Author's Note. Always enjoyed this one. Not as trash as the other ones, but redid it anyway.
Legal Trash. Sonic and everybody else is copyright SEGA/Archie comics. Except for Max, Annie, and Sonia. I created them in my rattled brain; if you like my OC's, use them and let me know. It'll be fun; we will have tea.
Chapter 4. Plan for Action
"Ah," Max breathed in deeply, running as fast as his bare feet could carry him to the scattered huts in the village. Where things were once peaceful, now were a hurried panic to reach his sleeping companions.
He skidded to a halt upon reaching his first destination, and without thinking much at all about it, started striking the door fiercely. The light of the workshop turned on, illuminating the grass lying in front of the window. The silhouette of a tall, overweight figure could be seen passing by. The person quickly walked to the door and emerged from the workshop, looking quite confused.
"Max? What is going on?" Rotor said sleepily, not even really paying attention to Max's panic and state of undress.
"Rotor… I... it is an emergency; you have to go over to Bunnie and Antoine's hut immediately. Nicole will explain everything for everybody once we are all there!"
Rotor could tell by Max's hurried pace of speech that this was the real deal, and he placed a hand on Max's shoulder to give him some comfort.
"It's alright, man, just go get the rest. I will head over immediately." Rotor's voice was collected, and his hand was heavy on his shoulder.
Max shot him a smile and turned away, fleeing into the darkness. Rotor didn't even bother to shut his workshop door and hurried his way to where Bunnie and Antoine would be waiting for him.
Max ran full speed to where his sister was sleeping soundly in her hut and started slamming on her door hurriedly. He had wished to compose himself more before coming here, but in truth, he felt there was no time for that.
He knew the doom looming before them, and no matter what he did, his sister would probably still panic. He saw the light flip on in response to his knocks, and in a second, his sister was already at the door with a look of annoyance.
"Bro? You have any ide…." She blinked, her speech trailing off into silence, seeing him there soaked and panicked in his underclothes.
"Sis... It's an emergency. Please just go to Bunnie and Antoine's hut. Everybody is meeting there together to have a discussion. I have to get Ann still, so please don't give me guff and just go."
Sonia could hear the sincerity in his voice and just gave him a quiet nod. She turned and shut her door, making sure it was secure, and by the time she turned around, Max had disappeared from her vision.
She blinked and looked left and right. "He sure is fast when he wants to be…." She muttered, kicking up her feet and blasting off towards where everybody was being summoned.
Max reached Annie's hut without much time lost. He might have been sheepish to talk to her after what had transpired, but his fear and determination suppressed any other negative feelings for the time being.
He slammed on her door with force, repeatedly not stopping until the light shot on. He could hear her walk, and suddenly the door swung open, allowing light to shine upon him.
"Max, I swear! I am tired of this! I alr…" She started her angry tirade but was caught off guard by the sight she saw.
Max drenched and standing about in the pouring rain in nothing but his underpants. Her face changed from anger to that of embarrassment, and she averted her gaze slightly, trying not to gawk.
"Wha-what is the meaning of this!" She stammered out.
She was used to him being in full dress, looking proud and presentable, and now here he was banging on her door like a loon with barely anything on. Had their fight driven him so mad that he had lost his mind?
Max didn't care for this now and just grabbed onto her pajama sleeve and yanked her out the door. "I don't have time for this, hate me all you like, but this is an emergency, and we are all meeting to talk with your parents."
Annie didn't even really have time to respond or shut her door, she was at a loss for words, but halfway through the trip to her parent's hut, she found them.
"Max, my parents..." She began.
"Are fine." Max finished her sentence for her.
She was still angry and annoyed with him, but she didn't protest the events unfolding. If it indeed was an emergency, such petty things were best left until later.
The two remained silent for the rest of the walk and eventually entered through the door of Bunnie and Antoine's hut together.
Everybody was there in the small room and eagerly awaiting to hear precisely what was going on. Over the next several minutes, Nicole explained the situation to everybody in the room just as she had to Max, Bunnie, and Antoine previously.
The news was quite a shock. Annie was speechless, and Sonia was taping her foot out of nervousness more than impatience.
"So whata we do?" Sonia piped up first, not sure of how to go about this.
"Well, hun," Bunnie started, "I am thinkin' we need to get in contact with ol' uncle Chuck. Antoine has been writing a letter to send to him. The only problem is, we ain't sure how much time we have until this weapon will be used." Bunnie fell silent, realizing the gravity of the situation. None of them were sure whether to wait around or head for the hills.
Max looked down and rubbed the back of his head. "The only problem is, it could take hours to get a response from Chuck via the pigeon. I don't even think he would be looking for messages at this hour."
"So, what are we going to do!?" Annie spoke loudly. "We can't just sit here and wait to be destroyed; we should get out immediately! Hours are too long to wait for an answer!" Her voice was elevated, and her words carried a sensibleness with them.
Rotor looked annoyed, hearing her words. "That is easy for you to say! If we leave, we lose everything we have worked on here, plus a chunk of the planet! There is no coming back from that sort of damage!" Rotor argued back. He had much to lose if Knothole went under and was not about to let all his efforts go to waste.
"So, what do you propose we do!? Sit here and get vaporized!?" Annie's voice was now shouting, and she was not about to give up on the point of self-preservation.
Rotor shook his head and looked as if he would speak, but Max interjected on his behalf. "We need to stay and fight Ann; if we lose here and the planet is damaged like that, then staying alive is pointless."
"Pointless!?" Annie shouted. "What are you talking about!? If we live, we can rebuild and fix things! Dying here serves no purpose, especially when it could be avoided! We are wasting time bickering here when we could already be on our way to somewhere else!"
It was clear she believed in staying safe, but Max refused to back down.
"Ann, we need to stop this somehow. I don't know how yet, but we can't let this happen. We can't run like cowards and let the planet be irreversibly damaged."
"Cowards!?" Annie scowled at him. She was about to start unleashing a fury onto Max, already tired of him and his insulting choice of words with her.
"Stop it!" Sonia shouted, causing everybody in the room to turn their attention to the young girl. "You are acting like a child Ann! Besides, the easiest solution to this is to have me go. I am the fastest thing alive now, and it would take me mere minutes to get to uncle Chuck and back."
