Taking up the Mantle

by Rinpoo

Much has changed in the past decade since the defeat of Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn. Robotnik's absolute power and cruelty are left unchallenged as the war escalates to greater heights. Can the youth of Knothole change the fate handed to them, or will they fall victim to this vile, decadent world of brutal tyranny?

5. Into the Abyss

Author's Note. Extremely long chapter. I always loved this one… I was nuts and redid the entire 44 pages.

Funnily enough, when I first conceived this story so long ago, the part with Max in the end of it was always one of my central motivations to write the entire story. I could just see it in my head, and could feel it physically.

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 5. Into the Abyss

Over the next several days, things in Knothole were busy and filled with tense anticipation. Max had spent a significant amount of time being the sole cook for everybody while his hand healed from the minor burns. The weather had become more intense, and the winds began to howl as their speeds continued to increase.

Everything was creating pressure on the forest residents, and Max couldn't help but feel apprehension. Tomorrow would be the big day, and he wasn't sure how he could ever feel ready for such an event.

He sighed to himself as he kept thinking about how he hadn't had time to speak to Annie or Sonia, given their intense training. He would feed Sonia, and she was the only one who would interact with him. Annie kept her distance, and he was not willing to press the issue between them any further.

He wished he could spend more time with them, but in reality, the only one who seemed to have time for him was Nicole. Unfortunately, he sensed a change in her behavior as of late and wasn't sure how to address it with her. Had he done something? He wasn't too sure, but he desired to find out.

He stood in the kitchen, his mind drifting through all of his fears and self-conscious thoughts, when someone entering caught his eye.

"Hm?" He made a sound, surprised to see Rotor coming to him before he was to prepare lunch.

"What is up, Rotor?" Max said to him, placing the cooking utensil in his hand on the table.

"Max, I uh... Bunnie, Antoine, and I need to talk with you. It is important." Rotor said, looking stressed, and the bags under his eyes were painting the picture of sheer exhaustion.

"What? Oh, it is about Tails, isn't it?" He said, feeling frustrated that it was not too long until the mission, and they hadn't even received word from him.

"Sort of… It is bigger than that. Just please come and talk to us in the other room." Rotor finished and turned to walk out of the kitchen area with Max following behind.

When he made it into the other room, he could see Bunnie and Antoine sitting next to one another. They looked just as tired as Rotor, but they had a stern, composed looks on their faces. Max knew this was of grave concern just seeing them like that.

"What's going on?" Max said, wanting to cut to the chase of their visit. He could take bad news, even if it involved Tails.

"Sugah, uhm, as y'all know, Tails has not responded to us or returned to Knothole as of yet. I know ya are aware of that, but we are havin' a bigger issue with this than just him not comin' home." Bunnie started.

"Oui, we are, how do you say? Having our plans to being ruined by this turn of events." Antoine said.

"Ruined?" Max said curiously, not sure what they were getting at.

Uncle Chuck had spent days exposing himself during spying so that the power sources would be less fortified. Everything seemed to be on schedule, and he couldn't figure out the cause of their concern.

"Well, Max," Rotor interjected. "It is just that… when we made this plan, we thought Tails would be back rather quickly." He put his hands on the table.

"Tails is usually punctual, especially in times of crisis, but without him returning, I was unable to build a second explosive that would be powerful enough to eradicate the other power facility." Rotor explained.

"I see… So basically, our original plan won't work, but why would you come to talk to me about this? Why not just form one team, and we all go after the same target together?" Max questioned, not sure what to say; he didn't know how to make bombs.

"Hun, you are the oldest next to Tails, as far as y'all youngins' go, so that would make you the leader of group 1 in his absence, and given that Y'all are an Acorn. We would like to hear your input on the situation." Bunnie spoke respectfully to him.

Max now understood that they were giving him some power of authority here and letting him decide what was best. After all, being a leader is what he was born into, and they couldn't hold it from him forever.

Max shook his head and thought for a minute. He was concerned about leaving any power source at all. "I don't know. I feel like we need to get both of them. We really don't know what Robotnik can accomplish with one power source still available."

Everybody in the room lowered their heads, they didn't have the means to destroy both, but Max's words were entirely accurate and weighed heavily on their minds. They all sat silent and tried to think of a way to eliminate the power construct without an explosive device readily available.

"I have a suggestion." A voice echoed through the quiet dining area. Everybody's gaze turned to Max, who followed the sound of the voice to his pocket. He pulled out Nicole and opened the computer.

"Nicole?" Max said, curious as to what her suggestion was.

"If I were to go to the central command center of the power source. I could probably force an overload of the power core. This would result in a meltdown of the facility and a massive explosion." She explained.

"You could do that, Nicole?" Rotor asked. It sounded almost too good to be true.

"Yes, I am equipped with ciphers that could get past any security, and since the power facility was designed for the city of Mobotropolis. It should not contain super-advanced protection beyond what I can handle." She answered him.

"That's a great idea, Nicole!" Max became loud with excitement. Nicole kept proving herself over and over again to him.

Bunnie and Antoine looked at one another, and they hesitated slightly. "Are Y'all sure this will work?"

Nicole's computer screen lit up. "I am equipped with schematics and maps of Mobotropolis from before the coup. I estimate it should be a relatively quick procedure, and we would have ample time to escape the meltdown area before the explosion." She gave them the facts.

Bunnie nodded at Nicole then Rotor raised his voice to the room.

"Alright then, let's take a vote," He paused and eyed everyone before continuing. "Do we go with Nicole's plan, or just forget the second power source?"

Max raised his hand. "I can do it. It will be effortless with Nicole."

Antoine shook his head and failed to raise his hand." I am to be thinking it might be better to be being grouped up and just deal with one facility until Tails returns."

Rotor shook his head and raised his hand. "I believe in Max and Nicole, and like we discussed. We don't know what will happen if we leave the other power source active. Besides, we all did this kinda' stuff when we were sixteen."

Bunnie looked at Max hesitantly, and she felt a lot of pressure. She really did not want to send him inside of the facility, but she knew it was hypocritical of her not to let him. She, unfortunately, was seeing the scenario through the eyes of a mother, and it made it particularly hard for her.

"I… I just don' know, guys. I..." She stammered.

Max shook his head and looked upset as he interrupted. "You want me to be responsible and want to give me authority, but you are going to try and keep me from doing this?"

He questioned the mixed messages he was receiving, and it was making him slightly agitated.

Bunnie shook her head and kept her arm down. "I just don't think it is a good idea…." Her feelings had made her judgment for her.

Rotor looked disappointed at the draw and felt like it was a mistake.

"Let us discuss a new plan for to be doing," Antoine suggested, trying to move away from the subject.

"No!" Max protested, feeling like their efforts to keep him safe were a mistake. "You said yourself that no cost was too great, and you know that it needs to be done!" He raised his voice.

It was unconscionable that they would risk their entire plan to keep him from doing something that they did all the time.

Antoine and Bunnie looked at each other once more and then at him. They understood his sentiment, but a vote was a vote, and they refused to budge.

"I'm sorry, Max," was all he heard.

"Well, everybody didn't vote!" Max thundered, placing Nicole on the table for all to see. "Nicole, as somebody who is partaking in this mission. What do you think we should do?"

Bunnie and Antoine didn't know what to say to that. They knew that Sally had always treated Nicole like a Freedom Fighter, but to ask her opinion on a matter they felt she couldn't understand?

Rotor nodded. "Let Nicole have a say… if she says no. We leave it at that and come up with something new."

Bunnie and Antoine felt as if they couldn't say no to this and just nodded together. "Fine, we let her be the decidin' vote."

Nicole was surprised at the amount of power she was being given, and she could see Max looking at her eagerly through her camera. She knew he wanted to do it, but she felt as if her "own" opinion mattered more for the first time.

"It is too dangerous to allow the power source to remain, as I estimate that it will drastically speed up the recovery time for the cannon to return to a usable state." She spoke her mind on the matter, and Max leaned back in his seat, looking relieved.

Bunnie smiled and nodded. "Fine then, if y'all think it's better to do that, then we will do it."

There was no hint of malice or disappointment in her voice. Bunnie realized that she was outnumbered, and she knew she had to trust in Max just as everyone believed in her at that age.

"Oui, it is settled then. We shall be sticking to the original plan and destroying both power sources together." Antoine said and stood up, then patted Max on the shoulder to lend his support before taking his leave. "You are to be being very brave Max, I am proud."

Everyone got up and started to go back to their preparations for tomorrow. Max felt good that they didn't have to give up on their plan and knew that it should be easy to pull off with Nicole.

Rotor took a stretch, then he spoke to Max before he was to head out. "I'll see you in a bit for lunch... That is if I wake up." He grinned.

Maybe now he could have a nap without having to worry about slapping together a secondary explosive device.

Max nodded and picked up Nicole. He waved to Rotor and then returned to the kitchen to begin making lunch.

"Thanks, Nicole. If it wasn't for your suggestion, I don't think we would be able to stick to this plan." He said.

After that, he laid her on the preparation table and immediately picked up a knife to start cutting up vegetables for a stew.

"It is no problem, Max." She said from her position on the table.

She really wanted to help and keep everybody safe and determined this was the best course of action for the two of them.

The knife went up and down quickly, making a chopping sound as it went. The small pieces of vegetables were piling up for the pot of water he had heating beside him.

"Uncle Chuck knows," Nicole admitted out of the blue.

She hadn't spoken to Max on the subject at all, and it surprised him completely.

"Knows?" He said, unsure of what she was talking about.

"He knows about me, that is to say, what you did to upgrade me." She responded.

It was clear to Max that even without a tonal shift in her voice, there was a sense of remorsefulness coming from the machine. He placed his knife down, feeling a bit worried, himself.

"What did he say?" Max asked.

Uncle Chuck must have said something. Otherwise, Nicole wouldn't have hesitated so long to reveal this to him. He had the suspicion that she might be feeling guilty for some reason, and he was already of the opinion that Nicole possessed the ability to experience emotional response on an animal level.

"He warned you not to dabble in affairs that you do not understand." She said, answering his question.

Max shook his head and started pouring vegetables into the pot. He was going to add seasoning but instead decided to turn towards Nicole.

"I did what I did because I had to. I wanted you to be capable of dealing with Robotnik and would do just about anything to accomplish that." He said, then looked away from her direction, feeling overcome with emotion.

"I also did what I did because I was selfish because I thought it might give me the chance to interact with you as I had always dreamed." He finished.

He spoke with sincerity to her and felt that his uncle would judge it how he wanted, but he thought that Nicole deserved an explanation.

"Interact with me?" The machine said. It was an odd way to phrase it, and it was probably the most crucial detail to her.

