Yada yada yada legal stuff blah blah blah on first page yakitty smakitty, I hate having to write this every #$$ time!


sorry about taking so long to update but classes have taken up a hell of a lot of time and have kept me away from the computer for quite some time.

Heh heh personal rants aside… good question from Ri2 regarding Slasher's flame breathe, and there's a good explanation for that coming your way soon. Oh, and yes that shadow geometry trick does work. Try it with a pen and place a light source to the at about 4:00 or 8:00 behind you. make sure the pen's shadow is at angle from your 12:00. Then slowly ease the pen down away from you and watch what the shadow does as it gets closer to the ground. For better effect put the light source further to the right or left.

Okay, so the big fights over and everyone's wondering "what happens now? How can I, the author, possibly top that?" well, don't worry I have plenty of things planned that will keep you reading on the edge if your seats. But that will come in due time, for now its time to check in on our hero's….


A Visitor From Afar

Ch 16. Familiar surroundings


Blackness. In his minds drowsy state, Slasher growled in a annoyance; this was starting to get old. Drifting on the verge of consciousness, Slasher could hear a familiar, incessant beeping on the edge of hearing as he slowly awoke. Though annoying, Slasher realized it to be a good sound; it meant he was still alive to hear anything at all. He felt very weak, but he still felt obliged to open his eyes; if only to put himself at ease.

Slowly his eyes opened, painstakingly slow. And he couldn't make much out beyond the blurred and hazy images visible. He did recognize some things though. Blinking a few times his vision cleared enough for him to see a few other features that confirmed to him that he indeed lay in the Knothole hospital.

With that assurance, Slasher felt his eyelids grow heavy again. Now certain of his safety, Slasher felt comfortable enough to close his eyes and rest a while longer. His brief awakening did not go unnoticed however as Dr. Quack smiled and quietly closed the door.


Elsewhere in the heart of Knothole…..

"Boy it shore sounds like ya'll had quite tha' adventure." Bunnie admonished with a pang of regret in her voice for having missed the fun.

"Yea-ha, it was awesome, best action I've had in weeks!" Sonic added pumping his fists enthusiastically. "Those bad-bots never saw what hit 'em."

"Oh right, and that's why Tails and Slasher are in infirmary and Coconuts got the drop on you!" Sally scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. Sonic huffed a little from the remark, but kept his overall cool about it; opting to lean back in his chair and plop his shoes on the planning table with his arms cradling his head instead.

"I am just to be glad zat everyone iz not hurt zo badly." Antoine added, relief filling his voice.

"I don't really call a hole the size of a quarter in your leg, none to small, Sugar 'Twan." Bunnie chided crossing her arms across her chest.

"What happens to zat fiend I could care less. At least those of importance are not hurt zo bad." Antoine replied, making it clear he didn't care what had happened to Slasher. Bunnie scowled angrily at Antoine but he paid no mind

"Yea, well Tails needed twenty-three stitches to close that 'minor' injury 'Twan." Rotor pointed out sternly.

Antoine shrugged and retorted saying: "It could have been worse Mon ami."

Rotor shook his hed in dismay, when Antoine got into one of these moods it's best not to try and argue with him; so Rotor changed topics. "What really worries me is how dangerous those 'Badniks were. Robotnik must have really amped up his programming if those 'Badniks gave you guys that much trouble."

"I know, it makes me wonder if he hasn't tried upgrading all of his bots with that system." Sally agreed as she looked down at the wooden planning table and sighed.

"Ah just wish Ah could'a been there ta help smash up those junk heaps." Bunnie grumbled, slamming her now functional bionic arm onto the table at the word 'smash' for emphasis.

"No use fume'n over it Bunnie. You'll have your chance if we run into more of those decked out bots." Sonic offered in his usual relax and cool attitude.

"Just what's so special about that crystal of Slasher's that made Robotnik go to such great lengths to try and kidnap him?" Rotor asked, becoming more suspicious of the newcomer.

