Antipode Evangel Presents:
Freedom Fighters of Mobius
Sonic the Hedgehog Neo Redux
Year 3236, Day 170
SOLO, Part 2
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Story (c) 2003 by the author. Based on characters created by Sega, DiC Productions, and/or Archie Comics Group, used without permission, but protected by spiffy copyright laws... Nyah, nyah.
Other characters:
Bookshire Draftwood (c) Bookshire Draftwood, without permission.
Sally went silently into the medical hut, drawing the attention of Bookshire and Rotor. "How is she, guys?"
The doctor sighed. "Stable."
"The nanobots in her system have already closed up the wound," Rotor reported. "But her robotic arm is gone. There's no replacing that."
The princess' gaze fell to the body lying on the examination table, her dear friend Bunnie. She was sedated for now, an attempt by Bookshire to try slowing her systems so they could see more accurately what was going on. Bunnie Rabbot was the first known subject to be Roboticized -- even partially -- and still retain their consciousness. How the process worked was a mystery of cybernetics, so anything he would try would be experimental.
"Could we try prosthetics?" Sally suggested.
Rotor thought about it, then shrugged. "Not sure. We would have to attach them to the mechanics already in her shoulder, and that would take studying them. Besides... I don't think Bunnie would be too keen on that."
An awkward hush fell on the room, broken periodically by the tones from the bio-monitors. When Sally spoke, her voice was lowered to a whisper. "Just do what you can."
She stepped out into the courtyard, the hectic events of the past night finally catching up with her. After the cargo pod had gone down, she had managed to find a ground speeder in one of the garages nearby. Hotwiring it had been easy, and she had gotten Bunnie to Bookshire's as fast as she could. Sally looked into the flickering flame of one of the torches surrounding the camp, bringing up the image of the burning pod illuminating Bunnie's face, reflecting off her false eye. She remembered her anguished expression as she clutched her left shoulder, the dark lubricant fluid seeping between her fingers. She had asked if it hurt at all, and Bunnie had replied calmly, almost matter-of-factly:
"I cain't feel a thing, Sally-girl. Machines don't feel pain."
"You're not a machine, Bunnie," she had replied. "You're flesh and blood."
She had removed her hand from her shoulder, holding it between them as the oil dripped from her fingers. "Does this look like blood to you?"
Sally shook her head to clear it. She had never seen Bunnie the way she had been that night. It was a side of her that she had never let Sally see before, and now that she pondered it, the strength of her emotion was somewhat disconcerting, almost disturbing.
She glanced back at Bookshire's hut, hoping that somehow... what? What did she hope would come out of this? That Bunnie would somehow forgive what had happened? No, the damage was already done, and could not be reversed.
Sally collapsed into a chair in the commons, propping her elbows on the table and holding her head in her hands. How could Bunnie forgive what she did to her? She was the reason. It was her crazy chase for her father's files that had caused the crash, it was she who had been holding the axe. In every sense of the word, she was at fault.
Her shoulders gently shook with quiet sobbing. What kind of leader was she, that even her closest friends were susceptible to life-threatening danger? What if it had been Rotor in that copilot's chair, or Antoine, or Sonic? They may not have even survived impact, nonetheless having their arm severed. Was the fact that it was Bunnie's bionic arm, and she had not died, that Sally felt somehow less responsible? Did she view Bunnie as... expendable?
Sally knew the answer, but couldn't bring herself to admit it. She eventually succumbed to her weariness, lowering her head to the table and falling asleep. Her self-questioning thoughts swam through her head, filling her mind and sleep with unpleasant dreams. Countless times she replayed the events of the mission, each time trying to find a different way to overcome the problems, but each ending the same as before.
-=:=-=:=-=:=-=:=-
There was water dripping from somewhere in the distance, but Sonic couldn't really be sure where it was coming from. He stepped over another stagnant pool, the stench permeating the tunnels finally getting to him. He had been trekking through the sewers of Robotropolis for several hours now. He had been following the personnel transport that had taken the Chaos Emeralds until it reached Robotropolis, realizing then that walking through Main Street wasn't the way to avoid detection. Instead he had gotten into the old purification plant and into the subterranean tunnels.
But, as usual, Sonic hadn't thought things through. His goal had been to follow the carrier to wherever Robotnik was dumping his stolen artifacts, in the hopes of finding the rest of the stolen Emeralds. He realized as he went that there was really no way of tracking something flying when you were underground. Nevertheless, he pressed on, hoping that when he came up to the surface again, he could get his bearings and continue his mission.
It was a long time before his torch glinted off something ahead, and he reached down into the muck to pull out one of the golden rings from the temple. He looked down at it, then up at the ceiling, noticing a ladder leading to a manhole cover. It scraped against the pavement as he slid it aside, poking his head up to look around. The crackling of a fire met his ears, and he could see the carrier down the street, on its side, nearly half of its hull peeled away from impact.
"Oh, geez," Sonic grumbled as he lifted himself from the hole. "Someone's shootin' down Buttnik's stuff now?"
He went over to check it out, and saw that the removed plating was almost restricted to the wall of the cargo compartment, and that all of the artifacts had been removed. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot, trying to figure out what went down. Either a rogue band had shot them down, and had stolen the artifacts, or Robotnik had sent his own 'bots to recover them. Seeing as how one of the rings had fallen into the sewer, it probably wasn't Robotnik; he wouldn't stand to have anything missing.
So, they were robbed, Sonic thought as he returned to the manhole cover. They went through the sewers, but not the way I came from, deeper into the city.
He returned again to the sludge, snapping his torch on and continuing down the passage.
-=:=-=:=-=:=-=:=-
"Aunt Sally... Aunt Sally?"
Princess Sally blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. "What time is it?" she groaned, sitting up.
"About nine," Tails answered with concern in his voice. "Why were ya sleepin' out here?"
"Guess I forgot to go to bed..."
"Are you okay, Aunt Sally?"
"I'll be fine, Tails," she said, rising to her feet. "Go ahead and get some breakfast."
"Okay..." he slowly took a seat at the table, watching Sally go. Even he could tell something was wrong. He wished Sonic was there, he could make it better, whatever it was.