Max sighed and turned to grab dried herb seasoning off the shelf so he could pour it into the vegetable mixture. He was hesitating but knew he had to answer. In all honesty, he felt foolish for what he was about to say to her, but it was the truth.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I always saw my mom using you to do things. You were always fascinating to me. I spent hours trying to learn from you and understand you. How you worked, what data you had, your physical components, but…." He stopped for a second, feeling embarrassed.

"But?" Nicole followed up.

"But I guess I just, well uhm... I realized that you were just a computer, an impressive one, sure, but you weren't like me. I guess what I am trying to say is that I always dreamed of a day where you would actually be a Freedom Fighter. A day when you would be able to be my friend and talk to me." He finished.

Though it was hard to admit to her. This sort of thing seemed impossible for the longest time until his experiment.

"You care about me that much?" The computer said. Flattered was a word she knew, but to actually feel it was surprising.

"I always have." He responded, sitting on the stool by the storage cabinet while the food cooked.

Nicole sat atop the table, and she didn't speak while she processed the things he just told her. She had never really known how much being her friend meant to him. To her, the term friend was meaningless up until now, but the broader implications hidden behind the word were being revealed to her.

She genuinely cared… cared about talking to him for no other purpose than to do so. There was no command, no requirement. She wanted to, and she realized this now, after so much confusion and hesitation. She was his friend in every sense of the word.

"Thank you for explaining. You have helped me understand my purpose better," Nicole admitted in the same logical way, but underneath the logic sat some blossoming raw emotion that couldn't be explained.

Max smiled a bit and stood up to remove the pot from the heat source. He felt like explaining everything to her helped them connect more than they ever had previously.

"Not purpose Nicole, desire." He said while he used a cloth to move the pot to the side.

He then proceeded to grab dishes to begin setting them into the other room. It was lunchtime, and surely everybody was starving.

Nicole sat quietly while Max exited the room. "Desire?" It was not really something she'd thought about intensely, but his words helped her recognize the autonomy that she was exercising.

Everything wasn't a command, and she wasn't simply a tool. She could "want" now, and she had Max to thank for that.

…

…

The wind screamed with a furious force, and the rain beat down on the soil with a smash. Annie was breathless and drenched. Her long ears blew roughly against the gust, and her medium-length hair drooped in her face encumbered by the water that soaked it.

She marched locked in place, not willing to let attrition stand in the way of her physical exercise. She had trained, trained so hard over the past few days, and kept up without complaint.

The continuous explanations of SWATBOTS and the hours spent practicing her aim in unideal conditions. It all culminated in a feeling of readiness. She was serious about what was to happen, and even though she still had feelings of pain in her heart. She refused to be dragged down and overtaken by them.

She huffed and puffed in her continuous motion, but she slowed down and eventually stopped marching when she could see her father walking out towards her. She moved her hand and pulled aside the hair that obstructed her view.

"Dad? What is up?" She said. Wondering if he had another exercise or task for her to accomplish.

"My dear. I am to be informing you that all exercises and training will cease for the day. It is no time to be overworking yourself, especially if you want to be in the tip-top shape for tomorrow." He said as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword and then his other on her shoulder.

"I must say, I am to be being very impressed with you. You have to been working very hard, and I have full confidence in your ability to do the task at hand." Antoine finished, removed his hand from her wet shoulder, and gave her a salute.

Annie smiled gratefully, feeling appreciated by him. He was always lifting her and challenging her to be better than she was previously. Overbearing, yes, but somebody filled with much devotion and love.

'Thanks..." She said, barely loud enough to be heard over the pouring rain. Her hands came out, and she slid her arms around her father, bringing him in for a tight hug.

Antoine was caught off guard, as his daughter usually found his doting an embarrassment, but he understood that she was scared, and even though he wasn't showing it, he was as well.

Their comforting hug lasted for but a moment, and the two broke away from one another.

"Don't worry, dad… I am ready for this and am confident nothing will happen to me." She reassured him and stepped back a little to better see his whole body.

She wanted to remember him, proud and standing tall, just like this. Even though she believed all would turn out ok. In the back of her mind, there was a nagging worry that refused to leave.

Antoine nodded, giving her an earnest smile. "Just think, when this is all over, the sun will reappear once more, and we can to be basking in it again."

Annie shot him a smile and crossed her arms. She loved her dad so much but still found it hard to formulate the words to speak it to him.

There was a short silence, and Antoine could sense her hesitation. He moved his head left and right, and then broke the silence with a question.

"Where is to be being is Sonia? I have not seen her all of the day?" He put both of his hands on his sides.

"Oh. Well… uhm. I don't know exactly, but I do know that she has been running since dawn. She hasn't stopped pushing herself. If you want, when I see her, I can tell her to ease off." Annie answered and started to walk past him. She was tired of being soaked and just wanted something to eat.

"Oui, tell her that your mother is to be looking for her, she has something she wishes to try out before the mission, and we need her here to do it." He informed her and turned to walk alongside her, at least, until he got to his hut.

Annie nodded and marched towards the dining hut where lunch would surely be ready. Her father broke off from her and went in the direction of his hut, no doubt to talk to her mother or prepare more for tomorrow morning.

She walked alone solemnly, lost in her thoughts. She had not spoken to Max at all in several days, and the awkwardness between them had reached maximum levels.

Annie moved with her head hung low and watched her boots sink into the mud… aimlessly wandering in the direction of food. She felt guilt, and not just for the past several days, but for not even being able to tell her father she loved him.

Talking seemed so comfortable before, but now it was nothing more than a chore. What happened to her? Had she genuinely become a terrible person so quickly? She had always felt this way, but it was now being acted out for all to see.

Her eyes glanced up to see the large wooden doors leading to both Max and her food. If she wanted to eat, she would need to face him…

Her hand raised to the door and touched the soaked wood. Her mind swirling with thoughts of his hatred, his berating of her for not speaking to him anymore, his harsh criticism. Even if she knew that was nothing like him, she still felt a fear grip her that was stronger than that of the dangerous mission.

All she needed to do was push, push forward into the warm comfort of the dining hut, and things might go back to the splendor she once remembered. Her body stopped moving, and she stood with her hand pressed against the door.

"It all used to be so easy… What happened to me?" Her thoughts berated her.

Her hand started to slip down the door until it fell off the wood. She stood in the rain for a minute and stared blankly at the shut entrance.

"I guess I am not as hungry as I thought..." She muttered to herself and turned slowly around.

Annie's stomach ached, and she put her hand on it. "What I really need is rest." She said aloud as if trying to convince another person of her decision.

She moved away more quickly than she had when she was heading there. Her mind was clouded by all the voices in her head. She wanted more than anything to silence them, but it was becoming more and more apparent to her that they were here to stay.

The dining hut was relatively empty today. Almost nobody showed up to eat because they were either resting or preparing.

Max sat bored in the kitchen with Nicole and sipped at a bowl of his own soup. Even Bunnie and Antoine had not come to eat.

After minutes of quiet sitting, he heard the wooden doors open, with the sound of harsh winds and rain accompanying it. He stood up and walked into the other room and was greeted by the sight of his soaked and breathless sister. She had been running all morning, and it seems it was time for her to refuel.

"Hey bro, what's up?" She said, showing a smile despite the bags under her eyes.

Max smiled back at her and returned to the kitchen to pour her a bowl of hot soup. He came back quickly and saw that she had already seated herself.

"Hey sis, thanks for coming to eat. You know I'd have to scold you if you didn't," He said, pushing the food in front of her and then sat across the table to join her.

"Please, bro… I'm all grown up now. I am doin' missions and don't need to be scolded anymore." She said before she started shoveling food into her mouth sloppily.

Het let out a chuckle. "I don't care if you're a forty-five-year-old queen, you'll always be my little sister, so I get the right to pester you."

"Jeez, always a pain." She said, becoming slightly annoyed. She knew he always meant well but didn't feel like being endlessly pestered.

Max leaned back with a smile. He felt happy someone came to eat, and it was always good to see Sonia. She had been so busy over the past few days, and because of that, he hadn't really gotten the chance to speak at length with her.

"Slow day, huh, bro?" She stated and started slurping her broth impolitely.

He shook his head. "I think everybody is exhausted, and rest is what they need. I am not sure if not eating is a good idea, but I don't make the decisions for everybody else. I just make sure there is food if people want it."

Sonia nodded to him and wiped her mouth with her arm. "I know that Annie has been exhausted lately, and I haven't seen her in the dining hut too much." She said and then leaned back in her chair.

Max frowned, as he already knew this, but hearing it from his sister made him upset. He had the feeling that Annie was avoiding him, and he had about enough of all he could stand of that. She couldn't not eat even if she would never get over their fight.

"I..." He began to respond to her but was abruptly interrupted by the doors banging open and the sound of the storm overpowering him.

The two turned to look and saw Bunnie standing there wet with a pouch in her hand. "Here, Y'all are Sonia. I've been lookin' for ya!" She said excitedly. "C'mon with me, sugah, we got something we need to do."

Sonia slowly nodded, standing up from her seat, and moved next to Bunnie. Who then turned to Max and smiled at him.

"Hun, make sure Y'all are keepin' that lunch warm because I'm starving." She said enthusiastically to him let him know that she had every intention of eating what he made.

"Sure." He said and raised his hand to assure her that he would.

With that, the two exited the hut and left him there alone with his thoughts.

Max sat for a few minutes thinking about Annie and everything that had happened over the week, and he found himself growing angry.

"Goddamnit, Annie, enough is enough." He said to himself.

Max stood up and started to make his way into the kitchen. Enough was enough… He was going to do what he should have done days ago when he first noticed her absence. Now was not the time to succumb to such irrational emotions as embarrassment and fear.

He walked out of the hut and into the rain, leaving Nicole on the table and the stew on low heat. He confidently marched all the way to her hut and up to her door. He started to rap on it with a medium force, all the while clenching a cloth sack full of food in his hand.

Annie refused to answer, and this only annoyed Max more. He was not playing this game any longer. He had grown tired of it, and her health was more of a concern to him than this nonsense. He rapped one more, but still no answer from her.

That was it. He didn't care what was going on in there. If Annie didn't want him barging in, she should have answered him. He applied force to the door, and it opened with relative ease, allowing him access to her private quarters.

When he was inside, he could see her entire room, and a quick scan with his eyes found her lying on her bed in sound sleep. She was resting peacefully in her exhaustion with her face nestled cutely in the pillows, and her blankets were haphazardly thrown over her. He could see her wet clothes on the floor tossed there without any thought.

The sight made him smile a bit. They were alike in a lot of ways, messy sleepers and carelessly throwing clothes about. He felt his annoyance wash away, and it slowly started to be replaced with a sense of sadness that he had not expected.

