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=The Legacy of Winter=
PART III: The Games Begin

-By Anthony Young AKA "Anthonius"
(ajyoung@roadrunner.nf.net)

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RATING: PG-13

Okay,if I anyone out there likes my work by now, I'd like
to say thanks for reading this and enjoying it, and I
hope to continue to meet your expectations... if not
(the most likely situation on my part), then I hope you
enjoy the fic anyway. If you hate my work, then tell me,
why are you reading this? Ah well. Expect this one to be
pretty much the same as the last in quality and writing
style, so... it'll be just as bad as the others, most
likely.

All copyrighted characters copyright of Sega and DiC
respectively, and used without permission. Nobody really
reads this part, so it's useless to put it here, but
anyway... Let's get going, as a brand new day brings a
brand new fic to write!
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"Dear journal, Likhrei 22nd, 3235

Today, we have discovered the most horrific weapon
which Robotnik could ever use on us. We don't know
if, or when, it will be finished, or if it already is.
What we do know, is that we have to try and stop it,
no matter what. Daniel's weapons had become very useful
today, in our raid of one of Robotnik's research
facilities. I don't quite know what it is, but I have a
certain feeling about him... a feeling of trust, as if
I can feel his aura. His abilities have been a valuable
asset to us all in the past week, and without him, I'm
not sure if I would be alive to be writing this today.
I am curious as to how, and why, he was sent to us,
but one thing is for sure; he will be a good friend of
ours for years to come. I just hope that I don't lose
him to Robotnik... the next few days will be so hard,
and the thought of losing even one freedom fighter is
unbearable. Oh, daddy... why couldn't you be here to
guide me through this? Where are you? I feel so
alone..."

-Excerpt from Princess Sally
Alicia Acorn's journal, dated
Likhrei 22nd, 3235


Daniel woke up early the next morning, as if he were anxious
about the events to come. He checked the clock. 04:02 hours.
He groaned as he lay back down on his bed. The sun hadn't
yet risen, and he lay awake in hid bed, too drowsy to get up.
He stared at the ceiling with cloudy vision as his mind began
to fully awaken. Once he regained the ability of conscious
thought, he started to think for a while. He yawned as he opened
his eyes to a comfortable level.
"Hmm.... a... deroboticizer... would have the same..." he
yawned. "The same properties as a normal one... so... if one
were to build a deroboti-" another yawn. "Deroboticizer, one
would have to have a roboticizer... and reverse the polarity of
it." he said, slowly and tiredly. "I don't think... that... I
can really think too well... this early." He said, rolling over
restlessly. He stayed in that position for a while, before finally
realizing that he couldn't get back to sleep.
So, he got up, and decided to go to the ring pool, and maybe take
a small dip to wake up completely. Either way, the air would do him
good. He walked to the edge of the village, on the path to the ring
pool. He noticed that there was some light snow on the ground. Sally
was right, they didn't get much snow during the Winter... or should
he say, Frei, to be in tune with the terms used here. He looked down
to where the ring pool was. There was a slight chill in the air, and
that, to him, was all the better. He needed a way to wake up, as
sleep was now out of the question. He looked to the horizon. The sun
was beginning to creep over the hills and the mountain ranges in the
distance.
The morning mist clouded it, and gave it a certain feeling of
majesty. He went down the hill to the ring pool. The sun reflected
off the slightly rippling water. Daniel was aware of the strange
machine which was at the bottom of the small lake, and its purpose.
He walked closer to the water, seeing his reflection in the water.
He wondered how cold the water would be. It wasn't really cold out,
as such, it was about 1 or 2 degrees Centigrade, just over freezing,
but cold enough to keep the already-fallen snow frozen for a while.
He proceeded to remove his boots. For the first time, he actually
looked at his feet. They weren't quite paws, but more of a... form
of humanoid-sized paw, a kind of mix between that of a Human and that
of an animal. He slowly put his feet into the water. It wasn't
very cold, but it was cold enough to send a chill down his spine. It was
at that point that he heard a noise. He looked up, to see... Sally? He
took a step forward, forgetting where he was completely, and, with a
yelp of surprise, tripped over himself and fell into the water,
face-first, causing a splash. Sally looked up to see Daniel trying to
pull himself out of the water, but his clothes were wet, and heavy,
especially his vest, and he couldn't pull himself up. She swam over to
him and helped him up. Daniel got up to his feet, hunched over and
coughing.
"Are you okay?" Sally asked, holding his arm as if to keep him from
falling.
"Oh... I completely forgot about that rock... ouch..." he said, looking
back at the rock he had tripped over, holding his throat, still coughing.
He looked at her. "yes, I'm okay, I think... my clothes are soaked,
though..."
"What are you doing up so early?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I came down here to get some air, and maybe take
a dip to wake myself up... what about you?"
"I'm just getting washed up... looks like you could use to do the
same..." She said, remembering that he hadn't had access to anywhere he
could get fully washed from.
"Eheh, yeah, I guess so..." he said, embarassed. "But you still didn't
answer my question... what are you doing up so early?"
"Well... I'm worried about that new weapon that Robotnik's working on.
I just can't stand the feeling of anyone being brought into the Void..."
"What IS this 'Void', anyway?" Daniel asked, starting to wade back to
shore to sit down.
"It's a form of... vortex... and it can suck someone in, with no way
to get out... if you attempt to get out, you will turn to crystal..."
she explained, a tear forming. Daniel turned to face Sally. She let out
a quiet sob as he started towards her.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked. Sally looked up.
"Oh.. n-nothing. It's nothing." She stammered.
"There must be something..." He started. Sally walked past him, tossing
a bar of soap to him. He watched as she ran off. "What was that all about?"
he asked himself. He shrugged, and figured he'd better get himself cleaned
up for the day.

