Freedom Fighters of Mobius Chapter 14: 3239, Day 154 : CHAOS Part 1,Consolodate, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

03 /05 /04

Antipode Echidna presents:

Freedom Fighters of Mobius

Year 3239, Day 154

CHAOS, Part 1

Consolidate

Disclaimer:

Story (c) 2004 by the author, based on situations and elements created by Service Games (SEGA), DiC Productions, and Archie Publications. Most characters based on personalities originally created by SEGA Interactive, DiC Productions, and/or Archie Comics Publications, and modified by the author. This is a work of fanfiction, meant only to entertain the readers and to contribute to the mythos of the source material. The author in no way benefits financially from this work.

Other characters in this chapter include:

Jewel, Antipode, (c) Antipode Echidna (Adam Czech)

Ambre, (c) Ambre Wisniewski, used with permission.

Princess Sally Acorn's job never seemed to get any easier. Even on the best days, it was still a pain in the neck. The two most difficult professions in the world, at least in her opinion, were military commander and royal noble. She was both.

The squirrel leaned back in her chair, trying to rub the throbbing from her temples. It had been another long day at the Knothole compound, even though it had barely begun. Just looking at all the work she had yet to do was enough to bring on another headache. From a civilian standpoint, all was still quiet. Even though Doctor Robotnik had indeed emerged from obscurity once more, he was keeping his distance for the time being. Nonetheless, her task list was getting gradually longer.

She fought her hardest to overcome her weariness, and got a grip on her resolve. Sally brought her head back up, releasing a long sigh. She wanted no more then to return to bed, put off all her work until tomorrow, but she knew that couldn't be done. That would be wasting time, and that would not be acceptable.

She moved to tidy the pages and folders on her desk, hoping it would be symbolic enough to clear her own mind of its cobwebs. Most of it was paperwork needing to be filed away, which reminded her of her tasks once more. She groaned. "Nicole?"

The small, hand-held computer resting on her desktop blinked on, "waking" from its sleep mode. |Yes, Sally,| it replied in its default voice set, a monotone rendition of Sally's own voice.

Sally squeezed her eyes shut as she talked. "What was I dumb enough to schedule for myself today?"

The AI software made no attempt to acknowledge Sally's disrespect of herself, and simply focused on the question. |Several tasks have been designated for today, the foremost being a communiqué to the freedom fighter cell groups. The remainder is administrational duties regarding Knothole.|

Sally sighed again. At least the communication wouldn't be too difficult. If nothing else, she was a master of language, and could write out a simple document in less time than it took for some to get dressed in the morning. She straightened in her chair, bringing her hands forward and snapping all four knuckles on each before resting them on the computer keyboard.

She smiled as the tingling in her fingers died. If her father could see her doing that he would probably have a fit, rest his soul. It was actually a habit she had picked up from Sonic, after he learned one day that she had never cracked her knuckles in her life. It wasn't proper, she had replied, and something those of noble birth simply did not do. After much badgering, he had gotten her to do it, and she had to admit, it had felt good. Now she found herself doing it often, but in her office, never in public.

The keys clacked pleasantly beneath her fingertips as she started a message that would be delivered to all the freedom fighter cells scattered around the remains of Robotropolis, the former capitol of the Kingdom of Acorn, her kingdom. She could have easily had Nicole produce a text dictated from her voice, but it was better for her to type it herself, when she had the time. She recalled an episode when, after relying solely on the many features her computer contained for only a week, she found herself rusty when executing the tasks herself. She had decided afterwards that she would do the things herself, when at all possible.

In a short period of time the communication was finished, and she quickly saved it to her computer's hard drive. She leaned back as the data was written, reaching up to rake her fingers through her auburn hair. Now all that was needed was to send it off to the comm network. She checked her watch; the messenger should be heading off any minute now. Who was designated for today? She found it hard to remember the rotation schedule, especially now that they had started their field operations up again.

She sent the message to the printer, grabbing the page from the tray as she headed for the door, adjusting the collar of her azure jacket with her free hand. Now that Sally had administered a new schedule for the camp, it was again buzzing with activity. They still received a constant stream of Mobians coming and going, which equalized just enough that they didn't have to build huts as often as before, in the wake of the Battle of Doomsday. Those who decided to stay with them were assessed and placed in positions where they could contribute to their simple life, and to the cause in general, though the war was currently on hiatus.

As she looked around Sally felt the need to stroll the grounds. It was still morning -- technically, even though she had been up for some time now -- and the air was brisk. She followed the sounds of voices and found herself in the small field east of the camp, where a small group of furs had congregated. She quietly stood in back, returning the smiles and waving off the bows of the few who noticed her there. She listened intently, as the meeting was some kind of lesson.

"...No, ya gotta move more on tha left foot, see?"

"Oh, okay. Like this?"

"Yeah, that's good. Now bring out yer arm like this. No, yer right arm."

"Okay- ah. That's a hard move."

"Oh, you jus keep workin' on it, sugar, you'll get it. Ever'body else see how he's got it? I want ya'll to work on that today, fer at least ten minutes. We're gonna practice that tomorrow. All right, ya'll can go now, we're done."