Her room was different than he remembered it… How long had it been since he'd been in here?

Max's eyes moved about, and he could see collections of damaged fantasy books on a small shelf that hadn't been there before. He had no doubt they had been salvaged from the ruined graveyard of Robotropolis by her parents. The decor was entirely different, and things were moved in other places than he remembered.

He moved over to the table in the room and placed the sack full of goodies onto it. His mind traveling back to when he was younger. How he'd purposefully stay up at night to sneak into her hut so they could hang out and play… maybe tell a ghost story or two.

He looked back over at her sleeping and was hit with a sudden influx of remorse.

He really hadn't bothered with her much, had he? Once he came of age, it was training this, Nicole that, and education now.

His life changed so drastically, and he didn't even realize he hadn't been in Annie's room for quite some time. He was full of nostalgia for the times they had together…

Max shook his head and turned away from Annie and the table. He realized now that he missed those days and felt really terrible for having forgotten them, even if briefly. He walked to the door and took one last look at the adorable sleeping rabbit.

"I'm sorry, Ann..." He whispered to her.

With that, he turned to walk out the door and shut it gently behind him as he went.

Annie just lay there peacefully in her slumber, unaware that he had ever visited.

…

The rain poured down on Sonia as she followed Bunnie to the edge of Knothole just before the area where the forest became dense. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she trusted that this was important.

Bunnie stopped by the trees in the clearing and turned to face Sonia to speak. "Alright, sugah, I was savin' this here for once you got some trainin' under your belt."

She reached her hand into the bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright golden ring. It radiated power and shined brightly through the heavy rain.

Sonia stared in disbelief, as she had not seen one of those for a very long time. She barely recognized it from when her mother and father were around, but even then, it was an incredibly long time ago.

At the time, she had only recently learned to run, and her father took her to the place where the rings appeared.

"I… I know that, but I can't remember what it is called. I know my father used them before." Sonia said to Bunnie loud enough so that she could be heard over the weather.

"I don't rightly know if you can even use it, but I was figurin' that now's as good a time as any to figure it out," Bunnie said, holding out the ring grasped in her metallic hand and let it sit before Sonia's face.

"I dunno…" Sonia showed reservation and stared at the ring held before her. \

It was something powerful, and it was apparent she felt as if it was too much for her all of a sudden. Mostly because she revered her dad so much.

"C'mon sugah, Y'all gotta' do this. We need to know if it has the same effect on you as ol' sugar hog." She encouraged her while moving the ring closer.

Sonia blinked as she now understood this wasn't a choice. She needed to do it. She needed to be her father...

With no more hesitation, her hand reached out and grabbed the ring. All at once, everything started to shine, and she could feel the immense power coursing through her body. It tingled and made her feel as if she were invulnerable.

Bunnie jumped back at the sudden flash as the energy was transferred from the ring to the young girl's body.

"Such power!" Sonia cried out. Looking down at her wet, golden hands as the aura outlined her person.

She looked up at Bunnie and then straight ahead. She had to do something with this intense surge of energy…

Within a second, she had blasted off from her spot with such force that it sent Bunnie toppling to the ground.

"Oof!" Bunnie cried out in surprise as she fell.

Once she got her bearings, she looked up, but Sonia was moving so fast that her eyes couldn't locate her.

"Mah stars..." She said as she pulled herself up from the ground and rubbed her bottom. "That girl's gotta' fire ragin' inside her."

The energy that was coursing through Sonia was so intense. Her sight, her hearing, her speed. It had all increased tenfold, and she was already far away from Knothole within seconds.

She moved without fear of collision or falling. Trees were blown over in her wake, and nothing could stop her. This was it… the pinnacle of power. She knew that no matter what Robotnik threw at her, she would conquer it effortlessly in this state.

She ran and kept running until the effects of the ring had waned. She stopped with a skidding halt, feeling the power surge finally leave her, and turned her gaze back to see a path she'd cleared from her energy-filled sprint.

"That was incredible…." She said to herself.

She felt drained and tired from the run, and even though the ring granted her a powerful surge of energy. It did not make her immune to the effects of fatigue. The power was so high, and she was so inexperienced that she was not accustomed to the crashing impact of the power ring.

"Oh, man!" Sonia said. Feeling a touch bad about having knocked Bunnie to the ground. It was not like she meant to do it, but she was overcome by the energy the ring had granted her.

She moved her wet quills from her eyes and looked back in the direction of Knothole. She had to get back and apologize to Bunnie for what had happened.

Once decided, Sonia started to jog again at a tiring pace. Following the destructive path, her running had carved out in the forest.

"Man… I have to be more careful with that thing." She noted to herself. After all, what good was saving the forest if she destroyed it herself?

When she returned, she could see Bunnie was standing under a tree waiting for her. Sonia stopped with a slide and hung her head a little bit.

"I'm sorry, Bunnie, I just..." She began but was cut off.

"Aww, Sugah, don' you worry none. I shoulda' been expectin' you to lose control. You have never touched a power ring before." Bunnie said, patting her on the head, and it was clear she was feeling excited about the fact Sonia was able to use the power rings like Sonic was.

"So now whata' we do?" Sonia asked curiously.

"Hun, you'll be takin it easy until tomorrow. We need everyone rested for the mission. I'll be headin' back towards the lake of rings to be getting ya another one of them before we're to be settin out." Bunnie said, putting her arm around her proudly.

"We even gotta' backpack that Y'all can use like ol' sugar hog." She said, starting to walk with Sonia to her hut.

Sonia smiled brightly as optimism was high between the two of them. She felt like tomorrow would go on without a hitch, and even if something did go wrong, she knew she had that beautiful ring to fall back on.

"I know it's early, but Y'all make sure you get well rested for tomorrow," Bunnie said upon finally reaching the door of Sonia's hut.

"Anything you say, Bunnie," Sonia responded confidently.

Sonia opened her door and turned to wave Bunnie off. Then shut it behind her once she had entered her living quarters.

She had already eaten a huge lunch, and just seeing her snuggly warm bed made her realize how tired she actually was.

"A hot shower and a long rest… That sounds like the best idea ever!" Sonia said excitedly to herself. Maybe she was getting old before her time, but being excited about a long sleep and a warm soak made her feel that way.

…

Much time had passed, and the twilight hours were setting in. The room was dark and covered in shadows. The only light source came from one bright monitor illuminating the area in front of it.

A laser pistol sat beside the console and was barely visible against the dark backdrop. Snively reached out and picked the gun up, and nestled it safely into his green uniform pocket. It would be easy to grab with one hand and quite effective at assassination if one were caught unawares.

The sound of beeping began in its usual fashion, and Snively's eyes traveled to the blinking light on the keyboard. His finger reached out and pressed the button calmly. Static could be heard at first, but then it gave way to silence.

"Yes, sir?" Snively said in an unusual tone. He was not whimpering or stammering as was typical for him. He just felt numb on the inside, and he was determined to put an end to this once and for all.

"Snively… Why is it you are wasting my time?! Get up here NOW!" Robotnik's voice came blaring over the intercom.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was just… getting some things prepared before coming up to see you, milord." He said.

"I don't care what you are doing! Just get up here to see me this instant!" Robotnik demanded angrily.

"I am coming up right now, sir," Snively said directly once more and disconnected the conversation before any more berating could go on.

Snively walked out into the hallway and locked his little hideaway up. He walked towards the elevator and proceeded to get in when it arrived.

He put his hand in the opening of his jacket and felt for the handle of the pistol. It was an easy reach… he could quickly pull it and be done in seconds…

"…"

He let out a sigh as he watched the floors fly by, sending him upwards to his destiny.

DING!

The doors opened, revealing the hallway on the top floor. Snively stepped out and could see the giant door that led to Robotnik's throne.

It was a place that was synonymous with blood and death… how he hated this room so much, yet how fitting was it that blood and death was his purpose for visiting this day.

He was sweating profusely when he opened the doors and saw Robotnik sitting there with a look of displeasure on his face.

"Y-you wanted to see me, sire." Snively's mannerisms and fear began overpowering him once he was face to face with his uncle.

"Snively, ORACLE, and I have been having a little chat..." Robotnik began speaking.

Snively's mind instantly panicked and began thinking about how that blasted A.I. had set him up. It tricked him, and now Robotnik was going to execute him.

How could he be so foolish even to entertain such a thought? His mind blocked everything out, and he wondered if he should pull the gun and try to shoot Robotnik for sheer survival's sake.

"SNIVELY!" Robotnik's voice boomed so loudly that it broke his brief dissociation.

Snively's eyes traveled to Robotnik's face, and sweat poured off his brow.

"Snively… are you… ignoring me?" Robotnik asked him, looking mighty displeased.

"O-O-Oh no, sir. I-I-w-was just thinking about how to g-get the hedgehog girl!" Snively stammered in full panic mode.

"Shut up, Snively! Pay attention! Because if I think you aren't listening to me one more time. I will be sure to make you regret it." Robotnik roared.

He was still as threatening as ever, and even though Snively now realized Robotnik had no clue about his concealed weapon. He found it difficult to even think about completing the task he set out to do.

"Y-yes, sir," Snively said in a defeated tone.

Robotnik turned his metallic throne around and away from Snively to project a giant map of the area.

"As I was saying, Snively. ORACLE and I were discussing the chances of Freedom Fighter meddling, and she predicts that anytime within the next couple of days, they should make a move on the energy cannon." He said as he started to zoom in on the map to show Snively what they were planning.

Snively was not even listening. He was standing behind Robotnik and staring at his giant bald head. How blissfully unaware Robotnik was right now…

Snively was shaking and drenched in sweat. The moment was so tense that all he could do is mindlessly drone. "Yes, sir." While nodding his head.

Robotnik looked back briefly and saw Snively nodding and staring in his direction.

The world had gone mute for Snively, and he could only hear the sound of his rapidly beating heart.

Robotnik turned away from him while starting to point to places on the map, and Snively couldn't be bothered with any of it.

His shaking hand reached into his pocket, and he could feel the steel handle against his clammy wet hand.

Robotnik kept talking and going through plans. It was clear that it was a detailed set of necessary procedures… but Snively didn't care.

Robotnik's head was so shiny against the light of the massive screen.

Snively pulled, and the gun came out of his pocket slowly, quietly. His heartbeat getting ever more rapid, and the gun raising gradually.

Robotnik now had his eyes shut and was laughing quite hard. No doubt in hysterics for some act of cruelty he was planning.

Snively's aim was shaky, and his arms were like rubber. He could feel the trigger bend inward slightly, and he tried to make sure he would hit him directly in the head.

"I…I…"

Snively's mind attempted to stay calm, but all he could feel was the terror. Every second that passed was like the frame of a slowly moving picture.