"I don't know, Rotor. We do know it has some sort of ability to transform him physically, but Robotnik must think there's more to the crystal's power if he's showing this much interest in it. But, I want to treat this matter with discretion, we don't want to grill him with all sorts of questions like Robotnik did, otherwise he likely won't tell us anything." Sally agreed rising from her seat and leaning forward across the table using her outstretched arms to support herself. "I think that's it for now, we'll meet up around 7:00 to discuss the raid tonight agreed?"

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement. With that everyone got up and left the War Room. All except Sonic, he remained seated while everyone else filed out of the room to resume their previous tasks. Apparently Sonic had something else on his mind he wished to discuss.

Sally waited until everyone else left the room before she spoke. "Yes, Sonic, what is it?" Sally asked, expecting to receive more flak on this whole trusting Slasher issue.

Instead of the cross scowl he usually displayed when speaking of Slasher, Sonic actually looked bothered and seemed to be contemplating what to say to her. "Sal, after I ran off and left Tails and Slash behind, I said some harsh things about him… before I left too I guess."

Sally had not expected this. It looked like Sonic genuinely felt guilty about it too. Sonic continued. "As I was head'n back to Knothole, I actually wished he got turned into a bot!" Sonic lowered his head in shame. "I've never wished that on anybody before."

Sally took a seat next to the hedgehog and placed her arm comfortingly across the back of his shoulders. "You didn't really mean that did you?" Sally asked, almost in disbelief. Sonic glumly nodded yes. Sally felt shocked; she had never known Sonic could be so cold-hearted. "What? Why?"

"I don't know, I guess he really got under my skin." Sonic suggested; keeping his eyes lowered so he didn't have to look at the astounded expression that he knew Sally's face expressed.

"What did he do to get you so mad?" Sally asked, finding herself at a loss as to how any one could earn such ire from such a kind-hearted hedgehog. Sonic shrugged his shoulders, apparently unsure of the reason himself.

Sally contemplated for a minute then thought of something. "This wouldn't have anything to do with him beating you when you first met would it?"

Sonic turned his head, stunned. "No!" he shot out. He recoiled a little bit, surprised at his own response and thought about the possibility. "Well, maybe. There might be more to it though." Sonic said in a much more quiet voice. "While Tails was taking Slash on that tour I was kinda keeping an eye on them here and there before I left. And when Tails brought Slasher to that picnic I kinda freaked on him; called him a murderer and stuff."

"Is there something specific you don't like about him?"

"Well there is that stuff about him killing his enemies, but that's about it. Little stuff too, the way he acted, his attitude, that sort of thing."

"Why the change in feelings then?" Sally asked pushing him on.

"When you were fighting Scratch, Coconuts nearly killed me, but Slasher saved my life. When he was already injured too."

Sally nodded in apprehension. "So you're feeling guilty about treating him so unfairly." Sally then connected the pieces together with the snap of her fingers. "You're jealous…" she blurted out; pausing a moment, realizing what she had said.

"Me! Jealous! Never been jealous in my life!" Sonic replied without the slightest hint of modesty.

Sally folded her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrows, ready to prove him wrong. "Oh, and what about Geoffrey St. John?"

Sonic's proud shoulders dropped, his ego has been taking a serious pounding lately. "That's totally different Sal!" He protested in a loud voice.

"Hardly, you two are always fighting with each other and a lot of the time its over me. You're both jealous of each other." Sally raised her hand to her chin in thought. "He hurt your pride when he beat you before. Plus I think you didn't really like how much time Tails is spending with Slasher. By the way Tails was acting around Slasher I think you believed Tails had started idolizing him like he does you and you felt like you guys might end up drifting apart."

Sonic opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped himself, realizing that it made sense. "Sonic, you have to understand, Tails is your best friend, he's not going to stop being your friend no matter who he meets."

"I, guess your right Sal." Sonic admitted grudgingly. He felt pretty foolish to have beleived that he and Tails might be drifting apart. "Thanks." He stole a quick kiss on Sally's cheek and Sally blushed furiously.

"Your welcome Sonic, I kind of enjoyed getting to see your softer side." She stated, still blushing deeply. "But, I think it's Slasher who needs thanks. Not to mention an apology." Sally stood up behind Sonic and patted his shoulder sweetly. Sonic nodded and started to rise when Nicole started beeping. Sally flipped open the hand-held computer and read the text message displayed on the screen.

