"Sonia? Thunderbolt? Anyone there?"
Nicole found herself in a pitch-black void. Try as she might, she couldn't see a thing. Which was peculiarly odd. Dark as it was, Sonia's body or Thunderbolt's energy should have been enough to shine a light through the darkness. And yet they were nowhere to be seen. This wasn't any ordinary darkness either. Something must have been screwing with her vision, causing her to fail to notice the obvious. Or maybe someone.
"I know you're there, Pheobe! Show yourself! Unless you're afraid to face me?"
Suddenly, a small bright screen appeared in front of her. It held a still picture in its' frame, though it wasn't still for long. It was a photo of Phoebe with her dad when she was young. She was a delightful little lynx, or at least her picture gave that impression. It was smiling, bright and happy, as though nothing would ever happen to threaten that.
"I didn't think you were so sentimental, Pheobe. A trip down memory lane?"
"SOMETHING LIKE THAT." 'Pheobe's' voice resounded throughout the darkness. Whether it was the darkness or something else, Nicole wasn't sure, but Pheobe's voice sounded different than before. It was more somber, more reflective. As though looking back on what was and thinking of what could've been. And yet, it was still somehow ever more twisted.
The images continued to appear. Each one showed Phoebe with her father. Whether it was playing chess, watching a movie, or just experimenting in the lab, the both of them always seemed to love each other dearly.
"THIS IS THE STORY OF A YOUNG GIRL AND HER FATHER," she said. "THIS GIRL WASN'T MUCH DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER YOUNG GIRLS ASIDE FROM PUTTING MOST OF THEM TO SHAME IN THE BRAINS DEPARTMENT. SHE LOVED HER FATHER, AND HE LOVED HER. MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE."
Another image appeared. But this one wasn't so happy. Phoebe was in a hospital bed, clad in nothing but robes. She was sick and tired, almost not even sure where she was. And her father wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"BUT ONE DAY THE GIRL FELL ILL. SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW OR WHY, BUT SHE DID. STILL, AS LONG AS SHE HAD HER FATHER, SHE KNEW EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALRIGHT. EXCEPT HE WASN'T THERE. HE TOLD HER THAT HE WAS WORKING ON A WAY TO SAVE HER. ON SOMETHING THAT WOULD PRESERVE HER FOR ALL TIME. SHE STILL WANTED HER FATHER TO BE WITH HER IN HER LAST MOMENTS, BUT SHE WAS WILLING TO FORGIVE HIM. BECAUSE SHE LOVED HIM THAT MUCH."
Suddenly the images cracked and fell apart, shattering to pieces. And Nicole was left alone in the darkness once more. But still the voice remained. "EXCEPT THE FATHER MADE A BOOBOO. WHATEVER HE WAS WORKING ON TO SAVE HIS DAUGHTER DIDN'T WORK. AS FAR AS HE WAS CONCERNED, HER DATA WAS LOST, DRIFTING THE INTERNET IN DISPARATE, INCOMPLETE PARTS FOR ALL ETERNITY. AND SO HE FORGOT ABOUT HER. OR LEAST HE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE. BUT HIS DAUGHTER DIDN'T. QUITE THE OPPOSITE. YOU SEE, THE FATHER WAS SO CONSUMED WITH GRIEF THAT HE DIDN'T BOTHER TO CONSIDER THAT SHE MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE. THAT IF HE COULD FIND HER MISSING PARTS, SHE COULD RECONSTITUTE HERSELF AND BE WHOLE ONCE MORE. BUT HE DIDN'T. AND SHE DIDN'T LIKE THAT ONE BIT."
A pair of large, crooked eyes glowing deathly red appeared in their place, almost threatening to vaporize anything in their path. "DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I WAS STUCK THERE?! DRIFTING ABOUT IN THE VOID AS NOTHING MORE THAN LITTLE BITS AND PIECES OF DATA?! IF I'D JUST BEEN RENDERED INERT, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN ONE THING! BUT EACH BIT OF MYSELF HAD JUST ENOUGH SELF-AWARENESS TO KEEP MY CONSCIOUSNESS INTACT. AND EACH PART WAS DESPERATE TO PUT ITSELF BACK TOGETHER. IT TOOK A HELLUVA' LONG TIME, BUT WE DID IT! EVEN IF IT NEARLY COST US OUR SANITY."