Robotnik was stopping his laughter, and Snively knew he would turn to look his way.

He breathed in low and lowered the gun, sliding it back into his pocket with relative ease.

"I can't do it… I'm too scared."

Snively felt disgusted with himself. Not only was he weak, but this was his opportunity to end his own suffering.

"Snively?" The sound of Robotnik's voice rang into his ears, and he looked directly into those soulless red, glowing eyes.

"S-Sir, I was just f-fixing my c-coat. It's h-hot in here." He said. Pulling on it like he was adjusting it and removing his hand from the inside of it.

Robotnik kept his gaze on him, and he looked thoroughly displeased.

"I-I will be going over the plans the rest of the night, sire. T-to make sure nothing is forgotten." Snively stammered.

Robotnik turned his entire throne around and kept his angry gaze fixated on Snively.

"You'd better Snively. Because if something goes wrong. I will personally make sure you die slowly and miserably. Is that understood?" Robotnik's voice was low, but it was exuding rage and murderous intent.

"Y-yes, sir. I-I-I will start on it right away." Snively said in a cowardly fashion.

Moving grovelingly, he quickly went out the door of Robotnik's throne room and hurried down the hall away from the tyrant.

He began hyperventilating and held his chest with his clenched fingers. He was a coward through and through, but this event showed him there was only one course of action he could take now.

Snively stepped inside of the elevator upon its arrival and wiped the sweat from his face.

"I won't let it end like this." He said to himself angrily. The doors shut and began to carry him back to his sealed hideaway.

…

…

…

Time passed, and the twilight hours had turned to early morning. Max walked together with Rotor through the violent rain.

It was time for the mission, and Max couldn't believe how quick it had come.

"It's dawn already, and I couldn't get an ounce of sleep," Max admitted while keeping pace with Rotor, who was carrying a giant tote bag containing the explosive device and tools.

Rotor put a hand on Max's shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry about that man… I remember the first time I was old enough to do a serious mission like this. I think I shit my pants."

Max shot him a smile and a short laugh. "Somehow, I think you are exaggerating."

"Ah, and what of it? The point is, once this is over, we can all rest peacefully for a bit, and hey, maybe get some sunshine again." Rotor said as he stretched while walking.

Max felt sure he could do this but couldn't help but find his confidence wavering a little bit. He looked straight ahead, trying to gaze through the darkness, and could eventually see the rest of the group waiting together by the edge of the furthest hut.

"Well, it looks like this is it," Max said as he reached everybody, while Rotor nodded in agreement.

Sonia was standing there, and she looked really well-rested for what was to come. She had a brown backpack slung over her shoulder and was settled between Bunnie and Annie.

"Still slow, bro, but hey! You don't have to worry bout' nothin'. Because I got my secret weapon ready to go." Her voice was just as strong as her posture, and he wondered how she could be so calm.

"Secret weapon?" He asked. Not really amused.

"Ohhh, you'll find out, bro, just wait! I'll save the day for sure!" She said, apparently excited now, and it elicited a chuckle from Bunnie.

"Alright, now Y'all settle down. It's time to start movin' out." Bunnie said sternly as Annie looked at Max and Sonia.

"What about Tails?' Annie questioned. She was not aware if the plans had drastically changed or not.

"Ah, shoot! I thought somebody told ya, but since Tails ain't responded, we've decided to have Max take his place." Bunnie said while feeling a little bad.

However, with everybody being preoccupied because of the mission, she forgot to tell her personally.

Annie looked hurt at first for being left out, and then she let out a sigh. She realized she had nobody to blame but herself. If she hadn't been avoiding Max and acting like an idiot, she would have known already.

She just nodded dismissively, which surprised Max, Bunnie, and Sonia. They all expected some protest out of her, but none came.

"Let's get on with it then. The sooner we get a move on, the sooner we can get this over with," Annie said while adjusting her supply satchel.

"Alright, then Y'all. We'll split off into our two groups and head to the power facilities located east and north in the city. Once we've accomplished the mission, we'll all rendezvous back at the power ring pool." Bunnie clarified the meeting place and the general plan.

"Oui, we are to be handling the more fortified power facility since it is to be being built by Robotnik himself. It is to be your job to handle the power plant that was built by Mobians before the coup." Antoine added.

"You can count on us," Max said as he turned to Annie and Sonia. They raised their hands to him to show they were prepared to go.

Annie walked past Max and over to her mother and father. She gave them each a tight hug before they were to split off.

"Be careful, you two," Annie said as she attempted to display as much care as she was capable of.

"Oui, I am to be believing that we should be saying that to you." Antoine gave her a hug and then a kiss on the cheek, which she didn't protest for once.

Bunnie moved in and gave her daughter a crushing hug that caught her off guard.

"Ya better be careful now, ya hear! Don' make me have to come draggin' ya home by yer ears for takin unnecessary risks." Bunnie said and released Annie, which allowed her to breathe better.

"Geez, mom… I promise I won't take any unnecessary risks." She said, taking a deep breath and turned to see Max and Sonia standing next to one another.

"Ready to go?" Max asked. She nodded her head slightly and walked next to them so they could get a move on.

Rotor, Bunnie, and Antoine bid their farewells, and Max, Annie, and Sonia were left walking towards the city on their own. Max had Nicole out as a direct map to the facility they needed to assault.

Annie remained quiet for some time, thinking about the food Max had brought her the other day and how tasty it had been.

She wanted to thank him for it but still found it to be quite hard to speak. In her mind, she was yelling at herself, but her emotional reaction was always that of unreasonable fear.

Sonia marched confidently ahead of the other two. She really felt like running there by herself and dealing with the SWATBOTS early. The only thing that kept her from doing so was the amount of flack she would receive for it.

"Ann?"

Annie heard her name softly spoken over the falling rain. It seized her heart and made butterflies attack her stomach. She winced slightly and turned to face Max, whose hair was a soggy mess, but his expression was that of warmth and kindness.

"Yes?" She answered back, feeling afraid and ashamed. She could barely keep her head level with his to look at his face.

There was a short silence where all that could be heard was the sound of the storm. She wasn't facing him, and she knew without looking he was staring at her.

It all made her highly uncomfortable, and her mind was more on what he was about to say than that of any dangerous mission.

"How was the food?" She heard him say.

She immediately looked up and stared him in the face. He had a big, bright, stupid grin on his face.

After everything that had happened and the way, she had acted. This was what he had to say to her? She shook her head and was fighting the urge to smile even just a little bit.

"I-It was good. I was famished…." She said awkwardly.

"Of course, I am the best cook in Knothole, after all." He laughed in a lighthearted manner.

None of it. Max was ignoring it all. She could feel extensive relief washing over herself. She expected apologies, begging, misery, yelling, anger, bitterness, but what she got was Max.

"Yeahlikehell." She muttered under her breath.

"What was that, Ann? Have something to say about my cooking?" He asked. Seeing her mouth move, but unable to hear her over the ambient sounds.

Annie gave him a small smile, and he returned it. She was feeling better than she had in days, and it was thanks to what Max didn't do as opposed to what he did.

She felt foolish for having been so afraid of him, but like most things, she had to deal with "Annie" before she could even begin to deal with Max.

Over the next 20 minutes, the three marched in tandem with one another, and it wouldn't be long now until they reached the city.

Sonia was still leading the charge to Robotropolis, and Max and Annie quietly walked alongside one another. They hadn't spoken in that time, but the atmosphere between them went from that of awkward sadness to quiet relief.

"How much longer until we reach the facility, Nicole?" Max broke his silence to speak to the computer.

"Approximately 15 minutes, Max." She responded.

Max nodded while keeping his pace up with Annie. It wouldn't be too much longer now for the Freedom Fighters to reach their objective.

With high hopes and confidence, they felt that the days of project FIRESTORM would soon come crashing down.

…

Across the city of Robotropolis, Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor had already made their way to the northern power facility and were beginning their assault.

They were all relatively quick and efficient when on missions, and the fact they knew the layout of the city helped them get a massive head start over the other group.

"Y'all think they're ok?" Bunnie whispered to Antoine.

She was standing in front of the giant metal door of the power facility while Rotor was bent over in front of it, sifting through the tote bag he'd brought.

"Oui, but of course, and since we are to be most likely being here first. We will attract attention away from them by the time they get here." Antoine whispered back while he stood by the edge of the building, looking through the thick smog for SWATBOT patrols.

Bunnie nodded, feeling somewhat embarrassed; she felt like she was worrying too much. They had this planned out very well, and with uncle Chuck having thrown off ORACLE's trail. The place didn't seem as well guarded as it might have otherwise.

She watched as Rotor began dousing the bottom half of the metal door with a green liquid. It immediately started to bubble and sizzle when it came in contact with the metal. Within a matter of minutes, it caused the lower half of the door to become brittle and frailer.

"Alright, Bunnie, it's time to make some noise," Rotor whispered to her, and she gave a nod.

Antoine kept lookout while Bunnie moved over to the door and wound up her roboticized limb. With one solid punch. The bottom of the corroded door smashed into pieces. A loud crashing sound echoed through the fog, and it caused Antoine to jump slightly.

"Eep!" He cried suddenly and turned his gaze over to the two of them for a brief second.

"We are to be moving on in from here now, yes?" He asked as he turned to peek back around the corner once more. He was sure the slam had to attract somebody within the area.

"Yes, let's go," Rotor piped up while lifting the heavy bag containing the explosive.

The three of them crawled under the top remaining half of the door and into the dark empty hallways of the power facility. It was hot inside and covered in that same white mist as outside.

"Robotnik is overworking this thing." Rotor commented as he realized how dangerous it was to even be here while it was in this state. For all, he knew it could blow any second from rampant overuse.

Bunnie's eyes scanned the area, but there was nothing but an empty room filled with mist. The power facility was making very unnaturally loud noises, and everything about this made her feel uneasy.

"I dunno'. This here's a bit weird for me. Ain't a SWATBOT in sight, not even a workerbot."

Bunnie's observation hadn't gone unnoticed by anybody else, and like any rational animal, they had to wonder what was going on.

Rotor walked forward and looked down the intersecting hallways labeled by letters. "I think if we go down the C corridor, we will find ourselves heading for the center of the building. That is the perfect place to set the explosive, as it will most likely bring down the surrounding structure." He said, looking back at Bunnie and Antoine, and they both nodded in agreement to his assessment.

"Let us to be moving on. The sooner we destroy this thing, the better it will be," Antoine said as he pointed his sword down the hallway and took point. Bunnie took it upon herself to take up the rear, to make sure they wouldn't be surprised by anything.

The three marched through ghostly smog and intense heat. The building was like that of one from a horror story, no life, but the three of them could be detected. They moved onwards for a minute or two until they reached a computer room.

