Chapter 2

I think I handled that okay. I hate seeing Knuckles like this, but given what he went through... Julie-Su was lost in thought once more as she thought back to that shaky embrace hours prior. She tried to take her mind off of it and stay focused on the mission, but the peaceful quiet of the fields just outside New Mobotropolis let her imagination wander. Running her gloved hand through her hair, the pink echidna gritted her teeth and shook her head in anger. No, don't think like that, girl. He's alive and...safe. For the time being. With a heaving sigh, she suddenly felt the grip of static as she collided with the currently emerging form of a familiar holographic lynx!

"Got something on your mind, Julie-Su?" Nicole asked, a curious smirk on her lips. Dressed in a spiraling purple gown and little else, the brown-furred guardian of New Mobotropolis was more than eager to welcome those who came near the city walls. Most of the time to warn them about the barrier that ex-Legionnaire almost walked into. I got too much going on upstairs apparently. Get it together!

"Yeah. I came here to gather some intel, and..." The next words slid between her teeth, almost inaudible. "To apologize, Nicole."

"You'll have to speak up. I've been having trouble with my audio receptors as of late." Before she could however, the feline AI began to laugh out loud and wiped digital tears out of her eyes. Julie-Su could only huff in disapproval at her attempt at humor. "Sorry... I'm still working on "breaking the ice", as it were. Your apology is accepted, ma'am."

"Don't call me ma'am ever again, and we'll call it even."

–

The only way someone would describe New Mobotropolis to an relative outsider is...idyllic. Perfectly set lawns, cobblestone roads that seemed lined with gold, houses set neatly in a circular pattern. There was something about the place that set the young echidna on edge.

She heard about the political turmoil that shifted the balance of power, the numerous attacks on the city immediately following its construction and also the numerous black-hearted individuals just cooling their heels in clean, cordoned off cells just below the ground that she and the townsfolk walked on. I'm glad Sonic and his team are here... Otherwise, I'd steer clear of this place for sure.

Nicole had been prattling on all the while about "times of peace" and "what a relief it is to see you so soon", as they headed toward the town's library. Was it bitterness that caused her to ignore those empty platitudes, or just the fact that she could only see her as that little handheld that Sally Acorn carried with her everywhere prior? Clearly she was making huge strides towards being more like a Mobian, as evidenced by how confident she walked upon the stone path. However, Julie-Su saw how she balked before the power of Enerjak, knowing that he was but a snap away from erasing her existence entirely-

"We're here! My, that was a lovely walk wasn't it? Shifting my form to and fro is much more efficient, but this is much more fun!" The holo-lynx giggled as she clasped her arms around her legs for emphasis. She was almost child-like in her glee, which caused Julie-Su's brow to knit in a mixture of concern and embarrassment. Here was this innocent girl just trying to act natural and all she could do was think of how her boyfriend almost ended her! What am I doing!?

"Yeah, great walk. Nicole, can I ask you a question?" That query lingered in the air as they proceeded to the nearby domed structure set with marble columns near the entrance, which almost made it look like a gaping mouth waiting to swallow them whole. What a way to lead to a realm of knowledge...

As the doors slid open, rows of books and computers greeted them and Julie-Su felt oddly at home. The décor was much brighter though, definitely a leg up over the Dark Legion there. She silently slid into one of the chairs facing a monitor and snaked an interface from her dreads into one of the ports, as if by instinct. A tap on her shoulder knocked her out of auto-pilot and she shifted her weight to see the brown lynx staring at her with a puzzled expression. "You...said you had a question?"

She slapped her forehead and drug a gloved hand over her muzzle. At this point, that pang of embarrassment turned into pure mortification. "Are you familiar with Haven, Nicole?"

"That...was the home of the Brotherhood of Guardians, correct? Sally made sure I had the layout and technology studied during her visit there a year prior. Why do you ask?" Julie-Su breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled to herself. Serves those secretive jerks right... I don't know how Knuckles put up with their nonsense. Although... The thought brought with it a curious pain as she remembered that his dad was a part of that clandestine group. Also, that they may be gone forever, with Knuckles being the only thing remaining of their legacy. And still—she felt nothing. Why?

"I need to know if there would be any remaining tech there that might be...enticing to any of our enemies. Or just someone looking to make a quick mobium." The city records were coming up nada, so obviously this would be classified information. Still, there was a whole rogue's gallery that would be common knowledge to the populace, if only to warn them in case they run into them in a dark alley somewhere.

"If you're talking about Dr. Finitevus, we've been keeping a close eye on his movements ever since that day." Julie-Su felt the humming warmth of the lynx's hand on her shoulders, which tensed up immediately in response. She turned once more to see those manufactured eyes now welling up in tears. "I'm...sorry we couldn't do more. That...I couldn't do more. I mean it." The vocal processors trembled and wavered with her emotions, and the pink echidna found herself trying to come to terms with what she was witnessing. This is crazy. You're just a program. How can you even know what it was like?

"Why do you care?" It leaked out like venom in spite of herself. The anger, the frustration... She leaped out of her seat, knocking it to the floor, with one hand held out accusingly. Nicole brought her hands up defensively, her eyes widening... "You got everything perfect here. Do you feel something now that veneer of indestructibility got threatened? Is that it...!?" She felt the blood rushing to her head and a sick grin played across her face.

"Julie-Su... I..." Behind the lynx, she spied a group a small children of different species huddled behind one of the bookcases, eyeing her with barely masked terror. The same expressions she got back in Echinaopolis. Seeing this, she immediately crumpled and pounded the floor as she began to sob openly. WHAT AM I DOING!?

She could barely hear Nicole ushering the children outside as she grasped at the floor to contain herself before she felt that static embrace once more. Soon she felt herself being lifted to her feet and opened her swollen eyes to see that girl smiling at her warmly. "What I feel is the need to protect those dearest to me. I'm sure you feel the same, right? Look..." A silver disc slid into view between them and the lynx snatched it out of the air and handed it to her, clasping a paw over it. "We'll talk more about self-care later. Right now, you got a mission to complete. Correct?" Julie-Su sniffed abruptly as her right hand balled into a fist. She had control once more.

"I can see why you and the Princess are like two peas in a pod."