"Okay..." Sally said, shakily, to the group. She cleared her throat.
"okay... now, today, we are going to have to take out more facilities, and
tomorrow, I expect to have gotten them all. There is an urgent matter
regarding these facilities, and we absolutely must destroy them all. Sonic,
Daniel, and I, will go as team one and destroy this facility, marked here."
She said, pointing to a blip on the holographic map Nicole had produced.
"Dulcy, Bunnie, and Antoine will go as team two to the other facility,
marked here." she said, pointing to the second blip on Nicole's map. She
looked back at the group. "Now, meet me outside in ten minutes for
equipment distribution." She said, as the group got up, and left, single
file. She stood there, leaning on the podium. Once the last person had
left, she let her head drop to her hands. "Oh... why... Daddy, why can't
you be here to guide me?" she said softly, letting out a sob. She got back
up to a standing position and wiped her face from tears. She walked over
to the panel on the wall, removed it, and took out the IR binoculars, and
some charges. She replaced the panel. "I guess it doesn't matter. We need
to do this now. This is the present..." She said, regaining her confidence.
She put the equipment into a bag and headed out the door.

Sally passed the explosives to the leader of team 2, Bunnie, who put them
into her backpack. She then gave each person a pair of IR Binoculars, and
started on her way, the others following her.
"So, Sally-girl, what about the plan?" Bunnie asked.
"There is no plan. You'll have to make it up as you go along. There's no
time for anything like that to be done... We need to do this quickly"
Sally replied as they walked along the path. Bunnie nodded and continued
walking.
After about an hour, they could smell the air, and feel its thickness,
caused by the greenhouse gases. They were in the outskirts of Robotropolis
now, the sky black. They ran for shelter.
"Okay... Team 2, move out, Team 1, follow me!" Sally said as Bunnie and
the rest of team 2 ran off into the streets, towards their objective.
Sally ran in the opposite direction, the rest of team 1 following her.

