Chapter 4: "Recovery"

"Rotor? Rotor!" Sally yelled across Knothole as she carried Bunnie in her own arms. Poor Dulcy was still trying to pick herself up from her last landing near the trees, but Antoine was running along behind the princess, his eyes anxiously focused on the lolled head of their badly injured friend on Sally's shoulder.

By the near-panic in the resistance-leader's voice, Rotor was running out onto the grass in seconds. "What's wro--? Oh no… Get her to a bed! I need to grab the schematic sketches I made and my tools!" He'd only given himself time for a glance, already sprinting for his workshop, pointing back to Bunnie's own cottage for the princess.

Sally sped up, almost plowing through Bunnie's door. She was a bit surprised to find Antoine right there, yanking it open properly for her. She ran inside, and put Bunnie down on the bed. The woman's ears flopped too limply onto the pillow when her head landed, and it made Sally tear up afresh, patting an unconscious cheek from the bedside. "It'll be okay, Bunnie…"

Rotor was stumbling through the door not a minute later, which startled the princess again. Even Sonic took a few seconds to get to the warehouse and back. The walrus was wasting no time, however, and he just ran over, taking Sally by the shoulders and with a combination of urgency and trying to be polite to a friend, he pulled her out the way. He had scrolls of detailed mechanical sketches of Bunnie's three limbs, and a large tool-box, which he let down on the ground as he started to examine the jagged, shattered remains.

"She's in so much pain, Rotor…" Sally breathed.

"I know," he replied, but his voice was much faster, still short of breath. "I'm tracking down the pain-receptors and shutting them down. It's not like she needs to feel them when there's nothing there to use."

Antoine finally blinked in confusion, looking to the princess. "B-But why? Why are the metal limbs feeling anything at all?"

Sally turned to him gravely. "Bunnie explained it to me. She could still feel with them, it was just less accurate than her own body. It's the only way to have the limbs function without some kind of manual control system."

"If they are less of the sensitive, why is she in so much terreeble pain?"

Rotor answered this time, his voice dark. "Even a weak sensor can overload, Antoine. What did this?"

Sally's shoulders sank. "…Another Metal Sonic robot. It… it went straight for us, and actually tried to ignore Sonic this time."

Rotor paused in his work for a heart-beat, eyes widened, but then shook his head free of the distraction. Bunnie's pain would be gone if he could do anything about. Working from a combination of memory and quick checks on the schematics, he was already tinkering with her shoulder joint.

"Sonic is getting Uncle Chuck as we speak," Sally offered, hoping it would give Rotor something positive to think about.

Rotor did relax faintly. "That's good, Sally. Real good. I can stop the pain… I hope, but giving her new limbs is something I'll need a lot of help with."

Sally's face lit up. "You can?"

Rotor's face remained tight. "I don't know, but as sure as Robotnik's little black heart is gonna stop beating one day, I'm gonna do everything I can."

It sobered the princess' hopes, but she smiled calmly at Rotor's determination. She knew he had a soft spot for Bunnie, who had always appreciated his help with her robotic limbs, and it looked like it was spurring the walrus into a very powerful wave of activity.

"…Aunt Sally?"

Sally jerked, and twisted on her heel, running to the doorway before Tails could come inside completely. "Tails! Tails, sweetie, don't come in yet!"

She startled the poor boy with her backward pushing, but she was trying to smile and hug him at the same time. "You don't want to see this yet, trust me."

Tails was completely confused, but he knew something very serious was going on. "What's wrong? Where's Aunt Bunnie or Sonic?"

Still smiling warmly for the boy now that they were out on the grass, the princess spoke with more calm in her manner. "Sonic is out getting Uncle Chuck and bringing him back here."

Tails smiled, happy to hear that Uncle Chuck was finally coming back to Knothole, but he could see it. Something in Sally's eyes. "…Where's Aunt Bunnie?"

Her smile couldn't hold. She knew what it would cause in the little one in front of her. She knelt down, her face serious, and said, "She got hurt, Tails. We're doing everything we can, that's why Sonic is bringing Uncle Chuck here."

The fox boy's eyes were fearfully wide. "I-is she gonna be okay, Aunt Sally? Is she…?"