Sally stood to the side as the crowd dispersed, leaving to each of their separate homes to practice their assignment. She watched them go, then came forward, smiling. "You sure got them hopping."

Georgia returned the smile, reaching up to bat the hair from her eyes as she took a seat on the log behind her. "They better be hoppin'. They wanna be in my class, they're gonna hafta work a little."

"You are a great teacher, Bunnie," she replied, using the nickname only her friends were allowed to call her. She sat beside her friend, noticing that beneath her denim cutoffs the muscles in the rabbit's legs were forming strongly, as well the ones in her arms. "How have you been doing? It's almost been a year and a half now."

The other nodded, blinking. "I've been gettin' better. I feel stronger, that's fer sure, but Bookshire says I still got a ways to go on the eye. Still can't quite focus it right."

Sally nodded. Georgia was only nineteen years old, almost a full year younger than she. Their birthdays were barely a week apart, one of the reasons they had become fast friends growing up together in Old Mobitropolis, before the takeover. She was still recovering from the effects of her deroboticization, saving her from the partial robotic conversion that had controlled her life every day for nearly three years. She was just now getting back to an active lifestyle, taking up teaching a group of new initiates some physical coordination and discipline exercises. She also had developed her own rehabilitation program, which she followed every day, to the letter, with Doctor Bookshire Draftwood's blessing.

"An' how bout you, Sally-girl?" Georgia asked, gently prodding. "How've you been holdin' up?"

"Okay, I suppose," she breathed deeply. "It's hard... running a small city in the middle of nowhere."

The princess managed a smile, which her friend returned. "An' you're doin' it great, too, don't worry about it," Georgia wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Everybody here looks up to you, Sally. You're our leader, we're all proud-a you for bringin' us through this far."

She felt Sally sigh. "Thanks, Bunnie. Sometimes I don't feel like that great of a leader, though. Just think of all of the... mistakes I've made in the past..."

She shook her head. "Don't think about the mistakes! Think about all the accomplishments you've had: you rallied the freedom fighters together, kept the kingdom of Acorn alive and kickin' at Knothole, rebuilt the comm network after Robotnik brought it down..."

Sally pondered each of the events in her mind as Georgia ran through them. She was right, there were a lot of things that she had helped bring about in the past fifteen years. "I know. It just seems that all of the feats in the world can't bring us any closer to where we want to be."

Sally placed her hands on her knees and got to her feet. "Speaking of the comm network," she said, reaching up to rub her neck, "I wonder how Sonic's doing."

"Oh, ol' sugar-hog can take care of himself," Georgia chuckled. "Sides, Tails went with 'im, right?"

"Right," Sally nodded. "I just hope he doesn't do something... stupid."

-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-

"Yeeeee-ha!"

Sonic's whoops of joy were just loud enough to carry of the roar of the engine and the rush of the wind. The world around them was spinning, faster and faster, melting together into speed-mottled streaks of color. Then with one sudden lurch of gravity everything turned blue and he was thrown back in his seat.

The horizon eventually returned to where it was supposed to be, and the hedgehog let out the breath he had been holding. "How was that?" came the young voice from the front seat.

"Off tha hook, Li'l Bro!" he shouted back, almost tasting the adrenaline in his system. "This sucker can really move!"

Eleven-year-old Mils "Tails" Prower nodded, blinking behind the lenses of the aviation goggled strapped on his head. "The Tornado was built for speed, Sonic," he replied, then chuckled. "I thought you of all people would appreciate that."

"And, boy, do I! This thing can blow outta the water anything ol' Doc Eggman can throw at us!"

Tails frowned. "I don't know about that. Fly circles, maybe, but there's no way she can stand up to a straight-on attack."

Sonic smiled. Tails sure knew his airplanes; he probably knew more than everyone else at Knothole put together. Sure, he was young, but age wasn't necessarily an indicator of skill, especially in the middle of a war. The hedgehog turned his head to look out over the wings of the biplane, seeing the sunlight reflecting off its fresh, blue paintjob. Tails probably knew everything about the Tornado, and with good reason: he had spent every spare moment of his life for the past year building it, scratch from the ground up.

He had tested, tested, and re-tested every piece of mechanics in the vehicle, too, up until the body was completed only a couple of weeks prior. Tornado was the young fox's pet project, the first thing he built all on his own. Everyone was amazed at the kit's perseverance regarding the construction of the plane, and everyone had long waiting for the day it was finished, and the very first test flight was executed. Now they were putting Tornado through its paces, pushing everything to the limit to see how well it performed.

Sonic looked down at the trees of the Great Forest whizzing by below them. "How fast can this thing go, Tails?"

The kid shrugged. "Pretty fast. Heh, faster than you!"

He made a noise of mock indignation. "Well, I figured that!"

Tails leaned into the control stick, taking Tornado into a slow-spinning dive toward the trees. He eased back shortly after, though, leveling off closer to the treetops. The green streaks of the branches flashed past beneath the wings, and he opened up the throttle a little more, pushing the single-prop plane faster. "How's she feel from back there, Sonic?"

