. He sure showed me a thing or two!" At this, the amber fox visibly beamed with pride. Oh man, I can't wait to show him the tricks I've been practicing!

Tails adjusted his goggles and shot his big bro a smug look. "Yeah Sonic, I'm used to being in the air. Just had to get a handle on the controls. Piece of cake!"

As Tails finished his speech with a little thumbs up, he could tell that Sonic's pride was taking a blow from this. "Am I hearing this right? We've got a little pilot, huh?"

"...And unlike you, he has concern for his fellow passengers when taking the wheel." Sal, please... Oh, hello! Sally and Bunnie strode up behind the little man, the red-haired chipmunk sporting a blue bomber jacket and Bunnie a matching pink one.

"Whoa, nice threads! What's the occasion?", Sonic remarked as he inspected their look with typical speed.

"Oh, I put a little somethin' together once I learned Rotor was workin' on the ol' Stormer again!" Bunnie excitedly answered, making sure to point out Sally's "Acorn" badge and her own "Carrot". "Glad you noticed, sugar."

Wow, seems like Sonic is the only one unprepared this time, Tails thought, as he stifled his laughter.

Rotor turned to Tails and ran his claws through his hair, ruffling it vigorously. "Ready for your first solo flight, buddy?"

The young fox looked sheepishly at the group crowding the plane, then back at his teacher with a nervous smile. "Um, I've got passengers this time Rotor...kinda the opposite of flying solo." Tails giggled as the sentence left his lips.

Sonic's mouth was agape; he needed to recover from this. "Well, I'm calling shotgun! Gonna see first hand how the little dude handles the "thunder"!"

"It's called the Freedom "Stormer", Sonic..." Rotor bleated, "Anyways, I'm staying behind this time, so I'll let you take it from here, Tails!"

With that, the teacher gave way to his student to take the pilot's seat, and he hopped into the cockpit excitedly, wincing slightly as he landed. Thankfully the pain was far less severe than earlier, for good reason. Cushioned seats? Fancy. Turning to his fellow Freedom Fighters he waved them forward, crying out, "Okay everyone! It's time to board!"

Chapter 7

A brilliant sunset arced sunlight off the wings of the Freedom Stormer as the improved engines kicked and sputtered gracefully towards its destination. It was smooth sailing to Mobotropolis once Sonic had gotten over requesting Tails to "do a loop" and to "dive dive dive". Leaning out the window, Sally for once felt relaxed in the air. Not to knock Dulcy, the green dragon they befriended as the war neared its end, but this was definitely a smoother ride.

A young voice piped up from the front, breaking her out of her trance. "I've been meaning to ask ya something that been bugging me. Why have we been calling Buttnikville "Mobotropolis"? It's weirding me out." Sonic snickered at Tails' new nickname for Robotnik's old turf.

Sally adjusted her windblown hair as she leaned forward towards the pilot seat. "That's because Robotropolis is a thing of the past, Tails. We beat Robotnik for good this time, so we have to get used to calling the city by its true name. Liberating it can't come soon enough..."

Sonic chimed in with vigor—and she could tell he had been wanting to say this for a long time. "Yeah! I can't wait till you see the city all cleaned up and stuff! The fountains, the trees, and don't forget the chili-dog stands...! Oh man, I can't believe you weren't around to see it, Tails!"

"Wow, that sounds pretty cool. The city still looks yucky, though..." Tails said, pointing ahead towards their destination. The old metallic structures loomed in the distance, with the egg shaped citadel at it's center.

Oddly enough, the vast factories, streets and tunnels still beamed with electrical power. Sonic pinched his nose at the sight—talking about what Robotnik had done always made him sick to his stomach. "That's cause Buttnik's always got his stuff running 24/7, even without him being here! The place is still dangerous, Tails, but that's what we're here for!"

"Remember Tails, you're sticking with little ol' me for the time bein', ya hear! This lady's still got some kick to keep ya safe!" Bunnie said, tapping her garish metallic legs for emphasis.

Sally was still concerned for his safety, knowing full well what dangers lie ahead, and even with all these assurances from her teammates she had to remain firm. "Yes Tails, you need to be at her side at all times! No wandering off!"

"Yes ma'am.", he replied.

That's more like it. Don't let me down, Tails...

"Woah, nice landing there, sugar! I hardly felt a bump this time! Thank goodness..." Bunnie patted herself quickly to make sure her parts were intact, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Getting out the plane, the group found themselves at the base of the old factory and accompanying labs, where this whole mess seemingly ended for good. A large hunk of metal buried the door leading into the derelict building, like a long forgotten tomb.

"Now, it's time to give this junk the ol' heave HO!" After amping herself up, the rabbot grunted as she gripped the twisted bars with her metal appendage, tossing it aside as if it were litter on the street! "Ah, haven't missed a beat!", Bunnie said, flexing for her audience.

Even with her unflappable nature, there were still some things that haunted the rabbot about their previous encounter with this Sally-bot. She knew deep down that this a mission that was incredibly personal to her, for a number of reasons.

