Hey guys, this is my first Sonic fanfic. Hope you like it and my two OC´s. It follows he events from the reboot of the Archie Comics. For some reasons i made Tails older and i put the Sallicole shipping into it, because i like that pair.

All rights about Sonic the Hedgehog belong to Sega, IDW Comics and for the movies, to Paramount Pictures.

Freedom Fighters Unlimited: Into the Wastelands
Chapter One: Meetings in the dust

Dust.

Rocks.

And that damn wind, nearly the whole time.

Not that the slim person with some protective goggles over the eyes wasn´t familiar with this. Laborious and with help of a fight stick the person over a hill. The wanderer likes to be out here, but that damn wind. At the other side of the hill, the wanderer starts to poke carefully into the dust before walking on. Sometimes there were little holes hidden under the dust. And a broken leg or ankle was no option out there.

Since the events around a year ago the Wastelands, a deserted region in the Red Outback Zone, were more devastated than before. But the wanderer was an expert for surviving here, and that only with an age of sixteen years. Out here you grew up fast or you don´t. And the wanderer was perfectly equipped. Boots with steel toes, reddish-brown, cut-resistant pants with bandages around the knees for more protection, the yellow shirt, and the dark green bandana around her neck. The shoulder bag, a utility belt as also the bow and the quiver with arrows, flares on the strap of the bag. With fast steps, the lop-ears laid, the wanderer walked down the hill, still checking the dust with the stick for holes, then the figure stopped at a rock in the shadow of the hill. The wanderer looks around, then bows down and digs in the dust with the stick.

When it hits something hard, the figure puts the stick beside it and starts digging with the hands, until some oval objects came into sight. They were light brown with dark-brown spots on them. The wanderer looks around again, grabs the objects one by one, seemingly eggs, and puts them into the bag.

Nearly finished, the figure hears a hiss.

Alarmed the wanderer grabs the stick and jumped up. On the rock sat a grey, oblong creature with scales, black eyes, and on his four feet were long, sharp claws. The wanderer knows that the claws and a bite from the creature were poisonous. Luckily it was not the mother of the eggs, just another hunter out here. So it would be enough to hit the dust demon, that´s the name of the creature, so hard that it ran off. The wanderer grabs the stick with both hands in the middle where a leathered band was wrapped around the stick, and raises it above the right shoulder, ready to strike. The dust demon hisses again and ducks.

For a moment both stared at each other.

Then the creature hisses one more time, turned around, and scurries away. The wanderer waits a few seconds longer before lowering the stick. This was close. The figure looks into the shoulder bag. Well, five dust runner eggs and nearly a dozen of cactus pears at the ridge, not bad. When the wanderer turned around, the wind gets eases up. From one moment to another the sky was clear and the sun could be seen. The figure sighs. " Typical, when the work is done!" The wanderer lowers the neckcloth a bit and lifts the protective goggles, some dust trickles down. A grey-white female face with big blue eyes could be seen, an oblong pink nose over the mouth. When she straightened up her dark-grey strands and her ears, a notch in the right one could be seen, another confrontation with a predator out here some time ago.

The girl leans her stick on the rock and grabs the canteen from the belt behind her back. She takes a big sip and enjoys a moment of silence. She puts the canteen back, then she grabs her stick and turned around to climb up the hill.

Sneak the Bilby, huntress, and scavenger of the village Rockcalm, as on her way home for that day.

...

When Sneak reaches the pit where the village lies, she stops for a moment. She was several feet above the village. Rockcalm insists on housing caves with canopies from wood and sheet, with curtains at the windows. The pit protects against the heat and wasn´t too cold at night. But for Sneak are too many people around. And in the last few days, she spends decreasingly time here.

Since the Egg Army appears and the Eggboss here ( For Sneak they all were traitors and idiots) acts like he was the master of them all. His name was Nate the Beast and he was a real scumbag. And the worst part was that nearly all in the village kneel before him. Until now the war between Eggman and G.U.N. and their allies hadn´t reached the Wastelands, but now these scumbags are here. Sneak wonders why the Wastelands didn´t have many resources and living here was deprived enough, but she loves it, and no one could come here and told her what she had to do.

Sneak stops beside the old man Roots, who sat in his rocking chair in front of his cave as usual. She nodes to get him, the old red wombat with his pipe between his lips noded back. He was one of the few people in the village that accepted her calm, silent being. The others, especially around her age, thought she was odd. She puts two pears out of her bag and handed them over to the old man. Roots grabbed me with a smile and nodded again. Sneak smiles back, should the others think what they want. The only person she must explain anything was herself.

