Part 4
Recuperate

The next few weeks were difficult for the Freedom Fighters. When Bunnie next came around, she had been oddly silent. She had stared at the ceiling for a long time, not saying a word, not acknowledging anyone's presence. She stayed like that for a whole week, before one day eventually asking Sally, who had been by her side the entire time, for a cup of hot chocolate. It was an odd request, one that the doctors had at first been hesitant to agree with. So far Bunnie had been kept alive with nutrients fed through tubes, with some extremely delicate and dangerous surgery merging nerve endings and wires, and they were highly uncertain of how her body would cope with major foreign bodies entering her system. But Sally had immediately complied, rushing to her own hut and fixing up a hot drink and even some chocolate chip cookies she found in a jar and placed on a tray. When she came back, Bunnie was sitting up and was smiling, or at least as much as she could muster. She surprised Sally by swigging the drink down in almost one gulp, and fell on the cookies ravenously.
"How were they?" Sally asked when she had finished.
Bunnie smiled, bits of chocolate flake speckling her cheeks. "Like the ones mother used to make."
"The ingredients were taken from a recipe book that belonged to my mother," said Sally. "She was quite the cook."
"So ah remember…"
Sally cleared her throat. "Bunnie, I wanted to talk to you. About the mission. I wanted to tell you that… Oh Bunnie. I'm so sorry. I didn't know about the portable roboticizer. I should have, but I didn't. I…"
Bunnie shook her head. "Don't you go be blaming yourself Sally girl," she said softly. "We all knew the risks when we went in. We always have every time." She bowed her head sadly. "Guess ah just got a little unlucky."
"But that's the thing… It shouldn't have happened. We were prepared for every contingency. Swatbots, hover units…"
"But not portable roboticizers. You can't really run from something like that Sally girl. Once you're inside…"
Sally shook her head. "We did a full surveillance. We checked the area out to make sure there wasn't any threat… We followed procedure to the letter. We should have known what Robotnik was up to." Her head sank. "We should have known."
"But we didn't." Bunnie laid a hand on Sally's. "You're not made of magic Sally girl. You can't be everywhere at once. We were as best prepared as we could ever be."
"But it wasn't enough, was it?"
Bunnie was silent for a while, her knees folded up under her chin, her arms wrapped around them. "Ah suppose Ah'm gonna be like this forever."
"Don't say that Bunnie. We'll find a way to turn you back. Why, Rotors working on a way to do it right as we speak."
"He is?"
"Of course he is! He got onto it as soon as you were handed over to the doctors. In fact it's thanks to a lot of his equipment that we were able to keep you alive."
Bunnie smiled. "Ah guess ah'll have to thank that ol' walrus."
"Don't worry Bunnie. If anyone can fix you up, it's Rotor."

"I'm sorry guys. I'm afraid I can't do it."
Rotor stared at the floor sadly, fiddling with his cap like he always did when he was nervous. "I've been working constantly on it since we got here, but I'm no where closer to where I was before I started."
"But…Bunnie was only partially roboticised Rotor," Sally tried. "Shouldn't that make the process easier?"
"No, I'm afraid it's not that simple Sally. Bunnie's internal structure, the parts that were roboticised that is, has been completely replaced with a synthetic imitative of it's original archetype. Everything that was flesh and bone has been converted to wires and steel. Even her cellular structure has been completely rewritten. I don't think I'm capable of reverse engineering anything this complex." He hung his head. "I don't think I'm good enough."
Sally rested her hand on Rotor's shoulder. "You did your best Rotor. You are the best. But Robotnik's technology is evil. Figuring out how to combat it is going to take time. I just hope Bunnie can cope living with her condition for the time being."

