Sonic The Hedgehog (SatAM)
Addendum: I'm having a difficult time finding art that will convey this story without spoiling its contents. If anyone wants to PM me with a link for something I can use or someone who can do a proper commission for this work, it will be greatly appreciated. As always, leave some feedback too to let me know how I'm doing!
VITAL SIGNS—A SatAM Story For Nicole
Welcome to the next story, which follows up the Sonic Echoes two-parter published in May. It started as a simple writing exercise involving characters that I held near and dear to my heart. It soon became a labor of love, and I'm in the process of cleaning up the two stories to meet my new standards.
As of the time of this writing, the first story is pretty much finished, so check it out sometime! In the meantime, I present to you this "episode" that explores some deeper themes. The action may not be as heavy, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!
UPDATE 1: I am continuing to make numerous small changes throughout to tighten up and expand the story where needed, so don't be surprised if you see more minor details pop up throughout. I will point out that Chapter 7 received a lion's share of said changes (Chapters 11-13 too), as it was pretty bare on detail and there were some things I wasn't happy with looking back.
Prologue
An early morning sunrise crested over the massive egg citadel in the pale blue land of Robotropolis. Numerous robot guards and flying drones scanned the landscape with sleepless fervor for any "early worms" to poke their heads out.
However, they missed the furtive shape of a hedgehog and chipmunk speeding through the streets. Their destination: a factory on the outskirts responsible for producing the airborne cameras.
–
Arriving at the staging point, a massive door stood before Sonic and Sally, with a computer bay at the entrance. The blue hedgehog sped around the corners of the building and returned with a pleased expression. "Way's clear Sal, let's crack this egg open!"
"Luckily, Nicole just finished cracking the algorithm. Do your worst, girl." The auburn-haired chipmunk in blue attire had already pulled the little grey handheld out of her boot compartment, and held it to the monitor patiently.
A figure of a lynx, bathed in the red LED light, flashed a quick salute. "YOU GOT IT, SALLY." Sally plugged her into the interface, and it didn't take long for the word "Override" to flash on the screen in equally crimson lettering.
"Nice work, Nicole! You just keep getting better and better!" Sonic flashed them both a double thumbs up, and held his hand out expectantly. "Now it's my turn."
"Okay, but be gentle Sonic." Sally told her trusty partner, handing the little computer over to him, and he in turn handed his field backpack over to her.
"Where we'll be hanging, I won't need the extra weight", he pointed to a glowing ring and, more importantly, a tangled mess of wires and explosives contained within. "We get the info we want from this place, then blow the joint, literally!"
"Glad to see you didn't forget the plan." Sally said with a sly grin.
As the doors finished opening they turned to each other, showing their synced up watches. In unison, they shouted "Okay, let's do it to it!"
–
Coming to a massive room lit in pale blue light, the two observed the massive rows of shielded computers blinking and whirring, guiding the assembly of numerous Spy-Bots. Spying a ladder leading upwards toward the rear, Sonic gave a hand signal with two fingers to Sally and sped off as she headed to a nearby vent. Be careful, Sal.
The vertical path lead to a nearby platform by the ceiling, with a peculiar blinking green indicator sitting just a few feet out of reach. "Heh, check this out!" Sonic said to no one in particular, hitting a button on his sneakers and pointing a leg upward. The powerful suction drew him upward until he was hanging upside down beside the light. He pulled out Nicole and opened a small port next to it, revealing an access point.
"Okay I did the legwork, now's your time to time to shine!" He mimicked the actions taken with the door outside, and watched as the lynx appeared on the screen once more, smiling with her eyes closed.
"WATCH AND LEARN, MY MAIN HEDGEHOG." Numerous indicators lit up between her and the computer, until they synced up perfectly. "OKAY I'M IN. GIVE ME A MINUTE TO GET PAST SECURITY."
Sonic had admired her progress from a stuffy, no-nonsense computer to having a pretty cool personality. It helped that during their last adventure, she had some interesting experiences that led to some "character" building, to say the least! If only she could be running around with them, instead of being carried around everywhere...
Numerous other intrusive thoughts entered his mind about her potential, as Spy-Bots began to fly in to scan the area. "KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE MISSION, SONIC.", she snapped, bringing him out of his daze.