Sally walked ahead a bit, peering over the corner of the building they
were behind. There was the facility! Guarded even more heavily this time
than the other, though. She carefully moved safely out of view and walked
back to the others.
"Okay, Sonic, you distract the guards like you did before. Daniel,
you set a charge on the door when everything's clear, then we go in, and
set the explosives. Any questions?" Sally asked, concluding her statement.
There was no answer from either of them. "Okay, then. Let's go!" She said.
Sonic acknowledged this and sped out into the open, using his decoy trick
on the SWAT-Bots. Once he lured them away, Sally and Daniel ran over to
the building. Sally took cover while the charge was placed. Daniel set it
to go off in five seconds. He started it and ran for cover. He dove to the
ground beside Sally as the charge blew the door straight off its hinges.
He got up, brushed himself off and followed Sally inside.
"This place is bigger than the other-" he started.
"Shh!" Sally said, taking Daniel's arm and pulling him into some shadows.
"Look over there" she whispered. Daniel looked as he saw SWAT-Bots running
to the door which had been blown. "Let's go... over here!" she whispered,
pulling his arm as he got up and followed her over to one of the spots that
was weak. "Set the explosive here... quickly" she urged him, glancing back
at the SWAT-Bots investigating the door. Daniel removed his pack, and
prodiced an explosive. He armed it and placed it. They looked back to
where the SWAT-Bots were. They were gone; no trace of them left. Sally ran
to the next point, with Daniel following behind her. He placed another
charge and followed her to the next point. There was no resistance; they
were alone. After placing another one, the lights dimmed and there was
a loud cackling noise. A wall opened up to reveal a screen. Robotnik's
face displayed on the screen.
"Well, hello, princess, and the hotshot fox as well? Well, I hope you
are both prepared to meet the king..." he said.
"The... the king? Daddy?" Sally cried, in shock.
"Why yes, princess. Your friends are already there with him. Soon you
will be, too. You will all be one happy family again, and I will have
Mobius as my own to rule and do as I see fit!" He shouted, pressing a
button. Another screen appeared and showed Sonic, Bunnie, Antoine, and
Dulcy being sucked into the Void. Sally looked shocked as she watched this.
"Robotnik... how... how could you?" Sally stammered. She dropped to her
knees and completely broke down crying, the mere thought of this making
her feel heavy guilt. She was crushed.
"Sally! They're fake images! Don't listen to him!" Daniel shouted. Sally
gave no response. She was in a world of her own.
"Now, for the fun part..." Robotnik said, pushing another button.
All exits were enclosed by a solid titanium shutter. The center of the room
started to rise. It burst open, revealing what looked like a giant ring
with runes inscribed on it. "This.. is the Void. I hope you like it, for
that's where you will be for a veeery long time..." he said, launching into
a fit of laughing.
"Oh, man... what am I going to do?... if that thing opens..." he started.
he remembered a red switch on his rifle. "hey... the self-destruct switch
on my rifle!" he said, taking his rifle from his back. He flipped the
switch and it started to beep. He ran over and jammed it into the gears of
the Void's opening mechanism and ran over to Sally. He picked her up and
ran as far as he could, the beeping getting faster. The mechanisms of the
Void began to smoke from overheating. He quickly put Sally down and
shielded her with his body. He braced himself for the explosion.
"WHAT?!?! Why won't it open??" Robotnik screamed through the screen,
pressing the button many times. A few seconds later, the beeping turned
to one continuous beep, and stopped. A slight whine is let out, and then
the rifle, and the Void gate, were completely destroyed, the explosion
sending debris and flaming peices of metal everywhere. Many small bits
of hot steel, screws, among other things, pelted Daniel as the room lit
up in flames. When the explosion finished, and nothing was left but a
burning pile of rubble, Daniel painfully rolled himself off of Sally. She
was unharmed; he successfully shielded her. He nudged her.
"Hey... wake up already... we have to get out of here somehow!" Daniel
shouted, surprised that his voice was so low in volume. Sally pushed
herself up.
"What... what happened?..." Sally asked, wiping her face from tears.
"I think you collapsed when Robotnik showed you the fake footage...
either that or the explosion temporarily-" he started
"Explosion?!" Sally said, whipping her head around to see the burning
mass in the center of the room.
"I had to do it... it was a Void gate... or something like that." He
said. Sally looked at him. He was bleeding in various places, but it would
seem that his vest took a lot of the damage, judging from the poor
condition it was in.
"What happened to you?" Sally asked.
"There's a more important question in my mind right now, and that's how
do we get out of here?" he said. At that exact moment, he heard a pounding
sound on one of the titanium shutters. He looked over at it. He then heard
a high-pitched sound as the shutter began to move upwards. "Come on! Over
here... the shutter's opening!" Daniel yelled as he pulled himself off the
floor, and ran over to the shutter, Sally following. When he got close to
the shutter, the supports on it snapped and it rolled uppwards, revealing
Bunnie. The two ran outside and headed away from the building. Bunnie and
the rest of her team followed, as Sonic came racing back.
"What in the heck happened in thair?" Bunnie asked, looking at Daniel's
wounds and watching the building flame.
"I have no idea" Sally said.
"It's a long story..." Daniel said, his voice rough.
"Let's blow this place and get back home!" Sonic said, picking up the
detonator. He pressed the button, and the already-wounded building was
completely destroyed. They headed back to Knothole, Sonic taking Daniel
ahead, as he needed medical attention.