It read: "Slasher is coming around princess - Dr. Quack."


Meanwhile in the foul confines of Robotropolis…..

Snively paced back and forth in front of a large metal door, deeply disturbed by the news he knew he'd eventually have to rely. Taking a deep breathe Snively gathered what minuscule amounts of courage he possessed and walked towards the automatic door. Detecting his movement the doors whooshed aside allowing Snively entrance to the lab his uncle had stolen himself away to.

Snively could make out something on a worktable, but exactly what lay there was obscured by the large, oval shape of his overweight uncle. "Um, Master Robotnik sir," Snively shudder.

Robotnik whirled around, just realizing that Snively had entered the room and pulled a blanket over whatever he had been working on. "Yes, Snively." He asked, in an irritated, flustered voice.

"I-I-I have some bad news, Sir. We've lost contact with the 'Badniks. It would seem that they've (gulp)… been destroyed, Sir." He reported, his voice whimpering like a scared child, clearly afraid of what his uncle might do to him.

Instead of slapping his nephew silly as Snively expected, Robotnik instead, tugged on his moustache in thought. "Hmm… it would seem that I have underestimated the creatures fighting skills."

"Shall I send a repair team to retrieve them, Sir?" Snively asked, trying to lean around Robotnik's figure to get a glimpse of what Robotnik was working on.

"No, they've out lived their usefulness anyways. I want you to send a salvage team and bring back their memory cores." Robotnik stated in a surprisingly calm voice for someone who had just lost valuable pieces of equipment.

"Very good Sir." Snively saluted and turned to leave the room.

"Not just yet my minuscule minion." Robotnik uttered in a frighteningly sinister tone. Snively stopped dead in his tracks, sweat pouring down his face. Robotnik waddled right behind Snively, his arms fold behind his back. "What progress has been made on the crystal, Snively?"

Snively had been hoping his uncle wouldn't have asked, but now his uncle stood mere centimeters behind him and he expected an answer. "Umm, er… I'm afraid there hasn't been any, Sir."

(Eep!) Snively shrieked out loud when Robotnik grabbed Snively's shirt collar and lifted him off the ground like he were a feather. Robotnik raised him up so that he could now look straight into the dark eyes Robotnik totted. "WHAT!" he shouted furiously the wind from his shouting causeing the few hairs on Snively's head to fold against his skull from the rush of air.

"It's not my fault, Sir." Snively bellowed in fear. "The repair-bots are having difficulty installing the new generator, and we only have enough power from the back-up to power essential systems."

"Then you shall personally see to the generators installation and get this place back in working order, or else I'll throw you in the incinerators and you can power this facility with your burning corpse!" Robotnik shouted, throwing Snively out the door, hitting the opposite wall of the hallway.

Snively groaned as he picked himself of the floor and raced off to avoid anymore of Robotnik's wrath. Robotnik grinned evilly, "I've always had a certain flare for motivating people." He chuckled wickedly to himself.

Robotnik turned back to the project that still lay underneath the blanket. Robotnik pondered for a few moments. "Hmmm… it would seem that new AI program still may not be enough to bring my new creation to its ultimate lethality."

Robotnik wandered over to the massive bank of computers present in the lab and started sifting through the files. "But what could I do to improve that?" Robotnik ran a search on combat and glanced through all the data he could find. "My, my, my, what's this?" Robotnik stated when he spotted a file he didn't recognize. The file name read: 'combat-trainingseceretservice.rsa.dmg'. Robotnik opened the file and instantly his smile broadened. "Well, well, well; and to think the answer lay within my own computer banks the whole time."


bum bum bummmm...(more ominous music that seems ot come from nowhere)

(Gasp)Oh no, not that, anything but that… wait what was I talking about? Oh well, sit tight, I'll try to post the next chapter ASAP. But for now, I leave you to wonder just what Robotnik has planned. Mwah hah hah!... til next time! MWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH! (more manical laughing)