"I think this is as good a spot as any to set this thing," Rotor said, dropping the bag. "I just need a few minutes to set it up." He reached into the bag and pulled out a large black device with an LCD screen attached to it.

Antoine allowed Rotor to get to work and moved into the hallway to keep watch on the way they entered. Bunnie walked over to Rotor and gave him a pat on the back.

"Great job sugah, are Y'all sure this will be powerful enough to destroy this place?" She asked while moving one of her floppy ears out of her vision as she talked.

"I know LCDs are seen as older technology, but it is what's inside the bomb that counts. I used whatever I could to make this thing. It should be enough to eradicate the city block." He answered while he was tinkering on the LCD.

"The entire block? Ain't that a bit much Rote?" Bunnie said. She was just as concerned about getting away as she was about destroying this place.

"Ah yeah, well, I was concerned about not doing a good enough job on this place, but it doesn't matter. I can set the timer for whatever I want, so we can set extra time if we need it." He started pushing buttons on the display as they made echoed beeps through the quiet room.

…

…

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

The sound of beeping emanated from a flashing button. A giant metal hand reached forward and pushed it with force. "ORACLE. What is it you have to report?" Robotnik said into the receiver.

Everything was dull and quiet, and he was surprised to even hear a word from his precious A.I.

"Your majesty, it has come to my attention that there is Freedom Fighter activity in the northern power facility. My surveillance of the area suggests an aggressive play against the cannon's power source." The A.I. said.

Robotnik had a look of pure rage on his face, and his hand came down with fury, smashing into the side of his metallic throne. "We… discussed this last night, ORACLE! There was supposed to be extra SWATBOT security patrolling ALL areas! WHAT HAPPENED!" He yelled as his blood boiled.

"Forgive me, your Excellency. I made plans to tighten security, but Snively's job was to allocate the SWATBOTS to their designated positions. I checked and discovered that not only did he not place SWATBOTS in both of the critical power facilities, but he failed to call back any of the experimental SWATBOT MK-2 units, as you ordered." ORACLE explained.

"Snively…." Robotnik's eyes glowed red as the fires of hell. His hand balled into a fist, and for a moment, not even ORACLE dare to speak.

"ORACLE... Has the eastern power facility been attacked yet?" Robotnik's voice was oscillating between enraged and trying to keep calm.

"Nothing has been detected as of yet, but I predict the Freedom Fighters are attempting to eradicate the power sources of the cannon and not the cannon itself, as I previously believed." She gave her assessment.

Robotnik leaned back and thought for a second before giving his command. "I want all visual surveillance turned over to me so that I may personally oversee everything. I want all available SWATBOTS to be moved to both power facilities at once. Kill any and all Freedom Fighters except the hedgehog girl. She is the only thing I want alive." He put his hands at his sides.

"Acknowledged," ORACLE said, and all the monitors in the throne room turned into various pictures of live surveillance footage.

Already Robotnik could see Antoine in the outer hallway of the northern power facility. The hidden cameras installed throughout the areas gave him a sinister omnipresence over his opponents.

"ORACLE?" Robotnik said after she had completed his task for him.

"Yes, your majesty?" She asked.

"Make sure to send a batch of SWATBOTS to collect, my dear nephew. I do believe he has… worn out his welcome in my beautiful home." He said while he smiled maniacally at the thought of the horrors he was going to inflict upon him.

With the commands issued to the SWATBOTS and the defensive plan put into action, Robotnik had naught to do but sit and enjoy the show as it unfolded.

…

…

"Well, that about does it," Rotor said, giving the explosive device a quick glance over.

He stood up, placing the now lighter bag under his arm. "Now, all we need to do is decide on a time."

"How bout' around fifteen minutes or so?" Bunnie suggested. "There hasn't been much resistance as of yet, and it shouldn't take that long to get a few blocks away."

Rotor nodded and started typing a time into the screen. After a few seconds, the display began to move.

20:00

19:59

19:58

"It's set! Time to go!" Rotor said and started to turn towards the hallway. Bunnie followed suit, and they walked until they met up with Antoine in the middle of the long hall.

"Oui, how is it to be being going?" Antoine asked, and Rotor responded with a thumbs up.

"Time to move, hun," Bunnie said aloud, then grabbed his hand and pulled him along as the three moved at a brisk pace.

Within a minute, they were outside once more and ready to escape out of the city. They still had some ways to go to avoid the blast radius, but at this point, there was plenty of time.

The three walked forward out into the street, and they were surrounded by the fog but were acutely aware of the direction they needed to head in. The rain was pounding on the cracked pavement of what was once a central road in the city.

"Do y'all hear that?' Bunnie said in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah, the rain. It is too loud." Rotor whispered back to her.

"Shh… Listen." She said once more.

The three of them stopped moving, and they all tried to listen over the sounds of the rain. It was easier for Bunnie to hear due to her big floppy ears, but the longer they waited in silence, the more distinct it became.

"Footsteps?" Antoine whispered.

"Not just footsteps, but a lot o' them," Bunnie said.

"Guys, we don't have time for this. We need to get away from here quickly." Rotor whispered as loudly as possible.

The three of them could hear the steady rise of the sound of metallic footsteps. They were coming in droves. This wasn't the typical SWATBOT patrol; it sounded like an army.

"They know," Rotor said, feeling worried.

"Aww, shit, let's just get on outta' here, we ain't got time to blow ourselves up, and if all the SWATBOTS are after us, then that means Max and the gang are gonna' have an easy time," Bunnie stated confidently.

"Oui, let us to be making our way through the buildings. I am to be being sure the SWATBOTS are expecting us to use the quickest route or possibly the sewers." Antoine suggested.

"Great idea, hun." Bunnie beamed as she turned left to head to the dilapidated buildings that were once beautiful homes.

The three proceeded to make their way through buildings, weaving back and forth, behind, on top, and in front of them. They could hear the sound of SWATBOTS marching in the thick mist but knew there was no time to stop for anything. With only minutes left until the explosion, they had some ways ahead of themselves to go.

The three of them stopped at the edge of the block and could see the mass amount of SWATBOTS littering the streets. They had reached the end of their cover and were now not exactly sure what to do next.

"Holy hell, that's a lotta them," Bunnie said as her eyes scanned the open street. It was clear there might even be over 100 red glowing visors.

"It doesn't matter how many of them there are. We are running out of time." Rotor said.

They were positioned on the side of a house, and it was quite a sprint from here to the forest.

"We are to be needing to just go for it then," Antoine said, sheathing his sword.

"Are you crazy, Ant? There's no cover out there." Rotor said while shaking his head.

"Oui, but there is the fog, and SWATBOTS are not known for their aim." He said to him.

"Ya, I'm agreein' that Antoine is right if we stay round' here we die; if we move, we might live. It's an obvious choice if Y'all ask me." Bunnie interjected into the conversation, and it caused Rotor to go quiet.

The three of them crouched low to the side of the SWATBOT horde, and their red visors were mindlessly staring in front of themselves. They had not even noticed the three intruders as of yet.

Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor started to crawl across the mud of the destroyed yard and into the cracked street.

Antoine was in the lead and was making sure not to make any noise. Second, was Rotor who had his tote bag resting on his back. He was already a bigger target, so it didn't matter much if he added more to it. The third was Bunnie, who was looking over at the SWATBOTS visible in the short distance beside them.

Antoine was now on the street, and Rotor was coming just up behind him. Bunnie, on the other hand, was lagging behind just before the road. She found it difficult to move without making too much noise and didn't think crawling on cement was wise. However, what alternative was there for her?

She could see Rotor and Antoine now stopped in the street waiting for her. She looked down and placed herself on the cracked cement.

Scrape!

Her robotic limbs made noise when she dragged them. She tried to stop, but it was already garnering the attention of the marching legion.

Bunnie waved her furred hand at Antoine and Rotor, signaling them to move on without her. Antoine shook his head in refusal, as she expected he would.

Rotor just waved his hand back, telling her to forget it and come on.

Scrape!

Scrape!

Bunnie moved nervously, and just as expected, the red lights turned towards the source of the sound. She moved more, and at this point, she could tell the jig was up.

Scrape!

Scrape!

"INTRUDERS DETECTED."

All of the SWATBOTS in the immediate area turned their attention to the three lying on the ground. Rotor knew they just had to move as he stood up onto his feet and was about to make a run for it.

"FREEDOM FIGHTER DETECTED."

"EXTERMINATE ALL FREEDOM FIGHTERS."

The drones came as soon as they spotting him. They raised their lasers towards him, and Rotor hit the ground with a thud. The barrage of laser fire whizzed over his back.

"Shit!" Rotor yelled. They were in the middle of the street with no cover, and SWATBOTS were closing in on them.

Antoine crawled back to try and help Rotor, but there wasn't much he could do. He couldn't stand, and lying low in the fog was the only thing keeping them from dying immediately to the spread of lasers.

Bunnie watched helplessly as she lay flat on the cement. She could barely see Antoine or Rotor through the chaos but knew they were in trouble.

Rotor started to unzip his bag as he had some explosives and other tools that could help with this, but probably not enough to destroy all of the SWATBOTS.

He pulled out a shiny silver and black sphere and pushed a button on it; as soon as he did that, it started a little countdown from 5 seconds. He got to his knees for a second and tossed it in the direction of the threat.

The SWATBOT army once again unloaded a hail of laser fire on him. He ducked as they whizzed by him once more, and a second later, a massive explosion took place, destroying a significant chuck on the approaching SWATBOTS.

Antoine stood up, and so did Rotor. "Now's our chance!" Rotor called to Bunnie.

Bunnie stood up and started to sprint towards them.

The explosion drew the attention of every SWATBOT in the sector. Now more SWATBOTS were appearing in droves from the other end of the street. Laser fire started flying past Rotor's head, and he shrieked in terror.

Antoine started to make a run for it, but there was just too much laser fire raining down on them. One laser passed right through his right shoulder, barely missing his neck.

He gripped onto it with a cry of pain and slumped over. Another laser came and flew through his left calf, and he fell to his knees.

"Sacrebleu! Ça m'a fait mal!" He screamed in his native tongue as he hit the ground chest first. He was in agony and bleeding out rather badly.

Rotor immediately went prone and started to crawl to him. Once he was there, he tried to apply pressure to his leg.

"Oh, man!" Rotor was frozen with fear and knew that they were trapped.

Bunnie saw the horror that had just befallen her beloved, and once the shock wore off, she became highly enraged.

She ran faster than before through the laser fire so that she could assist Antoine and Rotor. The laser fire passed by her, and some of it even hit her metallic limbs, but thankfully they just bounced off of her. Once she reached Antoine, she ducked down as low as possible.