Offering a gentle smile, Sally kissed his nose, and embraced him. "Rotor's making sure the pain is gone. She'll live through it, Tails, don't worry about that. It's just really serious, and I don't want you to be scared by how she looks."

"I want to see her!"

The force and sincerity that suddenly exploded out of the little one startled Sally, and she pulled back. Tails was looking up into her eyes, his own watering, but there was an almost adult determination in his entire frame. "I need to see Aunt Bunnie! Please!"

Sally hesitated. Her first instincts told her it would be stupid to let the poor boy see Bunnie in such a state, for both their sakes, but the look in his eyes… More serious, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, Tails. Listen to me very closely."

He almost seemed to freeze, looking in her eyes.

"She is very seriously hurt. It looks very bad. If you get scared, I'm taking you out of there immediately, understand?"

Tails nodded, but his expression hadn't shifted. Hiding her concern for the change in the little boy, Sally stood up, and placed a hand to his back, pushing him inside with her. It took a few seconds for him to get a good look, Rotor working on the left hip joint by that point. Sally waited anxiously, but Tails just pressed his quivering lips together, and hurried around the foot of the bed. Rotor glanced up, but saw the boy reach over, and just take hold of Bunnie's remaining hand, and bow his little head into the bed beside her.

The others, even Antoine, found the sight both terribly sad and wonderfully sincere at the same time. He just wanted to be with her when she was hurting. Even Rotor just focused back on his work.

And then a wonderfully familiar sound reached their ears. Air splitting around a super-sonic hero. Sally and Antoine ran outside, just in time to see Sonic skid to a halt, with Uncle Chuck holding onto his neck from behind. The roboticized but sapient old friend quickly walked around, his blue and gray metal body strangely welcoming with his bushy eyebrows and mustache. Even his red optics were friendly, but concerned at the moment. "Where is she?" his gruffer voice asked first thing. Sonic didn't even speak yet, which worried Sally for the blue hero.

"The cottage. Rotor's helping."

Uncle Chuck just nodded, and moved right for it. At the doorway, he paused. "Great shades of Mobius…" He quickly moved to the foot of the bed. "What do you need, Rotor?"

"It's good to hear your voice, Sir Charles. Her right thigh/hip joint. Dial the pain-receptors down. She doesn't need them right now."

The roboticized hedgehog just nodded, his finger-tips changing into mechanical tools, and didn't even try to disturb the little fox holding Bunnie's hand as she lay unconscious. He just got to work.

Outside, Antoine quietly stepped back into the cottage, but Sally stayed out with Sonic. He looked at the small house himself, then looked down, and started to walk toward a little tree-stump chair some distance away, near a fireplace that had been used the previous night.

Knowing she couldn't help Bunnie any more than she was already getting, Sally carefully walked along behind the hedgehog, and let him set himself down on the stump before even bothering to speak. She'd never seen him like this. His frame was limp, his face flat, his eyes staring down into nothing. Even his spines seemed to be limp down his back.

Sally exhaled gently, and stepped a bit closer. "Sonic… it wasn't your fault."

"I wasn't fast enough," he only said, his voice horribly calm.

She knelt down beside him. "No, Sonic. It was your speed that saved our lives, yet again. You can't be everywhere at once. This was always a danger, with every mission. For G'd's sake, Sonic, at least she's not dead!" Sally kept her voice low, but it rushed with emotion.

"She would be if he'd aimed for her head. Oh!" he suddenly snapped his head down, holding it with both hands. "I knew that stupid place was too obvious! I should've just blitzed in there alone and wrecked it!"

Sally gripped his left arm. "Sonic! Sonic, calm down! I would have been furious with you for taking that facility on without our help. It would have been stupid. Remember what we said? It was too risky to let it go! We knew it might be a trap! If that's what nearly killed Bunnie, then we're both to blame!"

It got his attention as she knew it would. He stared at her, and then shook his head. "Sal, you're the one that saved her. I could hear what was going on near the end there, I heard you draw it off her."

Sally turned very serious. "But he only attacked her because she knocked him away from me. He was focused on me at the start, Sonic. If I hadn't panicked, I might have been thinking more clearly, and Bunnie wouldn't be hurt anywhere near as badly as she is. All of us made mistakes in hindsight, but we've never pulled off a mission without someone making some kind of mistake. It's just the way it is. This time, the mistakes cost Bunnie too much. We have to move forward, not stop."

