A/N: Thirty chapters in and this story is still gaining views, which I'm happy about. Reviews don't entirely matter as long as someone's reading it. So, as you have seen last chapter, Geoffrey had brought Naugus back to his senses. The old fool wasn't much of a villian to begin with, but he'll be a threat for the forseeable future.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Sega and Archie except my OC.
"So let me piece this together: he stunned you, took the emerald, and left you to die in the abyss?" Sally asked.
"Exactly. Didn't help that that giant, badger, panda-thing didn't help! He just sat there laughing at me!" Sonic replied.
The Freedom Fighters were gathered in the lab as Sonic explained what happened on his mission. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time Geoffrey had betrayed their trust. However, whenever he did it was usually for a good cause as he was in deep cover for the Royal Secret Service. But this time, stabbing Sonic in the back and making off with a powerful gem? That's a serious act of treason no matter how you look at it.
The princess sighed. "I know Geoffrey's been rather elusive as of late, even during his past missions, but I never thought he'd stoop this low..." She growled.
"Well Sal Gal, what do y'all want us to do?" Bunnie asked.
"We find out where he could have possibly headed and then bring him in for questioning." Sally ordered.
"If I may interrupt, lookin' at these logs from two of the turrets, someone was detected approachin' the city but headed to the northwest. After that it's just gone." Kor said while looking at his PDA.
"And how long ago waz that?" Antoine asked.
"Around 8:30 PM."
"I have reason to believe that may have been Geoffrey. No other detection notifications were found around that time period." Nicole stated.
"Great, he could be anywhere now..." Sally groaned.
"Don't sweat it Sal. Ol' Stinky will have to show himself at some point." Sonic told them. "And when he does come out, I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind."
"Very well. At this point all we can do is wait." Sally said. Everyone else shrugged and was about to do whatever for the rest of the evening until Tails spoke up.
"If it concerns anyone, I heard the Forget Me Knots were gonna have a concert tomorrow night." The kit said.
"A concert eh? Would be a nice chance to unwind for a minute, especially after all we've been doing this past month. Dontcha think so Sal?" Sonic said with his trademark grin.
"Hah...I'll see if I don't have anything planned for tomorrow." The chipmunk replied with a grin of her own.
"I would like to attend, but me and mah wife have the other planning to do." The coyote boasted.
"Plans darling. Hope y'all enjoy yerselves though." Bunnie told them.
"I'd go too but I have some stuff I need to work on here. Maybe I can figure out where Geoffrey went and disappeared." Rotor told them as he lied back in his chair.
"Eh...I might go." Kor shrugged.
"You 'might' Kor?" Nicole asked.
"Just sayin', ain't really one for concerts and such." The red fox replied.
"Well surely you don't have anything else planned tomorrow, so I would recommend you go. Unless you want to be bored doing nothing." The lynx smirked.
"Hah, bored she says." Kor snorted. "Fine I'll go, so long as you do as well." He said.
"Fair enough."
"So we'll meet at...when does it start again?" The engineer asked.
"Seven PM." "6:30 then." "I'll be waiting..." The lynx winked before exiting the HQ's system.
Kor turned and saw everyone was giving him a sly look. "What?"
"It would seem ze engineer has found a lover of his own." Antoine said.
"So how did your 'walk' go?" Tails asked, grinning at Kor.
In response, the engineer's face went red (well, redder than normal). "I-It was pretty good."
"From the way you stutter it sounds like something happened." Sonic teased.
"Please do tell." Sally pressed.
"Ok first off, that's mah business alright? Y'all gonna have to do some snoopin' if you want to find out we made out for a short period-" The engineer's eyes bulged from what he said. "Dag nabbit no-one's supposed to know that..." This prompted everyone else to laugh.
"You so owe me for helping you Kor. You would've take forever to ask her." Tails boasted.
"Was it really that obvious?..."
"Yeah, we were all wondering when you two would make it official. It was hard enough watching you both being so nervous around each other." Rotor explained.