"Feels great, bro! How's she handling?"

"Hmm," Tails concentrated, eyes half-closing as he listened to the hum of the airplane around him. "It's great. It doesn't stick anymore, like it used to. I think Tornado's finally broken in!"

"Awesome!" Sonic shouted. "Hey, let's head over to Emerald Hill, we can do that stuff Rotor told us to."

Tails looked back over his shoulder at him. "What stuff? Oh, the power adapters for the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "He still doesn't have them figured out. He said maybe we could find something in the old monastery that he could use."

"All right," he smiled, turning back to grip the control stick. "Hold on, we'll be there in a minute!"

Tails pulled the stick back and to the left, and Tornado responded by turning into a climb and heading for the hilly clearing hidden in the midst of the Great Forest. The g-forces pushing Sonic into his chair during the maneuver were amazing; the plane had some power behind her, and the kid wasn't afraid to use it in the least. He could feel it when he evened the plane level again, now on a new heading that would take them to the Emerald Hill monastery.

In only moments the plane was diving again, dipping below the tree line and skidding its wheels gently on the ground. Tails slowed the plane to a stop, but Sonic had jumped out of the open-air cockpit as fast he could, heading for the stone arches embedded in the hillside. "Sonic, wait up!" the kid called after him. "I've gotta shut the plane down first!"

"Hurry up, Tails!" Sonic shouted back over his shoulder, slowing but not stopping entirely. He looked up at the place, remembering what had transpired there three years ago, how Robotnik had somehow gotten someone on the inside to let his army of robots in, destroying or killing everything in the facility. Emerald Hill used to be part of the freedom fighters' communications network, and its loss nearly brought them to their knees. Luckily, they had managed to save most of the network, but Cornelius and the others who had been here hadn't had a chance.

Sonic sighed. Now the place was empty, except for the machinery in the lowermost levels, which the "badnik" attack bots hadn't gotten to. That was what they had come to get. He stepped up to the stone facade, leaning in to look around and smelling the musty, dank air inside.

"You forgot this."

Sonic turned to see Tails standing behind him, outstretched hand holding a supply back out to him. "Oh. Thanks, Bro," he took it and swung it on.

The kid rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How far inside is the Emerald chamber, anyway?" he asked, peering inside the darkness beyond the threshold, his twin tails twitching reflexively.

"Not too far, actually. It's more of a maze, though, and it seems longer than it is. But don't worry," he reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a piece of paper, "we got a map."

Tails nodded, then followed Sonic as he entered the catacombs, torch burning in one hand, map in the other. The kid looked around at the walls of the passages as they passed, noticing the carvings and etchings that must have been made centuries ago. Through the fortress they continued, taking so many twists and turns that young Tails lost all sense of direction. After a long while Sonic finally found the flight of stairs that took them to the next level down.

As they descended Tails could smell the air getting even mustier, and an acrid scent invaded his nostrils, something he had never smelled before. As he came down off the steps and looked around, he could tell something bad had happened there. There was a large hole broken on one wall, and dark smudges and smears marred the floors. He looked up at Sonic for some kind of explanation, but the hedgehog kept walking, keeping his head high.

What Sonic didn't want to tell the kid were the details of what happened at the place, how Robotnik's attack bots had killed everyone inside the facility. He was now thankful that Sally had insisted on sending a "clean up crew" of sorts shortly after the incident occurred. Tails didn't need to see things like that, not at his young age.

The sublevel was laid out much more straightforwardly than the one above, and they reached the large double doors leading to what the maps called the "generator room." The door had never been forced shut since Sonic had opened it during his first trip here, and dust had begun to settle in the grooves separating the chamber from the hallway. He stepped inside, Tails closely behind, still looking wide-eyed at his surroundings. He strode purposefully to the pedestal in the center of the room, the former receptacle of Emerald Hill's Chaos Emerald. Now that he was paying more attention he noticed the sheer complexity of the machinery surrounding it, and really had no idea what any of it was for.

Tails, however, did. With his usual childlike enthusiasm he trotted forward, crouching down at the base of the small pillar and proceeding to analyze. "Wow... this is pretty old stuff."

"Do you know what any of it does, Li'l Bro?" Sonic asked, bending forward and positioning the torch to give him ample light.

"I think so," he replied. "This is... heh, whoa. If Rotor could see this he would totally bust out laughing! This machinery is probably older than you, Sonic. Rotor's gonna kick himself so bad when he sees the kinda stuff they had powering their base."

"Any idea what stuff is important, and how we can bring it back to Knothole?"

"Yeah, no problem," he looked up at him. "How much of it do you wanna bring back?"

"Whatever we can fit in the back of the Tornado, buddy. Rotor wants as much of this stuff as he can get."

Tails chuckled as he stood. "It's kinda silly, though, since he's gonna have to upgrade all of this anyway. It'd almost be better to start from scratch."

Sonic grinned. "How fast do ya think we can take this thing apart, though?"

