Tekno walked through the factory, watching as Egg Swats were assembled beneath her. The round, towering robots stood taller than either of their predecessors, their weaponized hands the size of a Mobian head.

*Hey, bird girl* Tekno was distracted from her musings by a green pronghorn walking her way, most of her face replaced by metal. *Boss wants a report on the new models*

"Oh, r-righto." The canary pulled up a tablet, looking over the input it had. "Uh, Egg Swat production has exceeded our expected figures, the first wave of Sentries is nearing completion, and the, uh… the E-400s will be ready by this evening."

*Good enough* the pronghorn shrugged. *There's a parade scheduled later to show these things off. Might wanna freshen yourself up before then*

"Thanks for the advice," chuckled Tekno, wiping some grease from her forehead and walking out of the factory.

In the rebel base, Gadget once again had to stop Scorch from tormenting another poor Wisp, wrapping her up in his hoodie in order to keep her from doing anything else. As he approached the command center, he found Petronella listening to a transmission.

"Citizens of the Archipelago, please pay very close attention," it stated. "A parade of progress is being held at Wellix Square precisely at noon tomorrow. Attendance is compulsory by order of the Eggman Empire."

"Whatever this parade is can't be anything good," the skunk remarked. "I'm putting together a team to check it out. Do you have any suggestions?"

Gadget rubbed his chin, then signed, I'll go. And that porcupine we met last week, Henrik I think, will be a good help with what I have in mind.

"A little light, but sounds good to me," replied Petronella. "Just get in position soon and-" She stopped, placing a hand on the lapel of her vest. "-and be careful."

Petronella had informed Henrik of the arrangement, and he was busy discussing it with the others. The green porcupine was adorned with white markings, a red bandana over his muzzle, and goggles on his forehead.

"Why did he choose me?" he asked the others. "I'll do the mission, sure. I just wanna know why I got picked."

"Maybe 'cause you're new and he doesn't know you yet," suggested Tangle, who was sitting with another new recruit-another wolf, this one a yellow shade with a dark cloak. He didn't know who she was to the lemur, but the fact Tangle's tail was wrapped around her suggested they were close. "What's the problem with him, anyway?"

"It's not-well, I don't have a problem, it's just… the way he talks with his hands. I don't know MSL that well, so how are we meant to communicate?"

'It sounds like you want Gadget to accommodate you,' the yellow wolf whispered, staring at Henrik even with her eyes closed. 'Maybe you should try accommodating him?'

Henrik opened his mouth, then shut it, pondering. He didn't have much time to ponder, though, as he was called to begin the mission.

Wellix Square was sparsely populated at 11:30, with only a dozen citizens and a small mixed group of Swatbots and Egg Pawns on guard. This meant less witnesses as Gadget led Henrik along.

"There's five possible exits out of the square," he told the wolf, once he was certain nobody else was paying attention. "The rearmost two go straight to the headquarters, the others go to the docks, the housing district, and the forest. What's your best idea?"

Mine the buildings around the HQ entrances so backup can't get here in time, Garget signed. I'll take the forest path, while you go through the town. We regroup at the Onyx Claw.

Henrik seemed puzzled for a moment, not understanding Gadget's rapid signs, so the wolf instead made exaggerated hand gestures to get his point across. He then nodded, walking off to get to work.

As the half-hour passed, more people arrived, and the square became populated. Then, once the clock struck the hour, the parade began. The first group approached the square, the crowd taking in the sight of the new Egg Swats. In the center stood a podium, upon which stood a pronghorn.

*Thank you for being here,* she began halfheartedly, the crowd matching her enthusiasm (or lack thereof). *Trust me, you might feel like small cogs in a big machine, but this parade wouldn't be possible without you. Huzzah*

Gadget stopped listening to her words, instead focusing on Henrik on the other side of the crowd. He held a small remote in his hands, waving it around as the wolf held a finger up. The Egg Swats began moving away, and coming in behind them were another new group of robots. They looked like bumblebees, but with cannons where their heads should be. Gadget watched as the pronghorn continued speaking.

*Sadly, the man himself cannot be here to celebrate this success, but the current leader of this fine nation will be here to see you personally. Wahoo*

Gadget clenched his fist. Henrik pushed a button on the remote.

People shouted as two of the buildings exploded, rubble collapsing across the pathways. Most of it crashed atop the robots standing guard, as they all collapsed to the ground. The pronghorn stumbled, but remained in her perch.