Kor just sighed, leaning on a table. "I suppose...still a little pissed our moment was ruined when we got called here..." He said, somewhat glaring at Sonic
"Yeah sorry about that buddy." The blue blur said sheepishly, rubbing his quills. "Anyway now that we got that out of the way, I'm going to bed." The hedgehog finished, dashing out of the lab.
"He's got a point, it's rather late." Sally yawned. "Feel free to stay here for the night guys, I'm out too."
"Pff, I'm going back home. Plus my Tarantula is still sittin' out there." Kor replied.
"Welp, see you guys tomorrow. Enjoy yourselves." Rotor said before exiting himself.
-Next Day: Early Evening-
Kor was busy drying himself after taking a shower. Aside from checking on his own systems he spent the majority of the day sleeping. Sonic and Tails dropped by and noticed he left his front door unlocked. Given the circumstances, it was perfect for a prank. They performed the old whip-cream-to-the-face trick and, needlessly to say, they spent the next hour running away from a pissed off engineer. However, the former mercenary managed to intercept the duo and deliver two bonks to their skulls. "Next time they try that again, they better hope they have medical insurance..." He grumbled.
Looking at the time he noticed it was close to when Nicole would arrive. Looking through his closet he put on a simple blue shirt and applied some deodorant. He didn't wear pants due to not wanting his tail to feel uncomfortable, along with finding he had plenty of fur that covered his privates. He spent the next few minutes watching TV until he heard a knock at his door.
Walking over he opened it to reveal the lynx herself. Kor almost didn't recognize her immediately with the large hat she was wearing. Instead of her usual purple robes, she wore blue shorts, a purple tank top matched with a large purple hat that had a blue band with a buckle on the side. "H-How do I look?" She asked shyly.
"In mah opinion, real cute." Kor smiled.
"Thanks...I figured it'd be nice to dress into something more appropriate for this event. Also, I don't think I would feel too welcome if people noticed my presence..." Nicole said in a sullen tone.
"Well, try not to worry too much about it Nicole. After all, this is a chance where we get to enjoy ourselves for the evening." The fox replied. "Besides, if anyone gives ya any trouble they'll have to deal with me."
This brightened the A.I's mood to a degree. "You're right...it's time I stop letting what others think of me bringing me down. Ready to go?"
"Ladies first." Said the engineer. "Speaking of which, what kind of songs do you think they'll play tonight?"
"I'm not sure." Nicole said as they walked. "From what I've heard, Mina had been working on a new album for awhile now. Guess she finally finished it. Also, before it slips my mind...Sally kept teasing me about a certain something. Take a guess as to what it was."
Kor sighed. "Accidental slip of the tongue let them figure out we're an item..." This earned a playful punch to the shoulder from the lynx.
"Idiot." She giggled.
"It was a bit obvious to them anyway." Kor stuck his tongue at her. In response the lynx pinched his tongue, causing him to flail slightly.
"Watch it engy." She smirked.
"Bah...can bou flet go pweese?" She released his tongue and pecked his cheek, causing Kor to blush exasperatedly.
Once they reached the city's arena, they found it to be packed. Two Tarnaulas were also present incase any threats popped up. The Forget Me Knots had yet to appear on stage, but they would start soon. As they scoped out the crowd, they found Sonic and Sally and began to chat animatedly with them. However, unknown to anyone, two villains were hiding out on one of the upper sections. Both Naugus and Geoffrey literally appeared from the shadows, the evil wizard having a grin on his face while Geoffrey is trying to catch his breath.
"The purpose of shadow-melding is to be stealthy, which we can't do with you hacking and wheezing like that..." Naugus said irritably at his apprentice.
"Ok first...it's the worst...sensation there is...and second..." The skunk regained his composure. "You've haven't taught me much on the magic side of things, and while my magic may be lacking, you'll need my advice and experience if you ever hope to take over the kingdom. And that is exactly why I said this wouldn't be a good idea. We could get spotted and there goes our element of surprise..." Geoffrey explained, eyeing the two robots below who appeared to be talking to each other.
