Tails quickly had the trio near the edge of the Great Forest in no time at all with the Tornado. As Tails parked his plane carefully Sonic and Knuckles sped to where Robotnik awaited with his robotic army with Tails not far behind.
"It's about time Hedgehog. I was getting ready to make an example of Knothole while I waited, but seeing as you've finally arrived we can get on with my life and end yours." He smirked as he stepped behind his daughter M.
M quickly began pressing a series of buttons on her portable console and the doors to all three vessels opened and began spewing an army of feminine shaped robots. They stayed separated in groups of three outside their respective vessels. Sonic scoffed at the sight as Robotnik's regular swatbots retreated behind the feminine groups and slowly began packing themselves into the vessels.
"This is pretty sad even for you Buttnik. Looks like you've sunk so low you need women to handle your job." Robotnik frowned ferociously at his "pet name" and put a hand on M's shoulder.
"M is my daughter and shares the same hate for you that I have, so I thought it brilliant when she came to me with this idea." Robotnik smiled viciously. "This will be the end for you and all the rebels of Mobius!"
As he cackled M finished her button pressing and as soon as she closed her console two figures sped out of the two outer vessels and stopped in front of their group of robots. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails stared in horror as the figures stood straight their faces expressionless and their eyes red with malice.
"I see you remember my newest members of this destructive family." Ivo waved his arms in the air pointing at the two females. Not robots, not overlanders, but mobian in appearance.
"J-Julie-su!" Knuckles gaped and took a step toward her. Her hair had grown longer and was wild and unkempt. There were various metallic plates on her body and wires appearing in odd places. The metallic parts weren't the only new additions; she also had hints of green scales on her body and her tail was long and almost completely covered in scales. She hissed in an animal like manner when Knuckles took another step toward her. "No...she can't be...she can't!"
Tails also couldn't help himself and stepped cautiously toward what he could only perceive as Mina. A low growl escaped her throat as he got too close. Like Julie-su she sported various metallic parts and wires, but instead of scales Mina was scruffier in places and her tail was like a stubby wolf tail. Tails shook his head in disbelief and rejoined Sonic and Knuckles.
"No...this has to be some kind of trick." Tails stared angrily at Robotnik who grinned smugly at the trio.
"Ah, but I have one more present for you. This one is special, just for you Sonic." He walked to the entrance of the center vessel and held out his hand. A familiar brown furred hand took it and leisurely walked out. Her red eyes stared emptily in Sonic's direction making him visibly shudder.
"What kind of cruel joke are you trying to pull Buttnik!" Sonic stood defensively as the last female stood in front of the middle group of robots. The same metal parts and wires again, but a low roar came from her lips as a lion like tail irritably swished behind her. Her messy red hair framed her face adding to the lion qualities she already had.
"Aunt Sally?" Tails whispered just as confused as the others.
"I do apologize Hedgehog. I did have one more gift planned for this day, but sadly it still needs a bit of work, but I doubt I'll be needing him today." another unsettling cackle came from Robotnik.
"I knew it was you!" Sonic screamed at Eggman, "You have the real ones somewhere and I'll find them once I've destroyed these fakes."
"I assure you Sonic Hedgehog that these are very much the real things." M glared in Sonic's direction as she walked toward Sally and taking a sharp instrument she gave a quick swipe near Sally's cheek. Immediately blood began to trickle down her cheek, but Sally herself hadn't blinked through the whole ordeal.
"A clever trick. Nothing more. You've always tried tricking us with realistic robots!" Knuckles clenched his hands into tight fists.
"Master." Sally turned her head stiffly toward Robotnik, "Forgive me, but I request to begin what you have programmed for us today and dispatch of these creatures quickly and efficientlyso that we maylaunch our attack upon Mobius."
"Yes, of course specimen 01. I will leave you to your work." Robotnik entered the center vessel following his daughter and stopped at the door. "Do not fail me."a threat more than a statement.
"The probability of that is impossible Master." The girls answered in unison and closed their eyes as Robotnik sped away leaving them behind with their robot groups. All the bots standing behind the girls beeped briefly in unison and took up attack postions quickly. The girls went into attack positions as well and silently stared at the boys.