*Everyone get outta here,* she ordered the crowd, looking down at the newly assembled robots. *Egg Swats, Sentries, do your job and find whoever did this!*

The robots complied, marching and hovering across the square to find the culprits. They each hid down separate alleyways, signaling to each other before taking their leave.

One of the Swatbots that had seemingly been knocked offline rose back to its feet, its visor struggling to stay alight as it caught sight of a wolf in an alleyway. Staggering forward, it followed this stranger.

The duo had regrouped as planned, walking through the woods until they came to an old stone altar. Gadget lifted one of the stones away, releasing an underground tunnel which the two entered; in their haste, they forgot to replace the stone.

Inside, Esmas and Petronella were listening to another broadcast. "Prefect Cassia is uninjured, but five Badniks were destroyed in this cowardly attack on the square. Any information on these rebels must be brought to your local Eggman Empire center at once."

"Nice work," the skunk commented as they came in. "They have no idea what hit them."

But they'll know next time, signed Esmas. They'll increase everything from guards to curfews.

"Guys?" called Henrik, but he was ignored.

"Perhaps once the citizens see how hard they're being treated, they'll begin rising up."

"Guys?"

Or they'll just dislike us for inconveniencing them.

"GUYS?!"

Everyone turned around, watching as a Swatbot stomped into the base. Everyone quickly jumped to attention, Esmas and Henrik both firing warning shots at the intruder. Rather than retaliate, the Swatbot started backing away, huddling into a corner.

By that point, the others had arrived, each one ready to destroy the intruder.

"HEY!"

The unfamiliar voice made everyone pause, Gadget holding his arms out as he stepped in front of the cowering robot, arms held out defensively.

"Uh… Gadget?" remarked Tangle. "The killer robot's behind you, dude."

If that Swatbot gets out, it can alert people to our location, agreed Esmas.

The red wolf ignored them both, turning to face the damaged Badnik with his hands held open. It tried to shift back as he stepped closer, until he leaned up and looked at its damaged head.

"Can you hear me?" he asked. His voice was softer than anyone was expecting, and his tone was patient with the much taller machine. When Gadget didn't get a response, he held up his hands, signing as he continued to talk. "My name is Gadget, I am a friend."

The Swatbot held up its hands, its fingers twitching. "Gadget, you might wanna back up," advised Henrik, but the red wolf didn't move.

"Can you repeat that? 'Gadget,' 'Friend.' Do what I do: 'Gadget,' 'Friend.'"

The Swatbot's hands came closer to Gadget, Henrik almost ready to yank him backwards when…

Gadget. Friend.

"Very good! You'll be safe here, friend, don't worry."

Gadget held a hand out to the Swatbot, who took it gingerly and got back to its feet. When he turned, the others stared at him, impressed.

Tangle spoke up first. "Are you, like, a bot whisperer? That was really cool how you made it trust you!"

The yellow wolf was next, whispering 'I never heard anything' to the red one, with Esmas nodding in agreement.

Petronella offered him a small smile, then told Gadget, "Since you've calmed down your… friend, he's your responsibility."

Gadget signed in affirmation, beckoning the Swatbot to follow him. Henrik wanted to ask him something, but he'd already left the room.

The question continued to linger in his mind: If Gadget could speak, why didn't he?

The porcupine stopped by Gadget's room, hoping to ask that. As he peered in through the curtain, the red wolf had his back to the doorway; his hoodie was off, Scorch fast asleep on top of it, as he dealt with their defecting Swatbot. He turned to pick up some tool, catching Henrik and giving him a good look at Gadget's front in the process.

The red wolf had two scars beneath his chest, signs that he had received surgery in the past. That, combined with his soft voice, told Henrik all he needed to know.

"I, uh… got lost," he chuckled, as Gadget continued to stare at him. "I'll just… I'll just be going now. B-Bye."

He quickly departed before Gadget could do anything else. That could have gone a lot better.

Still, it answered his question, and he would respect the red wolf's decisions. The more Henrik thought about Gadget, the more he wanted to get to know him.

I feel like I could have written the ending better, but I'm happy with this chapter. I have a few others stories in the works (I say, ignoring all the other stories I haven't updated in months), so be on the lookout for those.

Also, Happy Frontiers Eve, to all who celebrate.

Fun facts: The Swatbot developing free will was inspired by a similar moment from Sonic Chronicles. Henrik the porcupine was created based on the hedgehog in the Forces character creator.