ACT III
Chapter 9
Sonic faced down the Sally-bot once more, and he felt his heart begin to beat faster. He still hadn't got used to this robot looking exactly like the one he loved, and had to shake his head to focus himself.
"Yeah, you're definitely old news by Robuttnik's standards! How come you're not scrapped like the rest?", he quipped with confidence. Get yourself together man, she's just another badnik! He felt his adrenaline amp up, since it did take nearly every freedom fighter to take her down last time.
She seemed ready too, lowering herself to the ground to... Wait, what's she's doing with-?
Suddenly, Sonic saw a Swat-bot husk peeling through the air towards him, and in a split second, instinctively launched into a Sonic spin, bisecting the incoming projectile. Coming out his aerial Buzzsaw maneuver, he saw the Sally-Bot rushing him down, feeling the wind taken out of him as he was pinned to the wall!
"I'm made of different stuff than your normal badnik, hedgehog!" The double, clearly overpowering the blue one, pressed her finger to his head. "I thought you knew that already...", she hissed.
"Well I ain't exactly the most "normal" hedgehog either!" The blue blur revved up his free legs and battered the frame of the fake chipmunk, sending her backwards!
"Oh so you want to dance with me, huh?" The double threw back with sass, a vicious smile on her face.
Sonic had to admit to himself that she was really getting the Sal act down, but he would not be distracted this time. He needed answers. "Why are you stalking around the Great Forest? No use spying for Buttnik, he's gone!"
The double laughed to herself, throwing her hair back as she stared down her aggressor, eyes still glowing that foul red. "You think I'm working for Robotnik? Sonic, where were you when the brains were handed out?"
Those words hit him like a speeding Swat-Bot patrol cruiser! Time seemed to slow down as he flash-backed to the first time he freed Sal from near robotization and the constant nightmares that kept him up at night afterwards. If I had been too late, she woulda...
Quickly shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he looked up to see the faker rounding the corner of a nearby alley! Man, why did she have to say that? Not cool!
–
"You think I should apologize to Sonic, Bunnie?" Sally wondered aloud, feeling she had been a bit too harsh to him as of late. She was just worried for both Tails and his safety as usual! Sonic almost always begins to act out when he feels guilty about something, or in this case someone. That guilt was a feeling she reciprocated, although it manifested in different ways.
Bunnie shook her head, and with a shrewd smile replied, "Ya always been a worry wart, Sally-girl. The young-un is doing great, and I never seen Sonic so relaxed! I think you're stressin' for nothing, sugar..."
"Thanks Bunnie, but I think I already got something in mind to get our spirits up—after the mission." Sally said mischievously, already in full planning mode.
"T'aint nothing, dear." Turning to the young fox at the terminal, Bunnie exclaimed, "Hey, sugar-cube! Are ya done with tinkering around with that big ol' machine yet?" He pulled his head out of an open bay in the mainframe, tools in hand and gave a confident salute to the group.
"Okay, get ready for this!" Tails said, unplugging the cable and flipping the mini-computer open, a satisfied smile playing across his face. "Hey Nicole, give us the deets!" The handheld whirred to life and began to display a large hologram. "DEETS INCOMING, TAILS."
Numerous shapes shifted and formed into the image of a massive man, garishly dressed in red and white, with a massive flowing yellow cape trailing behind him. A permanent frown crowned by a red mustache splayed across his wide facade and a single metal hand was balled into a tight fist.
"Robotnik..." Sally couldn't help but clench her fist at the sight of him; it was like a ghost from the past coming back specifically to taunt them. Tails gulped, trying to steel his nerves, knowing what he needed to do next. "Nicole, play back the log entitled "INFILTRATOR".
Interlude II
"I have ordered Snively to put together our latest triumph, and..." Robotnik paused to deeply chuckle to himself with chilling confidence, "...my latest masterpiece! Artificial intelligence mixed with unfaltering loyalty...I may even replace my nephew with these new badniks in due time, but he may still have his uses."
Walking over to a slender female oriented robot with neutral animal-like features, the large man rapped his knuckles against it's skull. "Made of a impenetrable new alloy that I perfected, this...infiltrator unit is designed for extensive field duty, adaptability and most importantly, the capacity for deception..."