Tails "thought" about it for a moment. "Hmmm, don't know, Sonic. How fast do you think we can do it?"

The hedgehog got on his knees beside the hardware, cracking his knuckles. "You just tell me how this stuff goes together, and it won't be together for long."

Tails talked as Sonic worked, and together they were able to disassemble most of the machinery in the room in just under an hour. They took several trips back and forth to the Tornado, stowing everything away and strapping it down in the hold. As Tails reached up to shut the door, Sonic took a look back toward the hill, his mind going back and forth between the Chaos Emeralds in his backpack and all the trouble he had to go through to get them three years ago.

"Sonic?" Tails' young voice broke him from his reverie. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Somethin'..." he answered distractedly. "Hey, bro, how long does it take to warm up the Tornado?"

The kid shrugged. "Bout five minutes, why?"

"Need to make a call," Sonic answered, walking a distance from the plane as Tails started the engine. He brought his radio from his pocket and keyed it to Knothole's frequency. "Anybody there?"

Rotor's deep voice came back. "Right here, Sonic, what do you need?"

"Is Sally there?"

"Yeah, hold on a sec."

There was a rustling, then a period of silence, before Princess Sally's voice came over the speaker. "Yes, Sonic?"

"Oh, man, it's good to hear your voice again, Sal."

Sally chuckled. "Sonic, you've been gone for an hour. Tell me what you need or I'm hanging up."

"A'right, a'right. Do you have a list of all the old monasteries around here? Ya know, where there might be more of those Emerald thingies?"

"Maybe," she hummed. "They could be in my father's old records; I haven't had a chance to go through them all, so it's a possibility. Why, what are you thinking?"

"Eh, no reason," he shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "I was just thinkin' that if Rote gets these babies figured out, we may need to find out where more of them are, that's all."

"That is good thinking. We'll talk about it when you get back to Knothole."

"Okay. Catch ya later, babe."

She smiled. "Good bye, Sonic."

-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-

"Again!"

He rushed forward at the command, blade held ready. His blows were sure and swift, but not quick enough to avoid being parried by his opponent. The sharp ringing of metal on metal sounded each time their weapons met, filling the clearing with the sounds of warfare. His steel came down again, and again, and again, each time on a slightly different target, hoping to break through his defenses. After nearly a dozen attempts, however, it was becoming more obvious that it was not going to happen.

He sighed, inwardly just before outwardly, then stepped back and lowered his sword to his side. His sparring partner stayed with his defenses raised, still locking eyes with him. "Why did you stop?"

"Cuz I wasn't getting anywhere," the other sighed. "What's the point? You're still faster than me."

Antoine de Coolette slid his rapier back into its sheath. "You're just not working hard enough, Antipode. You're starting to think less about what you are doing."

The echidna sat on a fallen trunk at the side of the clearing. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a swordsman. It's too much... discipline."

Antoine nodded. "Oui, discipline is needed. But it also takes determination, and I believe you have that. You have the... ferocity inside. You just need to harness that, make it work for you."

Antipode chuckled. "Well, right now, I've got nothing left inside, Antoine. Maybe we could do this some more later, huh?"

He inclined his head toward him. "As you wish, mon ami. I am heading back to camp. I will see you there."

"All right, see ya."

The coyote snatched his pack from the ground and started on the path that would take him back to Knothole Village. Antipode watched him go, then let out a long sigh and stared at the ground. He had been training a lot with the elder freedom fighter almost every day since joining the camp a year ago. Some days he felt like he was making progress, but today was not one of those.

Antipode groaned loudly and rolled onto his back. He and Antoine had been working out for the past hour or so, and every one of his muscles ached. He stared up at the sky and the clouds floating lazily by. Maybe he would just lay here for a while, before he went back to camp. He really didn't have anything to do there, anyway.

He took a few deep breaths, then opened his eyes and sat up. "Time waits for no man," the old adage ran through his head, and he frowned. Sometimes he wished it would, then he could get some rest.

"C'mon, echidna," he groaned again, lifting himself wearily to his feet. "Time to get to work."

He went over to pick his pack and his katana off the ground, looking around idly while he slipped it on. He liked the woods, liked it even more now that he lived in it. As a kid he didn't spend a whole lot of time in the forests, for a variety of reasons, one being he lived in the dust bowl. Now that he had the chance he often came out here, just to sit and look around.

The sharp snapping of a branch caught his attention. Antipode looked into the trees around the clearing, trying to detect whatever made the sound. It could just be a woodland animal, he figured, but something told him it wasn't.

He took a few steps forward, slowly; whatever it was, he didn't want to scare it away. "Hello?" he called out quietly. "Somebody there?"

Another snap, this one farther away; he still didn't see anything. "Do you need help?" he called again. He didn't know of any settlements near Knothole. "Are you lost?"

Then he heard footsteps, rapidly moving away from the clearing. "Wait!" Antipode shouted, then broke through the trees. Apart from his weapons training with Antoine he had undergone the basic freedom fighter survival regimen, which included forest tracking and speed trials through the woods. He tried to make out where the person was, then started running, vaulting over fallen tree trunks and protruding roots. His target was obviously unaccustomed to the woods, and the sounds of their footfalls made it seem like they were injured as well.