Sally thought about going back to her hut to get some sleep, but knew that the day couldn't wait. Instead she found herself walking into the medical hut, her eyes adjusting to the darkness inside. She found Bunnie in one of the cots on the side of the room, having been disconnected from the monitors and the IV the night before. Rotor was gone, but Bookshire had taken the cot adjacent to hers. Sally smiled. They didn't have many long-term patients at Knothole, but when they did they were well taken care of.
She came in as quietly as she could, careful not to wake either of them. In the dim light she could see Bunnie peacefully sleeping, the sheet drawn to her neck and resting strangely at her left shoulder. She found a chair near the bed and collapsed into it, unable to do anything but stare. All the chaotic events were brought into blinding focus now that she saw the intrinsic results. And again she found her eyes moist, all of her self doubt returning to her once more.
She heard a stirring and lifted her eyes to see Bunnie looking at her. "Sally-girl, what's wrong?"
"Oh, Bunnie," she quickly dabbed at her eyes. "You're awake."
Strangely, Bunnie smiled. "I had the strangest dream last night," she whispered and tried to roll over, her eyes falling to the mechanical stump at her left shoulder. "Oh. Guess it wasn't a dream."
Sally's tears broke out again. "Bunnie, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"For what?" she asked, shifting to a comfortable position on her side. "For wantin' to go get your dad's stuff? There's nothin' wrong with that. I'm the one that told you to... amputate it. It's just somethin' I gotta live with now. Like this," she reached over to tap a finger against her ocular plate.
"But that's... How could you say that? After all you've been through already, and for me to..."
She put her hand on Sally's shoulder. "Sally-girl, listen to me. There's nothin' that you did wrong. You can keep beatin' yerself up, but I've already forgotten 'bout it."
Sally sniffed. "So you're not mad at me for anything?"
"Why should I be?"
She chuckled and wiped her eyes. "What would I do without a friend like you?"
"Prob'ly go insane, most likely," she smiled back. "Now let's get me outta here."
"Should we ask Bookshire first?"
"Naw, don't bother. He said I could head home after I had rested the night."
Sally helped Bunnie get dressed, which was harder than either of them thought it would be. She decided to keep her cloak draped over her left shoulder, so it wouldn't be too obvious what had happened. They went down to the spring to wash up, then returned to the camp in search of breakfast.
As they were eating Antoine came in. Bunnie waved him over, and he came and sat down. "'Allo, Bunnie. Good morning, my princess," he bowed.
"Good morning, Antoine," Sally smiled back, always a little amused when he called her that.
Sally saw how Bunnie's expression visibly changed as she and Antoine exchanged glances. She wasn't quite sure where it had started, but the two of them had been spending time together, having long conversations the subjects of which she could only guess at. In any case, it was good seeing Antoine strike out a little socially, and it seemed to be doing wonders for Bunnie's countenance as well.
"I have not been seeing you this morning," Antoine said. "Where have you been hiding yourselves, hm?"
The two girls looked at each other, wondering how pointed they should make their reply. Bunnie decided to tell him outright. "In the hospital," she said quietly, pulling back her cloak to let him see her shoulder.
Antoine was shocked. "Sacre bleu, what happened? Are you all right?"
"Just an accident," she answered, folding her cloak back.
"Please tell."
Bunnie carefully told Antoine what had happened on the mission, and he hung on every word. She finally finished, and he slumped back on the stool. "And where is your arm now?"
She shrugged. "Still back in the pod, prob'ly."
"Unless Robotnik got it," Sally spoke up.
"But, my princess, is that not a security risk?"
"Is it? I never thought of that."
"Well, sure," Bunnie offered. "My DNA's all over the thing, ain't it? What could Robotnik do with that?"
"I'm not sure," Sally shook her head. "I'll have to ask Bookshire and Rotor."
"Does that mean we might be gettin' my arm back?" Bunnie asked optimistically.
"I don't know about that. First we have to find out if it is really a security leak. Once that's determined, we can take it from there."
-=:=-=:=-=:=-=:=-
A hard slap across the hedgehog's face, and his eyes quickly snapped open. He tried to move, but was held tightly by both arms and suspended from the floor. "What the... Who the heck are you guys?"
Sonic's mind raced. What had happened? He remembered being in the sewers, then he had reached a dead end. He had tried to think of what to do next when the floor collapsed and he was dropped without warning into a large pool of... well, being in the sewers he didn't want to guess what it was of. In any case, for all his strengths, Sonic couldn't swim a stroke. He had blacked out before reaching the edge of the pool, and the next thing he knew...
"Why were ya followin' us, eh, punk?"
Sonic turned to face his interrogator and possibly slapper, who was staring him defiantly in the eye, knowing that thanks to his goons he had the upper hand. The hedgehog tried to look around, but the weasel grabbed his hair and forced his attention. "You bein' a nosy little crack, ain't ya? You should be grateful we saved yer sorry yass from drownin'. Now whaddya want?"
He was in incredible pain, and it took him a moment to answer. "You took the... Robotnik's..."
"'Robotnik?'" he echoed, purposefully cutting him off. "Hey fellas, I think he's come from Robotnik!"
Sonic tried again to speak, but couldn't be heard amidst the laughing. "I think we should give 'im back to Robotnik, then, don't you?"
"Yeah!" someone else shouted. "Let the botniks get 'im!"
"Take 'im upstairs, drop 'im in the nearest waste bin."
Someone socked him in the stomach and he blacked out again. When he awoke it was night, or dark at least. It took Sonic a second to realize that when they said "waste bin" it wasn't a euphemism. He was in some kind of trash dumpster, and it stank horribly. He struggled upright, pushing against the lid until it creaked open. He flung his head out and breathed deeply, grateful he still felt his knapsack across his shoulders.
"Sonique? Is that you?"
He looked around. "Antoine?"
Sonic rolled out of the dumpster as the coyote came over. He laid there for a moment, enjoying the fresh air. When he opened his eyes again he saw Antoine looking down at him. "Are you okay?"
"I've been better," Sonic answered, sitting up.
He sniffed. "You have smelled better as well."
"Gimme a break, man," he scowled. "I've been through sewers and garbage all day."
