Bunnie flew down the tunnel as fast she could. She cursed herself for being so wrapped up in her own drama; her friends and teammates fighting for her lives without her there to back them up. Although perhaps it was putting everyone above herself that got her in this mess in the first place. She cared so much about making everyone happy. About not wanting them to worry. About helping solve their own problems. So much so that she never solved her own. She even half convinced herself that she didn't have any real problems to begin with.

By Gaea was that a lie.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was rushing over to the others and helping them with whatever they had gotten themselves into. Even if it killed— no, Bad Bunnie! Bad thoughts. She had to keep herself from thinking that. She mattered too. Well, almost as— no, just as much. She made herself a note to see the therapist when she got back before pouring on the juice, finally making it to the nearest storage room. And just in the nick of time.

When she and Chirps got there, the battle had long been underway. Hordes of Swatbots, Troopers, and even the odd Badnik littered the room, with Freedom Fighters and Eggbosses alike among their number. Lightmare was lying down on the ground unconscious. Maw was standing tall and proud atop a large crate in the back, while Thunderbolt was standing her ground and crackling with static. Both were breathing heavily, but neither seemed badly injured. Nor were they willing to give an inch.

Thankfully, Chirps still had his head in the game. "Careful, kid! Those two are still goin' at it!" He put up a barrier of solid stone between them and Maw, giving them some breathing room before anyone tried to go after them.

"Took you long enough! Gaea!" Thunderbolt hopped over to Bunnie and Chirps, though she kept her gaze in Maw's direction. "SOB's as tough as I remember! Got Johnny when he wasn't looking! Even with Lightmare out, he's still putting up a fight!" As soon as she said it, a loud blast could be heard from the other side of the stone, with small chunks dropping to the floor. "Great, he's still going at it!"

Waitaminute. Did she say something about Johnny?

Bunny quickly scanned the field, her gaze soon locating Johnny. "Johnny!" She flew over, landing as close as she could. Thankfully he was breathing. He didn't seem too hurt, just a bit shaken up. Nothing some bed rest wouldn't fix. Still, she should have been there. Maybe she was being too hard on herself, maybe it wouldn't have changed anything. But if she hadn't—

"Avast, knave!" Bunnie barely looked up in time see a battered Fuzzy Logik firing a blast of electricity at her from his trident.

Well dang.

"Damn!" Chirps managed to put up another barrier despite the strain, but there was no need. She wasn't sure how she did it, but Bunnie was able to throw up a forcefield around her and Johnny just in the nick of time. Much to Fuzzy Logick's consternation and, strangely enough, admiration.

"I say, good show! Well played, madam!"

Chirps turned towards Thunderbolt, nearly popping a blood vessel at this sudden turn of events. "I thought you said Maw was the only one still at it!"

"Hey, don't look at me!" Thunderbolt's fur bristled as she generated a field of electricity, getting ready for anything else that popped out of the woodwork. "He was down for the count! Must've got a second wind!"

As they were hashing it out, the blast on the other end kept getting larger and larger, with Maw digging ever deeper in. And Logik was gloating as though he'd already won. "Please! A true warrior never accepts defeat! Not as long as there is a spark of life within them! But you. You've already done so, haven't you?"

Bunnie had just strengthened her forcefield when Logik decided to play therapist. "Course I haven't! I'm not just gonna leave my friends here and let 'em get killed!"

"That is also admirable! And missing the point. You can lie to yourself as much as you want, but I can see it in your eyes. Somewhere within yourself, there is a part of you that has indeed accepted defeat. Accepted that there is nothing that can be done for yourself. In truth, you view your condition as nothing but a curse."

And there it was again. Only this time it was someone else saying it. All this time she had seen her partial robotization as the worst thing that ever happened to her, regardless of how much she tried to shove it off. And maybe those were both mistakes.

"Maybe. Still, haven't had much reason to think of it as anything else."

Sir Logik chortled, as though he couldn't have heard anything more amusing. "Good woman, you must jest! Have you never once thought of all that you have gained since that fateful day you reached transcendence?"

'Transcendence'? Gained? "What in tarnation are you babblin' on about?!"

"I mean what I say. Think about it. You possess a body that, fleshy bits aside, will never die!" Of course, little did Fuzzy know that Bunnie's 'fleshy bits' were just as everlasting as the rest of her, but she supposed that just further made his point. "One that is far stronger than mere flesh and bone!"

