They were already in Robotropolis again; there hadn't seemed to be much of a point in putting it off. Sonic stood watch as Sally did her stuff with the data bank. This time it was his turn.
Rotor had been a little quiet this morning when they'd all finally met up, but he'd seemed to be pretty much okay. Sonic thought his friend would be fine. Maybe they'd talk about it a little later.
Sally had been working for about thirty seconds and Sonic found himself wondering what she was reading right now. Good news or bad? He'd decided to volunteer himself next because he kind of already knew the deal with his parents. Although he'd never heard of and didn't remember his parents, he strongly suspected they were dead. If they weren't he'd have found them by now. So after Rotor's disappointment he figured that Sal should check his records. Everyone could cope with bad news they already knew, couldn't they?
Bunnie had come with them too and she stood a little way over, watching for danger like Sonic was. He was just wondering whether she'd volunteer to be next when he heard a sound.
A tattoo of metal on metal rang out somewhere above him. Bunnie heard it too; she was looking over his head, eyes wide and focussed on something. He took her expression to be a warning sign and trotted out of the way, toward Sally.
"Watch ou-" Bunnie called before something metallic landed right in front of him. It was the Sally robot. He tensed, ready to fight it, but it paid him no attention. Instead it cartwheeled toward the princess.
"Sal!" he shouted; she looked around in surprise. In one fluid movement the Sally robot flipped past the princess, grabbing her shoulder and slamming her deftly onto the ground. "I'm comin', Sal!" Sonic called and raced after the robot.
He caught up with the robot easily and rounded on it. Sally struggled to her feet and dusted herself down. "All right punk," Sonic growled, "can you speak for yourself or does Ro-Buttnik have to-"
It ignored him entirely and lashed out at Sally again.
"Hey, didn't your mom tell you to listen when people talk?" he quipped, keeping pace with it. As it got closer to the princess he shoved it backwards. Without pausing it regained its balance and sprang toward Sally again using a series of complex maneuvers that made it hard to catch.
"Stop right there ya tin can!" Bunnie announced. Her arm appeared and suddenly locked on to the Sally robot's arm, surprising even Sonic with its speed. The rabbit contracted her arm again and dragged the Sally robot closer to her where she restrained it. "Want me to break it, Sugarhog?" she asked.
Sonic opened his mouth to answer but didn't get the chance. Bunnie grunted and landed on her belly as if hit from behind. Sonic whirled around and saw the new assailant: the Bunnie robot. Bunnie looked around at it and got back up - right before it kicked her to the ground again with one, heavy stomp. Sonic instinctively made for the fighting pair at first, then remembered the Sally robot and nipped back the other way.
He increased his speed in the short distance and shouldered it out of the way. "You nearly done, Sal?" he asked almost lightheartedly as he watched for the Sally bot's reaction.
"Almost, Sonic," she replied, deep in concentration. "Just keep the robots away and I'll be done in a minute."
"Consider it done!" Sonic replied, feeling confident - it was only a couple of robots, it'd be fine. He glanced at Bunnie who was busy keeping her robot at bay with a piece of metal pipe. The Sallybot was approaching the princess again as it tried to destroy her. "Watch out bot! Juice and jam time!"
Sonic never reached the Sallybot - something slammed into him, squashing him against a concrete wall and he fell down to ground level. Looking around for whatever it was, he saw the Sonicbot.
"You again?" he grunted. He quickly looked for the Sallybot - which was approaching Sal again - and leapt into the air to catch up with it. He managed to get a grip on its arm before being bullied backwards again by the Sonicbot.
"Sonic! C'mon!" Sally called, still bent double from reattaching NICOLE to her boot. He sprinted toward her to pick her up only to find the Sonicbot belted into him again.
"Oh man, what's up with this thing?" he exclaimed, talking to Sally but unwilling to take his eyes off the Sonicbot. It stood absolutely still, monitoring him two meters away.