Antipode quickly closed the gap between them, almost being able to see them through the trees. It was a woman, a feline about his height; her left leg was injured, and she was limping. She obviously noticed he was coming, and tried to go faster, tripping over one of the thicker roots and hitting the ground.

He approached slowly, still not knowing what was going on. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"

She laid staring at the ground, breathing heavily. She was wearing an old, dirty poncho around her shoulders, over some kind of dark bodysuit. When she finally pushed herself out of the dirt, her dark strands of hair fell before her face, and he could see her piercing green eyes looking up at him with a mixture of fear and anxiety.

The woman didn't move for several moments, and Antipode bent down, offering her a hand, smiling. She stared at his leather glove for a while, then hesitantly, almost reluctantly, reached up her hand to grab a hold. He pulled her to her feet, paying mind to her bad ankle, or whatever the case may have been. "Do you need a doctor?" Antipode kept talking. "There's one not too far away." Oh, please understand English...

She blinked her green eyes, as if the question had to compute itself in her mind. "Yes..." she finally said. "Perhaps I do."

Antipode gestured back to the clearing. "It's just this way. Do you need... any help? Is your leg okay?"

"Maybe you'd bette' give me a hand," she managed a chuckle, after testing her ankle and finding it worse than before.

He came over to help her, idly labeling her accent as possibly British. "What happened? Why are you all the way out here?"

"I'm looking for... something. Something a friend told me about." She chuckled again. "Honestly, it's been so long, I forgot what it was."

"Hmm. Well, they can help you out at Knothole, with whatever it is. Princess Sally is cool about that."

The cat's ears pricked up. "Princess Sally... Acorn?"

"Yeah! You've heard of her?"

"I think so... I'm not quite sure, I... My friend may have told me about her."

"Heh, well I wouldn't be surprised. She's pretty well known. How long have you been around here?"

"A few years... maybe longer."

They emerged into the clearing, and Antipode located the path back to Knothole. "It's just over half a kilometer, this way."

-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-

"Hey, Sonic?"

He took a deep breath and sighed, reveling in the feeling of the wind through his spines. Sonic loved speed, and being in the Tornado was by far one of the fastest experiences of his life. Someday he would have to get Tails to teach him how to fly it, then he could get away every once and a while and have a little fun.

"Hey, Sonic!"

The hedgehog snapped his eyes open. "Whaddya need, Li'l Bro?"

"Check it out," Tails pointed off the nose of the plane. "What's that thing?"

"Whoa," Sonic sat up straighter in his seat. "Hey, I think that's Egghead's bot carrier!"

"Really? Ya wanna go check it out?"

"I dunno... we should kinda get back to Knothole," Sonic paused. "Eh, that can wait. Let's go see what the fat man's up to."

"Aye, aye!" Tails shouted and swung the plane to the new heading. As they got closer he pushed the plane into a dive, so it was nearly skimming the ground, an attempt to keep below whatever radar the carrier might have had. It was docked, it looked like, next to a large manufacturing plant on the shore of the ocean.

"Eggman's got plants this far away from Robotropolis?"

"Yeah, and it looks like they're still workin', too," Tails replied. "We'll put down over there, and check it out."

The kit set down as close to the base of the factory as he could manage, then quickly shut down the plane and followed Sonic inside. Robotnik got no marks for subtlety in designing the place. It was basically one large room that they could see, lined everywhere with pipes, pumps, and drainage basins. Sonic approached a guardrail and looked down, seeing huge vats of bubbling liquids, constantly being poured into and out of by the various equipment.

"No wonder it stinks in here," he commented dryly. "Bubble-butt's makin' chemicals for something."

Tails peeked over the rail to see for himself. "A lot of it, too." He looked up at Sonic. "What for? He doesn't have his SWATbots anymore."

The hedgehog frowned. "Don't know, Bro... But what say we find out, huh? There's gotta be a computer around here somewhere; if we find it, you think you can hack into it?"

Tails smirked mischievously. "Does Robotnik's mustache looks like it's about to fly south for the winter?"

"Heh, good one. C'mon."

Tails followed Sonic on the catwalk that wound around the factory, finding it to be more than the one room he thought at first. That one was basically a cell, and there were several other cells connected to it, via corridors and passages. Another maze.

After passing through a few of the passages, Sonic got lost. He slowed to a stop, looking around aimlessly. "Shoot."

Tails stepped up to the guardrail, peering down at the chemical vats beneath them. There were all interconnected, and flowing... "Hey, Sonic?"

The hedgehog stopped rubbing his forehead. "Yeah?"

"I think..." he pointed. "Look at the stuff, it's goin' that way. Maybe that's where the main processing machine is?"

"It's worth a shot," he shrugged. "Let's try goin' that way then."

Sonic turned back to the corridor, then stopped. There was a bot in the doorway, and it didn't look too happy to see them. It was short, but heavily-built; it sat on two large wheels in the back, and had two very sharp-looking objects built into its forearms.