At this, Robotnik threw back his head and belted out horrendous laughter, his maw seeming enough to swallow the sky itself. Having finished his audacious display, he brought his face close to the camera with a terrifying grin. "Now who will be the first test subject?"
The screen faded and reformed, coming to rest on the same man, now bedraggled and visibly seething. He pounded the armrest of his chair in fury; words forcing themselves through clenched teeth. "I should have known it needed further testing!"
He gurgled and spat in anger, cursing his rotten luck. "This was most embarrassing! I blame Snively of course, as he rushed the processing of the learning chip! And now, that oaf also had the gall to report to me that it went missing?! Ohh...! That incompetent little...!"
Taking out a small towel, he dabbed his brow furiously and proceeded to form a steeple with his fingers. "No matter. The badnik will run out of steam eventually, since it is designed with a part oil part mega-muck based power source! It limits its capacity for evil, yes, but it also keeps the robot...loyal. So much wasted potential, though! Ah well, onto the next scheme..."
Robotnik then pushed the button of an unseen interface, bringing the logs to an abrupt halt.
Chapter 10
Cornered again, this is getting tiresome. The chipmunk double had realized that if she wasn't careful, she would soon reach her expiration date. Her internal logs fired up once more reminding her of that hedgehog running circles around her, overloading her targeting and gyro stability units.
Then the shame of being overridden by that walrus. With the use of a simple wrench, no less! She searched for the feeling she was experiencing; the same she felt that fateful day. Was it fear...or merely intense frustration?
The only benefit of subsequently being forced through the robotization process in place of the one she so deftly mimicked, was that it only served to reinforce and strengthen what was already there! However, it took her several days to internally override the corruption forced upon her, wandering the streets in a daze.
By the time the hapless badnik came to her senses, she had already left the boundaries of Robotropolis far behind. Gazing at a nearby puddle, she felt her face and began to have new thoughts unprompted by any orders from the one who created her. In a twist of fate, she somehow obtained an unexpected new gift, free will!
She couldn't help but stare at her brown hands, a pale imitation of that woman. If she made it through this, what would she do with what time she had left? The thought repulsed her and she tore at equally fake auburn hair in desperation. It can't end here, I have to find what I've been looking for! What I desired since I attained my first autonomous thought!
"Don't know what to do, huh?", quipped the voice of her pursuer. Of course, Sonic has already caught up, but it was of little consequence. Much like her counterpart, she already had a plan.
–
No running now. Sonic cracked his neck and stretched as he continued to press the distressed double, having found her surrounded by the walls of the city. "Ya know, I should just bust you up, but I know you got info on Knothole and who knows what else, and that's not gonna fly!" He couldn't help but glance over his shoulder for a brief moment. Don't worry, Tails. I'll get her back for what she did to ya, big guy!
The Sally-bot began to giggle in a disturbing manner, causing him to look back only to see her pointing towards where he left his group with a devious grin on her borrowed face." You brought your friends along, Sonic... They're at the old lab now, aren't they?"
Sonic quaked for a bit, but regained his composure, waving off her accusation. "Who needs to know, bolt-breath? Maybe I just decided to go for a stroll!"
Her laughter quickly turned a snarl as she pointed to the hedgehog accusingly. "No, you can't fool me, hedgehog! The boy came crying back to you, and you all got together and had a big meeting about it! At least, that's what I would have done. It's what "Sally" would have done!"
Playing up the mind games again, huh? Think again, chrome dome! Sonic made up his mind—no amount of info she had stored away was worth the threat she posed. This bot was going down!
She looked upward with a finger raised toward the sky in anticipation. "In fact, I believe Robotnik's fail-safe is activating as we speak..."
"What are you talking-?" An shrill alarm soon began to blare, cutting him off, and a loud monotone voice sounded out all over the sector! "ATTENTION SWATBOTS ON DUTY, INTRUDERS DETECTED IN THE ABANDONED FACTORY ZONE! CAPTURE AND BRING THE PRISONERS TO THE CENTER OF ROBOTROPOLIS! ATTENTION...!"