The wizard glared at him. "Are you lecturing me dear boy?!"
The agent raised his hands in defense. "N-no. I never intended to do such a thing."
"You're plans may be good my apprentice, but it needs something...more..." Naugus said as he scanned the crowd, an evil grin forming on his face.
"And what would that be if I may ask."
"Fear Geoffrey, the poison of fear!"
Minutes later, the crowd roars with praise as the Forget Me Knots take to the stage. "Good evening New Mobotropolis! How is everyone tonight?!" Mina asked. She was met with unending cheers. "I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight, and for those who could not make it, lets hope they'll be able to hear our tunes in some form. This is a song on something that's been on my mind for quite awhile, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it!" The songstress finished.
As the band began their performance, most of the crowd noticed it was a bit different from Mina's usual tunes. "Guess Mina took a big change in tempo." Sally said.
"Whatever it is, I'm diggin' it!" Sonic boasted.
"I lie awake, in my bed, just can't sleep, full of dread, will the nightmares come for me this time? In the day, in the night, never knowing, full of fright, why won't anyone listen? I can't always be jumping at shadows! I can't always be running away! I won't be afraid! I'll save myself! I won't be afraid! I'll save myself! She's everywhere, everything, but heroes aren't istening, we're all left prone, unprotected!" Mina sang.
It was at that point Nicole had realized the song was about her, or more accurately, how she was being controlled by the Iron Queen. The harsh memories that had been locked away for the time being resurfaced like an active volcano. The other heroes noticed after Nicole had stopped dancing, and after listening to the lyrics, they were horrified. Even Espio, who was nearby, took notice.
"It's painfully obvious they won't act, it's up to us, we won't live in fear of the city! We can't always be jumping at shadows! We can't always be running away! We won't be afraid! We'll save ourselves! We won't be afraid! We'll save ourselves!" The band continued, with the crowd joining in the chorus.
"Ok, whatever enjoyment I had for this song is completely gone now..." Kor growled. He cast a glance over to Nicole, who was utterly distressed and upset. "You alright Nicole?..."
"I'm sorry...I...I just can't be here right now..." The lynx then took off as tears began to stream down her face. She kept running until the nanites making her holgram disappated. Kor stared at where she disappeared, clenching his fists as he began to visibly shake with rage.
Sally calmly put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Kor...we'll talk with them backstage..."
"...I hope so...otherwise I think I'm gonna do somethin' I might regret..." Kor said, looking at the ground. The 3 left the coliseum and headed for the band's trailer.
Once the band finished, Mina made an announcement. "The Freedom Fighters spend almost every day protecting us from dangers from the outside. They need us to handle things here at home. And our government is elected by the people! They HAVE to listen to us! We won't be afraid! We will save ourselves! And we demand change, NOW!" The crowd roared with approval. The two Tarantulas standing guard seemed confused, not liking the sound of things.
High above, Geoffrey couldn't help but grimace. "I knew there was some concern about Nicole and the nanites, but I didn't think it was THIS bad..."
"It was...and wasn't." Naugus grinned.
"Wait, what did you do?" The skunk asked.
"Simple Geoffrey. A minor enhancement of the people's emotions to really get the message out, and just as in the days of the Great War, they'll do more than call for reform...they'll be baying for blood! And once their terror has festered and grown, they'll be begging me to save them." The Ixis wizard chuckled darkly. Geoffrey looked unamused however.
After the show, the band made their way through a wave of eager fans back to their trailer. " Nice job everyone. It looks like your idea paid off really well Mina." Ash said to his girlfriend.
"Thanks. I wasn't sure if everyone would like it, but at least now we know." Mina replied. As they got to the trailer, Ash and Mina noticed the other band members had stopped short of it. "Something wrong guys?"