"Which would beg the question be ask-ed: Why?"
He stood and brushed himself off, though it did little good. He would need one heck of a shower when he got back to Knothole. "It wasn't just Emerald Hill," he replied, reaching into his back for one of the Chaos Emeralds. "Robotnik's been swipin' artifacts from every one of the fortifications, including these babies."
"It is beautiful."
"Yeah, they're also darn powerful, too, enough to run an entire comm base."
"And Robotnique wants them. Understandable."
"Say, what're you doing out here anyway, Ant?"
He turned and gestured to the ground speeder idling on the street nearby. Sally was driving, and Bunnie was riding shotgun. "Getting equipment."
"Oh, thank God!" Sonic ran over to the car. "Sal, I need your help!"
She looked him over. "Sonic, what on Mobius happened to you?"
"Long story, 'splain later. Here's what's important..." he told her everything about Robotnik's pillaging of the monasteries, ending with, "so I need to find out where he'd put stuff like that."
"How many Chaos Emeralds do you have so far?"
"Three. Tabs said all six of our comm bases were hit."
"So Robotnik's got three of 'em, too," Bunnie chipped in.
"Or in cold storage," Sonic answered. "Like I said, it seems like he doesn't know what the Emeralds can do, he's just takin' everything."
"He's looking for something," Sally pondered. "But what?"
"Any way of knowing where he'd store things like that, Sal?"
"There may be a way..." she started, reaching for her computer. "Nicole, please run location scan for storage facilities, sort by security rating."
[Working, Sally...]
She looked over the list. "The highest-security warehouse is about two kilometers away, next to a robotics factory. They're doing some construction, so you should be able to get in quietly."
"All right, Sal. Be back in- wait, 'robotics factory?' Oh, yeah! Buttnik's got some new kind of 'bot that he attacked the forts with. Called 'botniks' or 'badniks' or somethin'. Really nasty critters."
Antoine jumped in the back seat and Sally started the car. "We'll keep an eye out," she said, shifting into gear. "Good luck, Sonic."
"Have fun, kids!" he waved as he took off down the street.
-=:=-=:=-=:=-=:=-
"Snively!"
"You bellowed, sir?"
Robotnik shot him a dark-eyed stare. "Where are my relics? I'm not a patient man!"
Snively looked down at his clipboard. "The last shipment was supposed to be arriving this morning, but it has been... delayed by a small group of rebels near the twenty-third sector."
"Well?" he growled. "Have you recovered them yet?"
"Um... I took the liberty of sending two groups of SWATbots, but the artifacts had already been stolen, sir."
Robotnik seethed. "I've planned this too long, Snively. Too long to have the vermin take it from me now. Send out search parties; I want my artifacts recovered immediately! Where are the rest of them?"
"In the warehouse you specified, sir."
"Good. Double the guard in the sector. Tell them to shoot on sight!"
"Yes, sir," Snively answered quickly and hurried from the room.
"Planned this too long..." he repeated quietly to himself, brows lowering in deep concentration. "These ancient relics... they hold the key to everything. I have to find the one I need... for my creation."
With a sudden motion, Robotnik reached out to slap a button on the console of his chair. One of the screens before him crackled to life, showing a fast-moving image of one of Robotropolis' many streets, he guessed the residential district. The sensory uplink is working quite well, he mused. My signal appears to have modified the cyborg very nicely, indeed. He smiled. Roboticization is good, but having an agent inside is better.
He had to admit he had been worried when the pod they had stolen from him had crashed the night before. There had been a chance his window into their plans may have been lost. Gratefully, that was not the case. He studied the screen, turning up the volume to try and discern the voices around; two others, it sounded like, in addition to hers.
They were nowhere near his warehouse, which made him breathe a little easier. They may have shot down his transport, but they didn't seem to know that he had several shiploads of artifacts coming in from all around Robotropolis. He steepled his fingers and chuckled. As long as he had the upper hand all would proceed to his design.
-=:=-=:=-=:=-=:=-
Sonic leapt across the gap to another steel girder, skidding slightly as he landed before taking off again. He had found the place easily enough, after Sally's directions. The construction area was big enough that he could basically walk in without being detected. He did have to reach the roof, however, which could only be accomplished by scaling the superstructure of whatever they were building, dodging the brainless builder 'bots, who had no clue as to his presence. This sometimes caused them to move suddenly, and if he wasn't watching... well, it was a long way down.
He jumped to grab an overhead bar, making his way hand over hand until he could heft himself up to another beam. This is where Sally's physical training program pays off, he thought to himself. The roof was only a few more feet up.
The rhythmic march of metallic feet made Sonic stop and duck behind a vertical support, peeking around in time to see a half-dozen SWATbots making their way down the street. Man, what do these guys want?
They stopped half-way through the construction site, one 'bot, who was apparently the commander, gesturing and giving orders. The squad dispersed to the surrounding buildings, checking each one and returning to the street a moment later. Looking for me, I'd bet, he grinned.
The squad continued on, disappearing around a corner. "Too bad, slow-mos!" he shouted and jumped up, swinging himself over the lip of the roof. There was a skylight, allowing him to see down into the manufacturing plant. Conveyor belts ran the length of the place, broken up only by large pieces of machinery that he could hear even from outside.
"This doesn't seem too hard," he observed, looking around for a way in, other than through the ceiling. He was able to find a door; he opened it and descended the small flight of metal stairs to the ground level of the factory. Again, no guards, and now he knew something was up. Sal said this was the highest security, so where is everybody?
Across the room Sonic could see a small doorway. He navigated around the worker 'bots and the various equipment until he could see inside. It was a hallway, featureless, leading from the assembly room to... somewhere. He took a step, realized nothing was happening, then sprinted down the corridor to find himself in a windowless storage room.
"Holy..." Robotnik was taking more than just artifacts. There were items from all over Mobius sitting in that cramped space. He saw works of art, sculpture, archaic devices he couldn't even guess about. Sonic shook his head as he started looking for the Emeralds. Robotnik was stockpiling for something, that was for sure.