"You done Sally-girl?" Bunnie called, running toward the pair. Sonic and Sally looked over to her; the Bunniebot wasn't far behind.
"C'mon Bunnie, we're outta here!" he picked up Sally in his arms and gave Bunnie room to grip his waist. He sprinted away - only to be knocked to the ground again by the Sonicbot. The girls screamed as Bunnie was squashed painfully against Sonic's back. Sonic landed on Sally.
"It hits you whenever you run!" Sally panted. Sonic felt a stab of realization as she said this. She was right!
"Oh yeah? Then we'll just have to take it easy. Let's go!"
The three animals began the run toward the gates of Robotropolis, Sonic keeping in step with the girls - a painfully-slow crawl as far as he was concerned. It seemed to work for the Sonicbot though, which just stood and watched them escape. The Sally and Bunniebots however, hounded them on the way. Keen to escape, Sonic and Bunnie helped each other fend the robots off; all three were relieved when they passed through Robotropolis' broad exit. This, it seemed, was where the robots' range ended and they gave up chasing their quarry to return back into the city.
xXx
Sally led Sonic and Bunnie into Knothole, her head full of their encounter with the three robots. There was a pattern there and within the pattern was their way of destroying them. There had to be. But for now the need to tell everybody the result of her research was more pressing.
As before, Antoine and Rotor had stayed behind. This time they'd agreed to meet in Rotor's workshop. So they headed that way.
Rotor had clearly been watching for them; he opened the door before they were close enough to knock. "Hey guys, come on in," he offered. He and Sonic looked at each other but Sonic was not the one with the news, yet. Sally was.
"Okay," she said, aware that she was deliberately being breezier than she had yesterday with Rotor's news. "Are you guys ready?"
Sonic took place next to Rotor and leaned on the worktop. "Yeah, might as well, Sal," he said plainly.
xXx
The news had been as everybody had suspected, not least Sonic. Nevertheless, it had been difficult coming out with the words: 'Sonic, your parents are dead'. But he'd taken it pretty well, Sally thought.
The others had allowed Sonic to do what he wanted after the news had been broken. He'd seemed aloof for a while afterwards and suggested that they break up for a couple of hours to eat and shower before talking about the robot problem. Everyone had been happy enough to go with this.
So as Sally and Sonic stood now gazing out of the window of his hut, she put a hand on his arm. I'm here for you, the contact said.
He put a hand on hers. I know you are, came the reply. They stayed like that for a while until finally Sonic cleared his throat. "Well, I guess we still got Uncle Chuck," he said.
Antoine listened as Sally outlined Robotnik's latest scheme against them: a team of clone robots, no less. It was a puzzle for certain, and he was keen to hear what the princess thought about it all. He hadn't seen the robots yet so there was little he - or Rotor - could contribute to the conversation; it all hung on what Sally, Sonic and Bunnie had to say on the matter. Antoine wanted to be able to suggest something that would destroy them and make Sally realise his worth as a strategist, but to his chagrin there was nothing he could say yet. Nevertheless, he listened intently.
"You know," Sally mused, "I think the robots are programmed just to attack the fighters they resemble."
"Nuh-uh," Sonic said, shaking his head. "My robot attacked you guys, too. Remember? When we tried to leave it hit us."
"But are you sure, Sonic?" Sally asked. "I mean, you were very close to us when we escaped; couldn't it have been you it was going for? Technically, it could have been ignoring us and attacking you."
Sonic thought about this, then relented. "Yeah, I guess." After a brief silence he added, "So I guess that's why we didn't see Rote or Ant's robots."
Antoine and Rotor looked at each other. "Man, I wonder what ours look like?" Rotor muttered. Antoine nodded fearfully: the thought was a frightening one.
"I think you should come with us next time, Ant," Sonic told the coyote.
Antoine suddenly felt afraid. "Why, uh..." then he composed himself, aware that the princess was watching him and not wanting to look a coward. "Oui oui, of course. What will you wanting me to be doings?"