Well, he wasn't wrong. She was a helluva lot stronger than where she started. Not that it mattered. "I mean, I guess that's somethin'. But what does it matter if I can't feel anything?! If I'm just gonna pass most everyone else by?!"

Sir Logik beat his fist against his chest, his eyes glowing bright red with righteous passion. "Do you truly believe this is everything?! Let me tell you something, Miss Rabbot. Unlike you, I have never known the luxury of being able to feel. Never once able to feel the warmth. Of pain. Not even the relief of a gentle breeze on a warm summer's day, or the sweet embrace of a kiss. But you have! You still remember what all that is like, don't you? Of all the wonders and pleasures my kind will never know. In fact, I almost envy you."

He raised his spear at Bunnie, not quite going on the offensive, but still standing his ground. "But every time I consider how things could have been, I remind myself of what I have instead. A body capable of withstanding the ravages of time. Of seeing all the wonders of eternity firsthand! Everything there ever is or shall be, I shall bear witness! But for all those that abandon me in their passing, I fear not! For everything and everyone I've ever loved shall live on in me."

'Live on in me?' In her? Truth be told, she had never thought about it that way. But to some extent, he was making sense. Even if everyone and everything she knew vanished into the ether, they would still live on. Thanks to her.

"But more than that, I possess the strength to protect what matters to me here and now! Strength that I would not possess if I were born of flesh and blood! What I am is not a curse. It is a blessing! One I would not trade for anything."

Again, in some ways, he was right. If she had never been roboticized, if she had never upgraded herself, she never would have been strong enough to fight against Eggman's hordes. Never strong enough to protect those she cared about. Or those she loved. So in that sense, perhaps it was a blessing. And maybe, just maybe, she should have started thinking less about what she lost and more about what she gained. If only to keep herself sane. Heck, if it weren't for all of this happening in the first place, she never would have met…

"You are safe, mademoiselle?"

…Antoine.

As if on instinct, she closed her eyes, took one deep breath, and opened them again. And in that one instant, everything became so much clearer. Like being washed over by a cleansing wave.

"So you get it." Logik lowered his weapon, though he still remained on guard. "I can see it in your eyes. Compared to how they were mere moments before, they seem much more at peace. As though all that pain and turmoil had ceased."

Bunnie couldn't help but chuckle, as if she hadn't a care in the world. "Well, hon, I don't know about that. But it's a start."

"So you've resigned yourself to your fate?"

"More like I've got my priorities in check. Maybe there's a way to cure me, maybe there ain't. But worrying about things you can't change ain't gonna do anyone any good." Least of all herself.

"No regrets then?"

"I didn't say that. If I was ever able to go back to how things was? I'd take it in a heartbeat. But that's just wishful thinking, ain't it. All I can do is take things one day at a time and count my blessings. And live to the fullest."

For better or worse, Sir Logik seemed incapable of cracking a smile, or any outward display of emotion whatsoever. Yet somehow, he was laughing up a storm. "Very good! If you were still the same way you were a minute or two ago, it wouldn't be that fair a fight now, would it?!" He readied his spear, gauging Bunnie's readiness as he prepared to make the first movie. And Bunny was ready to do the same.

Just as they were about to start a fight to the finish, a laser suddenly burst through the wall, bringing it crumbling to ruins. "Well dagnabit." Chirps had tried to keep the wall up as much as he could, but against Maw's sheer barrage, there was only so much he could do.

Maw massaged his throat with his index and middle fingers. Perhaps it was getting a bit sore? Come to think of it, he should have been able to suck everyone up without so much as a thought. The only thing Bunnie could think of was that they still hadn't managed to fix it after Tails wrecked his throat the last time. Well, that suited her just fine. If firing a barrage of lasers was enough to wear him out, then he wouldn't pose much trouble.

"You know, as much as we may seem to be at a disadvantage, I still believe the two of us are more than sufficient to dispose of you." He turned to Sir Logik. "Don't you agree?"

"Most assuredly!" Logik twirled about his spear, his weapon radiating crackles of electricity as he prepared himself to mow down all in his path. "The time for talk is over! Now that you are no longer filled with such self-doubt and insecurities, I feel no hesitation in cutting you down in one stroke! Prepare yourselves—"

It was over before it even started. In the blink of an eye, Logik dropped to the ground, his body slowly sliding apart as if cut in half. As though a sword or a buzzsaw had cut straight through it. And standing in front of them was the one who did it.