Logic dictated that the Emeralds, and the other pieces from the monasteries, were to be the closest to the door. He found them lying in a pile, unceremoniously gathered by one of Robotnik's goons. He picked them up, his hands tingling almost overwhelmingly from holding three at once. He put them in his pack slowly, carefully, then turned to the other relics before leaving. Part of him wanted to bring them with him, but there were too many to hold by himself. "Later," he told himself. "There'll be time later."
Sonic went back through the hallway, now a little cautious. Something was wrong, he could feel it. As he came back to the production area he could see what it was: all of the machinery in the room had suddenly stopped, and the worker 'bots were all turned to face him, each with a eerie vacant expression.
"Uh... hi?" Sonic tried waving, as if it did any good.
Nothing happened. It was as if time had stopped, and he was the only one still awake. He fully entered the room, and a heavy metal blast door dropped down to lock behind him. He noticed all the other exits were shut, too.
"You'll be pleased to know the SWATbots should be here any second now."
Sonic spun his head around to try and find the source of the deep, booming voice. "Who the heck...?"
A throaty, cackling laugh assaulted his ears, and an almost invisible computer screen on the wall activated to show the face of-
"Robotnik!"
"I'm pleased you recognize me, rodent," he hissed. "I must admit you threw me for a loop when your friends went off in the opposite direction, but that's why I had laser security installed here, isn't it?"
"Laser security," he mumbled to himself, slapping his forehead. "I'm not just a rodent, buddy, I'm Sonic! And throwin' loops is what I do best, Ro-Buttnik!"
"How dare you insult me, you impudent..." the dictator was fuming. "You cannot leave, freedom fighter! You are my prisoner for now until eternity!"
"Yeah, we'll see 'bout that!" he swung his knapsack off his shoulders and zipped it open in one stroke, looking through his equipment.
"What are you doing?" Robotnik hissed from the wall.
"Tisk, tisk..." Sonic scowled, spinning and hurling his torch toward the screen. "No peeking!"
The monitor shattered on impact, interrupting the signal and removing the ugly mug from sight. Sonic didn't bother retrieving the torch, he had little time, if what Robotnik had said was true.
First he found his radio. "Sal! You there?"
It was a long time until she answered. "Sonic, I'm here."
"Can you guys come pick me up? Buttnik's got me locked in."
"Sonic, what did I tell you?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up."
"We'll be there as soon as we can."
He put the radio back, then continued looking for anything he could use to get out. "Chaos Emerald, no... ring, maybe..." he set one of them off to the side, "Ooh, the other half of my ration bar..." he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, right."
With a sharp hiss the main doors opened and a SWATbot stepped through. It immediately saw Sonic, and brought its rifle to bear. "Aw, crap!" Sonic quickly but his pack back on and grabbed his ring from the floor. The shot crackled above his head as he dodged out of the way.
There was another SWATbots directly behind the first one, however, who also had the hedgehog trained in its sights. The shot was dead on, and the bolt headed straight for his chest. Sonic was still holding the ring, which sparked and flashed as the laser hit. He hit the floor, realizing after a moment that he had not been hit; somehow the ring had absorbed the energy, but disintegrated in the process.
"Suh-weet!" Sonic shouted, getting up and dodging another volley of fire. There were now six SWATbots in the room, all aiming for him. He sprinted for the other side of the room, reaching for another ring as he did so.
The SWATbots tracked him fruitlessly, their shots burning into the far wall and most of Robotnik's machinery. "Shame on you, guys! Buttnik's not gonna like what you've done with the place!"
The soldiers moved to take up strategic positions in each corner of the room, continuing to waste their ammo. He vaulted the railing for the stairway, running up only to find the door to the roof had been locked as well. "Least they're thorough," he grumbled, turning and sliding down the rail back to the ground floor.
There had to be a way out, Robotnik couldn't have locked everything! Then he remembered: the skylight! But the ceiling was too high up, he didn't have anything that would let him get up there.
Sonic kept running, essentially in circles, to avoid the SWATbots. "Well, you've done it this time, hedgehog," he muttered to himself. "How you gonna get outta this one?"
-=:=-=:=-=:=-=:=-
Sally and Antoine raced through the halls of the production facility, weapons drawn. Sally had Nicole in map view, which helped them navigate the maze of passages in order to reach the main construction chamber, where Sonic was.
They reached the door, and Nicole tried to break the lock, but the security was too tight. Sally moved to plan B, producing several detonator charges from her supply pack and strapping them to the wall. "Take cover!" she called and hit the igniter. The charges exploded, rocking the blast door off its hinges and dropping it clanging to the floor.
"Sonic, let's go!" she shouted, using the doorframe for cover and firing several shots as a distraction for the SWATbots. The hedgehog soon came streaking past, and Sally and Antoine were able to hold the troopers off while they backed slowly out of the factory and back to Bunnie, who was waiting in the speeder. As soon as everyone was inside Sally hit the accelerator and the car sped down the street on the road back to Knothole.
-=:=-=:=-=:=-=:=-
The tip of Rotor's welder sparked against the metal, superheating it and fusing the two pieces together. He finished the final part of the connection, then lifted his tool and goggles. "There. All done. How does that feel, Bunnie?"
She opened her eyes and looked over at her arm, experimentally flexing her metallic fingers and elbow. "Like new, Rotor! Thanks a bunch!"
"Have any problems, come see me," he offered, packing up his tools.
"You need me fer anythin' else, doc?"
"No, Bunnie, that should be all," Bookshire answered. "Now go home and get some rest."
"No complaints with that," she chuckled and turned to leave with Rotor. Sally, Antoine, and Sonic were outside waiting for them. "Good as new, Sally-girl. Thanks for goin' back to get it."
"That's great, Bunnie."
"So lemme get this straight," Sonic said, "you cut off Bunnie's arm?"
Sally nodded. "I'll tell you about it later."
Rotor came up beside them. "So what was it you wanted me to take a look at, Sally?"
"These," the princess answered, getting one of the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic. "There's some kind of power in these crystals; I need you to analyze it and give me a full spectrum analysis."
He took it and turned it over in his hands. "All right, but that will slow down my work with the de-Roboticizor."
She nodded. "I know. Work on these first, though. If Robotnik had them, we have to know why. Get me the results as fast as you can."
