7. Enormity
Sally felt crippled by the magnitude of their problems. After Bunnie and Knuckles ran out, and Rosie excused herself to follow them, she found herself facing a severely depleted Freedom Fighter group plus one irritable duck. Cornelius spent a few minutes answering their questions before also leaving, upon which Sally regarded Rotor and Antoine.
"I guess the mission was a real bust, huh?" said Rotor.
"Not entirely," Sally replied. She wanted desperately to see Tails, but knew they should finish this first while things were still fresh in their minds. "We did gather a lot of useful data about Robotnik's newest project, and we learned that those factories aren't actually factories."
"We did?"
"But Robotnik is being called them 'factories', my princess," Antoine pointed out.
"I think that was to throw us off the scent, to make us believe there was nothing special there we should want to look at, but it was a pretty pitiful attempt to dissuade us. You'd think Robotnik would give us a little more credit than that by now." She unclipped NICOLE from her boot and laid her open on the table. "NICOLE, visual imaging of Quantum Transporter schematics."
"PROCESSING, SALLY." NICOLE projected a series of squiggly lines, squares and trianges into the air between them.
"What is being that?"
"This is Robotnik's latest scheme to wipe us out."
"Is it?"
"I think so. It's what every other scheme has been since we scuppered his Doomsday Project." Sally was still secretly proud of how their destruction of the prototype, alongside the Wolf Pack, had discouraged Robotnik from attempting a large-scale dispersal of his Doomsday machines. Yet now the victory felt hollow.
Rotor scratched his chin. "What's a Quantum Transporter? Does it have anything to do with what he was getting from the Etheric Region?"
"As a matter of fact, it does."
Antoine blinked. "Have we been figured out what is being this Atmospheric Region? I am thinking that I have missed this before. Please to explain pour moi, my princess?"
"It's Etheric Region, Antoine, and -" Sally broke off at the door opening.
Bunnie's eyes were red and swollen and Rosie's arm was clamped protectively around her shoulders. There was no sin of Knuckles, and Sally felt fresh anxiety for her friends blossom. Yet there wasn't time or opportunity to find out what had happened, as Bunnie slipped back into her seat and asked what had happened in her absence.
"Are you all right?" Sally asked instead of answering.
"I'm finer'n frog's hair, Sally-girl, though I'm tired as a one-legged mule in a butt-kickin' contest."
Sally conceded they were all tired and resolved to finish this quickly. Whatever Robotnik had planned, they were in no fit shape to deal with it now. Tonight would have to be for licking their wounds and reorganising their forces. Tomorrow there would be time for planning how to scupper this newest development in Robotropolis. At least the fight in the factory had damaged the Quantum Transporter's machinery. Perhaps that would buy them some extra time.
"Shouldn't Sugar-hog be in on this?"
"I'll go by and tell him afterwards. I wanted to see Tails anyway."
"I … would you tell the lil' guy I'm mighty sorry about what happened? I'd go myself but … I really need some time alone. In the mornin' I'll explain why. He's a good kid. He'll understand."
Sally sighed and ploughed on. "We thought the Etheric Region was a place on Mobius, but we were wrong. It actually refers to planes of reality. The Quantum Transporter we saw tonight – that's what Sonic and Knuckles fell into and what you damaged when you fell, Bunnie – is for transferring matter between those planes."
"Say what?" Bunnie frowned.
"I am to be agreeing with Bunnie," said Antoine, mimicking her accent, "Say what, my princess?"
"In Layman's terms, it's for moving things between dimensions."
Rotors eyes grew round. "Dimensions. You mean other worlds?"
"Exactly. We've always known that Robotnik and Snively are the only humans on Mobius, and before now we've hypothesised that they may have come from another world. It was too long ago for any of us to remember, but I remember you once telling us Rosie about how they suddenly turned up at the cast one day seeking shelter."
Rosie, who occupied Knuckles's seat, nodded. "Indeed they did, dear. Such strange creatures they were, like hairless monkeys, but your father was so big-hearted he let them stay and they repaid his kindness by working for the Science Ministry. Only that Julian fellow – I never did like him, too smarmy for my tastes – proved to have some talent for inventing war machines. Those dreadful things put paid to invasions in quite a few of the more far-flung fiefs, so he moved across to the War Ministry and, well, the rest is history. It was never very clear where they came from, though there were rumours. Some said they came from the far mountains at the very edge of the Endless Sea, others said they'd been conjured by Naugus, the court mage, and that he did so by accident. When asked, Julian only ever said they were refugees. It plucked enough heartstrings, and apparently he answered your father's questions well enough that there was no suspicion."
"Magic has always been a part of the House of Acorn," said Sally. "It stands to reason that my father would accept an explanation of Robotnik and Snively getting here using magic, but if they did, I don't think Robotnik was the one controlling it."
"What makes you say that, Sally-girl?"
"The fact that he's using science to try and break into other dimensions now. If he had control over magic he'd be suing it again, or have used it before now."
Bunnie nodded. "I can see that. So why now?"