Daniel awoke a short while later. He had blacked out from the sheer speed
and G-forces inflicted on him, on top of his wounds, as he was being sped
through the forest by Sonic. He opened his eyes to see Bunnie over at a
counter, mixing some things together while humming a tune which Daniel was
not familiar with, but that was to be expected, as he was from another
planet. She dabbed a cloth into the mixture and turned to Daniel.
"Ah hope ya don't mind if ah patch ya up a bit, so ta speak" she said,
walking towards him. "It has ta be done, though, or else they'll get
infected." She said. She took the cloth and dabbed it on one of his wounds.
"Is this supposed to hurt?" Daniel asked, confused.
"Why, no! This stuff don't hurt t'all! Mah special recipe, handed down
from generation ta generation." She said, as she continued to dab at his
wounds.
"This stuff feels... good..." he said, surprised. The mixture had
somewhat of a calming effect to it.
"That's what it's supposed ta do! Ah still remember way back when, when
ah'd fall down, and cut m'self, and mah mommy'd come out with this stuff,
and ah'd feel better right away... after a few minutes, the cut would be
completely gone!" She said, with a tear in her eye. She smiled at the
memory, although painful to deal with, knowing that her parents were
roboticized during the takeover of Robotnik. She smiled, though, because
of the memory. She looked down and continued to dab at his wounds. Daniel
looked down at what she was doing. She was obviously trained in medicine,
as the tenderness and gentleness of her procedures easily rivalled that of
the best doctors back on Earth. He relaxed as she continued treating his
wounds.
"Is this what you did for my arm back when I first got here?"
"Sure is!"
"That explains why it healed so quickly..." he said.
"Oh, ah almost forgot... your clothes were pretty much ruined... Rotor's
gonna look at the material an' all that, and try ta make ya some new stuff.
Fer now, ya can just use one of them cloaks ovah there. It's gettin' chilly
out now, and ya can't be runnin' around with nothin' warm on but yer fur."
she said, as she walked over to the counter again to get a fresh cloth.
"You seem to know a lot about medicine." Daniel said as Bunnie returned
with a new cloth. She dabbed it into the mixture.
"Yeah... mah mother was a doctor, and all ah wanted ta do in life was ta
be like her, ta help people... and that's what ah studied; medicine."
"I don't know what I'll do with my life... maybe that thought isn't a
valid one any more - after all, there's nobody to work for, and no money to
be had..." he said. At that moment, Sally opened the door and walked in.
Bunnie looked back at the noise.
"Oh, hiyah, Sally-girl!" Bunnie said, smiling at her. Sally didn't smile
back. "What's wrong?"
"Oh.. uh-n-nothing... I just have a headache. Do you have any pain
relievers?" Sally asked.
"Sure, they're up in that there cabinet," she said, pointing to a cabinet
on the wall. Sally walked over to it and opened it. She removed a bottle
and closed the cabinet.
"Thanks, Bunnie. I think I'm going to lie down for a while" Sally said,
walking out of the hut.
"I guess the noise level of the explosion is still bothering her..."
Daniel said. "Hey, how long have I been unconscious?" he asked.
"Long enough fer us ta get all that stuff out of these here cuts." Bunnie
said, going back to work at Daniel's wounds.
"So, Sally's fine, other than that headache?" he asked, as Bunnie kept
continued.
"Yep. That was pretty brave of ya, ta shield her with yer own body."
Bunnie said, "And pretty stupid, too... ya coulda got yerself killed!"
"It was better me than her... I had protection... she didn't. Also, it's
no good for us both to have been hurt, right?"
"Ah guess so..." Bunnie said.