"All right, I'll do my best."
"That's all I ask," she sighed and looked over at Bunnie. "That's the only thing any of us can give, is our best."
::END OF CHAPTER::
Freedom Fighters of Mobius
Sonic the Hedgehog Neo Redux
Year 3236, Day 170
SOLO, Part 2
Search
Story (c) 2003 by the author. Based on characters created by Sega, DiC Productions, and/or Archie Comics Group, used without permission, but protected by spiffy copyright laws... Nyah, nyah.
Other characters:
Bookshire Draftwood (c) Bookshire Draftwood, without permission.
Sally went silently into the medical hut, drawing the attention of Bookshire and Rotor. "How is she, guys?"
The doctor sighed. "Stable."
"The nanobots in her system have already closed up the wound," Rotor reported. "But her robotic arm is gone. There's no replacing that."
The princess' gaze fell to the body lying on the examination table, her dear friend Bunnie. She was sedated for now, an attempt by Bookshire to try slowing her systems so they could see more accurately what was going on. Bunnie Rabbot was the first known subject to be Roboticized -- even partially -- and still retain their consciousness. How the process worked was a mystery of cybernetics, so anything he would try would be experimental.
"Could we try prosthetics?" Sally suggested.
Rotor thought about it, then shrugged. "Not sure. We would have to attach them to the mechanics already in her shoulder, and that would take studying them. Besides... I don't think Bunnie would be too keen on that."
An awkward hush fell on the room, broken periodically by the tones from the bio-monitors. When Sally spoke, her voice was lowered to a whisper. "Just do what you can."
She stepped out into the courtyard, the hectic events of the past night finally catching up with her. After the cargo pod had gone down, she had managed to find a ground speeder in one of the garages nearby. Hotwiring it had been easy, and she had gotten Bunnie to Bookshire's as fast as she could. Sally looked into the flickering flame of one of the torches surrounding the camp, bringing up the image of the burning pod illuminating Bunnie's face, reflecting off her false eye. She remembered her anguished expression as she clutched her left shoulder, the dark lubricant fluid seeping between her fingers. She had asked if it hurt at all, and Bunnie had replied calmly, almost matter-of-factly:
"I cain't feel a thing, Sally-girl. Machines don't feel pain."
"You're not a machine, Bunnie," she had replied. "You're flesh and blood."
She had removed her hand from her shoulder, holding it between them as the oil dripped from her fingers. "Does this look like blood to you?"
Sally shook her head to clear it. She had never seen Bunnie the way she had been that night. It was a side of her that she had never let Sally see before, and now that she pondered it, the strength of her emotion was somewhat disconcerting, almost disturbing.
She glanced back at Bookshire's hut, hoping that somehow... what? What did she hope would come out of this? That Bunnie would somehow forgive what had happened? No, the damage was already done, and could not be reversed.
Sally collapsed into a chair in the commons, propping her elbows on the table and holding her head in her hands. How could Bunnie forgive what she did to her? She was the reason. It was her crazy chase for her father's files that had caused the crash, it was she who had been holding the axe. In every sense of the word, she was at fault.
Her shoulders gently shook with quiet sobbing. What kind of leader was she, that even her closest friends were susceptible to life-threatening danger? What if it had been Rotor in that copilot's chair, or Antoine, or Sonic? They may not have even survived impact, nonetheless having their arm severed. Was the fact that it was Bunnie's bionic arm, and she had not died, that Sally felt somehow less responsible? Did she view Bunnie as... expendable?
Sally knew the answer, but couldn't bring herself to admit it. She eventually succumbed to her weariness, lowering her head to the table and falling asleep. Her self-questioning thoughts swam through her head, filling her mind and sleep with unpleasant dreams. Countless times she replayed the events of the mission, each time trying to find a different way to overcome the problems, but each ending the same as before.
There was water dripping from somewhere in the distance, but Sonic couldn't really be sure where it was coming from. He stepped over another stagnant pool, the stench permeating the tunnels finally getting to him. He had been trekking through the sewers of Robotropolis for several hours now. He had been following the personnel transport that had taken the Chaos Emeralds until it reached Robotropolis, realizing then that walking through Main Street wasn't the way to avoid detection. Instead he had gotten into the old purification plant and into the subterranean tunnels.
But, as usual, Sonic hadn't thought things through. His goal had been to follow the carrier to wherever Robotnik was dumping his stolen artifacts, in the hopes of finding the rest of the stolen Emeralds. He realized as he went that there was really no way of tracking something flying when you were underground. Nevertheless, he pressed on, hoping that when he came up to the surface again, he could get his bearings and continue his mission.
It was a long time before his torch glinted off something ahead, and he reached down into the muck to pull out one of the golden rings from the temple. He looked down at it, then up at the ceiling, noticing a ladder leading to a manhole cover. It scraped against the pavement as he slid it aside, poking his head up to look around. The crackling of a fire met his ears, and he could see the carrier down the street, on its side, nearly half of its hull peeled away from impact.
"Oh, geez," Sonic grumbled as he lifted himself from the hole. "Someone's shootin' down Buttnik's stuff now?"
He went over to check it out, and saw that the removed plating was almost restricted to the wall of the cargo compartment, and that all of the artifacts had been removed. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot, trying to figure out what went down. Either a rogue band had shot them down, and had stolen the artifacts, or Robotnik had sent his own 'bots to recover them. Seeing as how one of the rings had fallen into the sewer, it probably wasn't Robotnik; he wouldn't stand to have anything missing.
So, they were robbed, Sonic thought as he returned to the manhole cover. They went through the sewers, but not the way I came from, deeper into the city.
He returned again to the sludge, snapping his torch on and continuing down the passage.
"Aunt Sally... Aunt Sally?"
Princess Sally blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. "What time is it?" she groaned, sitting up.
"About nine," Tails answered with concern in his voice. "Why were ya sleepin' out here?"
"Guess I forgot to go to bed..."
"Are you okay, Aunt Sally?"
"I'll be fine, Tails," she said, rising to her feet. "Go ahead and get some breakfast."
"Okay..." he slowly took a seat at the table, watching Sally go. Even he could tell something was wrong. He wished Sonic was there, he could make it better, whatever it was.