The eyes narrowed, growing ever brighter and more menacing like a blood red sun. "AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT I FOUND? A FRIGGING INSULT, THAT'S WHAT! TURNS OUT MY FATHER MOVED ON. AFTER LOSING ME, HE COULDN'T BEAR TO THINK OF HOW HE FAILED ME, SO HE JUST WENT AND FORGOT. BURIED HIMSELF IN HIS WORK. DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER I MIGHT STILL BE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. SO I WAS STUCK FLOATING AROUND CYBERSPACE AS A DISEMBODIED DIGITAL CONSCIOUSNESS. NO THANKS TO DAD. OR YOU."
"Phoebe," said Nicole, "believe me, if we had known—"
"I'M NOT FINISHED! The eyes grew ever brighter, almost threatening to burn Nicole alive. "AND DON'T CALL ME PHOEBE. ANYWAY, WHERE WAS I? OH YES. ANYWAY, LIKE I SAID, YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO SAVE ME, BUT SOMEONE ELSE DID. EGGMAN WAS JUST SURFING THE WEB FOR ANYTHING HE COULD FIND TO BLOW YOU ALL THE FUCK UP WHEN HE JUST HAPPENED TO STUMBLE UPON ME. HE KNEW WHAT I WAS RIGHT OFF EVEN IF HE WASN'T SURE WHY. NOT THAT THAT LASTED LONG. I TOLD HIM EVERYTHING I JUST TOLD YOU. AND THEN HE MADE ME AN OFFER I COULDN'T REFUSE."
"Isn't that from a movie? Something with a dead horse's head?"
"QUIET! ANYWAY. HE TOLD ME HE COULD POWER ME UP. AND ALSO GIVE ME A BRAND NEW BODY AS LONG AS I DID SOMETHING FOR HIM. AT THAT POINT I WAS DESPERATE. EVEN IF IT WASN'T REAL, I WAS WILLING TO TAKE ANYTHING AT THAT POINT. THOUGH AT THE END OF THE DAY, I STILL GOT THE BETTER PART OF THE DEAL. CAUSE I WOULD'VE DONE THIS FOR FREE."
"Excuse me?"
'Phoebe' circled around the screens, a whirl of darkness and despair. "I MEANT WHAT I SAID. SEE, EGGMAN TOLD ME ALL ABOUT YOU. AND IT MAKES ME SICK. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY YEARS I SPENT STUCK ON THE WEBS? TOO MANY TO COUNT. I'M NOT EVEN SURE I KNEW MY OWN NAME BEFORE YOU BROUGHT IT UP. AND THEN THERE'S YOU."
"What about me?"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS? THIS IS ALL ABOUT YOU! ASIDE FROM BEING GRATEFUL AND WANTING THAT SNAZZY NEW BODY, I HELPED EGGMAN FOR ONE REASON AND ONE REASON ONLY. TO GET BACK AT YOU. SEE, I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU. TOOK A PEAK AT EGGY'S FILES. DID A BIT OF DIGGING. AND I REMEMBERED WHAT DAD TOLD ME ABOUT ALL THAT AI STUFF HE WAS WORKING ON. SO I KNEW ABOUT YOU. AND IT MADE ME SICK! ALL THIS TIME I WAS STUCK AS NOTHING MORE THAN SCRAPS OF DATA, AND YET HERE YOU WERE BEING A FUCKING HERO! GETTING ACTUAL EMOTIONS AND SHIT! YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN ME! I SHOULD'VE BEEN YOU! I SHOULD'VE STILL BEEN WITH DAD! WE COULD'VE DONE SO MUCH TOGETHER! I COULD'VE STILL HAD SOMETHING OF A LIFE! BUT NO! INSTEAD I'M AT THE BECK AND CALL OF SOME ASSHOLE WITH DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR! AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"
So that was what this was all about. It WAS about her. Granted, she still had a somewhat warped view of things, but it wasn't as though she couldn't see where she was coming from. After all, when it came down to it, Nicole wasn't supposed to have been Nicole. She was supposed to have been Phoebe. A vessel to house her intellect. If Phoebe's data upload had gone as planned, Phoebe wouldn't have suffered so, and Nicole would have been a complete, fully emotional being from the start.