Sonic slapped a palm to his face. "Ant, it's 'What will you want me to do?'!"
Antoine felt annoyed at the correction. Sonic wasn't much good with language either! "Zat is what I said!" he bristled.
"Come on guys, break it up," Sally said tiredly and then turned to Sonic. "You want Antoine in there to lure out his robot, right?"
"Right on, Sal," Sonic said brightly, then gave Antoine a wry grin. "At least we can get the scaredy robot out of the way!"
"My robot will not to be scaredings!" Antoine snapped. "It will be... brave, and cunnings, and, and-"
"Yeah okay, it could be dangerous," Sonic agreed lightly, then paused as if for dramatic effect and continued with another devious grin: "We might trip over it!"
Antoine was about to retort when Sally interrupted: "Guys, I said break it up! Sonic, Antoine's robot could be every bit as dangerous as the rest, okay? Let's just find out what it's capable of."
Sonic, apparently satisfied with his dig at Antoine, agreed with a nod.
xXx
All of this meant that it was a slightly different group who took the next trip to Robotropolis. Sally was there of course, as she was the one using NICOLE to do the research. Antoine was present mainly to coax his robot out of hiding and Sonic, so he could see these two 'bots, and if need be, fight.
That just left Rotor and Bunnie. Bunnie hadn't been against the idea of coming, but Sonic preferred to bring as few of his friends to the city as possible each time. The rabbit also confessed to being a little nervous about what Sally would uncover about her family. So she'd stayed at home. As for Rotor... they simply didn't want to bring out his robot quite yet. Not until they know what the Antoinebot would be like: one potentially lethal foe was enough at a time.
Sally already had NICOLE plugged into the interface and was accessing the files she'd need. Around her and with their backs to her the boys watched, and waited.
There was silence except for Sally tapping at NICOLE's keys. Antoine glanced over at Sonic. "'ow long was it taking for zese robots to be turning up?" the coyote asked as he nervously scanned the sky line and dark alleys.
"Not long," Sonic said, the humour he'd felt in Knothole gone. "A little longer than we've been here."
"Ah."
Sonic fell silent, which soon revealed Antoine's quiet whimpering. "Ah come on, Ant! The robots ain't even here yet!"
Antoine was just blustering a reply when something rushed past them. It was gone before they could see it.
"What was that?" Sonic blurted.
Even Antoine seemed to have stopped trembling and was casting around in shock, simple surprise wiping the fear away for the moment.
Whatever the thing was, it swept past again and lightly battered Antoine's shoulder. He jerked as it did so. The strike had been surprisingly light - not at all like the other robots' attacks. "Hey Sacre bleu, what waz-"
"Ant! You're bleeding!" Sonic said.
The coyote looked down at his arm and registered surprise as he saw, like Sonic saw, that his uniform had been ripped with surgical precision. It gaped, revealing sandy fur that had also opened a little to reveal a red, bloody cut. Sonic guessed that the cut had been made by a very sharp weapon for, as he watched, Antoine's expression changed from shock to belated pain; The coyote clamped a hand over the cut as it appeared to begin to hurt.
Sonic was already on guard for a second attack from the Antoinebot. He had a rough idea where it had gone: it had disappeared, unless he was mistaken, into a slot between a building wall and a ventilation unit up and to the left, but he wasn't sure. He watched the spot anyway, his ears perked and acutely alert for any sign of movement or sound at all. Absently he shuffled slightly away from Antoine so as not to be injured himself, if and when the second attack came. Friend or no friend there was no point in both of them sustaining injury.
A flash of silver and Antoine was struck again, this time on the cheek. This time Sonic was ready and reached out to grab the 'bot. For a moment he appraised it. It had the rough shape: a fairly short-coupled body made for durability if not that much for strength; flexible limbs, a large head. It even had an extra chassis approximating Antoine's uniform. But its arms and fingers were fitted with long, razor-sharp blades, and they were what the robot had used to cut Antoine with.
And they were what Sonic himself was holding onto right now.