He slapped his forehead in response and pointed at the device, who was now flashing him an exaggerated frown. "Come on, Nicole. Stop taking cues from Sal, its getting hard to think in this position." He brought himself flat against the ceiling, trying to blend in. Man, I hate being stealthy.
–
The chipmunk had arrived at her own destination, another raised platform with a massive silver sphere and monitor. The core mainframe was blocked off from being hacked, but any shock to the system would bring everything crashing down!
Thinking aloud as she peered at her watch, "Okay, Sonic...Nicole. If everything goes off perfectly, we'll have less eyes on us for future missions."
She pulled out a flare pistol, putting a custom slug into it and aimed at a bundle of massive wires. Looking around for any patrols, Sally fired at the mess, which caused them to snake to the ground, sparking at their tips. Taking out the modified explosive from the backpack, she attached it to the core as a countdown began on the bomb. Won't be long now until the guards show up. Better start juicin', Sonic!
–
"I'm waiting...!" He heard the telltale noise of a flare going off in the distance, and the Spy-Bots fled off to investigate.
"DON'T RUSH ME, SONIC. I HAVE ALMOST FINISHED DOWNLOADING THE NECCESARY DATA." Nicole replied to Sonic's signature whine with an image of a raised and waving index finger. Beginning to feel light-headed, he tapped his foot against the ceiling impatiently.
"You ever think about what it would be like to be free to do anything you wanted. Not having to be tied down to a little box." He scratched his head nervously as the words suddenly came out.
The question from the hedgehog caught her off guard. "WHAT BROUGHT THIS ON?"
"Oh, nothing. Just trying to take my mind off this headache." He deflected, bringing a hand to his forehead.
Nicole saw right through him. "THAT'S TROUBLING." Suddenly her screen flashed green, having finally completed her task. "OKAY. TIME TO GO!"
"Never thought you'd say so. Alright, let's jam on outta here!" He released the gravity grip and interface in one quick movement and slid down the nearby ladder. Hitting the ground, he zipped off to the rendezvous point!
–
Sally watched as several Swat-Bots surrounded her position from below, and a couple drones floated up to greet her. "Hope you enjoy the show." She sarcastically spat out as the hedgehog sped into view. Pulling the golden ring out of the borrowed backpack, she tossed it to the blue blur as she grabbed a nearby wire. 10...9...8...
Grabbing the ring, he launched into a Buzzsaw Maneuver, slicing through the group of bots with ease. He sped forward, matching his speed with the quickly descending chipmunk, and caught her as she released the grip on the sparking wire! 3...2...1.
–
The explosion set off a chain reaction, as numerous computers and security systems reacted to the overload of signals, igniting in turn! Numerous flashes could be seen from the exterior of the facility, until at last it went dark.
Sonic, with Sally in tow reached a nearby cliff-side to admire their handiwork. The two gave each other a high five, and the hedgehog handed over the digital lynx back over to her lifelong companion. "Kinda gives you a sense of the ol' deja vu, doesn't it Sal?" He said with a massive smirk.
"No kidding. A mission with just the two of us! It's kinda romantic, don't you think?", she replied with satisfied grin. Sonic had never seen her so relaxed after such an intense outing! "Now, let's get out of this place. I think we have a party to plan!"
"Now you're talking!" With that, Sonic and Sally sped off back home, and a single thought began to stir in his mind. I think we need to get Nicole in on this as well, and I got just the idea!
ACT I
Chapter 1
Their friends were waiting for them at the entrance of Knothole, as sun climbed towards its peak, casting a light through the numerous trees on the group. Everyone was there beside Antoine. Where's that stuffed shirt? Oh right, he's handling the food prep... As Sonic set Sally down, he couldn't help but shudder.
Bunnie was the first to walk toward them as the two came to stop, rushing to her hug the both of them! She pointed at her own watch, asnd shouted "Right on time y'all! How'd it go?"
Sonic gave a confident thumbs up. "We busted it up, no problem! Just like old times." He looked over to Sally, who had begun to dust herself off.