The koala-girl Peaches and some of the other girls sat giggling and talking around the well in the middle of the village, where they mended their clothes. Peaches and her girls avoided their chores whenever they could. The tv in the tavern was the connection to the world outside, and that fashion stuff hits those girls. Sneak saw no sense in it, for what you need those make-up and fancy clothes out here? But the waves of laughter of the others hurt her. Sneak passes the well in some distance when one of the other girls noticed her and points her finger onto her with a giggle. " Look, the unkissed Sneak!" Now they all giggled, Peaches laughed. " That girl cuddles with the cacti in the desert until she´s an old maid!" Now all girls laughed, Sneak stopped. Angrily she clenched her fists and breathed in sharply. She wanted to walk over to Peaches and beat her, but the words of her grandfather came up in her thoughts. Sneak, control your anger! He told her. It only brings trouble to let your anger free hand. Take the anger and use it when you must, but never, never let it take the upper hand! The bilby-girl counts to ten and walked away.

She was nearly out of sight when Peaches drops the final insulation. " Your parents would be disappointed if they knew how strange you become!" This time only she laughs, the other girls hold their breath.

Sneak stops again, this time she shivers in anger. She grins her teeth and turns around. The moment, she tries to make a step towards the girls at the well, a hand grabs her by the shoulder. " Forget that fool! You´re stronger than that!" She heard her grandfather, Walker the Bilby, whispering beside her. She takes a deep breath and turns to him. The old man with the tattered leather jacket, the messy white hair and the fur in the same color as hers, smiles mildly. " She didn´t understand what she said! When you let her words hit you, she wins!" " But not, when I beat her, I win!" Sneak hisses, her grandfather shook his head. " But only physical! Your mother wouldn´t be happy if you let this happen!" Sneak lowers her head and closes her eyes. " No, mum wouldn´t be happy about! and dad too!"

Memories came up, her mother, singing a lullaby for her. Her father, running around with her on his back in their cave, both laughing. It was nearly five years ago when her parents died in a storm, since that time she lives with the father of her mother. She gets the purple power-rings, that she wears on her wrists, from her father. she hated it like hell when someone talks bad about her parents and herself. Sneak opens her eyes and looked at her grandfather, then she nodded. When they walked away, her grandfather looks back to the well. " Instead of insulting others and hanging around the whole day, it´s time you make your contribution for the village, Peaches! Lazy girls are a shame!" With a sly smile on his face, Walker winks at his granddaughter when both walked to their cave. From the well came no more laughing this time.

Sneak leans her stick at the wall beside the entrance and hangs her quiver and the bow on a hook. Then she walks over to the pantry and puts the eggs and peas she collected inside. Walker sets up a teapot with water to make tea while Sneak sat down at the table in the middle, two cactus pears in her hand. Walker stokes the fire and sat down on the other side of the table who hands him one of the peas with a grin. The old man nodes and took a bite. Hmm, tastes great! Where did you find them?" Sneak nibbles on her pea. " At the Lonehill! I think there will be more of them!" Walker widens his eyes in shock. " That's a dangerous place! The creatures out there, impassable terrain! If something happens to you...!" Sneak waves the words away. " I know what I´m doing and the dangers out there! As it was more comfortable than with that idiot around here!" Her grandfather sighs. " I know, I know! But you can´t avoid anything here without spending the most time in the desert! Yes, you´re a talented hunter, but I need you here too! We have chores to do here and one day I´m gone and..." She interrupts him. " One day far in the future, and that day we are aware of that Egg Army idiots!" She nearly spits out the name of the Egg Army with disgust. " We have to join the resistance!" Her voice gets louder when talking about the village chief, her grandfather puts his hand on her arm while he takes another bite of his pea. " Shhh!" He swallows the piece. " You can´t wait that a village of crafters and hunters rises and start to fight! For most of us, nothing changed! And the others don´t trust the resistance!" Sneak gasps. " WHAT? They´re heroes!" The old man sighs. " They think, Eggman would win anyway and take control! He has troops, robots, a lot of resources! And since that event last year some people think that there will be worse things than a Dr. Eggman!" Sneak looks over at him in shock, a year ago something called Dark Gaia tried to destroy the whole planet, as Sneak and Walker know from the media, the Freedom Fighters around Sonic prevent this in the last second. The girl's snouts again. " And where was the great Egg Army that time?" Walker nodes. " But they weren´t the cause of it, so..." " but, but..." Sneak stumbles. " What about the Freedom Fighters? They defeat him several times, so there is still a chance!" She shivers again in anger, Walker gave her a stern look. " Sure, but for some people, this fight goes too long! And in their eyes, this resistance was made by some rebellious teenagers that can´t accept the truth!" A whistle signal that the water was ready. The old man stood up and grabbed the teapot. " I hate the Eggman empire by myself, but head over heels into the fight is no option, just crazy!" He fills two cups with tea leaves with water. He handed one over to his granddaughter before he goes on talking. " you have to be patient, until the right moment to fight back!" " And when should that be, Grandpa?" Snouts Sneak. " When we all work as slaves in that factory, that pollutes the Wastelands?" " No, but you will know when the right moment is coming, shorty!" He smiles lovingly and messes his granddaughter´s hair, she laughs and puts his hand away. " Stop that old man! I´m no little child anymore!" " Right, but you are no adult too! Let this old man have some fun!" Both laughing now, Sneak loves her grandfather with all her heart, he was the only that was loyal to her, that understands her. She took a sip from her tea. " Tomorrow morning I leave when the sun is up! A lot of scavengers out there, very crowded around noon!" Walker took a sip and puts down his cup. " Since the west trading post was burned down, many of the traders escaped into the desert, a lot of their goods with em! Some arrived at the next city, but left the goods in the desert! And some didn´t make it!" Sneak nodes again and took a sip from her tea when some noises came from outside.