"Um...you guys go on ahead. You know them better than we do." Max said in a nervous tone.
Ash and Mina looked confused before opening the door. They were surprised to find Sonic, Sally, and Kor sitting on the couch with various expressions on their faces. All of them had a disapproving look.
"How did you guys get in here?" The manager asked.
"Oh, we just found our way in." Sonic casually replied.
"Yeah well if you want an autograph, you can wait outside like everyone else." Ash told them.
"That's not why we're here Ash...we're here to tell you that Mina's music doesnt need any dark and gloomy 'I'm so sad and misunderstood' baggage!" The blue blur explained.
"First off hedgehog-!" Ash began but Mina cut him off.
"The new change was my idea Sonic." She said softly. "I felt it was a message that needed to be heard, especially for you guys."
"While we can understand that Mina, you need to be more careful about how you convey your messages. With someone as popular as you, you need to more responsible in-" Sally said before Mina interrupted.
"Responsibility?! What about you and the Freedom Fighters? Bunnie, Khan, Kor AND Nicole all got turned on you! And Nicole runs the city-IS the city! How is that 'responsible'?! We were running for our lives! Anywhere we hid could be turned into a prison by Nicole! While you talked politics over there, the rest of us were constantly facing a threat worse than death! Also there was a giant, flying, insect-thing rounding up people! It even killed a few! So don't you dare talk to me about responsibility!" The songstress retorted.
"If we stayed behind we likely would've been captured! How much help do you think that would've been?!" Sonic fired back.
"There's one thing you didn't know Mina, and it's that Nicole had been returned to her former self just hours after we left. The only reason she kept up the ruse was so she could protect as many people as she could. If the Queen found out, there's no telling what she would've done! She even saw the horrors the Dominion placed on the city and she still regrets it..." Sally pointed out.
"...And speaking of which, we weren't just 'talking politics' over there Mina...it was a necessary step in order to ensure the Iron Dominion didn't have any cards to fall back on once we came back! We risked our lives doing that just that! Yeah sure, myself, Ken, Bunnie and Nicole were put under her influence, only for a short duration!" Kor put emphasis on that word 'short'. "There's never a day it doesn't cross my mind on what I could've done differently that day. I keep thinking to myself 'If I fired at will, none of this would've happened.' Granted, me and Nicole underestimated the Queen which led to what happened, and it will be a mistake we'll make sure never happens again. Well ALL make mistakes, it's a fact of life. Only difference is if you're willing to learn from it!" The fox stated angrily.
"Now...you've made yours in blaming Nicole for what she had to do in order to protect YOU. If anything, you should be blaming the Iron Queen! Are you willing to learn from that? Or will you continue to be indignant on your decision? Also, keep in mind if it wasn't for Nicole, we wouldn't have saved everyone from Eggman months prior, we wouldn't even have a damn place to call home! As for Hornet, I still send apologies to people who had their friends or family killed by it, a mistake I rectified in my newest creations." The engineer got up to leave. "So don't say we can't talk to you about responsibility when you're making short-sighted accusations and being inconsiderate! And two things of advice: Apoligize to Nicole, and go see a damn therapist if you're having nightmares..." Kor finished, slamming the door on his way out.
Everyone else stood uneasy after Kor left. "...In all honesty, I thought he'd have a larger fit than that seeing how close he is to Nicole...but Kor did strike a point Mina. We'll let you think on that." Sally said before she and Sonic exited.
Ash and Mina looked at each other in uncertainty, with Mina beginning to feel pangs of guilt in her stomach. As Sonic and Sally make their way through the crowd of fans, they hear conversations about Nicole, all of which are rather insulting. They range from someone asking the computer to quit spying on them to wondering if stomping on the scenery would be a way to inflict pain to her. Some even made some snide remarks at the Tarantulas standing guard, but the growls emitted from the bots immediately silenced them.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Eggman would come back. I would like to see how quickly these people go from bashing Nicole to begging her to protect them..." Sonic muttered.