"I just wish I coulda went with y'all but..." The rabbot said, shooting a glare at the confused walrus behind her. "Rotor told me ah needed to take it easy for a little while."
"Oh no, I'm not taking the fall this time, Buns." He said, pointing an accusing claw at her shined up metal legs. "You were the one who pushed things way too hard when you shouldn't have. Adrenaline and heroics only get you so far!"
Bunnie shrugged hard and ran her fingers over her metal arm with a frown. "Alright, but I still gotta break in the new parts you gave me at some point, sugar..." Perking up, she walked over to Sally and pulled on her arm, pointing towards the chipmunk's hut. "Come on, Sally-girl! Let's leave the boys to their business! I've got some ideas for this little ol' shindig!"
Sally shrugged back at Sonic as she was drug away, "See you later, Sonic!" The hedgehog waved as Tails approached him with a big smile spread across his face.
"Yo' what's happenin' big guy!" Sonic said, ruffling his hair vigorously.
"I heard you got to roll with Nicole again, Sonic! That's way past!" Tails said as he grinned awkwardly, embarrassed by the sudden attention. "Sounds like you had fun. Woulda went with you, but...I slept in!" He rubbed his head sheepishly.
"No problem. I'm sure you would have been a big help dude, but me and Sal had it handled. Piece of cake!" The hedgehog gave the young fox a fist bump of solidarity.
"Yeah! Well. I told Antoine I'd help him with the "oar devours", whatever that means!" Tails said and laughed heavily afterwards, with Sonic joining in."
"He means the appetizers! You need to get in some spicy dishes in there, and don't forget the chili dogs!" Please save me from eating snails again, Tails...
The amber kitsune gave an exaggerated salute. "Aye aye, Sonic!" With that, he ran off giggling to himself. Don't lose that childlike spirit, kid. This way past cool hedgehog sure hasn't! He looked over to see that Rotor was ruffling and adjusting his hat, trying to stay occupied.
"Sorry to keep ya' waiting, Rote. Did we get that package yet?" Sonic had reached out to him to retrieve a "little surprise" while him and Sal were on their mission.
Rotor breathed in sharply and looked around for any eavesdroppers. Having found none present, he leaned in and whispered to the hedgehog. "Y'know Sonic, you could be less suspicious... Anyone could be listening in! Just...meet me back at my place whenever you get a chance!"
"Oh. Sorry, Rote. Kinda bad at this secret keeping thing!" The walrus shook his head in disappointment and waved as he headed back to his workshop. Now to check up on the ladies and see what's shakin'!
–
"Well ah told him, we didn't need no tassels, but Antoine don't listen to me when he's got a plan in mind!" Bunnie imitated a glare with a mismatching grin on her lips. "Ah said, we need to have ol' Sally-girl weigh in on that, and he cracked immediately!" Nicole was placed on the stand between both Sally and Bunnie, and began to giggle in a deadpan fashion, leading the rest of the girls into their own laughing fit!
"Oh, so I still have an effect on that coyote! I figured he would have moved on by now!" Sally brushed her hand through her hair, giving off a confident smirk.
"Oh ya still got it, sugar-Sal. Sonic's just lucky he got to you first!" Another round of laughter ensued, the computer's chortling sending them even further. "Wow, Nicole. Ya really came out of yer shell, dear!" Bunnie responded, wiping tears from her eyes.
"T'AINT NOTHIN' SUGAR." The rabbot nearly fell out of her chair as she heard her accent fired back at her.
"Oh! We gotta work on that enunciation of yours...!" She said, barely able to her words out through her whooping and hollering! "Oh! Oh my stars, I wish Sonic were here to witness this!" Sally tapped on the rabbot's shoulder and directed her attention to the grinning hedgehog behind her.
"Well, look who decided to show up!", the chipmunk said with a wry smirk, pointing at the intruder.
"I thought I heard my name being thrown around!" Sonic said, speeding up to the group. "Just wanted to know how plans were comin' along!"
"So impatient! Tsk tsk, I thought you knew better to rush my plans along, Sonic!" Sally waggled an accusing finger as Nicole piped up.
"OH YOU'RE JUST IN TIME TO HEAR THIS." An image of a jovial lynx popped up on the screen. "WHAT'S SIMILAR BETWEEN YOU AND SOMEONE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT?"