"Who knows? I didn't have time to download that information if it was there, but I did get enough to know that Robotnik's been trying very hard to access other planes of reality and bring things across from them into our world. He hasn't been successful yet, so I don't know what he intended to bring over, you can bet it won't benefit us."
"No doubt," Rotor said emphatically. "Do you think it could be weapons?"
"That's one possibility. Another is other humans."
Thick silence descended as they processed this possibility.
"More Robotniks," Bunnie murmured.
"More Snivelies," Rotor added.
They all shuddered at the thought.
"I am not liking either of this too muchly," Antoine declared.
The meeting broke up after this, since Sally had no more information to give out that wouldn't led to lengthy discussion, and each of them was yawning and trying to hide it. She dismissed them all to bed, slightly surprised when Rosie led Bunnie away to stay in her hut with her for the night. She'd thought Bunnie would stay in her own hut with Knuckles, but realised that Knuckles was not staying in Knothole tonight. She wanted to ask Bunnie what had happened between them, but her desire to see Tails was too great – as was her desire to see Sonic.
Though she would rarely admit it, Sonic had turned into Sally's rock. She felt she needed to touch base with him before she could even think about retiring for the night, for her on peace of mind as much as to keep him in the loop. Thus she walked briskly to his hut and rapped on the door.
"Yo," Sonic said from within, "it's open, dude."
"Hi, Sonic."
"Sal!" Sonic swallowed the last of his chilidog and gave her a thumbs-up. "What's shakin'?"
"First, how's Tails?" She couldn't see him around and assumed he was in the spare bedroom he sometimes used when not sleeping at her place or Rosie's. Tails had long since adopted a rotation sleeping schedule, dividing nights between the huts of others – though most often between these three. Nobody much minded, and it made him feel better. Sally often felt Tails missed the idea of blood family more than the rest of them because he'd never really know what it was like to have a mother or father. He missed the idea of blood family, which made him extra attached to the makeshift one he'd found in the Freedom Fighters and Knothole.
"Sleeping," Sonic replied. "He's tuckered out. Tonight really took it out of him."
Sally sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I shouldn't have let him go."
"Hey, chill, it wasn't your fault. It could've happened to anyone."
"But it didn't happen to anyone, Sonic, it happened to him, and it happened because I let him come along when he wasn't ready."
"The big guy's been ready for a long time, Sal. This was an accident, plain and simple, and no amount of training can replace good luck." Somehow when Sonic said this it sounded more believable than when she tried to convince herself.
"Sonic, this wasn't some near-miss or scraped knee. Tails was blinded tonight."
"Only in the one eye."
"How can you say that?!"
"What else do you want me to say?"
"I … I don't know."
"His other eye's fine, and Corny gave him some painkillers that knocked him right out. I already know you'll just bite my head off if I try to say it was an accident and you couldn't prevent it. You're all about blaming yourself, Sal."
"But -"
"Have a chilidog. It'll relax you." He zoomed to his kitchen, where a plate of the snacks sat on the counter, and zoomed back to push one under her nose.
Sally pushed it away again. "No, that'd just make me throw up."
"You got no taste, Sal." Sonic shoved it whole into his mouth.
"And you have no manners." How easy it was to slip into comfortable banter with him. Sally reminded herself why she was there. "I still feel responsible -"
"Then don't."
"It's not that easy, Sonic."
"Do what I do and go for a run, then, if you've go time to worry, then you've got time to run."
She shook her head. "You're incorrigible."
"If I knew what that meant I might get insulted. So what's the haps with the debriefing? The hedgehog needs to be in with the loopage."
Briefly, Sally explained about the Etheric Region and Robotnik's Quantum Transporter.
"You mean that glowy thing me and Knucklehead fell on mgiht've zapped us to another dimension? Man, he was right about needing to get outta there. Uh, don't tell him I said that."
"I couldn't even if I wanted to."
"Say what? Be kind, rewind."
"For some reason he left tonight. Without Bunnie," Sally added with emphasis.
Sonic's expression darkened. "He did, huh? You know, I always had a bad feeling about that guy. His eyes are too close together and his nose sticks out too much, plus there's the whole red thing. Never trust red when you can have blue."
"Sonic -"
"What? You wear blue."
"That's – look, just don't say anything to Bunnie, okay? We don't know what happened and she seemed pretty upset, but something tells me this isn't a permanent arrangement."
"What makes you say that?" Sonic asked petulantly.
"Because I know Knuckles, and I know how much he cares about her. If he left her behind, then he had a really good reason and didn't do it lightly."
"I'll bet he didn't do it lightly." Sonic rubbed absently at his backside. "He landed on me when we fell. That guy weighs a tonne."
"So will you if you keep eating chilidogs late at night."
"Hey, when you've got a fast metabolism like mine, you're always lean and mean."
Sally smiled. It felt like an age since her last one. "Not so mean."
"That depends. I don't feel like being nice to Knucklehead right now."
"Now don't you go running off and doing something stupid."
"No, that's his job."
"I think I did overreact about that. But it's a little late for apologies now."
"Don't stress, Sal, things'll turn out all right in the end."
"I wish I had your confidence," she admitted.