Someone screams, an angry voice could be heard. Walker sighs and stood up. " They´re here again! and making trouble!" Sneak jumps up from her chair and rushed through the door before he could react. The baby girl throws the curtains at the door beside and looks around. She sprints on when the angry voice could be heard again. Several villagers stood around the well and stared through the entrance of the village. Sneak made her way through the crowd until she stops in front of a soldier and some banks that blocked the way to the entrance. When the girl saw what happened, she narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists in anger.

Roots sat on the ground, and an Egg Army officer stood over him with a pear in his hands. The officer, a red-brown dingo, laughs maliciously. " Old man, when I say, hand over the pears, then you have to follow, alright? We make the rules!" Sneak builds up in front of the next soldier, a wolf around her age, she grinds her teeth. " Hey, let that dude go! Coward, search someone with ya IQ you scumbag!" The dingo turns around to her. " Whoa, who´s so sassy there?" He walks pretentiously over to her and pushes the wolf beside them. Drop, the village chief, arrived at the scene, even Walker who stops beside his granddaughter and gives her a warning look.

The wombat who´s the village chief tried to get between Sneak and the dingo. " Please, lieutenant Curse, she´s one of our hunters, she´s exhausted and tired!" The dingo pushes him away and stares at Sneak. " Do you wanna say I´m an idiot?" The girl didn´t move a muscle or blink when she answers. " That you asking me that is for me answer enough!" Curse frowns, a questioning look on his face. Yes, he´s not the brightest cookie in the jar, Sneak thought. But even she realizes the guys are too much, no one here would help her. Only her Grandfather and that will end up horrible. She took a deep breath, what she would be doing now was so hard. " I´m sorry, how Drop said, my day was long and hard! But please, the old man there didn´t deserve to be treated like that!" The officer stares at her for a few seconds, then he smirks. " Well, okay! No one should say I´m that mean!" He throws the pea towards Roots, who catches it before it hits the ground. Curse turns again to Sneak. " You shouldn´t spend too much time out there, the dust and the sun are not good for your brain, kiddo!" Sneak gulps her anger. " Yes, Sir!"

The officer turns around and snaps with his finger. "Who is Walker the Bilby?" Sneak´s grandfather frowns. " That´s me! What can I do for you?" Curse glares at him. " Come with us, that is what you can do! You understand this Dark Gaia thing, so we get the order to take you with us!" Walker gives Sneak a warning look, when the wolf grabs his arm, the girl gasps in shock. " Grandpa!" She tried to free him of the grab of the wolf, from the corner of her eyes she noticed that the next two badniks turned around. Walker shook his head and grabs Sneak at her bandana. " My grey pocketbook, on the table! Quick!" He whispers before the wolf pushes him over to the badniks that drags him through the village entrance. Curse laughed when Sneak steps back. " Behave yourself, then you get your grandpa back! Loon, I want all notes of that scientist! Girl, show him the cave!" Sneak hisses angrily turned around and ran off. A moment later she heard the wolf yelling behind her.

She enters the cave and grabs her quiver, bow, stick, and shoulder bag. Hastily she puts two eggs and two pears into it. The pocketbook lies open on the table, she grabs it and puts it into her bag too, when Loon enters the room. " STOP! What are you doing here?" Sneak rams her knee into his stomach instead of an answer and swings her stick. When the wolf curls, she beats his head with the stick. Loon gasps rolled his eyes up and fainted. Sneak ran over to the side door, that opened to the little yard behind the cave. She climbs onto a barrel and swung over the rockface.