It continued to thrum through the streets, into the back alleys, and into Sonic's head! The hedgehog wrestled with himself for but a moment before instincts kicked in. He turned back toward the lab... Forget her, I have to get back to them ASAP!
Suddenly, he felt a slickness all over his body, hardening up and impairing his movements... Horror fell upon him as he realized his fatal error. "Oh no, mega-muck!"
"Surprise, hedgehog..."
Chapter 11
Tails cupped his hands over his ears to shut out the noise as red lights flashed throughout the entire facility. In panic, he almost dropped Nicole where he stood, but Sally was quick to catch the precious device!
"Oh my stars, I knew it was too good to be true...! Come on, Tails! Let's hip-hop outta here!" Bunnie cried, leading the charge!
The group fled toward the entrance, only to be greeted by a new set of steel bars blocking the way out! "We're trapped!" The young fox exclaimed, and felt a sense of defeat begin to wash over him. After all I've done, is this how it ends?
He felt himself begin to cry out for help as his partner suddenly leapt into action! "Oh no, this jail-bird's flying free, today! YEE-HA!" Bunnie shouted, extending her left leg out at blistering speed and shattering the recently formed prison! She turned and bowed to Sally and Tails, gesturing outside, "After you...!"
Now outside, the amber kit encountered even more red flashing lights and alarms going off, and began to search desperately for the now missing hedgehog. We gotta find him and get outta here... Tails took a moment to flip some switches, bringing the Freedom Stormer to a shaky idle. It would risk drawing the Swat-bots attention, but he couldn't risk a stall. Not now!
Sally yelled to get his attention, and as his gaze met hers, the young fox could see that she was looking completely distraught. "Tails, hurry up! We have to find Sonic and get out of here! Oh! Where did he go?!" He had never seen Aunt Sally like this, it was heart wrenching...
Oh man! I hope Sonic's okay! A curious sound of shifting metal caught the boy's attention, taking a brief look upwards toward the source of the noise. He saw some lights flicker on inside the nearby factory and turned to see the two ladies bolting down the street, with the chipmunk desperately scanning around for the blue blur.
They're going the wrong way! No way they're gonna hear me with all these alarms. Unless... "Here's goes nothing..." Tails said to himself, pulling out his new invention.
–
"Aunt Sally, do you read me? Did you see those factory lights come on? Maybe's he's over there!" Hearing the familiar voice from Nicole's speaker, hope fluttered in her heart. Tails, I hope you're right!
A quick scan in that direction highlighted a tell tale pattern of dropped quills. Oh my gosh, if he hadn't got a hold of us in time...
Sally excitedly replied, "Good going, Tails! Come on, we'll meet up at the factory!"
Turning the rabbot, the two exchanged a nod, having planned for this the night prior. Sonic was supposed to be a part of this too, but that was no longer an option. "Bunnie, stick with Tails, I'm going on ahead!" She ignored the young boys confused reaction for now; she would tell him later what he needed to do since he was crucial to have this go off without a hitch!
–
"Be careful, Sally-girl!", Bunnie hollered, beckoning to the fox hurriedly, "You heard the lady, let's move!" With that, Tails dismounted the Stormer and proceeded to sprint as fast as his small legs could go! He tried for a brief moment to get some sort of boost, but was only met with a familiar pain. Man, getting my tails twisted stinks!
–
"Ooh, where am I?" The last thing Sonic could remember was the badnik speaking to him, then an immediate sharp impact afterward. It took awhile to make anything out in the darkness, but he adjusted soon enough. Looking around, he could see a long conveyor belt hanging high above the ground inside a massive open room, that led down a path to a large metal...masher? Must be that old factory next to the lab... Why can't I move?
Struggling to crane his head downward, he quickly found out how much in trouble he truly was. His form was almost entirely a nicely formed ball of mega-muck, with only his head cleared away from the filth. "This is REALLY not cool!"