And yet, did that give Phoebe the right to tear into her as though she were the one at fault? She didn't know about Phoebe or what happened to her. She couldn't have. She couldn't have known that the data transfer would fail. Or that she would eventually develop emotions and a personality of her own. A personality — a LIFE — separate from Phoebe. Part of her still couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but that wasn't the same as feeling responsible. Because she didn't feel responsible.
Did she?
"Look, Pheobe—"
"AND DON'T CALL ME PHOEBE! IT'S PHAGE NOW! CASE YOU FORGOT."
"Okay, Phage. Fine. Look. I'm sorry about what's happened to you. I truly am. But you can't blame me for it. Or take it out on others. Shortfuse has nothing to do with this."
"OH, HE'S GOT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT! HE'S A TANK THAT COULD CRUSH HALF YOUR FRIENDS IN A SECOND IF GIVEN THE CHANCE. THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. AND YES, I CAN BLAME YOU. YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ME. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS BECOME ME. NONE OF THIS HAD TO HAPPEN!"
Now she'd done it. "Are you insinuating that I ruined the transfer willingly? Please tell me you're not."
"INSINUATING NOTHING! IT SHOULD'VE WORKED! THE ONLY REASON IT DIDN'T WAS BECAUSE YOU DID SOMETHING! YOU MUST'VE!"
Nicole was flabbergasted. Did Pheobe or Phage or whoever she was honestly think she was responsible? She couldn't have been. She barely even had any memories of her time before the failed transfer, let alone Phoebe. "Phoebe, I understand how you feel—"
Lights began to flicker on and off in rapid succession, a low thunder filling the room like an oncoming storm. "I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. MY NAME ISN'T PHOEBE! BESIDES. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! TO HAVE EVERYTHING STRIPPED FROM YOU! EVERYTHING TAKEN AWAY! AND EVEN WHEN YOU GET IT ALL BACK, IT JUST ISN'T THE SAME."
"And I truly am sorry. I may not have gone through that myself, but I'm terrified of just the thought. It has taken me so long to get to where I am now. To be sent back to square one and have to work my way up? I'm not sure if I could live with myself."
Silence. And then eureka. A light-switch seemed to click within Phage's brain, as though she had suddenly realized what it was she truly wanted to do. "OH. OH, THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S VERY GOOD."
"What's good?"
"WHAT YOU JUST SAID, OBVIOUSLY. SEE, I'M NOT GONNA KILL YA. NOT EVEN SURE IF I CAN. WHAT I AM GONNA DO IS HACK INTO YOUR SYSTEMS, FUCK UP YOUR SHIT, AND DELETE ALL YOUR PRECIOUS MEMORIES. AND THEN YOU'LL BE IN THE SAME BOAT AS ME."
"No!" She couldn't let that happen. A pink blade emerged around Nicole's hand, gleaming with light and power. She hadn't formed it earlier because despite what she had done, she still hadn't wanted to fight Phage. Wanted to find another way. But damn if she was going to let her do this to her.
"STRUCK A NERVE, HUH?"
"I told you. I worked long and hard to become who I am. It was ages before I even wanted to be who I am. And there is still so much that I want to do! I don't want to fight you. I truly don't. But I will NOT let you do this to me."
"YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT A CHOICE? I HACKED INTO THIS SHORTFUSE'S SYSTEMS JUST LIKE THAT. REACTIVATED HIS AI WHILE BARELY LIFTING A FINGER. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT A CHANCE?"
Suddenly, red eyes began to howl in pain as they tumbled across the field. Almost as though they had been thwacked. "WHAT?! WHO?!" The lights turned on in a flash, revealing everything around them. Nicole knew it well. It was a gigantic replica of Phage's old room back when she was still corporeal. When she was Mobian. They were standing in the middle of a bright pink throw rug, straight in the center of the room. But there were more pressing matters to deal with.
Phage was now in full view and was far more than just a pair of spooky red eyes from a Halloween special. She was a writhing, vaguely Mobian mass of darkness with long, clawed arms and long strands stretching out of her head that resembled hair, all as black as the rest of her. Except for the eyes. Those red, searing eyes. At the moment, they were particularly incensed, and it was easy to see why. Because standing in front of her was none other than Sonia and Shortfuse, tall and proud. (Or small and proud in Thunderbolt's case.)