This caught him. He calmed, glancing off. "…Not stop."

His dear princess shook her head with a subtle smile. "Not stop."

Sonic finally laughed a bit. "Well that's good. You know me and stopping."

She giggled. "Never happens."

He winked.

(Later…)

Was she still dreaming? That horrible, burning, bone-grinding pain was finally gone. She also felt… light, small. Her left hand itched a bit, but wasn't it metal? Her brow tightened faintly, but felt soft weight keeping her right hand down on smooth bed-covers. Yes, she was awake. Bunnie moaned gently, and started to pull her eyes open. Her mind started to clear, and she remembered the fight, then pieces of their retreat. The pain had muddled a lot of her memories, but she had enough. What was keeping her hand down, though?

She started to look down to her right, and tried to pretend she didn't see the jagged metal where her legs were supposed to be. Then it was easier for her to focus elsewhere. A deep mixture of sorrow and adoration softened her tired face into a pout as she saw Tails, fast asleep, huddled against the bed, still holding her hand. The bed-covers were still damp under his eyes.

Not sure if it would wake him or not, she squeezed his little hand with her own, and stroked the fingers with her thumb. "You're a real trooper, darlin'," she whispered, her eyes watering gently. It was only then she actually realized other people were still in her cottage, but she didn't want to look away from Tails yet. She heard Sally, Rotor, and even Uncle Chuck speaking very softly near the door, none of them actually looking in her direction for that moment.

Tails, however, did react to her soft squeeze. The boy shifted gently at first, sniffed, and moved his nose down into the bed first, then drowsily pulled his head up. As soon as his tired little eyes met Bunnie's tired, but warm smile, his face lit up like a star. "Aunt Bunnie, you're awake!"

Her friends near the door twisted, their conversation ended instantly. As Bunnie smiled brightly for the little fox, letting him scramble onto the bed and hug her around the shoulders as she patted his little back, Sally held her hands to her mouth, crying gently, both glad and newly saddened. Rotor and Sir Charles just sagged with heart-felt relief. Obviously Bunnie wasn't in physical pain anymore.

On the bed, the wounded freedom fighter smiled through her soft tears, her ears even perking back up, and playfully scratched Tail's hair. He giggled, and sat back from her. "I'm so glad you're awake, Aunt Bunnie…"

She caressed his cheek. "I can see that, little darlin'. You were a brave little freedom fighter to stay with me so long. Now can you do me a big favor?"

He hopped up to attention. Bunnie had to just smile at him for a heart-beat. She knew that in that moment, she could ask him to march up to Robotnik himself and he'd do it in a flash. "Go eat some breakfast, Tails. Or whatever time it is."

He pouted a bit. "I don't want to leave you alone just for that, Aunt Bunnie…"

She gripped his hand, trying not to think about the blunt honesty of what she was about to say, "I'll be right here, darlin'."

Tails understood this time though, and held her hand with both of his again. "Aunt Bunnie…"

"Please, Tails."

His shoulders slumped, but he nodded, and hopped down. He had to give her a wave before he hurried out of the cottage.

Finally, Sally, Rotor, and Sir Charles came up to the bed, all of them gathering on the right side, following Sally's lead as she took hold of Bunnie's hand for herself. Tears were dripping down the squirrel's cheeks. "Oh Bunnie… I'm so sorry…"

Still tired, the bed-ridden rabbit gave a good, strong battle-smirk. "Now what're you apologizin' for, Sally-girl?"

"If I hadn't—" she went silent meekly as Bunnie cut her off.

"Don't even start. I was half-dumb myself with that thing comin' after us, I'm just glad I got the metal monster away from ya for a bit. Three fake limbs is worth that, any day." Knowing Sally was silenced for a moment, she gave the princess a warmer smile, and used her hand to pull Sally further up the bed, but didn't let go as she looked to Uncle Chuck and Rotor. "I'm awful glad to see you again, Uncle Chuck. Rotor… I know you both got rid of the pain. I can't thank y'all enough," her voice dropped into a deeply sincere breath.

Sir Charles, at first, just smiled at her with Rotor, but then he quickly motioned to the walrus. "I was too late this time, Bunnie. Rotor here had you most of the way when I got here. He didn't spare a second of effort."