Sally laid down on her bed, letting the effects of the pain killers seep
in. She closed her eyes.
"What if Robotnik already has that weapon made? What if that's what he
used earlier today? And what if... what if Daniel had died..." she said.
She constantly worried about everyone's safety. She couldn't bear to have
any more of them lost to Robotnik, not even one. She had already seen
enough of that. She slowly drifted to sleep as the medicine took effect,
easing the pain of her nagging headache.

"There! All done!" Bunnie said, putting the cloth onto the counter.
"Good... but... I still feel weak..." Daniel said, trying to get up off
of the bed.
"Well, ah'm afraid ya cain't just replace blood in an instant... so yer
gonna be weak for a while." Bunnie said, as she began to wash her hands.
"I suppose..." He said, succeeding in sitting up.
"No, no! Don't get up! Lay down, and rest... ya'll just make it take
longer for yer strength ta come back." Bunnie said, walking over to him.
"But..."
"No buts. Lay down and rest!" Bunnie said, helping him back into a lying
position. Daniel sighed. He hated this. He hated the feeling of
helplessness; uselessness, that had swept over him. He was too weak even
to stand; how can he help the team if he couldn't even stand? He just
sighed again and closed his eyes. Maybe he could get some sleep.

Sally awoke later that day. Her head not hurting much any more, but she
had a feeling of grogginess; drowsiness, a certain feeling of 'blah'. She
got up and walked over to the mirror. She was a mess. Obviously she hadn't
slept well - though those pills sometimes have that effect on people. She
went to where Nicole lay on her desk.
"Nicole, start journal log recording, date Likhrei 23rd, 3235." Sally
commanded to the tiny computer.
"Journal log entry: started. Recording: now." Nicole droned.


"Dear Journal, Likhrei 23rd, 3235

Today, on a raid of one of Robotnik's research facilities,
Daniel has saved my life. I had fainted from emotional
trauma, and he had saved us both from a fate in the Void
by destroying the gate using the self-destruct mode on
his weapon. The blast would have killed me, but he did
what nobody else I know of would have done: he shielded
me with his own body. I hope he will be alright, as he
has suffered many wounds not normally fatal, but enough
in quantity to be quite serious. They are mostly small
wounds, not big enough to require surgery or stitching.
I have emerged unscathed, except for a headache, the
effects of which I still bear as I am recording this.
For now, I think that some rest for the rest of this day
would be appropriate."

-Excerpt from Princess
Sally Alicia Acorn's Journal,
dated Likhrei 23rd, 3235


Daniel awoke to the drab sights of the medical hut. He looked around.
Nobody was there. He sat up, realizing that his strength was returning to
him. He rubbed his forehead.
"Oh, man... that wasn't a nice nap at all..." he said. He slid off the
bed and walked around for a little bit, testing the strength of his legs.
"Good... seems like that stuff works wonders..." he said, looking down at
what once was a cut-laden leg. There was little evidence now that there
was even a cut on his leg at all, other than the slight scabbing and
scarring. He walked to the door and opened it. It was raining hard. No
wind... just rain. He obviously did not want to get wet, so he went to the
closet and removed a cloak. He wrapped it around him and headed outside.
The rain felt good in its own way. He decided that it would be best to go
to his hut for a while until the rain cleared up. He walked in and quickly
shut the door so the rain wouldn't pour in. He removed his cloak and slung
it over a chair. He lay down on his bed. It was so much more comfortable
than the medical hut's bed. He threw his arms back behind his head to
support it. He thought for a while, listening to the monotonous beat of the
heavy rain as it poured down on the village. Eventually, the noise began
to become soothing, and Daniel soon found himself falling asleep.