Tails' eyes widened. "S-Sonic?"

"Hold still, Tails," he held his arm in front of the kit to keep him from moving forward. "Maybe it won't care that we're here."

It did. As soon as Sonic talked it turned straight for the two, and with a revving sound slowly crept forward. Sonic glared as he watched it; the bot seemed to be observing them. He continued to watch it as he whispered, "Bro, when I run, make a break for that hallway over there, kay?"

"Um, okay. But what if-"

"NOW!"

Sonic bolted forward toward the guard bot, and it responded by screeching forward, tires spinning on the catwalk. The hedgehog tried to judge the robot's height, then when he was close enough he leapt, his sneakers hitting lightly on the bot's metal shell. It did no damage, but he quickly jumped off onto the other side and kept running. "Go, Tails, go!"
The kit started running faster, now for dear life. Sonic started sprinting, but Tails couldn't keep up, so he slowed down enough that the kid was slightly in front of him. "Sonic, where are we going!"

The guard bot had already spun around and was accelerating toward them. Sonic looked, but couldn't see anywhere to go. "Just get to the control room! I'll distract him!"

Tails did as he was told. Sonic stopped and spun around. "Ya wanna play, bot-ugly? Come get some!"

The guard bot refocused on his target and came down to bear. Sonic kept running, getting close enough to Tails that he could hear him. "Bro, we're splitting up! Find that control room an' I'll meet ya there!"

"But, Sonic!"

Too late. He had taken another route down the catwalk, luring the bot away. He kept going; the control room had to be around somewhere.

Sonic ran at full speed now, knowing there was no way the bot could catch him, as long as he kept his mind on what he was doing. Now he was grateful the chemical plant had been built like such a maze; it made it easier for him to be unpredictable when choosing a direction to go. He led the guard bot around the factory, essentially in circles, making a game out of it almost by seeing how many times he could take a given route before the bot's AI could predict him accurately.

And, of course, he took every opportunity to show off, if only for himself. He constantly laughed at his pursuer as they raced through the factory, a couple of times the bot getting close enough that it would lash out with its spikes, forcing Sonic to dodge. It never hit him, though, and he would return to running, playing with it, leading it on. After a while, though, he got bored.

Sonic skidded to a stop and leaned against the guardrail of a catwalk, feigning a yawn. "Sorry, bot-for-brains, but I'm gettin' tired of this. See ya!"

The bot headed straight for him, which proved the limit of it's intelligence. Sonic leapt over the top of it's domed shell again, to land softly on the other side. And the bot, unable to stop itself in time, ripped through the metal rail and toppled down, down into the bubbling vats of chemicals below.

Sonic looked down as it spun it's wheels, slowly sinking to the bottom and getting swept away by the artificial current. "Sweet dreams," he grinned and started off to find Tails.

Without any delays now, Sonic found the control room door easily; in fact, it was the only door in the factory. He opened it and slipped in. The room inside was dark, since the lights were off, except for the glowing of a monitor in a corner. He came over. "Tails?"

The fox was almost too preoccupied with typing into the console's keyboard to answer him. "Yeah?"

"You found it, I guess."

"Uh-huh."

"Find anything out?"

"Not really... What was that thing outside, anyway?"

Sonic shrugged. "I don't know; maybe it was one of Egghead's new playthings, what he's using all the gunk in this place for."

"Hmm," Tails hummed to himself, continuing to type. He got so engrossed in his work sometimes, he almost seemed detached, like he was too busy staring at the screen to even pay attention to anything else. He definitely took more after Rotor than Sonic in that respect.

"This might be something... It's a radioactivity scale, I thought maybe the crap they're makin' is givin' off some bad stuff. But this is actually a scan of the ocean nearby." He looked up at Sonic. "There's something out there, and guess what it looks like?"

Sonic thought a second, then smiled. "Chaos Emeralds?"

"At least one. Maybe Eggman hasn't gotten them yet, and we can pick 'em up first."

"Suh-weet! Let's go get 'em then! How far out are they, Bro?"

"Not that far," Tails shook his head. "Actually, one of the factory's drainage basins empties out pretty close to that. Up for a swim?"

Sonic immediately got nervous. "You know I don't swim very well, Tails. Especially not through Robotnik's chemical muck."

"Oh, c'mon! Not even for a Chaos Emerald or two?"

The hedgehog moaned pitifully. "No other way we can do it?"

Tails hopped off the chair and looked around the room. "I thought I saw... oh, nifty, here they are." He held up a large yellow rubber suit. "How bout a chemic suit, Sonic? Would that help?"

"Er, a little, I guess." He sighed. "Fine, lay it on me."

The fox gave a little laugh as he came over, helping Sonic into the protective gear, which was slightly too big on him. It was designed to be worn in emergency situations, and so was fully waterproof and had an air tank strapped to the back. He made sure it was sealed right, and that the air hoses were working properly. "This thing's got a radio in it, too, Sonic. I'll key it to a frequency so I can help you out from up here."

"You're not coming with?" Sonic asked, his voice muffled by the mask covering his face.