Beside the village, Sneak hides between some rocks. She had a head start on the badniks now. She hopes they don´t hurt him, she must be getting help, she can´t free him alone and stop that guy, whatever they planned. Sneak wipes the tears off her face, she had to focus now. She took a breath and ran toward the Wastelands, into the western direction. She was sure, now was the moment her grandfather talked about.

...

Rouge the Bat watches the Eggman factory between the hills with her binoculars.

Jackpot, she thought. Something was going on here, something big, and she will find out what these guys doing here. Flying over there was no option, too many watchtowers on the buildings. Well, she must find a way by walking through the rocky environment. She grumbles, what a lady must do this day...

The secret agent of G.U.N. ( And some would say jewel thief) walked carefully to the rocks and dust until she approaches the first building of the factory, where she hides behind the wall. She looked around the corner. A soldier, a male ferret, leans on the wall and looks bored around, in the back were two badniks, so-called Motobugs, on patrol. Rouge ponders. The guard was no match, if she has to she would tease him and knock him out, but the two badniks could be a problem when she get in their sight. The bat just wanted to see what´s going on here.

Since the Dark Gaia Events a year ago G.U.N., the Freedom fighters, and some other resistance groups were able to get the Eggman Empire retreating here and there. Doctor Eggman gets seemingly desperate. When the intelligence department gets some information about a project called Big Break that took place in the Red Outback Zone, precisely in the so-called Wastelands, Rouge gets the order to infiltrate the factory here. And, when it´s needed, bring the information directly to G.U.N. or the Freedom Fighters, who were near the Wastelands with their mobile headquarter, the Sky decision lies in her hands.

Rouge smiles, visiting the Fighters could be fun. A bit flirting with Sonic to annoy Amy. Or getting Tails embarrassed with some teasing. They were her friends, but making some fun has to be. And Tails was cute when gets nervous, especially around girls. At his age, he has not had enough sovereignty to take it, but that´s the fun part.

The thought about that makes her giggle, back to work. She looks again around the corner.

Luck was on her side. Both badniks had turned around and headed to the other side of their route, the guard fell asleep while leaning on the wall. Well, a professional on work, sure. Sometimes Rouge questions herself if has to fail an IQ test to become a soldier in the Egg Army. She saw here no security cameras, but deeper inside the factory she must be very careful. She passed the sleeping guard and stopped in front of the greater building. She looks to the left and right and used her wings to fly up at the wall. She approaches the roof in a few seconds and landed.

The next watchtower was several feet above her, but she mustn´t climb up there. She should glide beside the next taller building through the yard of the factory. She looks again for security cameras. Yes, there were some, but when she was near to the wall she would be out of sight. She puts one foot before the other carefully, holding balance with her wings.

Soon she reached the end of the wall and covers beside a cooling tower. Then she focused on the yard...and froze in shock!

In the center of the yard stood a vehicle with a huge driller on the front, big as a little building. Everywhere were technicians working. What are they planning? This thing could reach the core of the plan...! Rouge gasps, this guy wanna search for something. Rouge leans a bit over the railing when a group of soldiers and badniks came in sight, following a tall, strong-looking blue Tasmanian devil that wears a dark red vest. Should be the boss of the factory. The guy looks around, an angry look on his ( For Rouge a very ugly) face. Then he growls. " Move on, you lazybones! When the geologist is here, we start the operation!"

Rouge took the information. Well, now time was the decisive factor. The Sky Patrol was near, she could take it in one day, the next G.U.N. outpost was too far away. Rouge took a deep breath and glides back on the wall.

Soon she was back on the roof of the building she started, luck was on her side, the two badniks turned around and made their route to the other side again. Rouge slides down the wall, looks over to the badniks, scurry over to the small building at the rocks...and ran nearly into the guard. The ferret blinks, seemingly he woke up seconds ago. " Uhm, who are you...?" He mumbles, Rouge puts a hand on her hips and smirks flirtatious. " Only a dream, sweetheart, you are bored! Only a dream!" She throws a kiss when the guard shook his hand and yawns. " Man, I must stay awake or I get trouble! Sad, that such sweet girls only appear in my dreams!" He shook his head again and slaps himself one, two times on the cheek to get awake. He rolled his shoulders and looked around. He saw no one, only the two badniks that making their patrol. Good that the robots couldn´t report that he fell asleep on his watch. That could be trouble.