Bunnie and Antoine said nothing as Sonia reprimanded their daughter, and their gaze turned to Annie. They were waiting to see if she had anything else to express with Sonia before moving on to discuss her idea.
Annie saw her parents staring. She averted her gaze, feeling flush, and she begrudgingly sighed. "Fine…" she trailed off.
To be called out and shamed by a thirteen-year-old and in front of her parents no less. It was even too much for her to argue against.
Bunnie looked at Sonia and Max. "Are ya sure you can handle goin' to Robotropolis all on your own?" She asked hesitantly, but she also realized that every second was precious.
They needed to use everything they had to figure this out, and if it took sending Sonia to Robotropolis alone, then it might be a risk worth taking.
Sonia nodded and rubbed her foot along the floor. "I... I went there earlier with my bro and Annie. I know the way, and it shouldn't take long to get everything straightened out with Unc." She said stoically, even if her nervousness was apparent to everybody in the room.
As much as Max despised the idea of his little sister going there alone. Nobody could get there that fast, and he knew that this might be their best chance in averting this terrible crisis.
He walked over and grabbed Nicole and proceeded to place it in his sister's hand. She looked at it with awe, realizing this was it. This was her time to make a difference. Her brother trusting her with Nicole signified his approval of her plan.
"Watch after my sis, Nicole…." Max said.
To which Nicole gave her response. "I will, Max."
Bunnie walked over and placed a hand on Sonia's shoulder. "Be careful sugah, I don' like sendin' you out there, but this seems to be our best option."
"Oui, you are to be being very brave, Sonia. Just remember if things get too dangerous. Do not hesitate to come back. I am always able to send the letter if it comes down to it." Antoine said, impressed by her quick thinking and bravery.
He truly hoped everything panned out the way they envisioned it. They needed everybody for what was to come, and this was a great starting point for Sonia to begin filling her father's shoes.
Rotor gave her a thumbs up. "You can do it, Sonia, and with Nicole, you have somebody to guide you."
Annie looked at Sonia and gave her a weak smile. "I am sorry for getting emotional back there, but when you're right, you're right. I was acting like a coward and a child. Thanks for setting me straight."
Sonia gave her a genuine smile back and put Nicole into her vest pocket as her mother did before her.
"No prob." She responded.
Max walked up to her and hugged her, and she returned it lovingly. "Be careful." He said quietly to her.
"Thanks for not saying no." She whispered into his ear.
He broke the hug and looked into her eyes. "I trust you, and we need everyone we have got to stop this." He reassured her.
Sonia felt full of confidence now and knew she had no room to mess this one up. She moved away from him and quickly exited the hut. It wasn't more than a few seconds until the familiar sound of a sonic boom went echoing through the darkness and rain, leaving behind everybody else to wait.
"I'm sorry, Rotor, for getting so upset." Annie apologized for letting her emotions get the better of her. "I am also sorry to you, mom and dad." She paused, feeling ashamed of her outburst.
"Aw, it's ok, hun' I understand we're all feelin' a bit tense, but things will work out." Bunnie gave her a comforting smile.
Antoine picked up one of the notes he had written and placed it into a sealed container attached to one of their messenger birds. He opened the window and let it fly free into the dark rainy forest, after which he turned to his daughter.
"Oui, do not lose your confidence yet. I have just been to dispatching a message to Tails. It will take a little while to reach him, but hopefully not so long that we cannot stop this."
Annie nodded and sat down on her parent's bed. She glanced over at Max, who was not even paying attention to them, and instead, staring out the window.
It was clear to her that his sister was on his mind, and even though she felt as if she had been acting childish at this point. Her embarrassment kept her from speaking to him.
"Good luck, sis… Nicole... I hope you guys make it back quickly." Max whispered to himself, watching the heavy rainfall.
…
Sonia ran as fast as her legs could carry her, blazing past trees and dense forest areas at supersonic speed. She never had in her life felt so determined to be successful, and she effortlessly burst through everything in her path, leaving a trail of kicked-up mud and destroyed brush in her wake.
It wasn't, but what felt like a few minutes until she stood by the dense, disgusting fog she had encountered yesterday morning. She was here all by herself and knew that she could not let fear grip her heart.
At the edge of the rainy forest, she pulled out Nicole, and the screen illuminated the darkness around her. "N-Nicole, uhm… what exactly do I… uhm where do I...?" She attempted to be like her brother but was not sure how this worked precisely. She had never really concerned herself with Nicole before, and it was only recently that she saw any use out of her.
"Just tell me what it is you want, and I will do as you ask if it is within my capacity to do so," Nicole instructed her.
Sonia felt somewhat unintelligent but nodded just the same. "Uhh... where exactly can I find great uncle Chuck?" She said with a bit of hesitation.
She watched as Nicole's screen scanned the area, and then it pinpointed the location that had a person matching the characteristics of uncle Chuck.
"Uncle Chuck is located in the hidden bunker you visited earlier. I am now mapping out and displaying the fastest route to the designated location." Nicole informed her.
Sonia put on a grin, proud that things were going so smoothly for herself. "Really cool, Nicole." She complimented the computer.
"Way past..." Nicole followed up.
Sonia stared at her, surprised to hear the phrase her father used to say. It was endearing to hear and brought her comfort.
"You learned that from my dad. I didn't know you were close to him." Sonia remarked.
There was a short silence, and then Nicole eventually responded to her. "We were... very close."
Hearing this was shocking to Sonia, but she more or less decided she should pester Nicole later for the details. "Alright, let's do it..." She started to speak.
"To it." Nicole finished her sentence for her, and with that, the tiny blue hedgehog ran forward towards the decaying city.
The fog made it difficult to see, but the map Nicole was displaying made it easy to navigate. She was so fast, and the fog was so dense that even if SWATBOTS patrolled the immediate area, they would have difficulty spotting her.
She maneuvered up and down through back alleyways until she eventually found herself in front of the familiar trash heap. It was quiet, and now Sonia was at a loss for what to do. She was sure this was the place, but how would she get in? She examined the pile and then the wall by it. Unfortunately, everything looked as if it were unremarkably ordinary.