"Hey, Sal." Sonic said as he walked into Sally's hut.
"Huh?" She said, startled. "Oh, hi, Sonic." Sally said.
"Feelin' better?" he asked. It was a stupid question, actually, because
it was plain as day that Sally looked like she had been dragged through
the entire Great Forest and back.
"Better than earlier, yes... better... no." She said.
"Maybe you should take it easy for a while. Don't bother with those
plans... they can wait. You need rest, Sal."
"I guess you're right, Sonic..." she said, rubbing her forehead. She put
down her pen and stood up. "You should get some rest, too. We still have to
get those other research facilities to be sure that Robotnik doesn't finish
that portable Void weapon."
"Okay, Sal. You take it easy." He said, exiting her hut.
"Sure..." She said softly to herself. She walked slowly over to her bed
and sat down. "Oh, what a day..." She said. "I can't believe that my plans
almost got Daniel killed... What if Bunnie, or Sonic... what if something
happens to them, too?" She said, a tear forming. "Oh, daddy! Why did you
have to leave me to decide these things? Why?!" She cried, tears streaming
down her face. "I can't tell people to kill themselves for me! It's not
right for me to decide... Why... Why?!"

Daniel awoke the next day to the sound of an occasional drop of rain
hitting the hut. He sat up and yawned. "Wow, that was refreshing... unlike
the medical bed..." He slid off the bed and looked at the clock. 06:30.
He looked over to where the cloak was, and in its place was a box, with a
note. He picked up the note.

"Dear Daniel,
Hey, sugar, this is Bunnie. I'm just writing this
so that you'd know that these are your clothes.
Rotor repaired them for you. See you tomorrow!

-Bunnie Rabbot"

Daniel lowered the note from his face and eyed the box laid out on his
table. He opened it, revealing his clothes. It was all in perfect condition.
He put down the note and put on his clothes. They were perfect, just like
before.
"I'll have to thank Rotor later on..." He said.

Bunnie sat on her bed, watching the sky clear up from behind her window.
She sighed. This type of weather always seemed to put her in a depressing
mood.
"Ah wonder if Sally's gonna be okay..." She said. "Her headache was
pretty bad, and Sonic says she's still got it..." she sighed. "Ah suppose
she'll get over it." She then noticed some movement. She got up and went
to her window to see Daniel walk out of his hut and head into the forest.
"Maybe..." she said, watching him walk off down the path. "Maybe ah should
tell Daniel 'bout this... he was pretty worried when she came into the
medical hut." She said, starting towards her door. She opened it and
stepped outside. She followed Daniel down the path, trying to catch up with
him. "Hey Daniel!" She shouted. Daniel stopped and turned around.
"Bunnie? What are you doing up at this hour? And... why are you following
me?" Daniel asked. Bunnie looked away.
"Well... ah guess we're both havin' trouble sleepin' lately... anyway,
ah came after ya because ah thought ya might want ta know about Sally."
"Yeah, I was wondering how she was. Is she okay? She seemed distressed
when she came into the medical hut."
"Well... Sonic says that she still got that headache, and she's real
upset 'bout somethin'." Daniel looked down.
"Well... thanks for updating me on it..." he said. Bunnie looked away.
"Ah guess ya don't like what Ah just told ya, huh?"
"Oh... it's okay... it's just... she... was the first person to actually
trust me, and to befriend me..." he said. "And I don't want to believe that
she's upset because of something I did..."
"Ya don't know that she's upset 'cause of you"
"That's true, I guess..."
"Ah guess Ah'll let ya get back ta yer walk now..." Bunnie said, half
sorry she had brought up the whole thing. She turned and walked away
slowly.

"Ah nevah shoulda told him that... now he's upset 'cause of me..." Bunnie
said as she sat down on her bed. "If only Ah could take it back..." She
said. She looked out the window to see the sun breaking through the clouds.
It normally would have made her feel better, but she was in despair now.
Just then, she heard a knock at her door. She went over to it, and opened
it.
"Hey, Bunnie..." Daniel said.
"Oh... uh... hi." she said nervously. "Ah'm sorry if Ah ruined yer day
or somethin'..."
"No, no... it's got nothing to do with that..." He said. "I would have
found out anyway. I came here to apologize for letting you run off... I
shouldn't have done that, because now I've upset you, because you thought
you upset me."
"A-Ah..." She said, not knowing what to say. "Well... thank ya,
anyway, but Ah cain't accept an apology from you for this..."
"Sure you can. I'm only worried about Sally, that's all. Don't blame
yourself for my concerns"
"But... if Ah hadn't told ya..."
"I would have found out anyway."
"Okay then, if you say so... is that all ya wanted ta talk about?"
"Yeah. I guess I'll be seeing you later then."
"Okay then... Bye" She said as he turned and walked off. She closed the
door. "Well... there goes one of mah problems..."