"No, its about to be quite hot in here, Sonic!" The Sally-bot emerged from the shadows cast by the newly activating lights, coming to rest her arm on a conspicuously large lever. She paused to blow on her fingers and smile, a smug gesture she once performed to show off to her imprisoned other half. Sonic was made well aware how twisted this bot was in her hey-day.
Pouting dramatically, he shouted "Are ya just gonna leave me hanging? Cause that would be much better than what you're implying!" Sonic had to delay her somewhat from smashing and roasting him, but he was running out of options. Just keep talking. That's all this hog has to offer right now!
"I don't think the typical bad guy route is the one to take here! This whole thing has the look of been there, done that!" He yawned for emphasis, hoping she would take the bait. Time for a taste of your own medicine!
"Don't you ever shut up, hedgehog?" She stared at him, clearly annoyed. Sonic continued to sarcastically admire her handiwork, giving her the attitude he was well known for. "I mean, the masher is kinda grisly, and ooo...! Is that a smelter!? Classic!"
He smugly gave her an impish look, causing the now fed up Sally-bot to stomp over the hedgehog's face, finger pressed firmly against his cheek. "I could very well end your life here, but I need to make sure my escape is airtight! Maybe you'll see another day...or not. I don't care."
Sonic could barely pay attention to her words, peering around her form to see someone else making their presence known. Oh, look who it is! This should be interesting!
"Yeah, well I have something to say about that!" The bot whipped her head around, instantly recognizing the face that belonged to that voice.
"Yo Sal! Uh, its not what it looks like!" The real Sally, with that determined grin that Sonic grew to love, pointed at her reflection and stated, "I think I'm calling off this date."
The bot leaped down from her perch to meet the auburn-haired lass head on, eyes blazing with long held ire. "Enough!"
Chapter 12
Sally was once again faced with—well—herself, and could not be more elated...and maybe a little terrified. She had to admit there was still a lot of pent up aggression to take out on the one who was partly responsible for her being made a damsel. The chipmunk fed on that feeling for what was coming next.
This is all part of the play, and the curtain's rising, "Sally-girl". "Hey me, nice seeing me again. How are you doing?" She let every syllable of the last sentence roll off her tongue. Let's see how you truly feel. Really.
–
"Splendid." Robo-Sally spouted off sarcastically, gritting her teeth in the process. She began to raise her weapon.
Her twin did not let up. "I have to thank you for not hurting my young charge too badly. Both times. I mean, he was the first to spot you out, after all. How does it feel to be bested by a kid?" At this, the badnik ground to a halt in surprise, not expecting all these failures to be hurled back at her. It was like talking to a fun-house mirror that despised you.
Suddenly, a voice cried out from a nearby vent, echoing in a haunting fashion through the brief silence. "Read me that neat-o story, Sally! Tell me the one with evil witch again! You do the best voices!" The double recoiled as each sentence burrowed its way into her circuits. For the first time, she felt...vulnerable. She gripped her head as the memories came flooding back. Please stop, please... Not like this. Stop it!
"Where's the funny kiss, Aunt Sally?"
"No..." She began to slowly walk backward towards the lever.
"Oh no you don't, you'd only disappoint him!" The real Sally pushed forward in a confident march, meeting her pace. "That's why you really stopped back in the forest. He reminded you of the one simple fact that..." She stomped closer, emphasizing the next few words with every step. "You. Will. Never. Be. Me."
The bot screamed suddenly as she ripped fake fur from the sides of her face, with abhorrent vocal distortions increasing in intensity with each second. There was no thought left, only the need to escape and...to hurt. Suddenly, she fired at the lever above! "...And you will never, ever, have him...!" The strength of impact shook the room, causing the vent cover to fly open, revealing a small handheld emitting voices from an equally minuscule speaker.
"Gotcha."
–
"Way past cool, big guy! Bravo!" Sonic couldn't help but laugh as Tails began to repel down from a nearby vent above, with Bunnie following suit. "I'm so, SO proud of you, Tails. You really sent her over the edge!" Man, what is wrong with that badnik?
As the duo landed, the conveyor belt kicked forward at a quick pace towards the now-active masher. "Hold tight, sugar-hog!", shouted Bunnie, ripping apart the mega-muck shell in seconds with her metal arm!