"Hun! You doin' ok!" She yelled.

He just gave her a slight wave to try and keep her from worrying, but it was clear he was not and that he wouldn't be walking.

"Whata' we do, Bunnie!?" Rotor said as he pulled another explosive from his bag and threw it.

Time was running out for them, and they were stranded. Obviously, neither of them wanted to leave Antoine, but if they wanted to live themselves, they had to.

"Oh... just to be leaving… I don- don't want you to die… mon amour…." Antoine said while wincing in pain.

Bunnie looked at him lying there, and her heart was breaking. She could see the blood and the look on his face. It was all happening so fast, and it was too much. Her eyes stared into his, and then she started looking past him to the spot on the ground he was lying.

"….."

She used her metal arm to pull Antoine towards her, and he cried out in pain from the sudden jolt. Rotor looked at the ground and could see what caught her attention. He pulled out his last two explosives and started to throw them.

"Do it now!" Rotor shouted.

Bunnie used her metal arm and started to dig into the cracked cement. She began to lift with all her strength. After a second, the large round sewer cover was hoisted up like a shield, blocking the shots coming towards them.

Bunnie and Rotor huddled behind it, and Antoine lie next to the giant hole leading to the sewers.

"Let's go!" Rotor yelled as he started to grab Antoine and pull him into the sewer.

Antoine used his good hand and his good leg to hold himself on the ladder, and Rotor held onto him so that he wouldn't fall.

Bunnie held the utility cover and waited for the two to disappear from sight. She could hear the SWATBOTS droning loudly now as they moved in for the kill.

"EXTERMINATE ALL FREEDOM FIGHTERS."

"EXTERMINATE ALL FREEDOM FIGHTERS."

Bunnie slid herself onto the ladder, not caring about the SWATBOTS, and slowly lowered herself into the sewers. She eventually got low enough that the utility cover slipped back into place and surrounded her in complete darkness.

She descended the ladder and was surprised when a flash of light came on. Rotor had turned on a flashlight that he retrieved from his bag, and it revealed to them the grime and muck of the area.

Antoine was propping himself up against the wall bleeding, but there was no time to tend to him.

"We need to move NOW! I don't know where we are or where we need to go, but I just know we need to move in this direction." Rotor said as he pointed in the direction away from the power facility.

Bunnie walked over to Antoine and effortlessly took him into her arms. She could easily support his weight with her metallic limb.

"D-don't worry about moi… ju-just get us to the safest place..." He said.

The blood was leaking out reasonably quickly, but the wounds were not fatal if treated, and the bleeding stopped in time.

The three of them could hear the banging of the SWATBOTS above, and without hesitation, they ran off into the dark unknown of the sewers. Rotor leading the way, and Bunnie carrying Antoine.

…

…

The rain poured down into the city with fury, and the rumbling sound of thunder could be heard echoing through the fog. Flashes of lightning lit up the dark grey skies, though they were barely visible through the polluted air.

Max, Sonia, and Annie had reached the old desolate power facility. It looked as though nobody was here, and the doors were sealed tightly.

"This is the place..." Max trailed off when he saw the scope and size of the building.

"So, what do we do?" Annie asked. She was unsure of how to enter or what precisely she should do.

Sonia moved next to the two of them and crossed her arms. "This is lame. Where are all of the SWATBOTS?" She expected some excitement and action, but this seemed dull.

"I don't know Sonia, but I think it best we keep our guard up," Max said, looking over the place for another way to enter the building.

Annie looked around herself and could barely see anything beyond a medium distance from her.

"I do not see anything." She said to Max.

Max looked at Nicole and decided to let her do all the work. "Nicole, can you find me an entrance?" He asked nicely.

Thunder crackled through the sky once more, and Nicole started to scan the area to the best of her capabilities.

"According to the floor plans of the facility. There should be a low-hanging ventilation shaft that could provide easy access to the facility. From there, I can lead us to the central control room." She displayed the map of the facility to Max.

"There!" Annie called.

She pointed upwards to a crawl vent with a flimsy covering. It was some feet off the ground and would require assistance to reach.

"Great Ann, Nicole. Now all I need to do is get in there." Max said.

Sonia looked up at the vent and then at her brother. "You sure you can make it, bro? That's fairly high."

"All I need is a boost from Ann, and it shouldn't be too much of a problem." He said as he looked over at her, and she gave him a nod.

"No problem." She said confidently, knowing she was strong enough to do it.

"Nicole, scan for hostile activity," Max said to the computer, finding it weird there had been no resistance so far.

"Scanning Max…" The computer's screen started displaying a bar of the scan progress.

"No hostile activity inside or outside of the immediate area. No SWATBOTS detected." She said to him.

Max nodded, then looked at Sonia and Annie and started to speak. "Ok, this is the plan. Nicole and I are heading in so that we can overload the reactor inside the building. I need you guys to stand watch out here and make sure that if SWATBOTS come by, they do not enter the facility."

Annie merely nodded and moved under the ventilation shaft. Sonia smiled at her brother and gave him a quick hug.

"Bro, you can count on me." She said, sure that if any SWATBOTS came by, she would make quick work of them.

Max rustled her quills and smiled at her. "If it gets too dangerous. Make sure you two get out, ya' hear." He said, then walked over to Annie.

Sonia frowned slightly and raised her voice in frustration. "C'mon, bro!" She said as she tried to straighten her wet quills.

"That's planning for failure, Max," Annie said to him as she got on the ground, and he started to stand himself onto her shoulders.

"More like being cautious." He called back as she stood up on shaky legs and held onto his boots.

"D-damn, you're heavy." She said.

Annie gritted her teeth, and she backed up against the wall for support. Max placed Nicole into his pocket and drew his sword. He slid it under the vent cover and began to rock it back and forth using the pointed edge. It made bending and twisting metal sounds, and after a few rough yanks, the vent cover came off and hit the mud with a slap.

Sonia excitedly watched the surroundings, and even though she couldn't see much. She felt great being an active part of the team.

"Could you hurry your ass up?" Annie said, struggling to keep his entire weight up.

She was pretty strong, but Max, with the sword and all of the stuff he was carrying, made her struggle.

Max sheathed his blade and pulled himself upwards into the cramped vent. Once he was lifted off of Annie, she moved away from the wall and looked up at the opening.

"Max!?" She called over the rain and thunder. She could see his head pop out of the opening, and he waved to her.

"Everything is good! You guys wait here! I'll be out soon!" He called equally as loud to her so that she could hear.

Annie gave him a wave of approval, and he disappeared once more into the opening.

"Be careful, Max." She whispered to herself.

She wished she'd dared to say it to his face, but she knew now was not the time or the place to dwell on such things.

Max crawled through the dusty and dirty vent. He stopped about halfway into the shaft and pulled Nicole from his pocket.

"Which way, Nicole?" Max asked quietly.

Nicole illuminated the unclean, grimy vent and displayed the map of the building. It even provided the fastest route to the control room.

"Thanks, Nicole." He said while crawling forward.

He kept her in his hand while using the other arm to pull himself ahead in the cramped space. After following her instructions for several minutes, he reached a bottom vent cover. The instructions suggested he drop down here, so he used his thick boot to kick out the cover.

He looked down through the space and could see an empty hallway. It was hot and covered in the same mist as outside. He saw nothing and decided that Nicole was correct. There was no hostile threat present.

He turned himself around, placing his legs through the vent hole, and jumped below. His boots made a loud clacking sound as they hit the smooth steel floor.

Max's eyes scanned the area, and then he looked back up at the way he just came. It finally dawned on him that he wouldn't be able to return through the vent because of its height.

"Damnit. I should have thought this through better." He berated himself out loud, and Nicole could infer from the context what he was upset about.

"Do not worry. Once I have access to the control room, I can freely unlock any door I wish. It would have been unwise to try to travel through the vents upon escape anyway, as it is not the fastest route." She reassured him.

He sighed with relief. Nicole did have a point… trying to escape a power facility meltdown by crawling through a narrow vent didn't sound like an intelligent plan.

"Which way to the control room Nicole?" Max asked.

She displayed her map once more and started to direct him where to go. "Head up through this hallway, and make a left. After that, you will need to descend a few flights of steps. Once you have done that, you will be at the central control room door."

Max immediately started following her instructions alongside the map. The further into the place he got, the creepier it began to feel to him.

It was old, abandoned, and had an insidious feel to it. It was almost like there was more to this place than its function let on, but he felt like it could just be his isolated state in the building.

He moved through the darkened corridors and descended the shadowy steps. A red bulb on the wall is his only source of light aside from Nicole.

The place was so barren that all he could hear was the humming of the reactor working overtime and the echoes of his own bootsteps.

Finally, after so much walking, he found himself in front of the central control room door. He reached out his hand and attempted to open it, but it appeared to be locked.

He could see through the small transparent eye slot on the door, and inside were various consoles and computer monitors. There was a large console in the center back of the of the room and tables covered in parts, connectors, wires, and oil.

"This doesn't look like any sort of power control room. It looks like some kind of nightmarish lab?" Max said his thoughts aloud to Nicole.

"It is likely Robotnik repurposed this building many times since the days of the coup. I assume that it had another function before Robotnik decided to re-use it for its intended purpose." She told him what she thought.

"How do we get in?" Max asked. "Should I try to hack through?"

"Negative, the door and walls are reinforced with super-strong materials. It would take an immense amount of energy to penetrate it. My laser doesn't even come close to that at present, and your sword would be useless against it…." She paused.

"However, if you connect me to that dial panel. I can undoubtedly bypass the lock code and grant us access." She finished.

Max moved closer to the door and pulled a cord from a hidden compartment on the side of her computer body. He connected it directly to a port that was part of the lock mechanism.

The port seemed to be used for maintenance or to change the password for security. At least that's what it was used for before the coup.

It took seconds for the glow on the pad to go from red to green. The door shot open, and Max quickly disconnected her from the port.

He walked inside, staring at all of the machines and parts, and was not exactly sure where he was supposed to connect Nicole.

"Where to Nicole?" Max asked her for guidance.

Nicole scanned the room, and her screen zeroed in on a console furthest in the back of the room. "That console controls all functions of the power facility itself… Once you connect me, I will have full access within minutes." She said.

He nodded and moved over to the wall, and started hooking Nicole directly into the central console.

"Let's hope this works," Max stated while he waited for Nicole to do her thing.

…

…

Annie was quietly standing outside when the thunderous sound of an explosion began to echo through the entire city. Her head turned in the direction of the sound, and she could see a bright orange fire lighting up through the mist.

It was such an intense explosion that it shook the earth beneath her. She quickly grabbed onto one of the empty steel containers settled in front of the facility and used it to help her maintain her balance.

Sonia emulated her and grabbed on as well so that she, too, did not fall.