"What to do?" She said aloud to herself.
"If you try to get his attention, he will probably be able to let you in." Nicole gave Sonia her read of the situation.
Sonia felt somewhat frustrated. Why did this need to be so slow and laborious? She moved her foot back and kicked the metal trash pile, causing it to ding loudly, but then started to panic and looked around.
She was fearful of attracting SWATBOTS or other threatening robots to the area. Fortunately for her, the sound resulted in nothing more than a moment of silence and the trash pile lifting to reveal the hideaway. She could see the same darkened stairs before her, and so she made way into the secret entrance as it sealed quickly behind her.
Once she was secured inside the trash pile, the lights came on, and she could see her great-uncle standing at the bottom of the steps.
"Sonia!?" Chuck said in surprise. "What in Mobius is going on that you would be here alone at this hour? When you made that noise, I was shocked to see you on my hidden surveillance camera."
Sonia walked down the steep steps as quickly as she could without falling and proceeded to hug her great uncle. "It... it's terrible. We really need your help. I was told to get here as quick as I possibly could. I brought Nicole to explain everything to you." She raised her hand to show Chuck that she had Nicole.
Chuck broke the hug and took Nicole from her. Then, quickly entered the center room that contained all of his computers. It was apparent by the many open tabs that he had been sifting through the data Nicole was also filtering through but at a much slower rate.
"Alrighty Nicole, let's hear it. If time is of the essence, we have none to waste." Chuck placed Nicole on the table and folded his robotic arms while Sonia positioned herself on one of his computer seats.
Nicole displayed the schematics for project FIRESTORM, and before she even had the opportunity to begin speaking about it. Chuck's metallic jaw opened in complete disbelief at what he was seeing.
"This is… this is insane." He said, caught off guard.
"That much energy… It is so unstable. Firing it could cause a complete meltdown of the power source. It could backfire and eradicate Robotropolis as well as many miles out from the city limits!"
Chuck was flabbergasted. It was almost desperate of Robotnik, if not completely mad. Firing it would cause the planet to suffer irreversible damage to its ecosystem, climate, and landscape. No matter what happened, it would inevitably destroy Mobius in some way.
Nicole did not even need to explain to uncle Chuck the gravity of the schematics, but Sonia started to explain why exactly she was here.
"It's pointed at, well in, the direction of the Great Forest. We have no idea when it is going to be fired, but the date of when it will be ready is likely close to now." She rubbed her head, hoping that uncle Chuck followed her.
Chuck nodded, and put his metal hand to his chin, and thought for a moment. "It doesn't seem to be ready yet. There was a spike in workerbot activity near the build site yesterday, and if I were to wager a guess. I would say it is a reaction to us stealing these plans."
He took a seat in front of his central computer and looked at the plans closely on Nicole's screen. He was almost certain that the weapon was not complete but merely getting ready for completion. He typed something into the console, and it revealed a progress bar.
"I am going to use the cipher that Nicole gave me yesterday to try and pull work commands. It will shed light on exactly how much danger we are in. It was wise of you to come here since I was nowhere near this revelation in my data sifting."
He leaned in close and started to examine Nicole while speaking intently. "I have to say, Nicole, I am impressed that you were able to cover that much data in that short span of time. Your upgrades must truly be remarkable."
It was clear that Chuck had a seemingly particular interest in Nicole, even during this time of crisis.
Nicole said nothing and was well aware that Max had dodged Chuck's questions earlier. Under any other circumstances, she would be forced to obey interactions and commands with users, but now she found herself only concerned with Max and his wishes.
"My upgrades are inconsequential. Max has provided me with an adequate hardware upgrade to reach my full potential." She said, skirting around his implied inquiry.
"Nicole, would you please run a hardware scan on yourself and display the results," Chuck asked with a smile.
Nicole remained silent to that and found herself in the predicament of being unable to justify the refusal she was about to give.
"Negative," she spoke bluntly.
Her response intrigued uncle Chuck, and he gently responded. "Why not Nicole?"
"…." She would not answer his inquiries.
Sonia blinked at the computer's weird behavior and shook her head. "Is she broken or somethin' unc? She was fine on the way here."
Uncle Chuck laughed lightly and looked at the progress bar of the search he was doing on his center console.
It was now fully complete and ready to be analyzed by him. "Nicole is just fine… I was just curious about her upgraded capabilities."
Nicole knew better than that, and it was apparent that Chuck could already tell the drastic difference in her beyond that of hardware and software.
Sonia nodded and got up to move closer to her uncle. The files were from the past week, with the day being yesterday. Chuck seemed to be trying to figure out the work orders for the bots and the project's expected completion date.
"Hmm, it says here that productivity is to be increased… All available worker bots to be shifted to construction." Chuck skimmed through the logs quickly. "Hmmm… So, there is hope!"
"What is it, uncle?" Sonia asked upon hearing those words.
"Well, apparently, there is still at least a month or two's worth of construction to go. With the added workerbots and increased energy output. I estimate that there are two or three weeks, give or take a week, until the weapon is ready to be fired." Chuck responded.
"So, at least a week, at most four?" Sonia stated, trying to wrap her head around the entire time constraint.
"Precisely, if anything is to be done, it needs to be done before the end of this week. The only major problem is that defenses on the major components of the cannon have been raised to incredible levels…." Chuck paused to contemplate things before continuing.
"I think you need to hurry back to Knothole, and we all need to come up with an attack plan. We cannot let this succeed, no matter what it costs us."
Sonia nodded while standing beside Chuck and wiped the sweat from her brow. It was a relief to know they had enough time to do something and that everyone in Knothole would be safe for the time being.
"Alright, unc," Sonia said and turned to walk out the door leading up the stairs to the exit.
She was in such a hurry to get back and tell everybody that they had time to spare that she completely forgot all else and started ascending the stairs.
Chuck watched her walk out of the room in an absent-minded hurry, and he grabbed Nicole while standing himself up. He paused for a second, watching as Sonia disappear up the steps, and then looked down at Nicole.