Rotor blushed quite seriously. "We did it together, Bunnie. I'm just so glad you're not in pain. Are there any problems with them though? Uncomfortable for other reasons?"

Bunnie slowly shook her head. "No, sugar. I can deal with a bit of dead-weight if it'll take that pain away. I couldn't even think straight at the finish there," she admitted guiltily to Sally.

The Princess blinked. "Bunnie, what on Mobius are you apologizing for? Anyone would be out of it after… that…"

Offering a grateful smile, Bunnie squeezed Sally's hand, and tugged gently. Sally almost fell on her with a tight hug, calming a sob as tears seeped out of her clenched eyes. "It's so good to see your eyes open."

Bunnie laughed a bit, but was in tears herself. "I'm sorry I gave y'all such a fright then. It was just pain, honestly."

Sally nodded, but didn't change what she'd said.

Rotor and Sir Charles started to ease away, wanting to give the two friends some time alone. Soon they were waiting outside, and Charles was already muttering to Rotor about how they could best design replacement limbs.

After a few minutes of silent, grateful friendship, Bunnie loosened her arm, and Sally pulled back. The rabbit seemed more serious and concerned, like her normal mission mood. "Where's Sugar-hog, though? He's not hurt, too, is he?"

Sally almost laughed, but it was too sad to not cry some more. "No, no! He's just… He feels awful for what happened. He's been throwing himself into mission planning since last night."

Bunnie's expression turned sympathetic. "Aw, y'all are so guilty about all this." Then she remembered something, a brief moment of peace in the hellish pain. "What about Antoine? He's okay?"

Sally actually winced a bit with uncertainty. "We're… not sure about Antoine. He's been different since we got back. Very serious. He's actually been working with Sonic on mission plans. I mean, it's not like they get along, it just looks like they don't care about fighting right now."

The injured resistance fighter shared her friend's concern. "I guess I better talk to 'em both then." She glanced down at herself, her expression falling.

Sally gave a start, and moved for the door. "I'll go tell them!"

"…Wait, Sally-girl?"

She froze, turning back to Bunnie after the gentle pleading in her voice. Bunnie looked deeply, seriously embarrassed.

"Would ya… would ya mind pulling the covers up over me, please?"

Sally's face fractured with sympathy, and nodded, rushing back to the bed. Bunnie tried to prop herself up, but Sally came in, lifted her up gently by the shoulders, and pulled the bed-covers down to her waist. Letting Bunnie lie back, she pulled them out from under the damaged thighs, and pulled the blanket up to her friend's shoulders. Bunnie adjusted it more to her liking with her remaining arm, and then nodded. "Thank you…"

Sally just smiled, leaned in, and kissed her friend on the forehead. "I should've thought of it myself. Just relax, I'll go get your gentleman," she finished with a wink, and it let both women laugh gently before she hurried out of the cottage.

Bunnie did lean her head back fully, inhaling, and then breathing slowly out through her lips. Her missing hand still itched…

(Later…)

Hearing the click of her door opening drew Bunnie's eyes over to it. She smiled brightly when Antoine and Sonic stepped through. For once, it was remarkable how similarly meek the pair were, and how much they were ignoring the usual irritation they caused each other. Sonic half-smiled, his hands still on the door. "Hey, Bunnie… Sal said you wanted to see us?"

Bunnie nodded. "Come on over, y'all. I hear ya been feelin' awful after that metal monster got to me."

Both men came up to her bed, and it seemed instinctive for people to come up on the right side, with her remaining arm. Sonic was closest. Indeed, Antoine seemed fearful of coming too close.

At first, Bunnie was just going to tell them she understood what had happened, and that she didn't even feel like she could blame them for it, but she was startled when they both started to speak.

Antoine dropped to his knees at her bedside, and started to kiss her hand. "Please forgive me, mademoiselle Bunnie. I was not knowing how to protect you! Please, I can not bare eet…"

Sonic, who normally rolled his eyes as Antoine's ogling and groveling with women, just put a hand on Bunnie's shoulder, his eyes shining more than usual. "I should've been there sooner, Bunnie. Blast it, I should've taken that place out on my own when I first spotted it."