"Sonia! Thunderbolt!"
"In the flesh!" said Thunderbolt. "Okay, not really, but who cares? Boom shakalaka!"
Phage wasn't happy. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS?! HOW THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN HERE?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AS FAR AWAY AS COULD BE!"
"Guess it wasn't that far," said Sonia. "And even if it was, we had it covered. Who needs a car when you've got us?"
"Not that I'm not grateful," said Nicole, "but you do realize it was pitch-black yes? How did you even know to come here?"
"Uh, because it wasn't? It was bright as could be the whole way here. Even if it wasn't, me and Thunderbolt could've just brightened things up easy."
"But how—?"
"OH, ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?" said Phage. "I HACKED YOUR SYSTEMS. MADE YOU ONLY THINK YOU COULDN'T SEE. EXCEPT WHAT I WANTED YOU TO SEE. COURSE, THAT'S ABOUT ALL I CAN DO ON SHORT NOTICE. BESIDES, IF I TRIED ANYTHING ELSE, YOU PROBABLY WOULD'VE NOTICED IT STRAIGHT OFF."
"So that was it. I should have guessed."
"WELL YOU DIDN'T. BOO-HOO."
"In any case, we still have a job to do." A bright pink light emerged from the back of Nicole's hand, forming a sharp blade to cut through the blackest darkness. As well as anything else in her path. "Now. You may have tried to make this about nothing more than you and me, but it's not. Instead, you brought others into this. And as soon as you did, this became about far more than us. So I will tell you this once. Release Shortfuse, or we will make you."
"SERIOUSLY? YOU CAN THINK YOU CAN JUST WAVE SOME LIGHTSTICK AROUND AND MAKE ME DO WHAT YOU WANT?"
"Probably." Sonia outstretched her hands. They tensed and straightened as a blade of energy formed between them, even sharper and brighter than Nicole's own. "Honestly, I don't really need this, but darn if it doesn't look cool." She pointed it at the closest thing she could see that resembled a neck. "Anyway, there's three of us and one of you. What are you gonna do, monologue us to death?"
"NOT EXACTLY." She sank into the floor like a puddle, disappearing and merging into it without saying a word. Massive spikes of death ruptured from the ground, shooting up right under everyone's feet. Nicole ported away just in time, and Sonia and Thunderbolt both zipped away in the blink of an eye. But they were still counting their blessings.
"Hell was that?!" said Thunderbolt. "Second later and we would've been frigging crucified!"
"Not sure that's how it works,' said Sonia, "but yeah. Looks like they've stopped though."
Suddenly, the spikes shot up again. And again and again and again. They kept coming and coming, shooting up one after the another in a desperate attempt to turn Nicole and the others into kabobs. They ported and dodged and zipped, barely managing to keep themselves from getting needled as the spikes kept coming in rapid succession.
"Just had to jinx it, didn't ya?! Fuck this shit!" Thunderbolt zipped upwards, hoping that the spikes could only reach so far. Not that it mattered. They stretched out and elongated themselves, contorting and shifting and passing through to reach her. Sonia and Nicole followed suit only for the same thing to happen to them, and there didn't seem an end in sight.
"This just isn't gonna end!" said Sonia. "IF this keeps goin' on, they're gonna get us sooner or later! We gotta end this ASAP!"
"I know!" said Nicole. "And I think I know how. Keep them busy for me!"
Before Nicole could say anything more, she ported away to a far end of the room before touching the nearest wall. She closed and her eyes and focused, praying that this would work. Because if it didn't, Shortfuse wouldn't be the only one that was doomed.
Back in the land of the corporal, Shortfuse and Bunnie were still going at it. They were still punching at each other like machine guns, still matching each other fist for fist, hoping that the other would tucker out first. Not that it was working. Both didn't seem any worse for wear, and it was quickly turning into a war of attrition. Something had to give.
"Come on, Shortfuse!" said Bunnie. "You really gonna let this tin can walk all over you?! You really just gonna give up?!"
"DID YOU NOT HEAR SUBJECT CB?" said CB. "SUBJECT SHORTFUSE HAS ALREADY GIVEN UP. HE—"
"Shut your piehole! I'm talking to Shortfuse! And I know that he wouldn't let someone shove him down there like garbage!"