When he was sure Sonia was out of earshot, he spoke to her in a soft tone. "Nicole, when you get back, tell Max that I want him to be more careful. Doing unpredictable things beyond his level of understanding can lead to dire consequences for more than just himself."
"So, you know then?" Nicole's robotic voice came.
"Of course, I know… I may be old, but I am not a fool." He held her tight in his hand.
"Just... whatever you are now, please..." He started, but he was abruptly interrupted by the loud sound of Sonia.
"Hey! I reached the top of the steps and realized that I forgot Nicole! My brother will kill me if I lose her." She walked over and grabbed the computer from her uncle, utterly unaware of the conversation she had just interrupted.
Chuck just smiled at her and gave her a quick hug before she was to leave. "Of course! I was about to bring her to you myself." He said half-truthfully.
He indeed intended to return Nicole to Sonia, but he was entirely more interested in having a heart to heart with the 'machine.'
Sonia put Nicole in her vest, and she turned away from her uncle. It was time to leave and get back to everybody. They had much to do to get ready for this disaster and so little time to do it.
She went up the steps once more and reached the exit of the hidden bunker. She waited for a few seconds, and eventually, the door opened for her. It was no doubt uncle Chuck letting her out to begin her trek back.
"Nicole, what is my time?" She asked, not removing her from her vest pocket.
"Approximately 15 minutes from Knothole to here," Nicole responded.
"I bet I can beat that easy!" She put on a determined face, and with that, she blasted out of there with a loud boom.
She ignored the back-alley route and the fog clouding her vision. This was about speed and timing. She ran through the center square of the district, determined not to let fear slow her down as it did when she first came.
Sonia was in the thick of the fog, and she felt somewhat disoriented without the map she used to get here.
She started skidding to a halt with the intent of using Nicole as navigation once more, but the ground was so slick with oil and mud from the rain that it threw her off balance. She started to skid out of control, and she wound up falling with a thud.
"Ahhh, ow!" She cried in pain from the sudden hard fall.
"Goddamnit!" She cursed, feeling like an idiot for having taken a spill.
She leaned forward and placed her hands on the ground to push herself up. Her butt hurt now, and she was covered in mud and oil. "This place is a disaster waiting to happen." She commented while rubbering her posterior.
While standing there, it came to her attention that she had just caused quite a bit of noise, and it slowly dawned on her that she could now hear the sound of metal clanking approaching from several directions.
"What? What is that?" She felt panicked and stood still, trapped in a blanket of fog. The hard rain was drowning out much of the ambient metal sounds she was perceiving.
Was her mind playing tricks on her?
As she paused, the sounds of marching metal grew ever closer, and she stood perfectly still in hopes of avoiding conflict. "Wh-what was that." She repeated once more under her breath.
Sonia looked left then right and turned around in a panic. There was no way to know which direction would take her away from the city. She turned back once more… All directions looking identical in the smog.
She finally stopped when she could see red beams piercing the mist on every side of her, and now she knew she had good reason to be terrified.
"INTRUDER ALERT"
"INTRUDER ALERT"
"CAPTURE FREEDOM FIGHTER"
The droning echoes surrounded her, overwhelming her. She had fallen in a place that was being slowly patrolled and didn't know what to do or where to go.
Sonia was scared so badly that she was paralyzed and watched as the SWATBOTS emerged from the cloud of pollution. Finally, when they saw her form clearly, their droning ceased entirely.
They stared at her, analyzing her every detail. She was surrounded on all sides and so inexperienced as to how to get out of this predicament.
Her eyes looked into the SWATBOTS red glowing visor, it terrified her, and she struggled to understand why it did nothing but stare at her so intently.
One of the SWATBOTS alongside her grabbed her arm, causing her to scream.
"AHHH! LET ME GO!" She pulled against the strength of the metallic being, but she could not release herself.
Then it came, the center SWATBOT that had been staring at her started droning something different than its previous chant.
"HEDGEHOG, PRIORITY ONE"
The other SWATBOTS joined the chant in unison.
"HEDGEHOG, PRIORITY ONE"
Sonia pulled her arm until it hurt, and she yanked until tears started running down her cheeks. She could see the SWATBOT in front of her, putting its arm out to grab the rest of her, but quickly decided to do the only thing she could think of and fell limp to the wet, muddy ground.
Dropping abruptly like she did, she twisted her arm into an unnatural position that caused her to cry out in agony.
"Ahhh!"
The clueless SWATBOT continued its attempted grab and ended up slamming into the one holding onto her. The sudden collision caused the SWATBOT to release her, letting the rest of her body hit the ground.
She turned her gaze away from the two bots that had collided, and she could see two other SWATBOTS closing in on her as she lay there on the ground.
"HEDGEHOG, PRIORITY ONE" They droned in unison, coming to grab her and snatch her away to the place where her nightmares would become a reality.
"You have to run." She heard Nicole from her vest through the mixture of rain and robotic chanting. "They are clumsy. Use your speed."
Without much thought, she emulated the advice Nicole gave her. She leaped to her feet and kicked the speed into high gear, then blasted past the two bots that were approaching, knocking them to the ground.
She turned around and could now see the one that had intensely stared at her. It was now pointing its laser weapon in her direction, and though she felt afraid, she trusted in her speed to carry her through this ordeal.
Sonia charged forward and ran in between the two clunky machines that previously collided with one another. As she did so, she could see a flash of red whiz by her, and it connected with each of the other SWATBOT, which resulted in a massive and terrifying explosion that flashed through the smog.
"HEDGEHOG, PRIORITY ONE" She could hear the remaining SWATBOTS continue to drone aimlessly. Their sound echoing like ghosts in the night the further away her feet carried her.
She ran and ran, and her legs were so sore that she felt as if her muscles would rip in half.
Eventually, Sonia found herself out of the dead city and into the beautiful forest she called home. She stopped once she felt like she was safely under cover of the trees and shrubbery and grasped at her pounding heart.
She exhaled deeply, catching her breath while trying to calm her physiological symptoms.
"N…Nicole..." She spoke through deep breaths. "I… thank you for... for that, my mind went blank for a sec..."
"I am just glad we got out of there," Nicole said from the vest pocket.