Instinctively he gasped and let go, then recovered himself and clamped down on the Antoinebot's arm again. Simultaneously the 'bot pulled away in an effort to retreat and drew a cut along the palm of Sonic's hand. The hedgehog cried out and let go; Antoinebot disappeared speedily. He didn't see where it went.
"Sonic!" Antoine gasped as the hedgehog inspected his hand wound, still bewildered by what had just happened. He looked at the coyote and blinked. "What- what... what was zat?"
"That was your robot, Ant," he answered. Then he looked around, wondering where the other 'bots were.
He saw the answer at once: Sonicbot stood beneath a tattered awning, half in shadow. It stood and watched him, waiting for him to run. Where's the Sallybot? he thought, coming around now from his surprise encounter with the Antoinebot.
"Okay, I'm done!" Sally called, already disengaging the attachment and NICOLE and Sonic found himself pleased that they could retreat now. Maybe they wouldn't need to deal with Sallybot at all?
But as the attachment was half-pulled out, Sallybot came out of nowhere, wrenching Sally away from the computer and making her twist the attachment in its interface. Sonic came forward, irately aware that if he came to help too fast Sonicbot would be upon him. He walked between Sally and Sallybot and tried to keep himself there, shoving the 'bot away whenever it came too close.
Antoine, still nursing a shallow cut to his cheek, received another blow from his nemesis; Sonic heard it despite not facing the coyote, but he turned briefly to see the damage. This time a long, diagonal cut was opened across one side of Antoine's chest. With a strangled cry the coyote pushed the Antoinebot away and it lost its footing, falling on its backside for a moment.
There was a screech and before either of the boys knew what was happening, Sally had landed on the Antoinebot and dealt it a stunning blow to its head. Circuitry whirred and crackled as something broke inside it. The robot tried to sit up, then went limp.
Sallybot attacked Sally and she grappled with it, cutting herself accidentally on Antoinebot's arm-blades. "Someone get NICOLE! Get the attachment!" she shrieked.
Sonic, keener to protect Sally than a piece of machinery, went to her aid instead. As far as he was concerned she as more important than any piece of machinery, even NICOLE.
Sonic quickly battered the Sallybot backwards. "Okay guys, we'd better juice," he said hurriedly. He helped Sally to her feet and looked around for Antoine. Antoine was just fastening his rucksack and joined the pair of them, his eyes wide and worried. "Come on!" Sonic urged, and the three of them ran at Sally and Antoine's pace toward the exit.
They were harried all the way by Sallybot and Antoinebot. Thankfully though, between them they took no more than a few bruises and the occasional shallow cut, and it was with their lives intact that they gratefully passed under the Robotropolis gateway.
Sally and Sonic just kept looking ahead and running, but Antoine cast a quick glance over his shoulder as they passed out of the danger zone. "Zut alors, what difficult fakes!"
Sonic gave him a wry look as they continued to run, but said nothing.
xXx
Bunnie watched the three of them limp into sight as they passed into Knothole. Heavy hearts she'd mostly expected, but...
She rushed to open her door. "Antoine!" she called, shocked by what she saw. He was in a terrible state! Bleeding from who knew how many wounds, he looked half-drained. What on Mobius happened? she wondered. Then she had another thought and doubled back on herself. She needed to get back to the hut, back to Tails. She strode quickly over the threshold.
"Aunt Bunnie?" Tails asked, clearly curious as to why she'd left the hut so quickly, and in such distress. She got back to him before he reached the door and turned him around. She didn't want him to see Antoine in this state. He was just a young kid, he didn't deserve to see gore. "Is Sonic back?"
"Yes Honey," Bunnie said, forcing herself to sound calm. "Ah think we all need to talk so Ah'm gonna go out for a lil' while. Okay?" She stretched and glanced out the window to see whether Antoine was out of sight yet. He was: Sonic was just shepherding him and Sally into Rotor's hut.
TO BE CONTINUED...