Sonic was amused and a little curious that she was attempting to joke. "No idea, Nicole. I guess we both burn lots of cals...?"
"YOU GOTTA GO FAST!" More monotone chirping ensued from the machine, higher pitched this time.
"D'oh...hey! Good one!" The entire group of ladies burst into intense howling, and Sally started snorting in an churlish manner. "Whoa, not that good. Come on!", the hedgehog retorted with a massive shrug.
"SORRY SONIC, MY JOKES MAY "SHOCK" YOU, BUT DON'T "BOLT" JUST YET!" Nicole was diving into pun territory now.
Everyone doubled over at this point except the blue blur who sidled over toward the exit. "Okay okay! I'll just show myself out. No offense! Gotta talk to Rote about somethin' real important."
"No! Wait...! Come...back!" Sally was in tears and nearly passed out from her mirth, with a single arm held out in vain to stop him. He was already out the door.
Well, sugar-hog! I thought you'd be ecstatic to see this little ol' machine all lively and everything! Makes that last mess all worth it, I reckon!
Chapter 2
"I don't know about this, Sonic." Rotor mused as the hedgehog came into his workshop, mostly cleared away except for what was necessary. A large wooden box, almost like a coffin, sat in the middle and took up a large portion of the floor space. Behind it, a mostly finished de-roboticizer loomed in the background, cobbled from what remained after... "I mean it's a little soon after all that went down a couple days ago."
Sonic walked up to the mysterious crate and peered inside, seeing what he requested. The hollowed shell of Nicole's "body", retrieved from the Ironlock Prison. It was in surprisingly good condition given the circumstances, with only a couple burns on the imitation fur to show for the battle they had on the bridge.
Seeing it now filled the hedgehog with a pang of regret, but he had to be confident his plan would work. "Rote, thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt on this one. This might be the weirdest thing I ever asked of you."
The walrus nodded approvingly. "You got that right. However, I think Sally will forgive you if you find that energy source you've been looking for!" He looked at the faux lynx in the box and frowned. "Still, this brings back some...rough memories."
He cringed as he remembered the robotic cat with the shocked up hairdo and grating voice. Him and Antoine put her together from spare parts out of sheer boredom, and had immediately regretted it ever since. The sooner he put that little "adventure" out of his mind, the better.
"Whatever happened to Robecca, Rote?" Great, you said her name. He motioned to the powered down frame, sitting just out of sight in the shadows. "Ran out of juice. We're taking parts from her to repair this one." The walrus said, pointing to the body in the box once more. "Best thing we got from that little experiment by a long shot!"
Sonic waved his arms frantically, taking a couple steps backward. "Sorry, Rote. If it make ya feel better, I thought it was hilarious. She had good taste!"
Rotor facepalmed, peering angrily through his fingers. He shook off that feeling and gestured toward the door. "Go look for your source, Sonic. We'll find out who has the last laugh, here!"
"Alright. Good luck, man. I'm counting on you!" Sonic was attempting to stifle laughter, and Rotor picked up a wrench. "See ya!" He bolted from the workshop leaving the door wide open.
You're lucky this might be the biggest project I've worked on, yet! He got chills thinking about it. "You got such raw potential, Nicole. We all saw it. Now, we gotta make this happen. For Sally and for everyone in Knothole!"
–
Midday approached as two figures met over a massive bridge linking the river and the village together. One was wishing the other had that kind of reliability!
"So you're borrowing Nicole again?" Sally looked at the blue one curiously, trying to suss out a motive.
"Yeah! I need her to help Rotor with that renewable energy stuff he was talking about. It's beyond me, but I can race around while the lynx spots out the good stuff!" She rolled her eyes in response. What's really going on here?
The auburn-haired chipmunk gestured off toward the back of Knothole with an annoyed look. "We have the water wheel and a river feeding it! Forgive me Sonic, but I don't see the point of this little exercise!"
"Whoa Sal! No need for an attitude! I happen to think he's got a cool idea in mind for the river!" Sonic prepared himself for the inevitable.
Sally fired back immediately, "And what would that be?"