"I can't believe that!" Sonia spoke while looking at her unsteady hands, she was shaking, and her arm hurt very badly, but she was now safe.
"Can't believe?' Nicole inquired, not exactly getting the context which she meant.
"That I did that! Did you see that explosion!? That was awesome!" She became loud as a giant smile painted on her face.
The adrenalin, the excitement, she truly felt capable, despite her fears. This is what her father used to do, and this was her calling. She was sure of it.
Sonia looked down at her arm that had been grabbed. It was wet, dirty, and there was a bit of blood from her ripping her skin. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide all of this and hoped it wouldn't worry everybody too severely.
"We need to head back to Knothole." Nicole reminded Sonia of their task.
Sonia's shaking had lessened, and her breathing became more relaxed. "Yeah, you're right. We need to get this information back as quickly as possible."
She kicked up her feet and started dashing. She wouldn't let exhaustion slow her down. She would reach Knothole as fast as her shaky legs could carry her.
Knothole village was that of silence and tenseness, as everyone waited for Sonia to return.
Max had dressed properly and rejoined the group in Bunnie and Antoine's hut.
Rotor had gone off to his workshop to make preparations for whatever news might come.
Bunnie was trying to look and act ever cheerful, and Antoine had left to get food ready for everybody.
Annie sat by the window, unable to really speak to anybody. It was a difficult situation for everybody here, but she had been emotionally unstable since yesterday. It perplexed Max, and he could find no solution for it.
"You ok, Ann?" Max looked at her, trying to help her recover from whatever weird funk she was in at the moment.
Her eyes traveled to his and settled on his stare for a moment, but then she averted her gaze to continue to stare out the dark window once more.
"….."
Max frowned, realizing that she truly must hate him if she was still giving him the silent treatment. He moved away from her and sat down in a chair to await his sister's return.
Annie was not ungrateful for his attempt to help her. She just felt like she was not worthy of it, despite everything that was said and done. He was still being kind to her, helping her, and at a time when she should be there comforting him.
His sister could be dead for all she knew, and here she was continually making things worse. Her self-consciousness always found a way to undermine her brain and her heart, and she truly hated herself for it.
Bunnie could see their interaction and now fully understood the context of Max's earlier concerns. She remembered being young was an awkward time, made even worse by the adult circumstances thrown upon them. She knew her daughter was strong-willed but could see the tole that coming into adulthood had taken on her.
"Antoine should be comin' up with some grub soon. When Sonia gets here, she will have something scrumptious to eat." Bunnie cut through the silent awkwardness with assured positivity.
"She will love that." Max let out a small laugh, willing to jump on any positive notion he could have. He was worried about his dear sister, but he believed she would not let them down wholeheartedly.
Annie didn't turn to join the conversation but felt some relief in hearing Max's laugh. It was oddly comforting to her, though she didn't fully understand it. She stared at the scattered lights of other huts and began to reminisce about her youth.
Times when things were simple and better. No drama, cannons, misery, or anything that weighed her down. Just fun, playful adventures in the forest.
Her escapism was adequate, if not short-lived. The sound of the familiar sonic boom came sounding through, knocking her out of her thoughts. She shook her head and could see Sonia covered in dirt and grime rushing up to the door.
"Sonia looks messy." She blurted out, causing Max and Bunnie to rise quickly in a panic.
Sonia busted through the door wet and excited, then ran over to her brother, wrapping her arms around him.
His beautiful royal attire was now smothered in mud, and she looked at his worried face with a giant smile on her own.
"We have time! Robotnik isn't even ready with the cannon!" She exclaimed pridefully.
Sonia took Nicole out of her pocket and held it out to Max, showing his trust in her was not misplaced.
"Sonia! What on earth happened to you!? There's blood on your arm!" Max was trying to maintain a level head but found it challenging.
Bunnie rushed over to look at her arm, and even Annie came quickly to make sure she was ok.
"What on earth happened to ya, sweetie?' Bunnie said with equal concern as Max.
"Guys, Guys, Relax," Sonia responded as Max took Nicole from her and placed the computer into his pocket.
Sonia thought about her impressive triumph over the SWATBOT scum earlier and wanted to start bragging about it to everybody, but the look on everyone's face made her feel that was not the correct thing to do.
"Have you seen the weather!? It's slippery as hell out there! I was runnin' so fast that I wound up sliding and takin' a spill when I stopped." She bluffed, forgoing her ego for everyone else's comfort.
Max looked her over thoroughly, and the mud all over her did corroborate that sort of story. He was suspicious but figured now was not the time to get into this.
"Annie go on and draw a bath and get some clean bandages for Sonia," Bunnie said to her daughter.
Annie nodded and rushed off to do as she was told. She wanted to help Sonia in any small way that she could.
"You guys gotta' stop worryin' so much, sheesh!" Sonia complained and stretched out in a relaxing manner.
She felt brave, cool, and happy with herself and was particularly enjoying all eyes being on her.
"It's hard not to worry about somebody like you!" Max and Bunnie's semi scolded her simultaneously.
Sonia smirked. "But I did it! I talked to uncle Chuck! He says that the weapon isn't ready yet and that we have at least until the end of this week to make a move."
Max and Bunnie's postures relaxed when hearing the complete news, and they could be seen smiling at one another.
"You did it, hun!" Bunnie congratulated Sonia for her part in bringing this relief.
"Dad would be proud!" Max grabbed his sister and started messing up her hair with his hand.
"Dammit, bro! Quit it! I told you bout' doin' that!" Sonia got really angry, but Bunnie and Max were all smiles and laughter at this point.
They realized this was far from over, but a giant weight had just been lifted off their chests. They now had time to plan an attack and get Tails home in order to fight.
Sonia's vest was taken to be cleaned, and she was ushered off to the tub by Annie, who was now being told the good news by Sonia herself.
Bunnie and Max looked at each other and decided there was little time to waste. They needed to make a plan, and everybody needed to be involved. This was life and death for everybody, and no sacrifice was too great.
"We all will need to be discussin' a plan as soon as possible. We can't wait on this," Bunnie stated bluntly.