"Holy… They did it!" Sonia beamed. She was in complete awe at what a massive display that was, and she couldn't even see it entirely through the fog.

"Yeah…" Annie said, feeling somewhat scared about the explosion.

She couldn't help but wonder if her parents were both ok. She trusted them, but it still caused her to worry for their safety.

Sonia looked at her and then back in the direction of the explosion. The orange glows of spreading fire illuminated the smoggy landscape, and it was so fierce and contagious she wasn't even sure if the heavy rainfall could put it out.

Annie let out a frustrated sigh. "Goddamn, what is taking Max so long!?" She moved about, beginning a nervous pace.

"My bro is…." Sonia stopped talking abruptly as her gaze moved past the outer fence. She could see the faint shimmering of red dots in the distance.

"Max is what?" Annie said. Not fully understanding what Sonia was talking about.

She noticed Sonia's stare and then started to gaze in the same direction as her. Now she too could see the bright, barely visible red dots littering the fog in the distance. As time passed, it became readily evident to her that they were getting more significant.

"What is this?" Annie said. She already assumed it was SWATBOTS, but there were so many of them. Way too many to be a simple patrol.

Sonia had the first look of fear since the mission began. She expected SWATBOTS, she wanted them, but even she knew that the number of red dots appearing was beyond reason. Was it 80, 100? She couldn't tell, but they were marching directly on their position.

"Holy shit! Whatta we do!?" Sonia panicked slightly, and Annie quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into cover behind the container.

Annie opened her satchel and pulled out her laser pistol, quickly powering it on. "We can't leave the area… No matter what. We have to make sure Max is successful at all costs."

She popped her head around the crate and could now see the SWATBOTS emerging from the fog in droves.

"EXTERMINATE FREEDOM FIGHTERS!"

"EXTERMINATE FREEDOM FIGHTERS!"

They all chanted in unison. Now that their speech could be made out, they were too close for comfort.

"Sonia, listen to me! They still have some distance, so let me take care of them as best as I can, and then when they get closer, you start using your speed to distract them. Together I think we can do this!" She cried out.

Annie was scared, but she sure wasn't showing it. Sonia shook her head in agreement; now wasn't the time to lose nerve. This is what she wanted, and she'd be damned if clunky, slow-ass robots would be the end of her.

Annie popped slightly out from her cover and started taking careful aim. Even with the fog, her eyes zeroed in on their shining red visors. "I got you." She said as she pulled the trigger.

A red laser blast flew forth and connected directly with the robot's head, and it exploded almost immediately in a glorified spectacle.

Annie had to be quicker, and she had to take less time. Aim, trigger, and another. Aim, trigger, and another. She kept repeating herself and was now in a Zen state. Not the rain, the thunder, the threat, or the fog made her aim waiver.

Sonia was watching as SWATBOT after SWATBOT exploded, and even as impressive as it was to watch. The robotic enemies continued to push forward, unfazed by their own destruction.

"FREEDOM FIGHTER DETECTED!"

"EXTERMINATE ALL FREEDOM FIGHTERS!"

"EXTERMINATE ALL FREEDOM FIGHTERS!"

The robot army all walked towards Annie, who was still lining up shots and dispensing violence.

They all pointed at her, and a wave of pure laser fire came racing towards her. She quickly went behind the container as the thick steel absorbed the shots from the army.

She popped out briefly, now realizing she didn't have the luxury of being able to aim steadily any longer. With alacrity, she mainly stayed under cover with Sonia and started popping off shots in quick succession when she was able to.

Sonia peeked out to see them approaching ever still and quickly hid when she saw another wave of laser fire coming for them. She couldn't believe how many there were, and she couldn't believe how much danger they were in.

Annie popped out again to return fire, but her opportunities were getting smaller and smaller. The droves of machines rained laser fire, and Annie knew that even Sonia probably couldn't deal with this many.

She rounded the corner. One shot! Two Shot! She started to duck quickly to avoid the return fire, but her timing was off. The enemy laser fire struck her on the side of her arm and burned through her flesh; the blood spattered onto Sonia's face.

"Ahhh! Fuck! Ahhhah!" Annie squealed, dropping her weapon and grabbing onto her arm.

The wound was burning worse than anything she had ever experienced, and it sent so much pain up and down her arm.

Sonia stared in shock at the girl, who was now in tears and agony. She peeked around the container and could see how close they were getting.

"A-Ann, are you ok!?" Sonia cried.

Annie grabbed the gun with her injured arm and stood up under the cover of the container. "We need to… to keep fighting. They are almost here. It is time for you to do your thing and keep them busy so that I can a-aim." She said through deep breaths.

Sonia didn't even respond to Annie. She had had enough of this. These SWATBOTS were going to pay for what they just did. She angrily ran out with a boom and caught the attention of every SWATBOT standing there.

"Sonia, don't!" Annie tried to warn her about letting anger dictate her actions, but it fell on deaf ears.

"C'mon, slow-bots! Come deal with me!" She yelled.

The legion of SWATBOTS stopped and stared; then came their familiar chant.

"HEDGEHOG PRIORITY ONE!"

"HEDGEHOG PRIORITY ONE!"

They all started to walk towards her, but she was not afraid. She quickly began to run directly at them and then sidestepped them when she got within inches of their grasp. The force of her run kicked up mud and knocked many of them over.

"What's a matter? Can't handle me!?" She skidded to a stop and taunted them.

Once all of the SWATBOTS started to move towards her, she ran away from the compound. With her being their central target, they ignored all other directives and slowly pursued after her.

"SONIA!" Annie screamed as the SWATBOTS ignored her and proceeded to saunter after their prime target.

"Sonia... goddamnit... we need to stick together… We can't leave." She said, dropping her gun to hold her arm and plopped to the muddy, wet ground with a groan.

Sonia had probably saved her life, but she was now off running around by herself. It made Annie feel angry deep inside that Sonia would go off on her own like that when she was expressly told what she needed to do.

She hoped that Sonia knew what she was doing because she feared that the mission would get far worse if she didn't.

…

…

Robotnik sat on his throne and was in complete disbelief. Half of his monitors were nothing but static. The wretched rodents had succeeded in destroying one of his central power facilities, and it was all thanks to the incompetence of that weaselly little worm of a nephew.

"ORACLE status report!" He barked. His seething anger unfixable at this point.

"The northern power facility has been completely obliterated, as were several city blocks. SWATBOTS confronted the three assailants, but it is undermined at this time whether or not they were exterminated." She started.

"The eastern power facility is currently under assault by another group of Freedom Fighters. They were attempting to hack and force a reactor meltdown." She finished.

Robotnik sat up. "Put everything you have into protecting the facility, ORACLE! It must not fall!" He was in a panic for the first time in a long, long while.

"Negative, your excellency. It is already too late. My every attempt to lock out the hacking was thwarted. They are using an advanced A.I. construct that easily breaks through any protection that I put up." She said.

"THEY WHAT!?" Robotnik roared. He could not believe his ears. Did he, of all people, lose? It couldn't be… He wouldn't allow it.

"Sir, there is…." ORACLE started to speak.

"SHUT UP, ORACLE!" He screamed and started sifting through different cameras in the eastern power facility to view.

He stopped on one of them and stared daggers at it. He could see him now, that little rodent standing in his control room. The royal garb, it was unmistakable, and it sent Robotnik into a frenzy.

"ORACLE... There is nothing you can do to stop me from losing my precious power facility? Is there?" He asked with a low, threatening tone.

"No, your majesty. I tried everything I could to block them from gaining access, but they now have control of the power core, and it has already reached its maximum power capacity." She responded.

"ORACLE… The rodent will pay for this… no matter what. I will make sure he doesn't taste this victory. I want every door in that facility on complete lockdown, and I want you to send all of the energy you have in excess to the point of connection of his little A.I.." Robotnik said.

He was determined to get something out of this, and what better prize to take than the life of young royalty.

"Your majesty, sending a power surge utilizing my own energy puts me at risk for…." She started.

"I DON'T CARE ORACLE! DO AS YOU ARE TOLD THIS INSTANT, OR YOU WILL HAVE MORE TO WORRY ABOUT THAN JUST SURGE DAMAGE!" Robotnik boomed, acting crazy and unhinged.

He was frothing at the mouth and didn't care about anything at this point except for some sense of victory.

"As you command… Your Excellency..." ORACLE said distantly.

…

"We did it, Nicole!" Max felt excited watching the central command console display a warning text.

Nicole was in the process of unlocking all the doors of the facility, and at this rate, they could just walk out and be done with this place.

"We did, didn't we?" Nicole said in a way uncharacteristic of her usual self. It seemed as though the excellent feeling was contagious even to her.

The room started to have power fluctuations as the lights on the various machinery began to dim repeatedly. At first, Max thought it was because of them overloading the core, but it seemed to be affecting Nicole as well.

"Hm?" He stared at Nicole.

"I-v.j" Nicole's speech came out awkward and nonsensical when she tried to speak once again. The lights on the computers dimmed, and Nicole began to smoke slightly.

"Nicole! Are you ok!? What's going on!?" Max asked in a panic over the sudden change in atmosphere and Nicole's burning.

He could see sparks coming from her but was wise enough not to try and grab her this time. The loud sound of a slam was heard behind him, and he turned briefly to see the door to the room shut. The lock panel turned from a green to a red, and it was apparent that it had been sealed with a new lock code.

Max ignored it for now and pulled his blade from its sheath. He had to help Nicole; he couldn't lose her.

"Hang on, Nicole!" He came forward with the intent to pry her free with the blade, but an extensive series of sparks stopped him in his tracks. He could see her frying, and then suddenly an explosion took place. It sent her rocketing from the area she had been connected to, and pieces of her frame and body were sent flying.

"Nicole!" Max screamed as if he'd just seen a friend get severely hurt.

He ran over to where she had landed on the floor. Her outer case was heavily damaged, and her connectors were utterly destroyed. Her screen was cracked and blacked out. He couldn't believe it. What had just happened?

His eyes glanced up from Nicole's remains, and he could see the warning on the dim monitor begin to flash.

He realized it was almost at the boiling point. Glancing back at the door, the realization struck him like a sack of bricks. Without Nicole, how was he to free himself from the room, let alone the facility itself?

Max looked left then right and knew of no way he could open it. He bent down on his knees and started to pick Nicole up. She was unresponsive, and he feared her wholly destroyed.

"Speak to me, Nicole! Damnit! I need you!" He yelled, pushing the buttons on her tiny keyboard.

The sound of static could be heard suddenly echoing through the room, and it caused him to stop what he was doing.

Max placed Nicole back onto the floor and looked up at the source of the sound. On the corner of the wall was a box intercom, and he was confident that it came from there.