"Heya, mister Daniel!" Tails shouted, running after Daniel, whom had
started down the path to the forest again to have another walk. His head
still hadn't cleared.
"Uh..." Daniel said, turning around to face the two-tailed energetic kit.
"Oh, hi." He said with a smile, looking down at Tails.
"Do you wanna play with me? Sonic never has any time any more, and Aunt
Sally is real upset 'bout somethin'!"
"I know all about what's been going on lately, trust me. So, what's your
name? You know mine, but I don't know yours." Daniel asked the young fox.
"My name is Tails... well, my real name isn't Tails, but everybody calls
me that 'cause I got two tails, see?" He said as he waved both of his tails
so Daniel could see. Daniel crouched a bit to Tails' level.
"Wow, that's pretty cool. My name's Daniel Winters... just call me
Dan."
"Cool! So Dan, wanna play with me?" Daniel thought for a minute. Maybe it
could get his mind off of all this.
"Sure, what do you want to do?"

"Yo, Sal?" Sonic asked as he opened the door to Sally's hut. Sally was
sat on the chair in front of her desk. She looked up.
"Yeah, Sonic? What is it?" She asked, sounding a little more calm than
she was before. Sonic walked over to her.
"Feelin' better, Sal?"
"A lot better... I've had time to recover. Things happen, and I have to
remember that."
"Great, Sal, glad to hear it. So what do we do for now? What next?"
"Well, we still haven't gotten rid of all of those facilities yet..."
"Whoa, Sal, back up for a second. Don't you think that after what happened
yesterday that this whole thing might be a setup?"
"Well, Sonic, we don't know that for sure..."
"Hey, I've got it, Sal! Let's see what Uncle Chuck has to say about this!"
"Okay, Sonic... but you should be careful..."
"Hey, don't sweat it! I've been in and outta Unc's hideout lotsa times
and I've never got caught yet!"
"Just don't do anything stupid..."
"Hey, do I look stupid to you, Sal?"
"I won't answer that, Sonic"
"Hey, come on, do I?"
"Sonic, stop it" Sally said with a chuckle.
"Shall I take that as a no? Good, so I'm outta here!" He said as he
stormed out of Sally's hut, causing papers and loose objects to fly around.
Sally shielded herself until the sudden burst of wind had passed.
"I don't think I'll ever understand that Hedgehog..." She said, shaking
her head.

Sonic streaked through the streets of Robotropolis as he made his way to
his uncle's hideout. Suddenly, a sound all too familiar to him rang out
from the shadows.
"HEDGEHOG. PRIORITY ONE. SURRENDER YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY."
"Aww, man... Just what I needed right now." Sonic remarked as he turned
to face the origin of the sound. He looked up to see a group of SWAT-Bots
and a few hover units above. "Sorry, guys, but I'm in a hurry. Catch ya
later!" With that, Sonic tore off down the streets, while the SWAT-Bots
tried to chase him. They eventually returned to their posts, except the
hover unit, which was able to keep up with Sonic. It started to fire.
"Whoa! Watch it! You could hurt somebody with that thing!" he shouted as
he dodged down one of the many alleys of Robotropolis. "Man, you guys need
to get a brain! Just watch this!" he shouted as he used the sheer force of
inertia to diffuse gravity long enough to run up and over the wall. The
hover unit, piloted by a normal SWAT-Bot, pulled up and engaged reverse
thrust. Too late. The hover unit smashed into the wall and exploded,
destroying both the unit and the wall. Sonic skidded to a halt. "Hah! That
was the best you could do?" he said as he sped off towards his uncle's
residence.

"So what you're telling me, Sonnie, is that Robotnik has some top secret
devices in the works, but you guys suspect that it's a trap." Charles said,
trying to get the facts straight.
"Exactly, Unc!" Sonic said.
"So what do you need me for?"
"We're gonna need you to find out if it actually is something for real,
or if it's just another trap!"
"Right, so I'll check Robotnik's systems. You check back with me in a few
hours."
"Cool, Unc... I'll be back then!"
"Be careful, Sonnie..." Charles said, as he watched his nephew leave. He
turned to a terminal he had set up and walked over to it. He turned it on,
and after it started up, he started to type.