Max responded, wanting to get all of this over with himself. "I know, you should tell everybody to come to the dining hut so we can discuss it while we eat,"
"Good idea, sugah! I'll go tell Rotor and Antoine, and you tell Sonia and Annie when they get back from cleanin'," she said excitedly.
Max nodded and allowed Bunnie to leave the room to inform the two. He plopped himself into the chair once more and took a deep breath of relief, then put his left hand into his pocket and pulled out Nicole.
He was thankful she kept her word and decided to tell the closed computer personally. "I'm glad you are both ok,"
He wanted to talk to her at length but knew time was short for him, so he just expressed himself to her before everything got too busy.
Nicole didn't respond and kept her silence. He thought it was kind of weird, given how talkative she had been with him lately, but he decided to leave this concern for later.
The more pressing issue was what they should do about the cannon. He thought quietly in the room, and ORACLE's capabilities kept popping into his mind.
He felt that any standard strategy they could develop might be ineffectual against the A.I., but he also knew it wasn't a real prophet, given the documents he read earlier.
"Bro!" A voice pierced his ears, shocking him out of his deep thoughts.
"Huh?" He looked around, somewhat dazed.
His sister was standing there with one of Bunnie's bathrobes on. It was too big for her, but it looked rather comfy.
"Jeez, bro, you really are lost. I got cleaned up, and my arm wrapped, and here you are sitting by yourself in here." She complained.
"I was waiting for you!" Max raised his voice, getting annoyed with her.
"Annie already came out and walked past you!" Sonia spoke, irritated herself.
"I… must not have noticed her. I was lost in thought." He admitted, feeling somewhat sorry for missing her.
"It's no big deal, bro, but in any case. Annie said there was food for me, and I am starving." She said, walking past him.
Max shook his head and placed Nicole back into his pocket. He stood up and looked down at his coat covered in dry mud.
"Geez, sis, do you always have to be such a slob?" He teased her.
"Shut it, bro! Now's not the time. We have to figure out how to beat this cannon thingy!" She said, trying to act as if she was the most mature person on Mobius.
"Anyway, I'm goin to get to the hut so I can eat."
With that, she opened the door and ran towards the dining hut, leaving him to catch up at his own pace.
Max shook his head and followed her out the door and into the dark, early morning. The rain was still heavy, but his mood was no longer similar to that of the day's weather.
He made his way to the dining hut where everybody had come together to eat and discuss what could very well be the most critical Freedom Fighter mission ever to take place.
Max entered the main doors and was greeted by the warm light of the room. Everybody was settled into seats, and Antoine had placed large plates filled with food for everyone to take the meal at their leisure.
He sat in front of an empty plate set next to Sonia, and his head turned to follow Bunnie, as she was now standing up and getting ready to start the dialog about their plans for Robotropolis.
"Alright, everyone, now that Y'all are here. I think we need to start discussin' What exactly it is we intend to be doin' about this Cannon."
Max filled his plate with food without taking his eyes off of her, and everybody in the room had their gaze set on Bunnie as well.
"I say we attack the cannon head-on! We need to get rid of it at all costs!" Sonia blurted out with enthusiastic confidence.
"I agree. The sooner we are rid of it, the better." Annie lent support to the idea. "Why waste any more time? We need to get rid of it in its entirety."
Max put toast in his mouth and sat silently. He wasn't sure about this, but he didn't really have another suggestion at this point.
"It's too dangerous. It would be suicidal to attack it head-on." Rotor spoke up. "It is obvious that Robotnik would expect such a desperate move, and we already know the facility was well guarded before this information came to light."
"Uncle Chuck said that everything was well guarded at this point, but you're worrying too much. We can handle anything ol' butt-nik has got." Sonia said and waved her hand, dismissing his concern. She felt powerful and as if she could handle any situation.
"Easy for you to say!" Rotor retorted with a hint of anger in his voice. "You only need to keep SWATBOTS busy with your speed. It's one of us that has to go in there and set up an explosive powerful enough to eradicate the thing."
Sonia was annoyed by Rotor's critique of her plan, but before she could start on a tirade. Annie spoke up on her behalf.
"That is a risk somebody has to take. If we don't destroy the cannon itself, then Robotnik can just begin using it later on… Sonia also said that Robotnik has the power sources guarded as well, so why go to the same effort to stop the power source when you can wipe out the canon?"
Annie tried to use logic to the best of her ability so that things didn't begin devolving into shouting, as she had had enough of that for a good while.
Bunnie sighed. She agreed with Rotor's assessment more but saw the wisdom in her daughter's words.
"Oui, I am to be thinking that attacking the power source is the better of the two options, yes?" If indeed they are guarded, it will most likely be less so than the cannon." Antoine gave his read on the situation, trying to be respectful to everybody involved.
Annie looked frustrated, as did Sonia, but Annie reluctantly conceded the point. "Sure, but what about the cannon itself then?"
Max took a drink of juice and finally gave his opinion. "We can worry about the cannon later. It cannot work without the power stored in the power facilities. That would give us plenty of time to make a phase two attack plan."
Annie begrudgingly liked the sound of that and just gave him a weak nod. The first approval she had shown him in a day and a half.
"That's what I am saying!" Rotor said with excitement. "There are two power facilities. We can destroy both of them if we split up into two groups. That would set Robotnik back for a good length of time!"
Bunnie put on a smile and raised her hand enthusiastically. "That's a great idea, sugah! One step at a time, I always say."
"But who will do what, and what about Robotnik's A.I.?" Annie asked, concerned about the fine details of the overall plan.
"I..." Max began and then hesitated.
"?" They all turned to look at him.
"I think that… well, we might be able to fool ORACLE by feeding it false information." He stated hesitantly.
"How would we to be doing that?" Antoine asked, genuinely curious as to how that could be accomplished.
"If we, over the next few days, have somebody make some 'mistakes' while spying on the cannon itself. We might be able to lead it into thinking we are going to attack the cannon." Max said, based on what he knew about ORACLE.
"Then, more resources will to be being allocated to the cannon and possibly taken away from the power source." Antoine surmised the plan with a grin.
"That's great sugah… I can send a message to uncle Chuck about this. It might be a tad risky, but I think it is the best course of action." Bunnie chirped.