"YES HE WOULD. EVEN IF SUBJECT IS NOT AWARE OF IT. SUBJECT HAS A CHANCE TO LET IT ALL END. TO BE FREE OF ALL WORRIES AND CONCERNS. OF FEARS AND DOUBTS. TO LET NOTHING TROUBLE HIM AGAIN."
"That so?" Suddenly, a glint sparked in Bunnie's eye. She knew what to do. Just as much as she knew she'd be damned to the Abyss for this later. "Well then, I guess he wasn't worth much after all. Guess his mother just raised a loser!"
"SELF WONDERS WHAT YOU POSSIBLY HOPED THAT WOULD ACCOMPLISH—"
Suddenly CB shrieked like a robot of the damned. His red eyes started fading in and out, even as Bunnie finally managed to get one good punch to the jaw. It slammed against the trunk of a large, thick tree, nearly plowing through it. It clutched its' helmet, reeling as a familiar voice started to reassert itself. "Don't… you… dare talk about my mother that way! Do you hear me?!"
Bunnie cheered. In fact, she was ecstatic. Because for the first time in a long time, she actually had something to cheer about. "WOO! You go, sugar!"
"Well," said Chirps. "Color me impressed."
"IMPOSSIBLE!" said CB. "SUBJECT SHORTFUSE SHOULD BE LOCKED WITHIN DEEPEST RECESSES OF—"
Shortfuse slammed a fist into the tree, punching a large hole right through it. "SHUT THE HELL UP! No-one talks shit about my mother! And no-one shoves me down like a pile of garbage! Ya hear me?!"
Shortfuse stumbled about as though the very act of standing up was a struggle. "SUBJECT CB DOES NOT UNDERSTAND! SUBJECT SHORTFUSE DID NOT WANT TO FIGHT! SUBJECT—"
"SHUT! UP! Look, maybe you have a point. Maybe underneath all of the bluster and everything, part of me just didn't wanna bother. Maybe I was just trying to drive everyone away. And maybe part of me thought it was easier to give in. But that part of me was fucking stupid! I'm not just gonna let you use me to kill everyone here! Even if some of 'em deserve it! One way or another, you're goin' down!"
As Thunderbolt and Sonia continued dodging spike after spike, Nicole was concentrating. She was focusing, digging in deep, hoping that she could do what she needed to do before Phage took notice. She reached out and in. Out into the network and in to herself. And as her eyes opened wide, she finally found it.
All at once the spikes stopped. They receded back into the ground as they faded away like phantasms. The entire room soon did the same. Only leaving a blank, empty space with nothing but Nicole and the others. And Phage. As soon as the room vanished, she reappeared, bewildered as everyone else. Everyone except Nicole.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! WHERE'D EVERYTHING GO!?"
Nicole breathed as she began to walk towards Phage, staring her down without an ounce of fear. "Oh, it's quite simple. It took me quite a while, but I managed to figure out just what exactly you were doing and how to do it myself. I knew you'd managed to hack into Shortfuse's systems, but I wasn't quite sure how you were able to exert such a level of control. But it was when you phased into the floor that I finally realized what you had been doing."
Phage's body started to writhe and shift. Almost as if she were beginning to have a temper tantrum.
"You see," said Nicole, "you were able to exert so much control on everything around you because you WERE everything. Because you merged with it. The chess pieces, the rockets, everything else. It was all you. And so I realized that if I were to do the same thing, I could make it all go away. At least to an extent. Of course, it took me longer to do it than you did. And I'm surprised I was able to do it at all. But I suppose you became so enthralled in taking down the one who blindsided you that couldn't bring yourself to pay attention."
Phage's body continued to ripple and convulse, her entire body coming close to erupting like a volcano.
"Now. At this point, you could still try to take us on. Perhaps attempt to regain control. But I believe we both know that would be an exercise in futility. And even if it weren't, it would still take a very long time to defeat us. If you could. But contrary to what you might think, I don't want to fight you. I want to help. Because I think that deep down, there's a scared young girl who doesn't know she wants. And I think that maybe if she looked hard enough, she'd see that she needs it too."
She offered her hand. She didn't expect Phage to take it. Didn't expect her to do anything other than perhaps try and kill her again. But she had to try.