Sally thought about going back to her hut to get some sleep, but knew that the day couldn't wait. Instead she found herself walking into the medical hut, her eyes adjusting to the darkness inside. She found Bunnie in one of the cots on the side of the room, having been disconnected from the monitors and the IV the night before. Rotor was gone, but Bookshire had taken the cot adjacent to hers. Sally smiled. They didn't have many long-term patients at Knothole, but when they did they were well taken care of.
She came in as quietly as she could, careful not to wake either of them. In the dim light she could see Bunnie peacefully sleeping, the sheet drawn to her neck and resting strangely at her left shoulder. She found a chair near the bed and collapsed into it, unable to do anything but stare. All the chaotic events were brought into blinding focus now that she saw the intrinsic results. And again she found her eyes moist, all of her self doubt returning to her once more.
She heard a stirring and lifted her eyes to see Bunnie looking at her. "Sally-girl, what's wrong?"
"Oh, Bunnie," she quickly dabbed at her eyes. "You're awake."
Strangely, Bunnie smiled. "I had the strangest dream last night," she whispered and tried to roll over, her eyes falling to the mechanical stump at her left shoulder. "Oh. Guess it wasn't a dream."
Sally's tears broke out again. "Bunnie, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"For what?" she asked, shifting to a comfortable position on her side. "For wantin' to go get your dad's stuff? There's nothin' wrong with that. I'm the one that told you to... amputate it. It's just somethin' I gotta live with now. Like this," she reached over to tap a finger against her ocular plate.
"But that's... How could you say that? After all you've been through already, and for me to..."
She put her hand on Sally's shoulder. "Sally-girl, listen to me. There's nothin' that you did wrong. You can keep beatin' yerself up, but I've already forgotten 'bout it."
Sally sniffed. "So you're not mad at me for anything?"
"Why should I be?"
She chuckled and wiped her eyes. "What would I do without a friend like you?"
"Prob'ly go insane, most likely," she smiled back. "Now let's get me outta here."
"Should we ask Bookshire first?"
"Naw, don't bother. He said I could head home after I had rested the night."
Sally helped Bunnie get dressed, which was harder than either of them thought it would be. She decided to keep her cloak draped over her left shoulder, so it wouldn't be too obvious what had happened. They went down to the spring to wash up, then returned to the camp in search of breakfast.
As they were eating Antoine came in. Bunnie waved him over, and he came and sat down. "'Allo, Bunnie. Good morning, my princess," he bowed.
"Good morning, Antoine," Sally smiled back, always a little amused when he called her that.
Sally saw how Bunnie's expression visibly changed as she and Antoine exchanged glances. She wasn't quite sure where it had started, but the two of them had been spending time together, having long conversations the subjects of which she could only guess at. In any case, it was good seeing Antoine strike out a little socially, and it seemed to be doing wonders for Bunnie's countenance as well.
"I have not been seeing you this morning," Antoine said. "Where have you been hiding yourselves, hm?"
The two girls looked at each other, wondering how pointed they should make their reply. Bunnie decided to tell him outright. "In the hospital," she said quietly, pulling back her cloak to let him see her shoulder.
Antoine was shocked. "Sacre bleu, what happened? Are you all right?"
"Just an accident," she answered, folding her cloak back.
"Please tell."
Bunnie carefully told Antoine what had happened on the mission, and he hung on every word. She finally finished, and he slumped back on the stool. "And where is your arm now?"
She shrugged. "Still back in the pod, prob'ly."
"Unless Robotnik got it," Sally spoke up.
"But, my princess, is that not a security risk?"
"Is it? I never thought of that."
"Well, sure," Bunnie offered. "My DNA's all over the thing, ain't it? What could Robotnik do with that?"
"I'm not sure," Sally shook her head. "I'll have to ask Bookshire and Rotor."
"Does that mean we might be gettin' my arm back?" Bunnie asked optimistically.
"I don't know about that. First we have to find out if it is really a security leak. Once that's determined, we can take it from there."
A hard slap across the hedgehog's face, and his eyes quickly snapped open. He tried to move, but was held tightly by both arms and suspended from the floor. "What the... Who the heck are you guys?"
Sonic's mind raced. What had happened? He remembered being in the sewers, then he had reached a dead end. He had tried to think of what to do next when the floor collapsed and he was dropped without warning into a large pool of... well, being in the sewers he didn't want to guess what it was of. In any case, for all his strengths, Sonic couldn't swim a stroke. He had blacked out before reaching the edge of the pool, and the next thing he knew...
"Why were ya followin' us, eh, punk?"
Sonic turned to face his interrogator and possibly slapper, who was staring him defiantly in the eye, knowing that thanks to his goons he had the upper hand. The hedgehog tried to look around, but the weasel grabbed his hair and forced his attention. "You bein' a nosy little crack, ain't ya? You should be grateful we saved yer sorry yass from drownin'. Now whaddya want?"
He was in incredible pain, and it took him a moment to answer. "You took the... Robotnik's..."
"'Robotnik?'" he echoed, purposefully cutting him off. "Hey fellas, I think he's come from Robotnik!"
Sonic tried again to speak, but couldn't be heard amidst the laughing. "I think we should give 'im back to Robotnik, then, don't you?"
"Yeah!" someone else shouted. "Let the botniks get 'im!"
"Take 'im upstairs, drop 'im in the nearest waste bin."
Someone socked him in the stomach and he blacked out again. When he awoke it was night, or dark at least. It took Sonic a second to realize that when they said "waste bin" it wasn't a euphemism. He was in some kind of trash dumpster, and it stank horribly. He struggled upright, pushing against the lid until it creaked open. He flung his head out and breathed deeply, grateful he still felt his knapsack across his shoulders.
"Sonique? Is that you?"
He looked around. "Antoine?"
Sonic rolled out of the dumpster as the coyote came over. He laid there for a moment, enjoying the fresh air. When he opened his eyes again he saw Antoine looking down at him. "Are you okay?"
"I've been better," Sonic answered, sitting up.
He sniffed. "You have smelled better as well."