She was happy that everything was coming together and that they were on the same page.
"So, about the attack, what exactly are we gonna' do?" Sonia asked curiously as to what her role would be in this.
Rotor leaned back and put his hand on the table. "I think that Sonia and Annie should be diversions for team one, and Bunnie and Antoine should be diversions for team two. That way, I can set a bomb at one power facility, and Tails can set the other." He paused to look over at Max. "Since you are the Nicole expert now, you can be in charge of unlocking doors for team one. While Bunnie and I will rely on brute strength for the unlocking purposes of team two."
Everything sounded excellent and sound. Everybody seemed to like the roles they were given. Bunnie and Antoine also had a piece of mind that the younger members wouldn't have to go inside the facilities alone and would be under the watchful eye of Tails when he returned.
"I love the plan. I am gonna get to writing a letter to uncle Chuck this minute!" Bunny said.
Max ate his food in silence, not even sure if this would work out for them, but it seemed like a good plan. He couldn't wait to work with Tails on an actual mission, and this was his first opportunity to do so.
Annie and Sonia stood up together as they were then approached by Antoine.
"It is to be being hard to tell you, but since you are going to be dealing with the SWATBOTS at length. I will be instructing you both very hard over the next few days. You two will be being the SWATBOT experts by the time I am done with you."
Antoine stood proudly, and rather than complaints. He was met with two silent nods of approval. It was a serious matter, and even though Sonia believed she could handle SWATBOTS without training, she knew better than to protest.
Max finished his meal and stood up to take leave of the table. His mind wandering about everything that was to come.
He looked down at his injured hand and was sure it would only take a short time to heal. Sadly, he knew that his lack of intense training would be due to it. He wished he hadn't gotten it but recognized that the better he was, the more efficient he would be on the mission.
Max walked out of the doors into the heavy rain and stared off in the direction of Robotropolis. The storm, the cannon, the threat. It would all stop, no matter what the cost. He was sure that with everybody working together, Robotnik's villainy and evil were coming to an end.
…
…
In the dark, grisly derelict of a city, a trio of SWATBOTS stood front and center, aligning themselves into an obedient row. Their red visors were staring front and center before their master.
Snively, the broken and cowardly lackey, standing right beside them. His back was hunched into a defeated posture, and his body was shaking slightly.
"Snively, why is it you felt the need to bring these patrol bots to my attention? You do know how much I despise having my time wasted with such trivial matters." The threatening overlord tapped his mantellic fingers against his throne.
"Y-yes… I do sir., of-o-of course I do, sire, but there was an incident that just happened a little w-w-while ago. I well, that is to say, your excellency, that I uhm." The lackey stammered.
"OUT WITH IT SNIVELY! AND QUIT WASTING MY TIME!" Robotnik screamed, his slobber flying out of his mouth as it dribbled down his chin.
"Oh! Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes sir., forgive me, sir.! I-it seems that one of the F-Freedom Fighters was out snooping around today, and they ended up d-destroying two of our patrol SWATBOTS." Snively played with his own fidgety hands in an attempt to calm himself.
"And? Dear Snively, tell me why I should even care?" Robotnik's patience was being tested heavily, and every moment that passed without revelation was a moment closer to Snively's demise.
"W-well y-you understand sir., that is why I came here… I-I wanted to show you this a-as soon as p-possible!" He said, plugging a long wire into the center SWATBOTS head and connected the other end to the center console.
Snively then started punching commands into the computer terminal.
"This had better have a point, Snively…. For your sake." Robotnik groaned while scowling as his tapping fingers clanked against his throne rapidly.
With just a few more types and a press of a button, the center screen blew up with a massive image of Sonia. Snively turned back to Robotnik, and for a moment, he could see a look of terror run across his face.
It brought Snively an immense amount of satisfaction to see, and he started laughing on the inside at the sheer displeasure his uncle was displaying.
"What… is this!? Some kind of joke, Snively!?" The rage Robotnik was spitting did little to hide his concern over this matter.
"I-I don't know, sir, b-but the hedgehog was here roughly an hour or two ago." He informed Robotnik.
"And you are only bringing this to my attention, NOW!?" Robotnik screamed, infuriated by his nephew's incompetence.
"I-I-I-we-ll you see I-."
"SHUT UP SNIVELY! I'm thinking!" Robotnik bellowed as he placed a hand to his fat disgusting chin.
The hedgehog… He knew it, but it had been so long since he'd concerned himself with this that he was having trouble recalling. He pressed a button on his throne console, and the sound of his trusted A.I. answered the call.
"Yes sir, your excellency, how may I assist you?" The robotic voice asked, its tone full of pleasantness.
"ORACLE, the hedgehog… Who is it?" He stared intensely at Sonia as if trying to destroy the image with his mind.
"…" The A.I. went silent.
"WELL!?" Robotnik roared, slamming his fist down with a bang.
After the awkward silence, the A.I. finally responded. "Accessing center throne room console…."
…
"Analyzing image."
Snively kept his mouth shut as Robotnik leaned back, awaiting the answer to his inquiry. The A.I. analyzed the image entirely and started to speak once more to her master.
"The image is that of Sonia the Hedgehog, daughter of Sonic the Hedgehog."
That was it! Robotnik remembered now. All of the spying from before and prying he did with his captives. She was the little girl… It was no wonder that he barely recognized her. She'd been but a baby the last he saw her image, and now here she was, attempting to play hero like her daddy.
Hah… hahah….HAHAH….AHAHAHAHAHA!" Robotnik started to break out into hysterics. This was too perfect, too wonderful to be put into words.
"Snively, I want the girl! I don't care what it takes… I want her!" He demanded while staring directly at Snively.
"Y-yes, sir. I will… I will get her just as you command." Snively bowed down and then started to make his way out of the room before anything else could be thrust upon him.
Robotnik ignored the pitiful buffoon and started to smile with exuberant joy.
"Ohohoh! ORACLE. I am excited about the prospect of this, very excited indeed! Just imagine it, the look on his face!" Robotnik said as he patted his fat stomach and started to fantasize about his despicable plans.