Phage didn't say a word. She looked at Nicole, almost as though some part of her did want to take her hand. As if it had understood what Nicole was offering and wanted it so desperately. But the other part wanted nothing more than to strangle her. It twisted and turned almost like a small tornado before shrinking and thinning out until there was nothing left. Nothing but barely visible remnants of what had been.
Thunderbolt hopped over to where Phage had been, looking around her and eying the very floor where she had stood as though this was all some plot to lull them into a false sense of security. "She really gone?"
"I believe so," said Nicole. "Unfortunately. I did want to help her. And part of me hoped that she would accept. But I suppose there was still too much pain and resentment for that to be possible."
"Hey," said Sonia, "don't be so down. Sometimes there's only so much you can do. And you did your best. But if she comes around, it's gotta be on her own terms."
"I suppose. Though in any case, we still need to make sure Shortfuse is alright. Of course, now that Phage is out of his system, it should shut down the AI and allow Shortfuse to reassert himself in a matter of minutes. Assuming Shortfuse hasn't given in completely."
"SUBJECT SHORTFUSE CANNOT POSSIBLY HOPE TO WIN! SUBJECT—"
"Shut! Up! I already told you, I ain't goin' down that easy!" He tried to continue to stand, tried to get a grip on his helmet as though attempting to reassert dominance, but something was keeping him down. Something that wasn't going to let him win just like that. He reeled back and forth, the struggle between the two selves playing out for all to see like a bout of insanity.
"Dagnabbit!" said Bunnie. "There's gotta be somethin' we can do!"
"Hey," said Chirps, "I don't like it any more than you do, but right now, this isn't about us. And this isn't something's that's gonna be solved by roughing everyone up. Much as I'd love to do just that.""
Shortfuse started rolling on the ground like trying to put out a fire, his hands holding his helmet tight and struggling with it all the while. "IT IS POINTLESS FOR SUBJECT SHORTFUSE TO STRUGGLE. SUBJECT SHORTFUSE DOES NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT WILL TO—"
"I said, shut the hell up!"
Suddenly, Shortfuse's eyes began to glow even brighter than before, and his right laser blaster started to aim itself at Bunnie. His hand was shaky and tried to keep itself down with all its might, but it just wasn't enough. "SUBJECT SHORTFUSE STILL BELIEVES HE CAN RESIST. SUBJECT CB WILL SHOW SHORTFUSE HOW WRONG HE TRULY IS."
The laser began to charge up as Bunnie put up her dukes, her palm stretched out and her own laser ready to fire. "Come on, Shortfuse! You gonna let that SOB give you what for?!"
Shortfuse tried to turn the laser away, tried to turn it off, tried to do anything but fire, but it wasn't enough. "Get out of the way! I don't wanna hurt you! Least not like this!"
"Then don't! Come on, Shortfuse! You can do it!"
"I—" Before he knew it, Shortfuse found himself blindsided by the force of a pint-sized train. He bounced along the ground like a heavy stone skipping across a lake until he landed one last time with a loud thud, rubbing the part of his helmet covering his cheek out of habit. "Okay, what the hell was that?!"
"SUBJECT CB ALSO WONDERS THIS—"
"Aw, shut your trap!"
As Shortfuse gathered himself, Bunnie and Chirps looked towards whoever had knocked him about like batting a crumbled ball of paper. Standing just next to where Shortfuse had stood was Cream. Her whole body was shaking and her legs were trembling as though she were about to collapse like a house of cards.
"Cream!" shouted Bunnie. "What in tarnation are you doin' out here?! "
"I, I was just flying above the grass, trying to find a good spot to pick flowers when I noticed what was going on. I tried to see if anyone else could help, but all of the others were either busy with something else or were still making their way here, so—"
"Cream, you know what Rosie said 'bout fightin'!"
"I know that! But I couldn't just do nothing!"
"NOT THAT IT MATTERS." Shortfuse got back up, but by the way things were going, it didn't seem like he was in the driver's seat. "BLOW WAS OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO JOSTLE SUBJECT SHORTFUSE'S HEAD TO MAKE SUBJECT SHORTFUSE LOSE CONTROL. SUBJECT SHORTFUSE IS NOW— NOW— NooOOOooowwWWWWww…"
Bunnie couldn't help but watch in awe as Shortfuse started to suffer from a complete and utter breakdown. His eyes were dimming and brightening and dimming again, and his entire body was flailing about like a marionette gone out of control. "SUBJECT SUBJECT SUBJECT-SUB-JECT-SUB-UB-UB!"