"Mah stars! What has Robotnik done to you Sally girl!" Bunnie ran towards Sonic followed by Antoine, Rotor and various other able bodied Mobians.
"That's not Aunt Sally...and that's not Julie-su and this one isn't Mina. It's impossible." Tails stated angrily.
"We came to help Sonic, but it doesn't look like you've started yet." Rotor called to Sonic as he toted a large bazooka like gun. "Where'd Buttnik go?"
"Took off like the coward he's always been." Sonic replied without taking his eyes off Sally who still stood ready to attack.Before he could fill Rotor in on the situation all the robots charged forward sending the entire group into the defensive. The boys found some difficulty destroying the robots, but somehow managed.
"Sonic, Knuckles!" Tails called out as they were fighting. "It's the girls! They're controlling the robots!"
Sonic began making his way through the battle toward the girls who remained in their stances, focused on the battle. As soon as Sonic broke free from the wall of feminine bots he lunged at Sally who quickly leaped high into the air. As Sonic looked to the sky for her she quickly fell toward him smashing him to the ground as she landed on his shoulders and with cat like grace jumped off and landed softly on the ground. Sonic quickly got to his feet as she came towards him swiping a hand at him. Sonic winced as he felt a stinging pain in his arm and examined it quickly. She had scratched him. Sonic thought he had evaded her, but she managed to quickly scratch him. This Sally was a lot faster than the Sally he remembered. Sonic wasted no time as he ran to attack her again.
Knuckles finally broke through the robot barrier and immediately flung a fist at Julie-su's face, but connected with nothing but air. He heard a hiss behind him and as he turned around laser bullets came toward him. They flew past him one hitting him roughly on the shoulder scorching his spiky fur. He looked at the imposter Julie-su angrily as she stood her arm in the air pointed towards him, two fingers smoking like gun barrels. She wasted no time and began relentlessly firing a barrage of laser bullets at Knuckles. Knuckles narrowly escaped the shower of bullets and frowned at the memory of Julie-su's preferred weapon and the one she was the most skilled at, the gun. Another rally of bullets gave him the opening he needed as he jumped toward her his fist finally connecting with the arm she used as a gun. He smirked as her arm fizzed and sparked, but when she lifted her other arm and it began to hum with a familiar sound Knuckles quickly found himself running once again.
Tails took to the air to escape the onslaught of robots but was quickly attacked by Mina. She had jumped into the air and taking one of his tails into her jaws she swung him mercilessly against the hard ground. Tails recovered quickly enough to evade her as she fell to the ground over him. She barked angrily upon realizing she had missed him. Tails gritted his teeth as the the pain he felt told him flying was not an option anymore, but had no time to dwell on it when Mina came at him like a rabid, mindless animal. He evaded her constant attacks, but found that although she wasn't making many direct hits she would get a wayward punch or kick in, which was starting to take a toll on Tails. Tails shook his head as his mind fought with him. 'This isn't Mina! Robotnik is justusing them to try and get us to hold back so we won't attack.' Still as Tails tried to convince himself that these girls were nothing, but elaborate copies something kept him from seriously attacking Mina.
Sonic found the fake Sally's attacks similar to the real Sally, but with added speed and power. Her silent stares at him, somehow with an air of victory, angered him making his judgement poor. He tried to curb his temper because he was quickly realizing that this fake shared Sally's incredible intellect. She hadn't suffered any injuries except for the one M had given her in demonstration. Sonic saw Knuckles and Tails struggling along with the rest of the mobians trying their hardest to keep the robots from getting into the great forest. Sally took the opportunity Sonic had given her and quickly pinned Sonic against a tree. Her hands around his neck in a death grip. Sonic gagged and began to fear for his life as Sally's own lifeless eyes stared into his a cruel grin spreading on her face. Sonic brought his feet up to her chest and kicked her with all the strength left in his body. He sent her flying until her body met with the thick trunk of a tree with a heavy thud. Sonic coughed and tried to regain his composure as Sally slumped to the ground.