Honestly at a loss with the two of them gushing over her as much as they were, Bunnie glanced from Antoine to Sonic and back several times, her mouth hanging slack as she tried to think of what to say first.

"H-Hold on there, Antoine. My hand can't take much more kissin'," she tried to start with a laugh, trying to smile.

Antoine froze, startled, and jerked back from her hand, bowing his head to the floor. "A thousand apologies, my dear Bunnie. I am most sorry, I only wished to--!"

"Antoine!" Bunnie finally shouted to get his attention, her face more exasperated than angry.

Sonic and he both froze, staring her warily.

Bunnie started to laugh. "It ain't y'all's fault, alright?" She looked from one to the other again. "It's all Robotnik's fault, pure and simple. He gave me metal limbs, and this time he broke 'em off." Sonic winced, Antoine shutting his eyes tightly. He'd seen it happen. "Oh, come on now, both of ya. Just metal and wires, right? At least I didn't lose my only soft one," she actually giggled, raising her arm.

Antoine was still sad, but Sonic finally laughed a bit. "I can't thank you enough, Bunnie. I couldn't've blamed you for hating me, but I couldn't've handled it either…" the hedgehog admitted, bowing his head.

"Aw, Sugar-hog. Come 'ere and gimme a hug."

Sonic did come closer, and was surprised by how powerfully the injured woman could hold him close with one arm. They were both tearing up a bit, and he patted her fur behind her ears. "I know you saved Sal, too. I owe you big time for all of it, Bunnie," he whispered to her.

Bunnie smirked, patting his back around the spines. "You've done it for us all dozens a-times now, Sugar-hog. You don't owe me a thing."

They parted with a soft laugh, both smiling, and then Bunnie focused down on Antoine, who was still kneeling beside the bed. She offered her hand, the palm up. "Come 'ere, Antoine. You were there for me, you got me off the ground. I remember."

He started to cry outright, but came over to her, and embraced her. "I could not spare you the pain…" he whispered tightly.

"No one could have if you hadn't gotten me outta there with Sally-girl, Sugar-hog, and Dulcy. I couldn't a-asked for more, sugar. Stop cryin' for me, you did good. Real good." But she was tearing up again herself.

He managed to nod, pulling away and sniffling.

Bunnie wiped her eyes. "Now go on, both y'all. Can't hold up the resistance 'cause of a one little ole Bunnie."

Sonic smirked. "Who else would we do it for?" They shared a smile before he winked, "But you're right. Come on, Ant. Let's wrap up those plans and start pounding Robotnik."

"For once, Monsieur Soneek, we are agreeing completely."

Bunnie giggled, and waved as the pair hurried out, getting back to work.

(Down, down in the deep…)

Far away from Knothole, far away from Robotropolis, the shattered valley was silent as the grave… on the outside. Through the dozen-ton slabs of rock, endless dirt, and across the wrecked metal, the husk of the power-drive unit was still there, looming in the darkness. A small cave had formed from the collapse. Large boulders formed pseudo-supports between the low roof and gravelly floor, but in fact they were the biggest signs of the structure's weakness.

Everywhere, warped black metal and silver specks poked out of the loose rubble, but there was a particular concentration of it near the power-drive, just beyond a large boulder and a small hill of dirt and rocks. The warped, broken remains of Metal Sonic… the power-ring still lodged in his chest.

Any Mobian in the resistance would have known something was wrong. Power-rings vanished after they were used, bursting into energy and fading away when Sonic was done with them. Yet this one remained, almost sticking out of the wreck's back, lying on its stomach as it was. The head was in pieces across the floor, the arms and legs all but vaporized, but that blade-fin was still mostly visible, simply motionless.

Something had changed around the power-ring. Lodged through the torso as it was, the occasional spark still snapped off its sides, but there was more. Parts of the metal, wiring, and power-core system had fused to the ring. At first glance, one would assume the heat of the explosion simply melted them all together, but there were no other signs of scorching.

And then, finally, after hours and hours of silence, one of the optics lying off on the ground, scattered away from the body, but connected by some wiring, flashed to life with a soft chime. The power-ring glowed very faintly, and the fused wiring started to heat up.

The memory banks and processing system started to activate, requiring the least power. Badly damaged, they started to blend fragments of data together. The footage of Sonic's strategies started to link with the behavioral sub-routines, Metal's own wire-frame overlapping with Sonic's grinning face.