Later that evening, Sally explained the situation to Bunnie privately.
"So it's true," she said quietly. "Ah am going to be like this forever."
"Not forever Bunnie. Rotor hasn't given up. And I know he never will. He desperately wants to see you returned to normal. But it's going to take time."
"Months? Years?"
Sally shook her head. "I don't know."
Bunnie nodded her head silently. "Ah understand."
Sally could only feel total admiration for the woman who, after the initial shock had worn off, handled her situation with complete dignity and acceptance. She didn't argue, didn't complain. She didn't blame anyone else for what had happened. In fact she had spent the first few moments after regaining her composure telling the Princess not to feel guilty. The young woman was a soldier all right.
Bunnie raised her robotic arm in front of her and clenched her fist. She listened to the gears inside rotate and whirr. "Rotor's going to tone that down for you so it doesn't make any noise," Sally said.
"Ah appreciate that." There was a click, and Bunnie's hand started rotating at a rapid pace, like a drill. It caught them by surprise, made them both jump. It stopped abruptly, and after a moment or two of total astonishment, both of them still staring at the now motionless appendage still raised, they each erupted in a fit of giggling. "Well…" Bunnie murmured. "Ah sure as heck couldn't do that before." They laughed again. Bunnie's expression grew coy. "You know, a woman could find a use for this…"
Sally blushed. "Bunnie!"
"Ah'm just kiddin' Sally girl." Bunnie's face turned serious again. "I want to thank you Sally. For everything."
"Oh, it's nothing Bunnie."
"Oh no. It's everything, sugar." Bunnie leaned over and gave Sally a deep kiss.
"Well, well, well," said a cocky voice. "You usually have to pay to see this."
"Sonic!" exclaimed Sally.
Sonic elbowed Antoine, who was standing next to him with a bouquet of flowers, in the side. "Well Ant? Give her the flowers!"
"What?" the Frenchy proclaimed. "Oh! Yes! I was just about to be doing that very same thing. Ahem." He walked up to Bunnie and woodenly held out his hand. "Madame Bunnie. Please be taking these roses from me as a token of the getting better."
Sonic wiped a hand over his eyes. "Ant, wrong hand…"
Antoine realized his mistake after a minute of detective work, and proffered his other hand, which actually held the bouquet, to Bunnie. "Oh yes. I was just of the getting to that part."
Bunnie Rabbot looked at the coyote coyly, and reached out and accepted the flowers. "Why sir! Such a noble gesture must not go unrewarded!" She leaned over and kissed the coyote on the nose. Antoine immediately went red. "Ah…if you will be excusing me for this just one minute young lady, I must be of the going." He hurried out of the room.
Bunnie laughed. "My, my, my. What an impressionable young man that one is."
"No," said Sonic. "He's just being Ant."
There was the sound of the door opening, and a young two tailed fox entered the room. "Hey, Aunt Sally! Can I see her? Huh? Huh?"
"Of course Tails." The curtain was pulled aside some more and Tails walked in, followed by Rotor.
"Hey there lil' guy!" Bunnie beamed at Tails. "Your Aunt Sally's bin tellin' me how brave you've been." Rotor lifted Tails onto the bed so he could sit eye to eye with Bunnie. She gave him a deep hug.
"I'm glad your ok Bunnie," Tails said, a little teary. "I still love you, even if you are part robot."
"Oh mah stars. And ah love you too honey." She hugged him once more.
Bunnie looked up at Rotor, who once again was wringing his hat between his hands, and reached her arms out towards him. "C'mere you!" She reached up and gave Rotor a warm hug. "Sally told me what you did. Thank you for trying."
"Oh it was nothing."
"Sally says you were up for over two weeks without sleep."
"Oh that's nothing unusual."
"Well, it means a lot to me anyway." She hugged him again, and planted a kiss on his cheek. The walrus blushed deeper than Tails and Antoine combined.
Sally rose to her feet. "OK guys. I think it's about time we gave Bunnie some rest. Come along now." They all said their goodbyes, and exited the hut.
"What do you think Sal?" asked Sonic. "Think she'll be ok?"
"Hard to say. I hope so Sonic. I really do."
"She's one heck of a trooper that's for sure. Not many people would go through that and come out the other end ok."
"Not completely ok, no. We still need to be careful around her. She may be putting on a brave face, but deep inside she's petrified. And lonely."
"Dangerous combination."
"That's why I'm having you guys have her under observation for a while. I want someone with her every minute of every day until we're sure she's recovered enough."
"Wow. Sentimental to rational in under 60 seconds. Now that's fast."
"Be serious Sonic!"
"I am being serious!"
"Oh why do I even bother?"
"Because I'm fast, handsome, and lovable?"
"Try lame, thick-skinned, and annoying."
"Hey! That hurts Princess!"
"Good."
"Fine. Be that way."
"I shall!"
"Good!"
"Fine!" Sally stomped her foot down and left in a huff. Sonic scratched his head.
"Man. That girl's a heck of a lotta work."