"Gimme a break, man," he scowled. "I've been through sewers and garbage all day."
"Which would beg the question be ask-ed: Why?"
He stood and brushed himself off, though it did little good. He would need one heck of a shower when he got back to Knothole. "It wasn't just Emerald Hill," he replied, reaching into his back for one of the Chaos Emeralds. "Robotnik's been swipin' artifacts from every one of the fortifications, including these babies."
"It is beautiful."
"Yeah, they're also darn powerful, too, enough to run an entire comm base."
"And Robotnique wants them. Understandable."
"Say, what're you doing out here anyway, Ant?"
He turned and gestured to the ground speeder idling on the street nearby. Sally was driving, and Bunnie was riding shotgun. "Getting equipment."
"Oh, thank God!" Sonic ran over to the car. "Sal, I need your help!"
She looked him over. "Sonic, what on Mobius happened to you?"
"Long story, 'splain later. Here's what's important..." he told her everything about Robotnik's pillaging of the monasteries, ending with, "so I need to find out where he'd put stuff like that."
"How many Chaos Emeralds do you have so far?"
"Three. Tabs said all six of our comm bases were hit."
"So Robotnik's got three of 'em, too," Bunnie chipped in.
"Or in cold storage," Sonic answered. "Like I said, it seems like he doesn't know what the Emeralds can do, he's just takin' everything."
"He's looking for something," Sally pondered. "But what?"
"Any way of knowing where he'd store things like that, Sal?"
"There may be a way..." she started, reaching for her computer. "Nicole, please run location scan for storage facilities, sort by security rating."
[Working, Sally...]
She looked over the list. "The highest-security warehouse is about two kilometers away, next to a robotics factory. They're doing some construction, so you should be able to get in quietly."
"All right, Sal. Be back in- wait, 'robotics factory?' Oh, yeah! Buttnik's got some new kind of 'bot that he attacked the forts with. Called 'botniks' or 'badniks' or somethin'. Really nasty critters."
Antoine jumped in the back seat and Sally started the car. "We'll keep an eye out," she said, shifting into gear. "Good luck, Sonic."
"Have fun, kids!" he waved as he took off down the street.
"Snively!"
"You bellowed, sir?"
Robotnik shot him a dark-eyed stare. "Where are my relics? I'm not a patient man!"
Snively looked down at his clipboard. "The last shipment was supposed to be arriving this morning, but it has been... delayed by a small group of rebels near the twenty-third sector."
"Well?" he growled. "Have you recovered them yet?"
"Um... I took the liberty of sending two groups of SWATbots, but the artifacts had already been stolen, sir."
Robotnik seethed. "I've planned this too long, Snively. Too long to have the vermin take it from me now. Send out search parties; I want my artifacts recovered immediately! Where are the rest of them?"
"In the warehouse you specified, sir."
"Good. Double the guard in the sector. Tell them to shoot on sight!"
"Yes, sir," Snively answered quickly and hurried from the room.
"Planned this too long..." he repeated quietly to himself, brows lowering in deep concentration. "These ancient relics... they hold the key to everything. I have to find the one I need... for my creation."
With a sudden motion, Robotnik reached out to slap a button on the console of his chair. One of the screens before him crackled to life, showing a fast-moving image of one of Robotropolis' many streets, he guessed the residential district. The sensory uplink is working quite well, he mused. My signal appears to have modified the cyborg very nicely, indeed. He smiled. Roboticization is good, but having an agent inside is better.
He had to admit he had been worried when the pod they had stolen from him had crashed the night before. There had been a chance his window into their plans may have been lost. Gratefully, that was not the case. He studied the screen, turning up the volume to try and discern the voices around; two others, it sounded like, in addition to hers.
They were nowhere near his warehouse, which made him breathe a little easier. They may have shot down his transport, but they didn't seem to know that he had several shiploads of artifacts coming in from all around Robotropolis. He steepled his fingers and chuckled. As long as he had the upper hand all would proceed to his design.
Sonic leapt across the gap to another steel girder, skidding slightly as he landed before taking off again. He had found the place easily enough, after Sally's directions. The construction area was big enough that he could basically walk in without being detected. He did have to reach the roof, however, which could only be accomplished by scaling the superstructure of whatever they were building, dodging the brainless builder 'bots, who had no clue as to his presence. This sometimes caused them to move suddenly, and if he wasn't watching... well, it was a long way down.
He jumped to grab an overhead bar, making his way hand over hand until he could heft himself up to another beam. This is where Sally's physical training program pays off, he thought to himself. The roof was only a few more feet up.
The rhythmic march of metallic feet made Sonic stop and duck behind a vertical support, peeking around in time to see a half-dozen SWATbots making their way down the street. Man, what do these guys want?
They stopped half-way through the construction site, one 'bot, who was apparently the commander, gesturing and giving orders. The squad dispersed to the surrounding buildings, checking each one and returning to the street a moment later. Looking for me, I'd bet, he grinned.
The squad continued on, disappearing around a corner. "Too bad, slow-mos!" he shouted and jumped up, swinging himself over the lip of the roof. There was a skylight, allowing him to see down into the manufacturing plant. Conveyor belts ran the length of the place, broken up only by large pieces of machinery that he could hear even from outside.
"This doesn't seem too hard," he observed, looking around for a way in, other than through the ceiling. He was able to find a door; he opened it and descended the small flight of metal stairs to the ground level of the factory. Again, no guards, and now he knew something was up. Sal said this was the highest security, so where is everybody?
Across the room Sonic could see a small doorway. He navigated around the worker 'bots and the various equipment until he could see inside. It was a hallway, featureless, leading from the assembly room to... somewhere. He took a step, realized nothing was happening, then sprinted down the corridor to find himself in a windowless storage room.
"Holy..." Robotnik was taking more than just artifacts. There were items from all over Mobius sitting in that cramped space. He saw works of art, sculpture, archaic devices he couldn't even guess about. Sonic shook his head as he started looking for the Emeralds. Robotnik was stockpiling for something, that was for sure.