"Sonic?" No, that couldn't be it. Whoever this varmint was, he looked like him, sure. But Bunnie had known Sonic for the last couple months now. And she knew for a fact that he wasn't green. She aimed her hands at him, ready to blast him if he so much as twitched. "Start talkin'! Ya hear me?!"

Still, Chirps wasn't so eager. "Careful. You saw what he did to that 'bot."

Much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Even if he wasn't Sonic, he was just as deadly. Still, she wasn't going to let her troubles or hesitation put her friends in danger again. "Course I saw! And that's why I'm threatenin' to blast him!"

The green Sonic look-alike grunted, as if he couldn't care less about what they were saying. "Look, I just wanna get the hell out of here! You don't mess with me, I don't mess with you."

"Didn't stop you from cuttin' that bot in half, huh?"

He looked at the bot, shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes in disdain. "He was in my way, 'kay? Look, Bunnie—"

As soon as he said her name, her palms started to glow. Almost as though she were about to blow him to smithereens. "Don't act like you know me! All I know is you look a gosh-awful lot like someone I've known the last couple months, so either you start talkin' or I'll make ya talk!"

"Hey, hold up!" Thunderbolt hopped towards the hedgehog, though she stopped as soon as she caught his attention. "I think I know who this clown is! I think Eggypoo was talkin' about-"

"Okay, bored now."

"Wowza!" Thunderbolt was barely able to turn herself into electricity before the green hedgehog tried to plough clean through her. As is, all he wound up doing was give himself a nasty shock, though he still managed to tear her apart. The bolts of electricity that composed her were already coming back together, but it at least gave him a reprieve. Not that it didn't sting.

"Fuckin' hell! Note to self, don't run through electric chinchilla chicks—!" He barely finished his sentence before Chips tried to summon up a stone dome, attempting to trap him within its confines. And, much to everyone's surprise, he did. For about a second. Suddenly, he burst out of the dome, slicing his way through and carving himself a hedgehog sliced pathway before anyone could blink. "Whoa! Nearly got me there, huh? If you keep this up, you might get me to try a bit!"

Bunnie was about to fire her blasters and go to town before help came from an unexpected source. A laser blast was fired just short of the hedgehog's feet, and it came from none other than Maw's own jaws. "Cease this disgraceful behaviour at once!" Bunnie wasn't sure what to make of this, but she figured his logic was better the enemy he knew than the one that cut his robot coworker in half.

"Maw, right? You're with ol' Buttnik and his goons, aren't ya? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just beat the stuffing out of you."

"Perhaps because you're one of his goons as well?"

"I suppose I'll have to spell it out for you. In layman's terms, you are a near-exact duplicate of the original. A copy. A clone."

"Shut the hell up!" By this point, the hedgehog was shouting at the top of his lungs. Course, if he was that pissed off, then maybe Maw was telling the truth. She figured she'd better try and get as much out of Maw as she could, at least while they were briefly on the same side.

"Just what in tarnation are you talkin' about, hon?"

"It is what I say. I didn't quite remember at first, if only because our lord Eggman never told us directly. But what Thunderbolt said jogged my memory. As it happened, rumours were swirling about ever since you all invaded Robotropolis that the great Eggman himself was working on a new project. One that could match up to that tenacious hedgehog. Some even said he was cloned from his very DNA."

"Shut! Up!" The hedgehog was about ready to slice Maw in two, but something seemed to be stopping him. Perhaps because some part of him knew it to be true?

"And now we have the results. A hedgehog that is the exact duplicate of Sonic in every way. Or rather, almost exact. With a certain shrew's green hue and a sliver of his callous attitude making up the difference."

"That's a damned lie! I'm Sonic! I've gotta be!"

"But you're not. The fact is, you are nothing more than an overgrown experiment born in a test-tube. One who believes he's so much more than what he is. And the sooner you understand that, the sooner we can dispose of these miscreants and clean up this mess."

Bunnie gave Maw the stink-eye, though right now she supposed she should be grateful. If it weren't for him, things would be a lot messier than they would've been.

Suddenly an announcement came from on high, booming over the comm system throughout the complex. "ATTENTION! CHEMICAL PLANT SHUTTING DOWN IN 999 SECONDS! CHEMICAL PLANT SHUTTING DOWN IN 998 SECONDS! CHEMICAL PLANT SHUTTING DOWN IN…"

Well, by her stars and garters. They'd done it. Of course, it was always possible they could get it up and running again. But with the security protocols that Nicole said she was putting in place, it would take a lot of sweat and tears to get the Chemical Plant back up to snuff. And Maw was well aware of this. Bunnie almost felt a bit sorry for him, his eyes widening in shock and dismay as the reality of the situation came crashing in. Maybe she was feeling a bit overly giddy given that she finally started working on her more personal problems, but she couldn't help but rub it in his face a bit. "Got you good, didn't we?"