Sonic made a drifting motion with his hands, "You ever heard of a lazy river, Sal?" Her eyes were firmly in the back of her head at this point! "Seriously though, it's a surprise. Don't interrogate me, I'd might just spoil it!"
She relented, now intrigued. "Oh, a surprise huh?" Moving her hands to her hips, she shot him a side glance. "Well... Okay! You didn't rough her up too bad last time. She said as much." Finally, she leaned down and took Nicole out, handing her over and placing a hand on his arm. "I trust you, Sonic. Don't let me down."
"You got it, Sal. See ya on the flip side!" Sonic sped off victoriously, zipping over the bridge heading out of the village. The girls told me I need to lighten the leash somewhat. I have to find out why Nicole's been hiding her logs from me recently, though...
Chapter 3
Nicole and Sonic's travels brought them all over the forest, hitting several landmarks along the way. He briefly considered the font of oil in the underground passageways at the base of the river. The Freedom Fighters thoroughly explored them when the sludge started leaking out into their water supply. "No. Too messy and definitely not renewable!"
"CONSISTANCY IS TOO DILUTED FOR USE ANYWAY. WE DON'T WANT TO DISTURB THE NATURAL WILDLIFE, EITHER." Nicole implied that the one they'd be disturbing was a rather irate and massive creature that they saved from Robotnik. The data indicated that they were numbered in the single digits. Hopefully the beast found the rest of its kind after they cleaned up the mess!
–
Moving on, they came to a point where the forest transitioned into jungle. Sonic flashed Nicole a knowing smirk. "Fertilizer."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT. YOU'D HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE STENCH. BOTH FROM THE SOURCE AND CREATURES THAT MAKE IT." A image of the lynx gagging flickered onto the monitor.
"Hey, when I found out Tails was a Mobian Dino whisperer. That was probably one of the coolest days of my life!" Sonic knew he was fighting a losing battle. Those dinosaurs were also endangered. "Okay okay, let's keep rolling." The two quickly raced towards their final destination.
–
"Y'know in hindsight, this was pretty obvious! Sorry for the runaround, Nicole!" The air around the Ring Pool buzzed intensely, with the hedgehog's quills standing on end. As he approached, a golden ring emerged from his depths, and he grabbed it as it hovered in midair. "This ring powered the machine that..." He stopped himself abruptly, as he almost gave the game away.
"...Did what, Sonic?" The voice of his partner caused him to double take! Sally stood there with arms crossed, waiting for an answer.
"Yo, Sal! Uh, how long were you following us?" As he posed the question, she pointed to a nearby log on its side.
"I wasn't following you. You know I come here to think sometimes." She smiled as she continued. "We came here plenty of times to talk about many things too. The war, our family...and the ones we left behind."
"Yeah, like Uncle Chuck and your pops... Sorry, I got super focused on finding that source." Sonic said, dramatically shrugging and shaking his head.
Sally walked up to the blue hedgehog and pointed at the pool. "The crystal that powers the machine is a good idea Sonic, but it's too small for what's needed. Especially after we gave part of it to Lower Mobius to help keep their city functioning."
Sonic crinkled his nose, thinking of that lowlife Griff. That goat really gave them the run around. To this day, he never found out how that guy knew there was a secret to the ring pool! "Yeah, I ain't asking them, Sal. You know that."
She sat down on the log and brushed off dirt at the open space next to her. Sonic took the hint and joined her as she took back her device. Holding his hands in hers, she looked him the eye. "What's eating at you, Sonic? I can see it in your eyes."
Sonic took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, "Y'know it's a surprise Sally. I've got big plans for the party, and..." She put a finger to his mouth and embraced him. He returned the gesture.
"Okay, you're off the hook this time. Knowing you, there's still some stress you're working through, and you just don't want to worry me, right?" She gave him a peck on the cheek and rose, bringing him up with her. "This better be some surprise, hedgehog."
"You nailed it right on the head as always, Sal. Don't worry, you won't be left hanging for much longer!" Sonic said with a laugh and the two embraced.
"I'll be waiting, Sonic." Sally stated, drawing in both watched as the sunset lit up the pool in a circular radiance...
END OF ACT I