"So, Sonic, did you find Sir Charles?" Sally asked.
"Yeah, he said to check back with him in a few hours..." Sonic replied,
with his usual impatient look in his eyes.
"Incoming transmission, Sally." Nicole reported as Sally picked Nicole
up from her boot.
"Display, Nicole." She said to the small computer. Some lights flashed.
"Cannot comply, Sally. Message is audio only."
"Then let's hear it, Nicole!" Sonic shouted at the computer.
"Okay. Okay. My main hedgehog. Chill out. Playing..." Nicole said as
Sally rolled her eyes. Some static was heard for a few seconds.
"Listen, Sonic, and Sally. I've found something urgent. It seems that
Robotnik is, in fact building that weapon and I now see why you were
worried. I don't know what he intends to do, but I have a feeling that he
will probably try and lure you in so he can use it..." heavy static
interrupts Charles' voice. "Good luck to both of you." was the last
understandable bit. The rest of the message was nothing but static.
"End play, Nicole." Sally commanded to the computer as the speaker cut
out. "Sonic... what should we do?"
"You're asking ME?" He asked, surprised. "How would I know?"
"Well... I say we should continue attacks on those buildings. Maybe we
can stop Robotnik before he finishes it..."
"It's your call, Sal... I'm gonna leave this one to you." He said, as he
turned and exited Sally's hut. Sally sat there quietly, pondering whether
she should risk it.
"Either way, he'll use it on us... I guess the only way for us to have
any chance is to meet it head-on!" Sally said to herself.

Tails took the ball in his hand and threw it to Daniel, whom caught it.
Daniel was all too familiar with this game. He tossed it back.
"Yo! Daniel!" Sonic shouted from a distance. He sped over to where Daniel
and Tails were playing and came to a halt.
"Sonic? What's up?" Daniel asked hesitantly.
"We need ya now... meet us back at the planning hut... this is mondo
serious!"
"Okay then..." Daniel said as Tails spoke.
"Can I go too?" Tails asked with his most convincing tone.
"Sorry, big guy. Not this time." Sonic said.
"But, why not?" Tails asked, with a tone of sadness.
"It's too dangerous... sorry, big guy, maybe some other time."
"But...... okay..." Tails said as he walked away, ball and glove in hand.

"Okay. Sonic, Bunnie, Daniel, Rotor, Dulcy, Antoine... I guess you're
all wondering why you're here. Well, we have recieved urgent news. Robotnik
actually IS building a weapon that I can only describe as a portable void
generator. I don't know much about it from what I've seen, but if it can
create an entrance to the Void from a small, SWAT-Bot mountable weapon,
then we should consider stopping its production our top priority. Now, on
to business. Bunnie... you, Sonic, and I will infiltrate and destroy this
building, which we have found to be the only site with the remaining
blueprints for the weapon left..." She said as a large manufacturing plant
was highlighted on the map. "Meanwhile, Dulcy, Antoine, and Daniel will
hit this power plant as a diversionary force. Once the diversion has been
created, Sonic, Bunnie, and I will move in. Rotor will stand watch and
keep in touch with Charles and ourselves, and, should anything go wrong,
he will get back to Knothole and gather a second force. We can't afford
to lose this battle. Are there any questions?"
"Oui, where will ze SWAT-Bots be being when we go to ze power plant?"
Antoine asked.
"They will probably, and hopefully, be after you guys."
"Sucr‚ blu!" Antoine said, flinching.
"Can it, Ant. It's not worth cryin' ovah. If y'all don't do this, we're
gonna all be sucked into that Void!" Bunnie said.
"Sal, what if the diversion doesn't work?" Sonic asked.
"That's the most intelligent question I've heard all day... Sonic, if the
diversion doesn't work, then..." Sally said, as she was interrupted by
Sonic.
"We'll be in mondo trouble, right?"
"Right. Now, we'll meet outside here at twenty three hundred and thirty
hours. Be ready by then. We need to strike at Midnight, when the patrols
are spread thinnest." Sally said, finishing the briefing. "That's in
five hours." She said as they started to file out of the room.



--================================================================================================================== END: PART III - The Games Begin. ==================================================================================================================