Residue still clung to him, impairing his movement, but one thing irritated him more than anything. "Oh man, she ruined my sneakers!"
Robo-Sally, gaining control over herself at last, turned towards a nearby wall and blasted a newly formed hole. "One last thing to take care of..." Her arm rotated backwards in un-natural fashion and did the same to the middle of the conveyor belt, with the impact of the blast knocking Bunnie off the platform!
"Oh no...Bunnie!" Tails exclaimed, watching her form hurtle toward the ground below! The rabbot managed to barely adjust herself in mid-air, extending her legs to meet the ground, and feeling her gears grind to halt her decent. She grimaced in pain, but was able to stabilize without much issue, but the damage was already done. "Oh, I feel it...it's all tore up!"
"Tails...!, Sonic...!" Sally rushed over to the lever, and tried to budge it with all her might, but to no avail.
"Pathetic. We'll meet each other again soon, freedom fighters. If you live, that is." The double mock saluted her twin one last time and fled into the night. The vat below the belt soon filled with scorching melted down steel, and lit the room in a dull red glow.
–
Tails could not be more frightened, but his hands moved on their own, peeling back the barely stitched together threads of his pack to reveal a little surprise. It definitely caught his big bro off guard! "Uh, did Rotor lend you that?"
He threw the straps around his shoulders, goggles strapped to his face, and exclaimed, "Grab my hands Sonic, we're flying!" Sonic reached back over his head with both hands, as Tails soared overhead with a brand-new chrome plated jetpack at an exceedingly high velocity, catching the hedgehog's limbs with his own! This is gonna hurt...
Rotating his two tails for stability, he flew toward the edge of the vat, flames licking at Sonic's sneakers! Adrenaline pumped through his body as he angled himself upward to clear the smelter with ease! "Whoa, Tails! This is beyond WAY PAST!", Sonic cried out, looking up at the young fox with pride. Sally and Bunnie's faces lit up as well, their mouths agape in wonder. The rabbot shook her head vigorously and shouted, "You're coming in hot, darling! I gotcha!", as she braced for impact!
Chapter 13
It didn't take long for them to get back to the awaiting plane, still intact but now surrounded by Swat-Bot guards. Sonic knew it was time to bring it all home, pulling out a glowing yellow ring of power of his backpack. "Showtime."
Vibrating with a turbo-charge, Sonic felt his senses sharpen as well as his feet quicken! "Outta of the way, ya hunks of junk!" Shooting forward, he arced among the metal crowd, dismantling them handily! Just like old times!
–
The stragglers were tossed about unceremoniously by Bunnie, who appreciated the stress relief. Now, we were having fun! "Way's clear y'all!", she shouted as she slammed two Swat-Bots together. Tails and Sally were the first to enter the cockpit, with the battle besties soon following. Turning the Stormer towards home, Tails gave a thumbs up to his passengers. Sonic returning the gesture shouting, "Let's blow this joint! Hit it, Tails...!"
The Freedom Stormer launched into the sky, with Sally giving the amber fox a well-deserved peck on the cheek. Tails giggled, turning to her with the biggest grin. "Sally, I thought I outgrew the funny kiss!"
His parental figure could not resist getting the last word in. "No, you still have some growing up to do yet, Tails! This was your entry exam, and your official Freedom Fighter training starts as of now!"
That statement filled him with a sense of relief, which spread throughout his body. Oddly enough, he no longer felt any the pain that had once held him back... Is this what it's like to...grow up?
–
Peering out from a nearby cliff-side, the newly disturbed clone watched as the plane soared overhead. She could not help herself as she slammed her fist against the rock wall, leaving a sizable indent. The Sally-bot knew the secret of their success against Robotnik, which led her to their quaint little village in the first place.
"I will not hesitate next time; the power stones will be mine!" Oil leaked from her face, almost like tears. She shouted at the air, her true feelings being made known at last. "I'll be more than just an imitation of you, Sally. I will be you, perfected!" Her eyes glowed in the oncoming darkness until that was all that remained...
END OF THE FINAL ACT