"This can't be over..." he said silently as he watched her remain lifeless for a moment. Her hands flew to the back of her head. Her eyes opened in shock and in pain, but instead of lifeless red they were the beautiful blue eyes Sonic remembered all too well. Some of the robots slowed down and some even seemed to have shut off. As soon as it happened it was over and the robots continued with added malice as Sally stood her eyes once again red and empty. She ran towards Sonic with a roar and Sonic launched himself into a spin cutting deeply into Sally's leg. He landed roughly and turned towards her as she cried out in pain, but instead of the lack of emotion her face was etched with anger and she stumbled towards Sonic once more, but stopped before she had started into a run and fell to the ground on her knees. Her hands gripped the earth as tears fell onto the torn dirt and grass and she grunted in agony.
"No!" Sally roared again and was on her feet staring at Sonic, but her eyes would flash between blue and red. Sonic felt tears gather in his eyes as he watched her stumble and bleed. She turned her head to the sky and let out a terrible cry and ran off in the direction of Mina and Tails. Sonic ran after her, sure that she was going to attack Tails.
"What the.." was all Tails could manage as Sally pushed him out of Mina's way and let her tackle her. She quickly had Mina pinned to the ground. Mina flailed and bit at Sally's arm.
"Snap out of it Mina! Don't let Robotnik control you again!" She lifted Mina and threw her against the trunk of a tree as Sonic had done.
"Sonic...what...what's going on!" Tails looked to Sonic for answers, but Sonic watched as Sally held onto Mina until she stopped flailing and her eyes returned to their natural color and a confusion set in.
"We need to stop Su Mina...we can't let Robotnik have his way!" Sally pleaded and let Mina go. Soon the two of them pinned Julie-su and did the same trying to get her to stop. Julie-su fired shots in all directions furiously, but soon stopped and slumped to the ground. The feminine bots did the same and the mobians wasted no time in disassembling them before they could attack again. Mina fell to the ground and began to cry. Julie-su joined Mina as Sally slowly got to her feet and turned to face Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.
"I'm so sorry." she limped toward the boys slowly. They warily stepped back from her and she stopped. "We didn't have much of a choice...even now he could control us with the press of a button if he knew that you had knocked us free of his latest mind control." Tears began to fall from her eyes and she wiped them away quickly.
"Where are the real girls!" Tails demanded as Julie-su and Mina joined Sally.
"I don't expect you to believe us or Ivo, but we are indeed the real thing. Do you remember the day before we dissapeared? When we were trying to figure out what Robotnik was up to with all those new blueprints?" Sonic stared into Sally's eyes, expecting them to return to their former red, but he somehow knew that they wouldn't be turning back.
"They were M's blueprints. She was the one who came up with most of the plans this time." Julie-su bit her lip trying to keep herself from crying anymore. "She's the one who captured us and she's the one who did this to us."
"Robotnik was there for awhile. Watching, approving, smiling that horrid smile everytime we screamed. We were living guinea pigs, getting all kinds ofmobian DNA injected into us and all the excruiating pain for these metallic parts." Mina wrapped her arms around herself protectively as the painful memories filled her mind.
Sonic walked toward Sally slowly her deep blue eyes looking at him sadly, almost apologetically. He touched her face, tracing the cut M had made in her cheek. Sally covered her face with her hands and began to weep. Sonic folded his arms around her and knew it was her. It was Sal...he was ashamed he hadn't seen it sooner. Knuckles did the same to Julie-su as she cried silent tears onto his chest apologizing repeatedly. Tails simply took Mina's hand and held it softly. She threw her arms around him at the gesture and sobbed as he hugged her tightly. Sally suddenly pulled herself free from Sonic's comforting embrace and smiled at him sadly.
"We need to leave before Robotnik can use us against you again." Julie-su and Mina joined her and nodded in agreement.
"What! We finally find you guys after these two years and you're leaving?" Knuckles took Juli-su's hand in an attempt to keep her from leaving.
"It's too dangerous for us to stay. Maybe we'll see each other again somewhere." Sally said as she turned and ran into the forest the girls quickly following behind leaving the Freedom Fighters.
...to be continued...