"Sorry, but there aren't any my size. 'Sides, I'd be more help up here, anyway."

"If you say so..." he grumped. "So, how do I get to the drainage bin thing?"

"Um... well, just find a railing and jump in. All the juice is going somewhere, and it's gotta be dumped at some point, right?"

"But you said there was a processing thing somewhere, too, didn't you? I don't wanna be 'processed' nuthin, Bro."

"Oh, chill out. Just jump in, I'll help you through it. There's gotta be a schem of the machinery somewhere in the database, and I betcha I can find it before you get lost."

Sonic chuckled nervously. "I dunno, I get lost pretty quick."

"Heh, I noticed. Okay, you're set. Get goin."

Sonic exited back to the main area of the factory, feeling like a complete moron moving around in the suit. I must look like a freakin' banana or something, he thought dryly to himself, thankful there was no one else in the seemingly automated facility. He found a guardrail and looked down, staring at the bubbling mess of chemicals swirling in the vat below him. He almost retched.

"Sonic, you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here, Bro."

"Good, the radio's workin'. Um, just jump in, it's pretty straightforward, actually. Just keep on the left path all the time, and it should lead to the spillway."

"Okay," Sonic sighed. "Here I go."

He squeezed his eyes as he tipped himself forward and over the railing, feeling himself falling down and impacting through the surface of the vat. He blinked his eyes open, barely able to see anything from the bubbles that seemed to float suspended in the green fluid. He tried to upright himself, and his feet hit the ground.

"Doin' okay?"

"Yeah, I'm still alive, anyway. Follow the current and take every left, right?"

"No, not 'right,' 'left.' Call me when you hit the ocean, I'll let you know where the signals are coming from."

Sonic started forward, slowly from the bulk of his equipment and the fact that he was moving underwater. He followed Tails' directions, and after what seemed like forever he found himself pulled against his will with the current, which had gradually been getting stronger as he progressed. He was poured out through a pipe and through another chamber, which emptied out into the wide ocean.

Here the green chemical fluid was mixing in a cloud and dissipating into the otherwise clear ocean water. Robotnik's pollution strikes again, Sonic thought. Maybe we should blow the place up when we're done here. Tails could probably figure out some way to do it.

"Okay, Little Bro. Lead the way."

"All right... a little bit to your left, just a little. Keep walking, you'll trip over it in a couple steps."

Sonic took one step forward, then realized he tasted moisture on his lips, not from sweat or saliva, but from his breathing tube. He tried to look and see, but couldn't make out anything. "Um, Tails, I think my air tube is leaking. It musta gotten nicked when the pipe spit me out."

"Are you sure?"

Now he could see a constant trickle of seawater pouring in through his tube. "Yeah... yeah, pretty sure now."

"Forget about the Emeralds, Sonic. If that suit fills up with water, you're gonna drown. Just get up to the surface, we'll get you out and go home."
Sonic stopped and stared. There, at the bottom of an embankment before him, the light was reflecting off an object half-buried in the silt at the ocean floor. He recognized it immediately. "Sorry, Tails, did you say 'go for it?' I think my radio's failing. I'll be up when I get the Emeralds, a'right?"

Without waiting for a reply, Sonic found the catch on his helmet. He took a deep breath and released it, instantly breaking the seal and ripping it off his head, letting the ocean pour in on his face. He let it drift away as he worked at the catches on the rest of his suit, peeling off the large air tank and freeing himself from the weight.

Now not held down by any equipment, he started down the hill toward his prize. True, he couldn't swim very well, so he managed by walking along slowly on the ocean floor. As he descended, though, the pressure around him started building, until Sonic thought his ears were going to pop. But there were the Emeralds, right there! He couldn't stop, not this close.

Oh, wouldn't Tails and Sally be surprised to see he got an Emerald back for Knothole! He would definitely have a story to tell everyone back home. He took another step, another step. Now he was running out of air, and his lungs started to hurt. Sonic reached out for the object in the sand, he was almost there, just a little closer. He was feeling lightheaded, but that wouldn't stop him.

Just a little closer...

Sonic blacked out.

-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-

"Argh. How much farther, huh?"

"Not too far, I hope."

"You hope?"

"Well, I don't know for sure. Everything looks different in the dark. And it has been a while since I've been to Knothole, ya know."

"Dangit, girl, the bot-chick's heavy!"

"I know, Ran, just keep it up for a little while. We're almost there."

"Yeah, that's what you said an hour ago, Ambre."

"And I'm gonna keep sayin' it until you stop complaining!"

"Geez, fine..."

Ambre narrowed her eyes and turned back to the path ahead. Despite being able to see in the dark -- one of the many advantages to being of the feline persuasion -- she still found it somewhat hard to navigate the maze of paths the freedom fighters had built around their base. They had received Princess Acorn's message at their outpost that morning, and had set off on the long trek between the bases. Just before the pivotal battle of Doomsday a large part of their cell had been wiped out in an attack; she herself had sustained major injuries, and she was one of the lucky ones. They had come out of it devoid of any of their higher-ranking officers, so she had assumed command. Their group was dwindling, and recognized Sally's offer of assistance, not hesitating to accept.