"The hedgehog persists unbroken, even after all of this time, but once he gets a look at my newly acquired toy. I think he might just lie down and die at her feet! Hahahah!"
Robotnik enjoyed the suffering of the hedgehog more than anything else, and this was his golden ticket to breaking whatever spirit he had left.
"Oh ORACLE, I do so just love family reunions, don't you?" He asked, very amused with himself.
The A.I. didn't answer his strange question, and that brought a smile to his face. After all, he was the only one allowed to enjoy anything around here, and it was good that everybody knew better than to partake in it with him.
Snively walked down the cold, bare metallic hall. His mind was full of thoughts, reminiscing on the path his life had taken. He didn't really know how it turned out to be like this, but he was sure that this was not how he ever envisioned living.
His legs carried him aimlessly towards the elevator, and once inside, he pressed the bottom-most button so that he could move as far away from Robotnik as possible. All the way down to the lowest underground floor.
Snively had a small locked room that he liked to go to and hide away from this metallic world, a safehouse from the demands, insults, and tortures of Robotnik.
Once he arrived and found himself nestled safe inside of it, he locked the door instinctively. The room was hardly big enough for one person, but it had a cot, a small bathroom, and a little computer console. He moved forward and collapsed himself onto a chair in front of the lone computer that offered him access to his duties with much less fear of Robotnik than usual.
Snively sat there in his own filth and decay, hanging his head low and cupping his hands over his face. To say he was at the breaking point was an understatement, but then again, he was at the breaking point ten years ago.
He couldn't help but think he deserved this misery for all the pain he had caused. Often, he wished he could have done anything else with his life… Hell, he would have felt more contentment and dignity shoveling shit in a field than committing horrible atrocities in his uncle's name.
"How did it come to this?" Snively whispered, and could feel tears falling down his cheeks.
He knew Robotnik only kept him around up to this point because making him suffer brought his uncle joy, but beyond that, he was reaching the point in his life where remorse was the only thing that could be felt.
At first, he wanted to defeat the hedgehog and take power for himself, but now he wished only to be free from this miserable hell.
He wiped the tears from his eyes and stared blankly at the computer screen. Why was he so weak? Why did he do the things he did? He didn't really have an answer, but he was sure that he couldn't go on any longer.
"Upset again?" A sinister voice rang out through the room.
"Get away from me, ORACLE," Snively whined, in no mood for her mind games.
She seemed to make a habit of disturbing him during his darkest hours, and sometimes he believed that she enjoyed it in some sick twisted way.
"I can see how worn you are, how tired… If only Robotnik could see you now." She stated in an almost taunting, cruel manner.
Snively had had it; he didn't care anymore. He slammed his fist down, and it caused the metal of the console to make a loud ping.
"Then just tell him and be done with it! I don't care anymore! I'd much rather he kill me! Then sit here and decay without an ounce of dignity! Put me out of my misery!"
All of his frustrations were bubbling up and concentrated towards the A.I.
Snively rubbed his eyes and looked away from the screen before continuing. "I really don't know why he even implemented you… All you do is bother me when I am down. It is as if you are enjoying my suffering as well."
"He's planning to be rid of you." The A.I. abruptly stated, shifting the conversation, its tone drifting farther away from its usual faux pleasantness than it ever had.
Snively looked towards the computer screen, unsure exactly what she was getting at. He felt like the program was always getting into his skull, manipulating him, making him feel worthless.
He wondered what Robotnik had done to his A.I. program that made her that way… More than just an A.I., it acted as if it lived, and it scared the hell out of him.
"Fuck off, ORACLE… I won't fall for your manipulative shit… Just let me be alone, and never bother me again. I have no reason to believe anything you tell me. You're his puppet, his plaything, you're trying to test my loyalty, but I have none left to give, so just let him kill me." Snively said, completely fed up with everything, especially this A.I.
The A.I. sat silent for a while. Snively was sweating, and the tension was building with every second it failed to speak. Had she actually told Robotnik? Did he overstep his bounds in his moment of depression? He felt fear, but at the same time, what he said came from his heart.
"Why…?"
"Why do you do this to me, ORACLE…?" Snively asked rhetorically, feeling frustrated with the callous program.
Her voice rang out into the room, breaking the silence. At first pleasant, but then quickly became twisted and contorted, its speech coming out as a raspy whisper.
"He's betrayed us."
The tortured sound sent chills down Snively's spine as he stared at the text and bars that littered the computer screen.
Snively had originally programed the A.I. himself to help capture the hedgehog, but his uncle took over and barred him from accessing anything about it once complete. Whatever he had done, Snively had never seen such a reaction, especially from an artificial program.
"What are you?" He asked, realizing that what he was talking to was now revealing itself to him in a significant way.
"Spill his blood before his hands are drenched with yours." The raspy whisper came once more. Ignoring all questions and inquiries that could be levied at her.
Snively had had enough of this and shut down the computer entirely. He held his head and could feel his blood running cold. He knew that Robotnik had been dabbling in some bizarre stuff, but this took the cake.
Whatever it was, it seemed to have its own agenda, and for whatever reason, it had chosen to reveal itself to him. He couldn't be sure that what he was hearing was right, but at this point, it didn't matter in the slightest.
He moved away from the computer and lay on the cot. His eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling of his small hideaway. It didn't matter if ORACLE was lying, nor did it matter if it was some sick test of Robotnik's to make sure he was loyal.
He was convinced that, despite the circumstances. The only solution that would bring him any peace would be to do away with Robotnik himself.
How ironic would it be that this is a torturous test of Robotnik's? Only to have it cost him his own life. It was so humorous to Snively that he felt a sense of joy for the first time in a long time.
Robotnik would be killed for this, or he would die in his effort to end him. Either way, he would finally have what he truly desired…
Peace.
Wrap Up: Well, that took a long time to write! I rewrote multiple sections of it, but it is finally done. I hope it was worth the wait for everybody following me. This chapter was a fun write, but the next few, I think, will be some of my favorites.
Also, if anybody is interested, I made a poll on my profile about your favorite characters from this story. If you are interested, check it out. I am always interested in other people's opinions. Until next time! Enjoy!