When she landed a flying kick on that bot, she knew it wasn't Sally, but still...she felt terrible. It made her think about her own condition, about what her friend meant to her, and many other things. Sally, I should've stayed with ya during our sabotage mission, then none of this woulda happened...

A grip on her shoulder, from the real deal, finally brought her back to reality. Sally gave her an assuring thumbs up and gestured toward the entrance of the lab. "Nice one, Bunnie! I know this place brings back a lot of bad memories, but we have to get more info on that impostor before we make any more moves!"

You don't know the half of it, sugar...

Chapter 8

"Wow, this place is a mondo dump!" Sonic blitzed around the old lab, removing any small debris he could find, holding his nose the entire time.

The rest of group filed in with Sally leading the way, with her portable computer already in hand. Bits and pieces of metal were flungs around the confines of the area, causing her to shield her eyes. "Sonic, be careful! There's still glass on the floor!" Like a child caught running with scissors, he slowed his place slightly, and danced over the glass with flawless precision.

"You look ridiculous, Sonic!" Tail cried out, bursting into laughter.

You think this is funny? I'm doing my best out here! "Hey, you're just jealous of the hedgehog's dance moves!", he replied facetiously.

Flipping open the screen, the chipmunk began a routine that had become second nature for her during the war. "Nicole! Scan the lab for any traces of power still going to the machines , maybe there's something we can salvage from this den of misery."

Sweeping the handheld in a wide band, it didn't take long to get the handheld to light up green. "MY READINGS ARE FAINT, SALLY. THE COMPUTERS ARE THE ONLY THINGS FUNCTIONAL AND ARE RUNNING AT FIVE PERCENT CAPACITY."

Oh man, we're gonna be here all night! Let's get this train moving! He waved over to get the whole groups attention to make his point known. "Nicole, all ya gotta do it give the business. Like this!"

He then proceeded to give one of the old dustbins a swift kick, and jumped back as the keyboard came to life. Turning to Sally, he grinned smugly and gave an exaggerated bow, waving to an invisible crowd. "Thank you! Ahh...ahh! Encore! ENCORE!"

"Would you be quiet, Sonic!? It's been easy so far, but we don't want to wake up whatever Robotnik left behind!" Sally was getting exasperated with Sonic's attitude, but that was part of the bargain with them being partners, so she had to get used to it. Some days were harder than others, Sally-girl.

She directed the hedgehog's attention toward the exit with a frown. "In fact, why do you go ahead and guard the door for us? I bet it'll be a lot less boring!" Sonic flashed her a quick thumbs up, and raced out the entrance, kicking up even more dust.

After a brief coughing fit from everyone left behind, the leader of Freedom Fighters gestured for the newbie to step up. "It's your show, Tails! Let's see if you pass the test."

Tails gulped audibly, and stepped up to the keyboard. "Um, can I see Nicole for a sec?"

In response, the auburn-haired chipmunk coyly requested of her metallic companion, "I don't know... What do you think, Nicole?"

"LET'S DO IT TO IT, TAILS." The handheld casually replied, and even Sally was beginning to get used to it.

"Oh my stars! I can't wait to see this!" Bunnie exclaimed, clasping her cheeks.

Handing the mini-computer over to Tails, Sally watched as the boy took out a thin black cable, plugged it into one of the ports on Nicole, and the other end into a outlet by the keyboard. The old computer shuttered back to life, and it's cooling fans wheezed with effort. The auburn-haired chipmunk could only imagine the letters and numbers filing down the currently shattered monitor.

Tails inputted the necessary code to begin the program, and dramatically pointed towards the handheld as he gave the order. "Nicole. Run diagnostic "ICEBREAKER", and give it the business!" I see we're still following Sonic's lead, as usual.

Night began to fall on the steel city of Robotropolis, and a chill air began to course through the streets. A peaceful silence began to settle in, which was beginning to annoy one particular blue hedgehog!

Sal, you gotta be kidding me. This is even more boring! Sonic had found himself sprawled out on the grounds of the dirt caked street, tapping his fingers impatiently. Kipping up to his feet, he looked for something, ANYTHING, to keep him occupied.

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of metallic clanking and...wailing? What the heck is that? Sounds like one of Robuttnik's Swat-Bots... Sally said to guard the door, but I'll be back in a sonic second! He sprinted off towards the noise, eager to sate his curiosity.

Sonic stopped just short of the source of the horrible din, resuming his meticulous "glass" dance over to a small pile of rubble overlooking a now occupied side street. What he saw, he could not be prepared for.

The old guard of Robotropolis have always been slow...and oh so stupid. Easy prey. As the implement from her multi-tool digit pierced the hull of the gray guard bot, it continued to make quite the noise. It was the sound used to alert other Swat-Bots to hone in on a perceived threat, but there were no others around. She had made sure of it.

"I think I had enough, deadbolt." She said, slamming the bot to the ground with a satisfying thud. Oh, it's good to have strength in these limbs, again...

"Yo not-Sal! You and me are gonna have a little chat!" She heard the sound of someone jumping down to meet her and recognized the voice immediately.

"Sonic Hedgehog." Stepping away from the drained husk, she turned to face the blue nuisance; eyes igniting in an intimidating fashion. "It's been awhile."

END OF ACT II