That a dozen feet away a smirking female bat spreads her wings and flies away, he can´t know.

...

Sneak sat between some rocks and peeks for several minutes at the old trading outpost.

It was partly burned down to the ground four weeks ago when the Egg Army attacks it. She was walking for nearly a complete day, it was dusk and she needs a place to sleep. The ruins in front of her were the best option out there. She tightens the grip around her stick and gets carefully closer to the building. Maybe some scavengers or worse are around.

The trading outpost was a circular building with a dome and some storage sheds beside it. Sneak was here one time in her life when her parents were alive. Too many people here, she felt very misplaced and was happy when they left.

Now it was a burned ruin. Burst windows, burn marks, most of the storages were destroyed and the main gate lies on the access way. Sneak ignored the main entrance and went to a hole in the sidewall. She peeks into it, it was pitch-dark. She grabs one of her flares and lights it.

She looks again inside, then she enters the building through the hole. She stood now in the market hall, even here burn marks were everywhere, destroyed booths, a store at the inner wall was seemingly looted. Sneak sighs, it was a food store. She wanted to search for ration bars and water, but when someone looted the store, the chance to find something useful was very low. In the red glowing of her flare, she looked around as if she´s alone.

Nothing.

She enters the store and started to search the shelves for supplies. Most of them were empty or torn packages and empty bottles lying in them. But then she found two bottles of turnip juice and some grain bars that can be kept for a long time. She puts it all into her bag. Turnip juice wasn't the tastiest, but Sneak was modest. She walked into the back of the store, to the storage and the cool room. She looked inside.

Empty, what else.

The bilby-girl left the store and looked around again. To her left was a food stand, or better said what´s left of it. Sneak considers her options. Supplies she wouldn´t find anymore, but there was a spot with seats around a little dirt hill with rotten plants, where she could make a fire for the night. She walks over to the spot, then she stops and hesitates.

Some cords were taunted around the spot in the height of her ankles, some tin cans were tied to them, seemingly an simple alarm. Sneak steps carefully above it and looks around. Some wood was placed in the middle of the hill, a sleeping bag, open packages, some fruit remains, and empty bottles lying around. With her stick, she pokes into the remains of the cactus pear. It was very fresh, that means...! Sneak spins around, her stick ready to blow, when she heard a noise. In front of her stood another girl, the right arm upraised.

In one hand she holds a boomerang, in the other a lantern. It was a light-brown wallaby girl, a bit shorter than Sneak. She wears a pink shirt, a white-purple skirt, dark-grey gloves that reach to her elbows, and brown boots with heels. An olive-green gear belt was wrapped around her waist and she wears a same-colored backpack of which the grip of a baton sticks out. Her dark-brown hair was combed and a braid with a purple bow hangs on the left of her head. With big green eyes, she looks at Sneak, shivering, nervous. Sneak estimates her around thirteen, fourteen years.

She´s scared, she doesn´t know if I am a bad guy! Sneak lowers slowly her stick. " Whoa, calm down! I´m not your enemy!" The girl gulps. " I don´t know who you are! This is my hideout! I, I will kick you out of here!" When Sneak giggles amused, the girl gets angry. " I´m serious!" Sneak widens her arms. " Well, then throw it! But again, I´m not your enemy! I´m only looking for food and a place to sleep!"

For a long moment both were silent, then the wallaby-girl lowers her arm. She smiles unsure. " You, you don´t look like that wannabe-soldiers with their robots!" Sneak noded. "That Egg Army guys? No, I hate that scumbags!" The other girl nodded too. " They vandalized here and then a fire broke out! Everyone flees, I lost Grey in the chaos!" She lowers sadly her head. " I didn´t know where to go, so I decided to stay here!" Sneak frowns. " What about your family?" The girl shook her head. " They don´t want me around them, they send me here seven years ago! I worked for a trader named Grey the Gecko! Cleaning the store, tidying up, stocktaking, and the last time he allowed me to sell our stuff!" A smile came on her face. " Grey said, cute girls could sell everything! And I´m very cute!"