Targeting programs flickered between Sonic himself, to each of his friends, then the priority memory returned, and uploaded Sally and Bunnie before focusing on Sally's face. This triggered more personal data showing Sally smiling at Sonic during missions in Robotropolis. The wire frame overlapped with Sonic suddenly copied into the cycling footage, and showed Sally smiling at the linked data.

--Acquire targets. Primary objective.--

Sally again, this time in his crushing grip, then screaming as he took Bunnie toward the wall, again when he ripped the woman's metal limbs off.

You want me, don't you!

--Yes…--

Then her smiling at the linked data again.

--Acquire target… Want… Sally.—

The optic flickered, and then it started. The metal strewn throughout the cave started to shift subtly. Wires pulled together like lazy worms, large plates began to shift, scraping over rocks, all as the power-ring started to glow more brightly.

--Acquire…--

Her smile.

--Want…--

It showed Sonic pulling Sally at high speed, the two sharing a smile over his shoulder.

--Want… Sally…--

Audio data started to play. Sonic's voice muttering random phrases. At first it was all gibberish, but then key phrases started to repeat.

Hey, Sal!

I've gotta juice, Sal!

Sal! I'm comin'!

--Acquire… Sal…--

All the metal started to move faster, some pieces actually flying across the small pebbles, and flipping down onto the pile around the ring. The optics and pieces of the head started to pull back toward the torso.

The power-ring suddenly surged, flaring with light, and the memory system rushed with data. The rush of wind through spines, relief as Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine flew out to be caught by Dulcy, and righteous fury as the ring rammed into Metal's torso. The alien data started to process with the programming, aberrant links, and data-recordings of the resistance fighters.

--Acquire. Locate. Fight! Destroy targets. Priority 1. Resistance fighters. Priority 1. Acquire resistance fighters… Priority 1. Want. Sal.—

Wires started to pull into metal, metal melded together. Stranger still, parts of the diamond glass started to fragment and roll down toward the power-ring. The power-ring itself suddenly started to vibrate, rattling the entire chamber before it ripped up into the air, pulling everything with it. The metal, wires, gears, and hydraulics were all yanked vertically, engulfing the power-ring… and then whole mass slammed back down into the ground as the light from the ring vanished.

But the sounds continued. Ominously grinding metal, popping clicks, and then…

Red optics flared to life with a soft pulse of power, just before the cave cried with the horrible, sheering roar of the blade-fin. This time, however, the ripping roar echoed and thrummed more powerfully. There was more than one.

And then a metal hand reached out, the fingers clicking and clenching into a fist as lines of white light bled out through the cracks in the metal, finely detailed and intricate. It rushed to life in a wave, the entire body alive with black metal, hints of silver, and smooth curves and discs of diamond-glass flaring with white light.

It was not the robot Robotnik built, it was not programmed according to his rules. The eyes flashed brighter, the three blade-fins on the back of his head revved violently, and then he looked up. The air around him started to distort, his vented, bladed face-plate gushing mist. "Comin' Sal," his deeper, rasping voice rushed out, and a blinding flash of light preceded the roar of crashing rock and dirt.

(Author's Note)

This chapter is more of a stepping-stone than a small stand-alone arc in a greater story, but I thought it was necessary and deserved it's own chapter. Obviously, this is simply handling consequences of the previous chapter, and foreshadowing ominous events with the final part there.

Regarding the two issues macropodathist1 raised. I had an incomplete viewing of the Sonic SatAM series, and the only clear reference I had for the vehicles was Sonic's mocking 'hover-head'. Since they already looked like floating heads to me, I figured they simply had a logical name-source, but I apologize for the error. Bunnie's threat of violence (I assume toward Sonic), was an attempt to show the effect on the characters after getting out of a more extreme situation than they're used to, even in a resistance war. Sonic and Sally were fighting more severely than normal as well, so I thought it fit with Bunnie's independent manner to get Sonic's attention with a grim visual. It was never intended for her to ever actually do it, but that wasn't explicit, so it's a fair point. There may be some sticking points for you later, as well. My apologies. I hope the story is enjoyable anyway.

And thank you all for the reviews. They keep my interest going in a story, and help me finish it. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.