"You shouldn't wish for such things Sonic. Eggman is way harsher compared to what's going on now...where do you think Kor went? Hadn't seen him since we left." Sally said.
"If I had to guess, he's probably looking for his girlfriend too." Sonic shrugged.
-Below New Mobotropolis: Inside a server room-
Nicole was sitting against the wall, curled up with her head against her knees. She changed her appearance back to its original form, and she had been sobbing for the past 20 minutes. She couldn't believe that the Forget Me Knots would make a song about her terrorizing everyone while she was under the Iron Queen's control. It wasn't like she was doing it willingly, and even when she was brought back to her senses she had to keep up the rouse for the sake of everyone else. Being that she was part of the city, she could still hear the conversations of people talking about her, most of which were in a negative light, and this did nothing but worsen her mood. However, she wasn't the only one in the room.
Some steps away was Dimitri. He had been brought down here in mere moments after Sonic and Tails found him in a box back at the Eggdome. Apparently he had been ousted from the Dark Legion by his own great-great-granddaughter. They managed to hook him into the city to save his life, and since then he had shown nothing but gratitude. He looked at Nicole in concern. "Are you alright?"
Nicole jumped alittle upon hearing his voice. "O-Oh, I'm sorry...I-I forgot you were installed in this room...sorry for bothering you..." She said as she began to dissapate.
"If you were a bother, I wouldn't have let you weep all this time." Dimitri said before she could completely vanish.
"...I had not realized I had been down here for that long..."
"It's quite alright. I just thought you may want some time alone before I offer any help. Espio is likely doing the same thing." The cyborg stated, gaining a confused looked from Nicole.
Espio, who was cloaked and on the ceiling, suddenly drops down. "You seem to know alot for someone whose been stated as 'missing'."
Dimitri just scoffed. "I'm hooked into the city's systems. I was able to observe not only Mina's performance, but you entering this room."
Espio turned to Nicole. "Why is he here?" He asked ina somewhat cold tone.
"S-Sonic and Tails found and rescued him from the Eggdome. It seemed he had been left to die so Sally had them install him down here since he was running low on power." Nicole said nervously.
"To which I am still greatful, and Espio-" Dimitri was cut off as Espio held a kunai inches from his face.
"What could you possibly possibly have to say to me, traitor?..."
"I was going to ask if threatening me and yelling at Nicole was the only reason you came down here. Also, given your past, you aren't in a position to label someone as a traitor." The cyborg smirked.
Espio pauses for a moment before putting the weapon away. "My apologies..." He turns to Nicole. "I saw you leaving the coliseum and wanted to know if you were alright."
The A.I. was surprised by this notion. "W-Why?"
"I felt I owed you a favor after you helped me some time ago. Not only that, but both of us had been used by the Iron Dominion...I know how it feels to lose the trust of others..." The chameleon explained, remembering how he offered to give the rest of the Chaotix any secretive information he had on them in order to regain their trust.
Nicole could only nod in agreement. "But I meant how did you know I would be in here and not in the system."
"He knew because Espio knows you're more than just an A.I. program Nicole. A program wouldn't run in fear or cry in despair as you did. He simply knew where his friend, as a mobian, would go." Dimitri explained.
There was no arguing with Dimitri because he was spot on. Nicole herself knew she had become more than just a program the second she began to develop and understand emotions. Her friends helped her mature at a much quicker rate than she would have if she was alone. To this day she was still ever thankful for that.
Espio cast a wary eye at Dimitri. "Does Knuckles know about this?" He asked the lynx.
"Very few know that Dimitri is among us, and he's preparing to face Knuckles." She replied.
"Thank you for your kind words Nicole. However, I'm still afraid of facing him, given our history...and speaking of which, how come you came down here?" He asked the A.I.