The next day, Sally and Sonic found Bunnie sitting on the steps of her hut, enjoying the sunlight. She looked brisk and in good spirits.
"Hey fellas!" she waved.
"Someone's up early," said Sonic.
"When you've spent enough time sleepin' like Ah have…" she yawned, her gaping maw opening wide. "Hoo-ee! Look at me go."
"How you feeling?" asked Sal.
Bunnie flexed her robotic arm a little. "Ah have to admit, it is taking some getting used to. But all in all, ah'm actually feelin' pretty darn good. The doctors even tried to help me learn to walk this mornin'."
"That's right, we did," said a voice behind her. One of the doctors was standing in the doorway. "But within five minutes she was up and trotting around in circles on her own. We had one helluva time trying to catch her."
Bunnie giggled. "Oh they're just a bunch of ol' slow coaches."
The doctor turned and shut the door, then walked down and sat next to Bunnie. "Just thought I'd remind you to take it easy today. We don't want you causing too much stress to your limbs just yet. The nerve endings we stitched together are still weak, so it won't take a lot to break them."
"Ah know Doc," she said. "Ah'll be extra special careful sir." She saluted then.
The doctor chuckled and shook his head. Then he stood. "She's all yours. Just, try and bring her back before sundown. Ok?"
The doctor went inside and Bunnie stood up. It was the first time they'd seen her standing up on her own free will since Sonic had brought her back, and even with her bionic legs she was still a hairs breadth shorter than the rest of them. Her long ears towered above them though, moving in the breeze. "So, where are we going?"
Sonic grinned. "Hungry?"
"Ravenous like a mean old coyote!"
"It's a warm, sunny day, and I've got a hankering for some of the ol' chilidogs. Whaddaya say?"
"Would there be carrots in those chilidogs?"
"A carrot? In a chilidog? What ever for?"
Sally leaned across and whispered in Sonic's ear. "She's a rabbit, you idiot."
"Oooooooooh. Well then sure! Why not? It's Antoine's turn to cook this week. I'm sure he'd do just about anything for you." He howled as Sally's foot connected with his shin. "What did you do that for?"
"It's OK Princess Sally," said Bunnie with a smirk. "Ah'm interested in what the ol' sugar-hog has to say."
"Oh come on Bunnie. Ant has the hots for you. The major hots!"
"You wouldn't be toying with me now would you Mr. Sonic Hedgehog sugar?"
Sonic laid a hand across his heart and tried to look innocent. "Me? Toy? Never!"
Bunnie giggled. "Well. We'll just have to go and pay old 'Twan a visit then won't we?"
Sally shook her head. "Alright, alright. Off you go the pair of you. But don't cause Antoine too much grief. I don't think his toupee could handle it. And take it easy! I don't want you rushing poor Bunnie around too much."
"I hear ya Princess." Sonic placed a hand on Bunnie's shoulder. "We'll stop off at the market first. Pick up some carrots and take 'em to Twan where he can work his magic. Or disaster, as the case is probably going to be." He started off into the village center. Bunnie turned slightly and waved to the Princess as she departed. Sally waved back.
Nicole beeped from her slot in Sally's boot. "Jealous, Princess Sally?"
"What? Never!"
"Your estrogen levels are highly erratic…"
"Oh shut up and calculate something."
"I was doing just that Princess Sally."
"I meant something else! Ooh! Your as bad as Sonic." She shook her head and walked off to find Rotor.

Sonic and Bunnie never made it to Antoine's. Not far off from the village kitchen they had passed through the center market stalls, where Bunnie stopped off at a vegetable stall to buy a couple of juicy carrots that had been on display. As people walked past, they became aware of hushed comments on Bunnie's appendages. Embarrassed, Bunnie tried to ignore it at first, but then a couple of kids walked past them. They took one look at Bunnie and took off, scared out of their wits. A few more of the braver ones pointed and whispered. Some laughed. They shut up when Sonic glared at them, running off to hide behind their mothers, who whispered in each others' ears.
Bunnie placed a carrot she was holding back onto it's bench and turned around to face Sonic. "You know what, we don't have to do this Sonic."
"Hey, I said I'd get you some carrots kiddo. And that's what we're doing."
"I know. And Ah appreciate it. But…"
"But nothing. Take no notice of the others. They'll get used to it."
"Somehow Ah doubt that." Bunnie sighed. "No. It's ok. Ah'm not hungry anyway. Ah think Ah'll just go home, if it's all the same to you."
Sonic sighed. "Ok Buns. Whatever you want." He walked her home.