Sneak smiles amused, seems the girl was a bit vain. She reaches her hand over to the girl. " My name is Sneak, Sneak the Bilby!" The girl needs a second then she lowers her boomerang, puts it into her backpack and grabs Sneak´s hand. " I´m Perky the Wallaby! You can make a rhyme of it, I´m Perky, I´m a bit flirty!" She giggles and blinks coquettishly. Sneak sighs, that lovey-dovey stuff wasn´t her thing. She had one time kissed a boy, and it was a flop. Well, anyway, everyone to each own, she thought, that girl seems to be a good one. Sneak blinks. " So, you are familiar with that outpost and I guess you know where all the supplies went through!" Perky noded with a grin. " I hide it, but we can share it, it´s enough for us both! It will be nice to be no longer alone here! A sweet boy would be the more nice company, but I guess you can tell exciting stories the way you look and be dressed!" Sneak smiles amused again while Perky guided her to a burst pillar and removed a plank from a hole in the side of it. In the light of the lantern and the flare, Sneak saw some ration bars, energy bars, and water bottles inside the hole. Perky grabs some bars and two water bottles and puts the plank back in place. With a grin, she turned around to Sneak. " Great hideout, what? And it protects against vermins! But I have no more fruits, sorry!" Sneak laughed and get the pears and the eggs out of her bag. " There I can help!" Perky´s eyes widen. " Whoa, you didn´t know how long I hadn´t eaten some eggs!"

Minutes later both sitting between the seats at a fire. Perky slurps the juice out of her pear, sneak chews on some dried meat, and sips on her water bottle. She had to pull out her blanket, sitting half on it, half wrapped into it. Perky on the other side had wrapped up in her sleeping bag. Both girls talked about what they had been through. Perky was fourteen and lived for over seven years in the outpost. Her parents had the opinion that she could learn here something for life when she was out there. Since the day she left Perky hadn´t heard anything of her parents. Her instructor let her live in a room above the store and treated her like his own child. He was stern about the work, but Perky was very talented with organizing, calculating, and selling. Especially with her girly charme the selling goes very well.

Until the Egg Army came here and destroyed the outpost. In that chaos, Perky could hide and stayed here because she didn´t know where to go. Sneak´s story seems to scare and impress her at the same time. " I hope, your grandfather is alright!" Sneak waves off. " I hope too, but he can take it, I learned a lot from him! But we must stop those scumbags, I´m sure they are up to no good with my grandpa´s pocketbook! That´s why I wanna find the Freedom Fighters! Then we will defeat the Egg Army and rescue him!" She wouldn´t take the worries about her grandfather taking over. Perky seems to think about something. " You, Sneak, uhm, do you think I can come with you? Here is nothing for me anymore, but when that bad guys are gone, maybe the people come back and rebuild the outpost. It was, no, it is my home, somehow! And one of the Freedom fighters is a really cute boy!" Sneak considers. Perky didn´t seem like a fighter, but she was seemingly determined to do something. And who knows, maybe the resistance needs someone good at organizing. A lesson from her grandfather came up in her mind. Fighters and heroes weren´t born, someone, even an inconspicuous person, could be a hero when it´s the time! The bilby-girl nodes. " Sure, I can need some help on my journey! Let's do this together!" She likes Perky, except for how silly she was. Then the other girl yawns. " I guess we left very early? Time to sleep!" Sneak noded and yawns too. " Good idea Perky! Tomorrow we start with the dawn! We and the Freedom Fighters!"

...

Tails polishes the last time with a cloth over the side of Tornado 2 and stepped back.

Yes, the plane sparkles nearly like new. After all the things it has been through. Miles "Tails" Prower, an twelve years old yellow-orange fox with two tails, inventor and member of the Freedom Fighters, stood in the hangar of the Sky Patrol, the mobile headquarter they all live in, had finished his maintenance work on the Tornado. A work, he enjoys and did with conscientiousness, even though it took the whole day. He took his time and enjoys the silence.

A moment later it was done with the silence, he heard a swooshing sound, and then a familiar voice.

" Hello, Sweetie! How is my favorite fox?" Tails took a deep breath. Rouge the Bat, the voice was unmistakable. She manages to make him embarrassed and nervous every time.

But not today.

Tails turned around. Rouge sat on some cargo boxes and had her legs crossed. She smirks and winks flirtatiously her usual trick. Tails smirk back. " Hey Rouge! You looking good, what brings you here?" This time she wouldn´t confuse him. The shady bat laughs and puts a hand on her chest. " Ah huh, you little charmer! Thanks for the compliment, seems you are mature! I like that!" She jumps skillfully down from the boxes and puts her hands on her hips. " But, besides all fun, there´s trouble in the Wastelands and we have not much time!" Tails nodded sternly. " Then let us go, the other should be all in the meeting room!" He leaves the hangar, the bat follows.