Logic dictated that the Emeralds, and the other pieces from the monasteries, were to be the closest to the door. He found them lying in a pile, unceremoniously gathered by one of Robotnik's goons. He picked them up, his hands tingling almost overwhelmingly from holding three at once. He put them in his pack slowly, carefully, then turned to the other relics before leaving. Part of him wanted to bring them with him, but there were too many to hold by himself. "Later," he told himself. "There'll be time later."
Sonic went back through the hallway, now a little cautious. Something was wrong, he could feel it. As he came back to the production area he could see what it was: all of the machinery in the room had suddenly stopped, and the worker 'bots were all turned to face him, each with a eerie vacant expression.
"Uh... hi?" Sonic tried waving, as if it did any good.
Nothing happened. It was as if time had stopped, and he was the only one still awake. He fully entered the room, and a heavy metal blast door dropped down to lock behind him. He noticed all the other exits were shut, too.
"You'll be pleased to know the SWATbots should be here any second now."
Sonic spun his head around to try and find the source of the deep, booming voice. "Who the heck...?"
A throaty, cackling laugh assaulted his ears, and an almost invisible computer screen on the wall activated to show the face of-
"Robotnik!"
"I'm pleased you recognize me, rodent," he hissed. "I must admit you threw me for a loop when your friends went off in the opposite direction, but that's why I had laser security installed here, isn't it?"
"Laser security," he mumbled to himself, slapping his forehead. "I'm not just a rodent, buddy, I'm Sonic! And throwin' loops is what I do best, Ro-Buttnik!"
"How dare you insult me, you impudent..." the dictator was fuming. "You cannot leave, freedom fighter! You are my prisoner for now until eternity!"
"Yeah, we'll see 'bout that!" he swung his knapsack off his shoulders and zipped it open in one stroke, looking through his equipment.
"What are you doing?" Robotnik hissed from the wall.
"Tisk, tisk..." Sonic scowled, spinning and hurling his torch toward the screen. "No peeking!"
The monitor shattered on impact, interrupting the signal and removing the ugly mug from sight. Sonic didn't bother retrieving the torch, he had little time, if what Robotnik had said was true.
First he found his radio. "Sal! You there?"
It was a long time until she answered. "Sonic, I'm here."
"Can you guys come pick me up? Buttnik's got me locked in."
"Sonic, what did I tell you?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up."
"We'll be there as soon as we can."
He put the radio back, then continued looking for anything he could use to get out. "Chaos Emerald, no... ring, maybe..." he set one of them off to the side, "Ooh, the other half of my ration bar..." he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, right."
With a sharp hiss the main doors opened and a SWATbot stepped through. It immediately saw Sonic, and brought its rifle to bear. "Aw, crap!" Sonic quickly but his pack back on and grabbed his ring from the floor. The shot crackled above his head as he dodged out of the way.
There was another SWATbots directly behind the first one, however, who also had the hedgehog trained in its sights. The shot was dead on, and the bolt headed straight for his chest. Sonic was still holding the ring, which sparked and flashed as the laser hit. He hit the floor, realizing after a moment that he had not been hit; somehow the ring had absorbed the energy, but disintegrated in the process.
"Suh-weet!" Sonic shouted, getting up and dodging another volley of fire. There were now six SWATbots in the room, all aiming for him. He sprinted for the other side of the room, reaching for another ring as he did so.
The SWATbots tracked him fruitlessly, their shots burning into the far wall and most of Robotnik's machinery. "Shame on you, guys! Buttnik's not gonna like what you've done with the place!"
The soldiers moved to take up strategic positions in each corner of the room, continuing to waste their ammo. He vaulted the railing for the stairway, running up only to find the door to the roof had been locked as well. "Least they're thorough," he grumbled, turning and sliding down the rail back to the ground floor.
There had to be a way out, Robotnik couldn't have locked everything! Then he remembered: the skylight! But the ceiling was too high up, he didn't have anything that would let him get up there.
Sonic kept running, essentially in circles, to avoid the SWATbots. "Well, you've done it this time, hedgehog," he muttered to himself. "How you gonna get outta this one?"
Sally and Antoine raced through the halls of the production facility, weapons drawn. Sally had Nicole in map view, which helped them navigate the maze of passages in order to reach the main construction chamber, where Sonic was.
They reached the door, and Nicole tried to break the lock, but the security was too tight. Sally moved to plan B, producing several detonator charges from her supply pack and strapping them to the wall. "Take cover!" she called and hit the igniter. The charges exploded, rocking the blast door off its hinges and dropping it clanging to the floor.
"Sonic, let's go!" she shouted, using the doorframe for cover and firing several shots as a distraction for the SWATbots. The hedgehog soon came streaking past, and Sally and Antoine were able to hold the troopers off while they backed slowly out of the factory and back to Bunnie, who was waiting in the speeder. As soon as everyone was inside Sally hit the accelerator and the car sped down the street on the road back to Knothole.
The tip of Rotor's welder sparked against the metal, superheating it and fusing the two pieces together. He finished the final part of the connection, then lifted his tool and goggles. "There. All done. How does that feel, Bunnie?"
She opened her eyes and looked over at her arm, experimentally flexing her metallic fingers and elbow. "Like new, Rotor! Thanks a bunch!"
"Have any problems, come see me," he offered, packing up his tools.
"You need me fer anythin' else, doc?"
"No, Bunnie, that should be all," Bookshire answered. "Now go home and get some rest."
"No complaints with that," she chuckled and turned to leave with Rotor. Sally, Antoine, and Sonic were outside waiting for them. "Good as new, Sally-girl. Thanks for goin' back to get it."
"That's great, Bunnie."
"So lemme get this straight," Sonic said, "you cut off Bunnie's arm?"
Sally nodded. "I'll tell you about it later."
Rotor came up beside them. "So what was it you wanted me to take a look at, Sally?"
"These," the princess answered, getting one of the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic. "There's some kind of power in these crystals; I need you to analyze it and give me a full spectrum analysis."
He took it and turned it over in his hands. "All right, but that will slow down my work with the de-Roboticizor."
She nodded. "I know. Work on these first, though. If Robotnik had them, we have to know why. Get me the results as fast as you can."
"All right, I'll do my best."
"That's all I ask," she sighed and looked over at Bunnie. "That's the only thing any of us can give, is our best."