A brief wave of static bristled her fur as Thunderbolt finally got herself back together. "Oh, Gaea! Feelin' a bit woozy!"

Chirps raised his hand to summon up a series of spears straight at Maw's head, but he stopped himself at the last minute. "Okay, serious mode. We just shut this place down and good and we've only got a few minutes before we're trapped like rats, so either can waste time tearing into each other like a bunch of wild critters, or we can all try and get the heck out of dodge while we can. Savvy?"

Maw didn't make a move, but his sharp, pointed ears were twitching at every second that passed. "As much as I hate to say it, you're right." He turned towards the green hedgehog. "Well? What shall it be? Regardless of what you think you are, it wouldn't do you much good to be trapped in here, now would it?"

The hedgehog frantically looked about the room and up at the ceiling before gritting his teeth. "DAMMIT!" Without another word, he was gone in a flash. Leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

"Well now. I almost wasn't sure he would listen to reason. Thank the Grace of Gaea." He immediately began rushing off, though not without hauling Lightmare over his shoulder and leaving some parting words. "I hope you don't think this is over. For as long as you stand against Eggman, I shall oppose you with my dying breath."

Thunderbolt wasn't going to take that lying down. "Oh come on! He's nothin' more than some creep that kills anyone who gets in his way! Or turns them into a robot. Or blows 'em up. Think it depends on the day."

"Perhaps. But he's also the one who can establish a brand new order. One that this world so desperately needs. Besides, it wasn't too long ago that you still called him 'Eggypoo', was it? In fact, I recall you referring to him as such mere minutes ago. But perhaps it was a mere slip of the tongue?"

Thunderbolt was almost speechless. Almost. Thankfully, she soon managed to regain her voice. Even if it took her a bit to get to full volume. "That doesn't mean anything! Sides, you think I'm gonna go back to him after what he did?!"

"Why not? After all, he's done much worse, hasn't he? And yet until now, you've merely stood by. So forgive me if I don't think you're one to talk."

This time Thunderbolt was speechless. For at least as long as Bunnie had known her, she couldn't think of anything else to say. Maw couldn't have been more thrilled. "I thought so. Well, if you don't mind, I really should be going. As should you. No sense in you all dying like punks, is there?" He darted down the hallway with Lightmare hauled over his shoulder. He was nowhere near as fast Sonic or the other hedgehog, but he was more than capable of giving the rest of them a run for their money. And any other day of the week, maybe she'd go after them. But right now, they needed to get out of dodge.

"Come on, sugahs!" Bunnie slung Johnny over her shoulder. He was as light as a feather, not that she was surprised. Just an hour ago that might have sent her into another existential crisis, but now it didn't seem to matter so much. Not that she didn't care. There was a part of her that always would. But she supposed accepting she did have a problem and that dealing with it was just as important as anything else, well. Somehow that made everything seem that much easier. In fact, when had she ever thought her own problems really mattered. That she mattered?

Eh, time for that later. Right now they had to get moving. Not that Thunderbolt seemed to agree. "But, but we can't just let him get away! Not after all he's done!"

Chirps almost scoffed at the notion, or at least at Thunderbolt's reasoning. "What, you mean sayin' you're not as over 'Eggypoo' as you thought you were?"

She blushed, as much as she tried not to. "Oh, just shut up! Gaea!" Caught between a rock and a hard place, she turned back to electricity and started zapping for the exit.

"Guess we should do the same, huh, sugar?" She started jetting out of the base, slowing down just enough to make sure Chirps was calling up a stone block and trailing behind before picking up speed. She hoped Sonic and the others made it out too, but she'd just have to trust they knew what they were doing. Besides, they wouldn't to needlessly risking her life for theirs. Sonic could probably zip them all out easy peasy! And yes it was fighting every urge not to go back to make sure. Keep going, go back, keep going, go back, keep—

No. She had to keep going. That's what they would've wanted. Besides, she still had Johnny to think of. Right now, he needed her even more than they did. If they needed her at all. Not wasting a second, she slung Johnny over her shoulder and blasted out of the plant, with Thunderbolt and Chirps trailing just behind as it closed its doors. Hopefully Sonic and the rest would make it out. But for now, she'd have to give them a chance.