When both walked through the hallway of the mobile base, Rogue turned her head to Tails. " Didn´t see ya guys for some time! Something new? How's Big Blue doing?" Tails shrugs. " The Egg Army is retreating since the Dark-Gaia-event, an exception is the Red Outback Zone, that´s why we are here! Sonic is doing good, he and Rotor are on a mission, making a connection to a new resistance group in the north. Cream and Vanilla are in Mobotropolis." Rouge pursed her lips. " Seems the people wake up now, G.U.N. gets a lot of recruits, but they all are very young and have no experience in fighting. It would take time before we can send them in action! But it is a beginning!" She smirks again. " Well, you are older now and more mature, how´s it going with the girls? Do you have a girlfriend?" Tails smiles. " No, why you ask? Wanna ask me out?" Rouge frowns, then the fox starts laughing, she notices that he teases her. She starts laughing too, they were friends, but some teasing must be. Rouge shook her head, still laughing. " You joker, you getting very sassy! We both dating, I don´t know, the age difference is just too big! Bunnie and Sally would beat me up!" Tails giggles. " Yes, they would, and for that show, I can demand money! Well, I had one, two dates, the girls in Mobotropolis are cute and adore heroes, but until now there´s no perfect match for me! We both had a date, no, but hang out sometimes, that´s cool!" Then Tails giggles again. " And I don´t wanna have a jealous Knuckles as a rival!" Rouge waves up. No worries about that, Knuckle does not realize what´s going on! Uhm, I mean..." She stares at Tails flabbergasted, the boy smirks. " I knew it, you have a crush on him!" He winks when they arrive at the door of the meeting room. The bat nudges him with her elbow and grins. " Okay, somehow I do! You caught me cold shorty! Very clever! Well, then let us go!" Tails opened the door and stepped aside. " Ladies first!" Rouge passed him swaggering and smiling. " Thanks, you being very gentle, I like that!"

The meeting room was crowded. Bunnie D´Coolette, her husband Antoine, Sally Acorn, Nicole the Holo-Lynx, Amy Rose, and Big the Cat sat on the main table and playing cards, cups with tea stood in front of them. Nicole sat on Sally´s lap and lean her head on her girlfriend´s head.

For some months both were officially a couple. When Sally realizes that she felt for Nicole more than friendship, she was first confused. Around the events with the Dark Gaia was a moment, when she thought Nicole was gone when her handheld burned out. Luckily the AI was able to escape into the systems of the Sky Patrol. At that moment Sally finally realizes, how much Nicole matters to her. In a quiet moment, she had taken the lynx-girl beside and revealed her feelings to her. She wanted to tell her about it before something could happen again. It was difficult for Sally. " Nicole, I must, uhm, tell you something...I realized what you meant to me when your handheld was broken, and, uhm..." She hums and haws. " Nicole, you, you are more for me than only a friend! More in, ehm, a, a romantic way! I, i, I love you!" Then she had looked down sadly and sighed. Nicole was artificial intelligence, she still had some emotions and was her best friend, but if she replies her feelings...Sally didn´t believe it. Suddenly Nicole grabs her hands and looked at her with a soft smile. " Uhm, Sally, know what, I, i...feel the same way! You even mean a lot to me, more than as my best friend! I, I feel more than friendship for you, I love you too!" Sally was speechless for a second, then she wrapped her arms around Nicole and they kissed for the first time. Since that they were a couple. The other members of the Freedom Fighters, even her father, were cool with it. Relationships of that kind were not that rare and not forbidden. Sally first hesitates before she told it to her dad. She was a princess, responsible and succession and all that stuff, but when she told him about their relationship, he hugs Nicole warmly and to his daughter beside her. He gave her a mildly smile. " She means a lot to you, right?" Sally only nodded, her father hugs her. " For your age, you are so strong, very responsibly and I haven´t seen you smiling like this when she looks at you! I´m happy for you!" Then had a frown. " First I feared, you need again money for equipment or a mission or buying a Chaos Emerald or something!" Sally smiled apologetically. " Uhm, talking about money..." Her father sighed. " What is it this time?" Sally had taken a breath. " Later I want to go with Nicole to that concert, and, well, I have no money for the tickets!" For a moment her father gave her a stern look, then he burst into laughter and hugged her again with a giggle. " Well, when that´s all! concert tickets, that´s a reason why a daughter should ask her dad for money! And now we share some tea and cookies!" Sally was happy about how her dad reacted to this.