Behind her, Ran grunted. He was a large, dark-furred bear; small for his kind, but still a head taller than her. He lumbered along behind her, the young girl in his arms sleeping peacefully. At least, that's what it would look like to a casual observer. Intrinsically, she was the reason they were making the long journey. She had been one of the victims at the assault, but by some twist of fate she had not been killed like the others. She had been injected with some kind of serum, that had turned her skin to a metal shell. Their doctor had been able to cease the process just before it had finished -- in fact, he had said, if it would have completed the results would have caused permanent damage -- but she had been in a coma for the past several months. Princess Acorn had said that they had a way to reverse the process, hopefully it would work on her.

They rounded a corner in the path, and Ambre was nearly ecstatic to see the soft flickering of torches' glow. She ran forward ahead of her partner, calling out into the camp, "Hello! Is anyone still up? I need a doctor!"

A door to one of the huts opened, and someone came out to them. "Hey, over here! What's the problem?"

Ambre walked over to him. "Are you the doctor?"

The echidna motioned over his shoulder. "No, the doc turned in already. What's the deal?"

Ambre gestured to the girl in Ran's arms. "She got... changed, by Robotnik. We were told you could help us."

Antipode's eyes widened. "Whoa, haven't seen that in a while, actually. I hope Rotor's still got the deroboticizor working. Um, yeah, I'll go wake up BD. Hold on."

He went off into an adjacent hut, his voice barely audible as he addressed someone inside. A moment later, he exited, heading for another hut across the compound. An elderly raccoon came over to Ambre and Ran, limping against a cane. "What's this about now?"

Ambre told him. "Oh, dear. How long has she been like this? Yes, Antipode just went to wake up Rotor, he should have the deroboticizor online within half an hour. We'll get this straightened out."

Ambre nodded. "Thank you. We wouldn't have tried making it here if it weren't for the chance you can help her." She looked down at the hedgehog girl, running a hand through what little hair was visible on her metallic scalp. "Don't worry... We'll get through this... Amy."

**END OF CHAPTER**

MESSAGE FROM THE MAN: Changes to Come

So, I took some time off from writing the fic to do a little studying, reading some other fics on FF.n (really good ones, which are rare), and some of my old material, to kind of refresh my mind to get me pumped up and ready to go on this, which ushers in "Season 2" of sorts in the FFoM uber-fic.

You may have noticed some changes in this chapter, the first being my narrative style. Before this Sonic fic, I was working on a Star Wars fanfic, written in a more novel-length descriptive style, which I had fought long and hard to cultivate. The fic was never finished (what little I do have is up on FF.n, "Star Wars: Dark Visage") but going back through it I was almost bowled over by how well-written it was. I decided to start using that style on here, hopefully the chapters won't get too bogged down. Let me know what you thought of that when you review. Which you will, because you love me ^_^

Another thing is the HTML FORMATTING! w00! I finally decided to start putting in actual formatting, to see how it looked. Comment on that, too, if ya want.

Last thing: I got a (somewhat strange) review from an individual by the name of "hopelightfaith," whom I assume has read through the whole story, since the review was stapled to chapter 13. Thank you for the review, although you did do more suggesting than review. Here's the statement made, in its entirety:

hopelightfaith

2004-02-09

Chapter 13

Anonymous

Hey if you like Tails maby you should include some of the stuff that the archie comics did with the "chosen one" with Tails. I know some people dont like archie however it provides many story oprotunities, adds to Tail's character, and if you actually do something with (and not just drop it for 20 comics or so like archie did) then people wouldnt mind it because I think it was one of archie's better ideas. Keep up the good work!

Now, I do thank you for your review, don't get me wrong. But, I do have a counterpoint to this. (I was going to email this to you, by the way, but couldn't find your contact information, so its going here.) First, I have the entire series planned out already... seriously. All thirty chapters have their plot bunnies written down, and need only to be outlined. The "chosen one" stuff from Archie is not going in, since I want to focus more on the canon material (all that's left is the games and SonicX). Also, while I have great respect for the work they put into it, I look down upon the Archie Sonic comics. Perhaps its my dislike with American comic books in general (give me a good manga any day ^_^) but I found them to be extremely shallow, and not engaging at all, the way a story should be. Also, I don't know if anyone noticed this at all, but I'm trying to move away from the whole "special powers" outlook of Sonic entirely. True, Sonic still goes fast, but he can't break the sound barrier just by running. Tails, although he retains his trademark appendages, cannot fly like a helicopter, nor will he ever be able to. I think this does make this story more realistic, as people (even in real life) are not defined by their characteristics, but their skills. The Chaos Emeralds still do what they do, but as you can see there as well, I've taken a scientific road to that, too.

Anyway, I hope this clears up some things, hopelightfaith, and I do hope you keep reading. (Please email or AIM me, I'd love to talk to you some more ^_^) That's all for me, I've gotta go get to work on part 2 o' this piece of work.

Ja ne, ya'll,

-AE