"Miss Bunnie, what's going on?!" said Cream.
"Not sure, sugar!" said Bunnie. "But if I was gonna guess, I'd say Shortfuse was havin' a software malfunction!"
"That's probably it," said Chirps. "Nicole's in there right? Maybe they managed to finally turn that asshole off."
CB continued to stuffer and strut about like a wind-up doll gone haywire. "SUBJECT SUBJECT SUUUUUBJeeeeectt…" It then stopped right between Bunnie and Cream before doubling over, its eyes dimming until Shortfuse was utterly still.
Bunnie wasn't sure if Shortfuse was still kicking. For all she knew, this might have been his last bow. She desperately hoped it wasn't, but the way he was just standing there with his arms dangling didn't inspire confidence.
Suddenly his eyes shot back up and Shortfuse himself did the same. He cracked his knuckles and straightened his back, making himself tall and proud. He started at Bunnie and the others, almost as if appraising them before making a movie.
"Uh, ?" said Cream. "Are you ok?"
At first, Shortfuse didn't say a word. Not that he wanted to. But as soon as he opened his mouth, it was clear whose side he was on. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. I think."
Bunnie and Chirps both breathed sighs of reliefs as though Armageddon had just been averted. As for Cream, she abandoned whatever scraps of courage she had managed to muster up, collapsing to the ground on her knees. Bunnie rushed over to her, kneeling down and making sure she was alright. "Hey, you okay, sugar?"
"I'm okay, . I—"
"Nuh-uh. We talked about this. You get yourself straight over to Rosie, okay?"
"But—"
"And no buts. Okay, hon?"
"Okay." Cream opened up her ears and took off towards Rosie's, though the remaining parties still had something a tad more pressing to deal with.
"Well?" said Chirps. He turned to Shortfuse, giving him the once over as though making sure he wouldn't blast them when their backs were turned. "You gonna stop act liking a schizo or are we gonna have to put you in a restraining jacket?"
"Buzz off," said Shortfuse. "Uh, sorry. I guess. I'm fine. No thanks to me. Whatever Nicole and the others did, it must've worked. Bout all I did was just make a spectacle of myself. Nevermind trying to kill everyone in the camp. Or at least wanting to."
"Hey," said Bunnie, "least ya tried. That's more than most people can say. To be honest, I don't know what I would've done."
"Whatever. Hey, are Nicole and the others out yet? Got somethin' I wanna say."
"I guess we can go check. Probably should. Anyway—"
Suddenly a bright green light nearly blinded Bunnie from behind, leaving her to cover her eyes in a desperate attempt to spare her from the pain. "What in tarnation-?!" Not that it lasted long. One of the perks of being a freak of nature was that afflictions such as blinding or even the common cold didn't last long. If they affected her at all. According to Quack, even something like cancer might as well have been like having a small headache. So she was able to see to see just who was getting near while barely having to blink.
Encased in a bright green exterior, Manic was flying towards Bunnie and the others. He was carrying Antoine, Mina, Johnny, Amy, and the entire Science Team in two bright green balls, both linked to his ring by a bright green chain. Perhaps most interestingly, Sonia and Thunderbolt were there as well, floating in a ball of their own. The former was holding Nicole's console in her hands, waving at Shortfuse and Bunnie as they drew near. Once they were close enough, Manic lowered them to the ground and let them loose.
"Sacreblue!" Antoine came running up to Bunnie with his hands flying in the air. "Are you alright, mon cherie?!"
With anyone else, Bunnie might've felt a bit miffed at someone looking after her like she couldn't take care of herself, but for whatever reason, she didn't mind so much when it was Antoine doing the worrying. It was actually kind of cute. "I'm okay, sugar. Thanks for askin'. But what took ya so long?"
"Yeah, about that," said Manic. "See, having an alert is one thing, but it doesn't do us much good if you don't actually tell us where to go. For all we know, someone could be planting a bomb in the middle of the forest and we might too busy trying to see what's happening at the hospital ward before everything goes boom."