Nicole sighed. "...I built this city for the people, and to live among them...instead, they think I will trap them with it, or worse...this is the same conversation I had with Kor now that I recall it, but in my panic I had forgotten his advice..." She looks at Dimitri. "How did you deal with your loss of control over power in the past."
"Do you think she means the time you were Enerjak or your time as Grandmaster?" Espio asked the cyborg.
"In either scenario, I was trying to exert my will over reality, to force things to suit me rather than deal with them as they were. And now look at me...never to be with my family again. My people led astray by my own son, my legacy a twisted, wretched thing serving the Eggman Empire...you two have something I ignored. You have the love and support of others. Friends who will seek you to help you...others can tell you that you need to be brave and stand up for yourself Nicole, but telling someone else to be brave doesn't mean one has courage themselves...while I may never be ready, I need you two to arrange a meeting between myself and Knuckles." Dimitri finished.
"One cannot be denied a second chance. I have myself from everyone, and I'm sure you can as well Dimitri. You too Nicole." Espio replied. "I'll talk with Knuckles, but I need you to come with me to help clarify some things." He told Nicole.
"I'll be there, but first, I need to check on a certain someone." She stated.
-On the surface-
Nicole materialized in the street. Luckily, no one was around so she didn't have to worry about running into someone unplesant. She made her way to Kor's house but after some scanning she didn't not detect any living beings inside. After some thought, she realized where he might be and headed for the airport. Upon nearing his hanger, she heard the familiar sound of a guitar being strummed, which gave her confirmation he was present. Disappearing, she rematerialized right next to him.
"...Are you alright Kor?" She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
The engineer became startled for a second before looking at her. "I should be asking you that...I checked everywhere for you, even the system, but couldn't find anything. I will say that when you become very distressed, you sure are very hard to find...after that I became too stressed out and had to find some way to calm down..." Kor said, looking at the floor.
"I'm sorry for making you worry so much Kor...in the midst of the moment I just needed to be alone...however I unknowingly appeared in Dimitri's server room and Espio managed to track me." She told him.
"You were in a server room?...Man I feel stupid right now..." The fox sighed.
"You don't really think too well when stressed remember?" The A.I. reminded him.
"Yes, but what kind of boyfriend am I if I'm unable to find my girlfriend when she's upset?..."
"Kor, that doesn't make you a terrible significant other. Sure, you were unable to find me, but knowing that you were extremely worried let's me know how much you care." She gave a small smile. "So what did you do after I left?..."
"Welp...myself, Sonic, and Sally talked with Mina about her music, got into a small debate about it but I believe we drove our point home. We told her that you were present at the concert which visibly shocked her. We could see it on her face. Hopefully she'll realize what she did and apoligize..."
Nicole couldn't argue with that. While she had no qualms with Mina, what she did had hurt her emotionally. She knew her actions as Iron Nicole were nightmarish, but she didn't expect it to reach a scale like this. Given how the crowd reacting, they couldn't expect the whole issue concerning Nicole to die down soon.
"So what happened on your end?" Kor asked.
"I explained to Dimitri why I had been down there. He was very kind about it and Espio showed up. He was shocked to find the ancient echidna down there but he relented. In short, Dimitri told me I needed to stand up for myself, which is similar to what you had told me. I really need to begin to follow both of pieces of advice... oh, I'm also going to help Espio arrange a meeting for him and Knuckles." She explained.
"Boy howdy, Knuckles is gonna be pissed, and I hope this won't bring ya down Nikki. Although I doubt anyone will shut up about it now..." Kor mused.
"I believe so as well..."
"...To put this on a lighter note, how about sing a song for ya? Without all the crappy 'doom and gloom' as Sonic pointed out." He smiled.
"I believe I would enjoy that, especially from who it's coming from." Nicole giggled.
A/N: Annnd that's enough. Well folks you've seen it first-hand: Naugus has planted the seeds that could allow him to take control of the kingdom and issues surrounding Nicole continue to increase. Now you may be thinking, what about Eggman? Well, we'll see what the good doctor's been up to next time.