All looked up when Rouge and Tails entered the room. Sally taps Nicole on her nose, the lynx-girl giggles, and stood up from Sally´s lap. The leader of the team jumped up from her seat and walked towards Rouge and Tails. " Rouge, what´s the reason for the pleasure to have you around? A little visiting your friends?" Rouge smirks, then she changed to a stern look. " I wish it is, but there´s a serious reason I´m here! The Egg Army is in the Wastelands, planning something bigger and we have not much time! I need nearly a day to come here! And we have not much time, they wait for a scientist, a geologist!" Sally widens her eyes, Tails gasps. " That couldn´t be good..." Nicole ended his phrase. "...whatever it is!" The others all stood up, Bunnie puts softly her hand on Antoine´s shoulder when he tried to stand up. " Oooh no, mah sweet Suga-Twan, with your sprained ankle you can´t do anything!" He sighs. " You´re right ma Cherie! But please, watch out!" She nodes. Amy looks over to Rouge, the bat frowns. Amy has changed a bit. Her hips were a bit wider, she was still slim from hip to neck, but a small curve on her chest made her look more female than usual. Seemingly she starts to mature, how old was she now, thirteen, Rouge wasn´t sure. The hedgehog-girl shoulders her hammer. " I guess, we can´t wait for Sonic and Rotor?" Rouge blinks with a grin. " Wanna have your cute blue hedgehog with you, right? No, we have no time to wait!" Amy gave her an annoyed look. " Safe that silly stuff for yourself!" " Huh?" Rouge seems to be confused, Sally interrupts both. " You can talk later about this! Tails, the Tornado is ready?" The fox nodded. " Yep, the engines have an upgrade, the weapon system is refined! And I checked it by myself, all is functioning!" Sally looks around the group. " Antoine, you report to Sonic and Rotor when they´re back, also Cream and Vanilla! Rouge, you show us the way, let's do it to it!" She rushes off, directly followed by Nicole, who had the new handheld in her hands, ( This one was more efficient and had a device against overheating) on that she could save her algorithms. And this handheld had a recess for a power ring. Tails had left first with Rouge to get the Tornado ready, Amy and Big left the room, Bunnie kisses Antoine. " Cya later, Shuga-Twan!" Then she followed the others. With her cybernetic legs, she soon catches up to the others. Tails started the engines of the Tornado, Nicole dematerializes into the handheld, now in Sally´s hands. The chipmunk-girl, Rouge, Big, and Amy boarded the Speedstar, Amy took the controls. Bunnie waves up when Amy looks over. " I can fly by myself!" She activated the thrusters in her feet and fly off, followed by the Speedstar. Seconds later the Tornado followed both.

...

When Sneak peels out of her blanket, Perky sat by the fire and stirs in a pot. She smirks. " Good morning, sleepyhead! I´m usually up so early, our store was one of the first to open! I cooking some Blue-leave-tea, it makes you awake in a FLASH!" She took a wooden spoon and filled two tin cups with the tea, then handed one over to Sneak and pointed on two ration bars. " These are cereal bars with dried berries, I thought it matches for breakfast!" Sneak nodded and sat down beside Perky. " Sounds great!" She grabs one of the bars and started eating while Perky looks at her. She likes Sneak, the only friend she ever had were Grey. The bilby-girl rocks her head back and forth. " Mmh, it´s not bad, but it´s nothing against the pancakes of my grandpa!" Perky noded while she eats her bar. " Yes, a fresh fruit salad would be more my favorite, but it could be worse. Jerky beans paste is ugly!" Sneak grimaces and looked over to Perky, who chews on her breakfast. " Oh yes, jerky bean stew has to be well spiced to be tasty! But the tea is very good!" She smirks, Perky swallows her bite. " Okay, where do we have to go?" Sneak pursed her lips. " Well, the outpost was my first point on the way, then going on to the next village, someone should know where are the Freedom Fighters are! They have a mobile headquarter, that could be everywhere! But someone must have seen it, maybe the Egg Army! That´s my clue!" Perky noded. " The next town, Crimsonville, two days per foot, is under control of G.U.N. as I know, they can make contact to the Freedom Fighters. Grey told me, they are connected! And I can come with you?"

Perky hopes that Sneak takes her with her. The other girl smiles. " Sure! You´re funny and you make fantastic tea!" Perky frowns confused when the older girl nudges her with her elbow and giggles. " I´m teasing you, as a team, we can handle better a journey and can defend our backs!" Perky laughs and hugs Sneak. " GREAT! We will become best friends, and when this tail is that cute...!" Sneak frees herself from the hug and straighten her hair. " Hey, not overthrowing! First, we finish our breakfast, and then we head to the town! And don´t forget the supplies in the hideout!" She grins a bit annoyed. Perky suppressed a giggle, Sneak plays the tough one. She took a bite from her bar when an idea came up in her head. She nearly laughed, a nickname for her new friend came up.

Ol Sneaky.