"But then what would you need me for?"
"Good point. I guess you are good for something." Sally stifled a yawn. "I'll just look in on Tails and then go to bed. It's been an eventful day."
Sonic shrugged. "Sure, knock yourself out. I'm not done with those chilidogs yet."
Sally rolled her eyes and padded to the door of Tails's room to the tune of Sonic chomping away. Even though she knew Tails would be deep asleep she entered quietly and stayed in the doorway.
He looked peaceful, but the bandages wrapped around his eyes were a stark reminder of the seriousness of his injuries. Sally wondered how they would all deal with this. True, as Sonic had said Tails had lost only one eye, but losing half his sight was going to be a big blow. He would have to learn to function with limited vision, and at least at first he'd be in terrible pain, plus he'd be scarred. You could never tell how someone would react to disfigurement, especially of the face.
Fresh guilt suffused her, but she shook it away in favour of more practical thoughts. While the bandages were on, Tails would need a seeing-eye buddy. She'd construct a roster in the morning before gathering everyone together to plan their next move against Robotnik. Whether Tails would be included in that stage … Sally bit her lip. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.
"Hey, Sal," Sonic called as she made to leave.
"Yes, Sonic?"
His serious expression was tempered by the smell of chilli and crumbs around his mouth. "You know you're a great leader, right?"
"Sometimes I wonder."
"Well don't. you ot me, you got your friends, and we all believe in you – even Tails and Knucklehead. You know what Tails said as Corny was giving him his shot?"
Sally was afraid to ask. "No, what?"
"He said he hopes you don't think this was your fault and try to stop him being a Freedom Fighter. The kid's tough, Sal. He's been lost in Robotropolis, come out hurt, and still wants to go back in. Not even we were that brave at his age."
"I suppose…"
"I know that face. That's your 'I don't believe you' face." He slung an arm around her waist. "Don't sweat it, okay? We'll be all right. It's what we're good at."
Snively had learned there were different types of smiles in his uncle's repertoire, but unlike most people's, none came from joy or true happiness. When Robotnik smiled the world trembled and skin tried to crawl off the body and into a corner to hide.
The smile currently splitting his face was one of satisfaction and humourless pleasure. He tapped his fingertips together, looking over the top at the contents of the Quantum Transporter pad. "It would seen the hedgehog," he seemed almost to hesitate over the word, as though just saying it made him nauseous, "has actually done me a favour. How I do love irony."
"Sh-shall I red-alert a SWATbot team, sir?"
"No, I don't think that will be necessary, Snively. We don't want our guests to feel too threatened, after all."
"We don't, sir?"
"Why no." Something in Robotnik's voice made Snively uneasy. Not that he ever felt calm whe he spoke – far from it.
Snively never used to have a nervous twitch. He used to have hair, confidence and ambition, but life on Mobius had robbed all of it. now he stooped, fawned and was only able to rebel through muttered comments and dreams of torturing Robotnik. Every day he cursed throwing in his lot with Uncle Julian and being sent to this accursed place because of it. Had he had the sense to work his way up the ladder of command instead of try to topple those in power he may have been a wing-commander by now. Instead he was a lowly underling, treated worse than the ever-disposable SWATbots and trapped on a planet populated by talking wildlife. Yes, irony was indeed a wonderful thing.
"Why don't we want to threaten them sir?"
"Because these may just be our new allies against those ghastly Freedom Fighters."
Snively regarded the two slumped figures. They didn't look all that impressive, and certainly nothing like allies he'd want to be associated with. They looked like refugees from the Acorn coup; those animals who'd tried to flee Mobotropolis and been used as target practise. Perhaps Robotnik saw something in them Snively did not, but the old fool had been making so many mistakes lately that it was easy to categorise this as yet another boob. Robotnik was so obsessed with defeating the hedgehog and his friends that he'd begun neglecting their campaign to widen his influence over the parts of Mobius still outside his control. Snively kept things running, but with bad grace and buoyed only by the thought that he was strengthening what might one day be his own empire. Robotnik was the famous 'big round guy' after all. Even a cruel heart could clog and stop beating when it carried that kind of weight.
"You don't understand the significance of this event, do you, Snively?"
"I confess I don't, sir."
"I'm not surprised; an ignorant little troglodyte like you could never hope to understand the breadth of this sort of opportunity."
Snively ground his teeth, but shrank back when Robotnik turned to face him. "Sir?"
"Did you not recognise Princess Sally's newest ally tonight?"
"Newest … ally?"
Robotnik sighed. "You really should do your research, Snively; then you might've heard of the Guardian of the Master Chaos Emerald – the last echidna on Mobius and keeper of a source of power so immense it could wipe out this little rock of a planet in the blink of an eye. I myself had thought it legend, but now… the possibilities are," he shuddered with delight, "delectable."
Snively also shuddered, but for different reasons. "I'm afraid I still don't understand, sir. What does this 'Guardian' have to do with the Quantum Transporter?"
"If I am correct, the two have everything to do with each other. If I am correct you will understand very soon, Snively."
One of the figures began to stir.
"Very soon indeed…"
To Be Continued…