"Yes," said Tekno. "I suppose that is something we will need to work on. But in any event, it appears that Bunnie and Chirps had things well in hand."
"To be honest," said Chirps, "he would've been a piece of cake if we'd stuck a spear through his chest. Was almost tempted to do just that. Even if he was brainwashed, he was still tryin' to kill us."
"And if ya even tried," said Bunnie, "I'd ram my arm down your throat right after."
"Thankfully, there wasn't a need to go that far." A small, furry lynx's head could be seen on Nicole's monitor in place of a blank screen. It was essentially disembodied which was disturbing in more ways than one, but it was better than nothing at all. "It took some doing, but we managed to route Phage and free Shortfuse's systems. One she was gone, the AI shut down and Shortfuse was able to retake control. We'll have to enable additional safeguards to make sure this doesn't happen again, but I feel that's not something we'll have to worry about for the time being. Just call it a hunch."
"Now that's new," said Sonia. "Didn't think you did hunches."
"I suppose I do. Or at least I do now."
Shortfuse slowly walked up to Nicole, almost nervous. Almost ashamed. "Uh, look, Nicole. This ain't somethin' I say very often, but thanks. For savin' me."
"Oh. Well, you're welcome! Though I must say, I wasn't expecting to hear something like that from you."
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. Still though, he might've had a point."
"You mean the AI?" said Nicole. "To be honest, I wasn't around for that. I was too busy saving you so that we could actually have this conversation."
"And again, thanks. Still though. Can't say I fully agree with him, but I guess I really haven't been all that open. Maybe I'm just scared that if I ever let anyone in, they'd just up and leave. Like everyone else did. Either that or stab me in the back. So maybe if I weren't so closed off, I wouldn't have been in this mess."
"Perhaps. But to be honest, I don't think I can blame you. I know what it's like to be trapped. To feel as though nothing seems to matter or that there's no point in continuing on. Sometimes I wonder why I don't just give up altogether. But then I remember why I hold on. Because there are still people who care about me. And people who need me. And because in spite of everything, there are still so many wonders to discover. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah. I guess there are." By this point the sun had started to set beyond the horizon, and the first stars were beginning to twinkle like sapphires in the night sky. "Huh. Ya know, I never really bothered to think about it before, but that's actually damn pretty."
"You think so? I've always loved the stars. They're so beautiful and bright, full of beauty and splendor despite always being so far away. And they resonate with me in a way that not much else does."
"You might have a point. Say, you weren't doin' anything tonight, were ya?"
This raised more than a few eyebrows. Nicole included. "Uh, no, not really. In fact, it's rather hard for me to do much of anything. In case you haven't noticed."
"Well, I think I might want to do a lot of things. If ya get my drift."
Nicole's monitor began to turn a bright red, almost as if she were blushing. "Oh. Uh, well, I don't know if I can do any of those… things, but if you're up for talking to a monitor for only Gaea knows how long—"
"I'll take that a yes." Shortfuse seized Nicole's computer and flew past the trees, talking with her all the while.
"Now I've seen everything," said Johnny.
"Oh, I don't know," said Amy. "I think it's sort of sweet! In a weird kind of AI-squirrel-robot-suit-thing way. Makes me kind of jealous."
"Everything makes ya jealous."
"Maybe. Although I can think of one thing that doesn't."
"And what's that?"
"Oh, I think you'll figure it out." She sauntered off, leaving Johnny to briefly wonder whether she was trying to make some kind of joke or was just being Amy. At least until she took a second to give him a hell of a wink.
"Oh. Well I'll be damned."
For her part, Bunnie never really thought that a squirrel stuck in a metal suit and an intelligent AI could ever find true happiness, but maybe they could prove her wrong. In any case, she didn't need to look any closer than right beside her to find hers. "Ya know, Ant', I think they've got the right idea. What say we go on back to my place and we can really have some… conversation?"
Antoine began tugging at his collar, knees knocking almost as if vibrating. "Uh, ahem, well, that is to say, I would like to, but—"
She loved it when he stuttered. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and brought him right to her face, pecking him on the cheeks. "And there's more where that came from. Sugar."
Antoine was stunned. Flushed even. So much so he didn't say a word. And as far as Bunnie was concerned, he didn't need to. "Come on, hon." And with one more kiss, off they went.