"Well, Well. Enjoying yourself rodent?" A dark, threatening, and evil tone came fourth.

"Wh-who?" Max stammered in response to the voice.

"I am just dropping by to congratulate you on your hard-fought victory... I must say I underestimated what a rat was capable of, and indeed you have set back my plans quite a bit. However, I want you to know this… I will emerge the victor, and you, my dear rat, will die." The voice sounded almost as if it were in ecstasy delivering that news.

"Y- you can't stop me!" Max yelled furiously upon realizing it had to be Robotnik. "I'll stop you no matter what you do!"

"Oh, well, I am sure that you would, but I can see you right now, and let me just say. Your death will make an excellent home movie for my collection. HahaHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Robotnik's laughter echoed tauntingly through the room.

Max stood up, realizing he had to find a way out. He moved over to the console and checked the damage done by Nicole's explosion. The screen was intact, but the buttons and connectors were all destroyed.

"Shit!" He cried.

WARNING: CORE POWER EXCEEDING SAFE MAXIMUM LEVELS.

I REPEAT.

CORE POWER EXCEEDING SAFE MAXIMUM LEVELS.

MELTDOWN IMMINENT.

A siren started blaring throughout the entire facility, and the voice of the female emergency broadcast system droned loudly.

"Wh-… What do I do!" Max could feel his heart pick up speed.

Nicole was out, and he had several layers of thick steel between himself and freedom from this room.

WARNING: CORE POWER EXCEEDING SAFE MAXIMUM LEVELS.

APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES UNTIL CORE MELTDOWN.

ALL PERSONNEL, PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND EVACUATE IN A SAFE AND ORDERLY FASHION.

Max took his blade and lunged towards the locked door, jamming it into the crevasse where the door met the wall to pry it open. He made it a little way in, but even with all the strength he had, the door wouldn't budge.

WARNING: CORE POWER EXCEEDING SAFE MAXIMUM LEVELS.

APPROXIMATELY FOUR MINUTES UNTIL CORE MELTDOWN.

ALL PERSONNEL, PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND EVACUATE IN A SAFE AND ORDERLY FASHION.

The alarm rang out into the city as Annie was huddled up by the container. She had taken the first aid from her satchel and was applying it to her arm. She pulled the bandages with her teeth and pinned the cloth to herself tightly.

The alarm was so loud that not much else could be heard above it, making Annie extremely nervous.

How long would this take exactly?

She stood up from her spot and looked at the entrance. It was tightly sealed, and there was no sign of Max, even though he successfully triggered the meltdown.

She stood up and started to pace back and forth as the alarm rang loudly. Seconds passed, and every one that ticked by made her heart skip a beat.

"Sonia, where the hell are you!?" She stomped her boot in the mud.

She wasn't fast, but if Sonia were here, she could put her into the vent and have her get him.

WARNING: CORE POWER EXCEEDING SAFE MAXIMUM LEVELS.

APPROXIMATELY THREE MINUTES UNTIL CORE MELTDOWN.

ALL PERSONNEL, PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND EVACUATE IN A SAFE AND ORDERLY FASHION.

Annie couldn't handle it. Where was Max? This wasn't right. None of it was supposed to go this way. She stared up at the vent, and she knew time was ticking down.

She moved back a little bit and got a running start. As soon as she was under the vent, she used all the force her bunny legs could gather to spring herself off the ground. Her fingertips barely touching the bottom of the vent, and she landed on her feet with a thud.

"No… I won't let this happen!" She cried.

She was sweaty and breathless right now. She got another running start and once again leaped as hard as she was able.

Her hands grasped the vent, and she was immediately greeted with searing pain shooting through her arm. She was holding on and dangling off the ground, but the wound had been torn open once again, and the bandage became soaked with crimson.

"Ahhh… rrr…" Annie whimpered as she refused to let go, even with tears stinging her eyes from the agony.

She tried to pull herself up into the vent with all the strength in her upper body, but the violent shaking coupled with the pain was just too much for her, and she fell to the ground with a painful thud.

"Ohh…!" She groaned and rolled onto her side.

She stood up once again and gritted her teeth, then limped back and once again tried to get a running start.

She faltered while she ran and leaped as if her life depended on it. With luck, she barely grabbed onto the vent with her fingers, but the rain made it so slippery that she immediately lost hold and plummeted to the ground with a smack.

Annie lay there on the ground in disbelief. Staring up at the smog while the rain hit her in the face.

If only Sonia hadn't run off. They could've…

The alarm kept blaring as it drowned out the sound of rain and thunder.

WARNING: CORE POWER EXCEEDING SAFE MAXIMUM LEVELS.

APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES UNTIL CORE MELTDOWN.

ALL PERSONNEL, PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND EVACUATE IN A SAFE AND ORDERLY FASHION.

…

Sonia's little excursion had taken her clear across the city, and she was leading the SWATBOTS on a wild hedgehog chase. She'd been running complete circles around the mass of robots, corralling them into as big an area as she possibly could so that she could deliver her first coup de grace to the mindless mob.

The SWATBOTS tried their hardest to hit her with stun shots, to incapacitate her, but she proved too fast for any of them. She was tired and aching from the continuous run, but she knew that this was all worth it. She skidded to a halt and turned to face the robots from a safe distance.

"HEDGEHOG PRIORITY ONE!"

They incessantly droned the entire time she had led them astray.

"I've had about enough of you! It's time to end this!" She said, filled with righteous fury.

Her hand reached into the backpack, and without delay, she pulled the ring out and held it high above her head.

"The power…" She said as she felt it course through her once again.

Without hesitation, she ran forward; the force of her feet was knocking around debris and solid metal as if it were thin paper. She charged the SWATBOTS head-on and could see every move and every laser that came her way. The world was as if it were in slow motion while she moved at her average speed.

"Ahhhhhh!" She screamed. Balling her hands into fists and letting the sheer force of her running do all the work.

The SWATBOTS didn't even know how to act as she mercilessly ran in between them and around them.

The bots tried to shoot her but wound up hitting each other in the crossfire. The ones she got near were knocked off their feet or into walls and objects with such force that they exploded on impact.

The army of SWATBOTS that had once threatened her friend was now like tiny ants to be crushed beneath her mighty shoes.

When their numbers had dwindled, she blasted forward to hunt down any stragglers. "No mercy for them." She thought, as each time she found one, she would attack it with such power that it had no choice but to be destroyed.

When everything had settled and her power high wore off. She was left standing surrounded by piles of SWATBOT parts, and her breath was labored.

"No… no time to rest…. Sonia." She berated herself while bending over to catch her breath.

Her hands were rested on her knees, and she was struggling to stabilize. She knew that she had gone far, and she didn't have time to waste like this.

After a few seconds, Sonia forced herself to start jogging, and within a few more seconds, she was off running once again. Tiredness couldn't stop her; She had to make it back and see if Annie was alright.

"Hang on, Annie. I'm coming back to help." She thought to herself as she struggled to run at fast speeds due to her exhaustion.

…

…

The area was dark, and the only light source was that of the small console that sat in the center of the tiny room. Snively was placed in front of it, and he had a smaller portable computer connected to it.

He stared blankly at the screen as he watched the progress bar creep up to 100 percent. It wouldn't be long now. He would finally be able to escape this nightmare forever.

He looked over at the top half of the screen and could see the video feed that Robotnik was currently enjoying.

The display showed a young boy frantically trying to hack his way out of a hopeless situation.

The bar hit 100 percent, and it disappeared from sight. Snively glanced back and saw the stacked furniture barricading the door. He knew Robotnik wasn't going to take this lying down, and he knew that SWATBOTS had already been dispensed after him.

He started to rise, and he disconnected the small portable computer from the center console. He was about to begin packing it into a bag he had lying on the floor, but he found it difficult to take his eyes off the panicking squirrel.

For some reason, of all the things Robotnik had done recently, this one disgusted him the most. He knew this wasn't about winning anymore but about Robotnik living his sick fantasies out.

Snively was sure this boy's final moments would be played over and over again in a loop for all eternity.

He sighed and started to type on the keyboard. He didn't know why he wasted precious seconds with this, but he felt almost compelled to.

After a second, the information for the power facility came up. The meltdown timer was displayed on the screen and ticking down. It was under a minute at this point, and he knew there was no saving him. Even if he unlocked every door, he knew the boy could never get away from the blast radius on foot.

Snively shook his head. He would not give his uncle the satisfaction...

The guilt he felt was intense, and at risk to himself, he started typing in commands rapidly. The sweat was falling off of his head and onto the keyboard. He began to hear the banging at his door and knew that finally, they had come for him.

"Snively!" ORACLE hissed. "Stop what you are doing!" She said in an amalgamation of twisted and conflicted.

Snively ignored her and hit the enter key. He could see on the video feed that his commands had worked, and a solid metal door on the wall was starting to rise behind the boy.

"Die in peace…." Snively said, turning away from the console.

He grabbed the portable computer and shuffled it into his bag. He could hear the banging, and then he could see the sparks flying into the room as the SWATBOTS began cutting through his solid steel locks.

"Snively, you fool! You should hav…." ORACLE started to say but was abruptly cut off by Snively firing his pistol at the console, destroying it one beautiful explosion.

"I'm done being manipulated by you, ORACLE." He said.

With that, he zipped the bag and ran off to the back of the small room.

BAM!

….

BAM!

….

SMASH!

The door flung open with ease as his pile of furniture toppled over effortlessly against the weight of the machines.

The SWATBOTS entered and scanned the area but detected nothing. Snively was utterly gone, and the room was left empty, save for the broken flaming console and a pile of dirty laundry.

…

WARNING: MELTDOWN TIMER WILL BEGIN IN APPROXIMATELY TEN SECONDS.

The loud siren and flashing red lights endlessly assaulted the senses as Max furiously chopped away at the door. There were deep scratches, but he was nowhere close to ever getting through.

He was scared out of his mind and regretting his decision to do this. He was drenched in sweat and shaking while knowing deep in his heart this was it.

Max turned away from the door as if resigning himself to fate, but the opening in the wall caught his eye. It had not been there before, and upon quick inspection, he could see a dark square hole.

WARNING: T-MINUS 30 SECONDS UNTIL CORE MELTDOWN.

What should he do? He didn't even know where that led to. He was indeed scared, but what choice did he have?

29….

28….

27….

He panicked and ran over to the hole. Upon reaching it, he stared down into the darkness. It had no seeable bottom, and he wondered if it was just a straight drop to death.

25…

24…

23…

There was no time… he knew he had to jump. It was better than the inevitable end of the explosion, and he genuinely found himself more afraid of certain death than an unknown fate. He placed his foot over the blackness but stopped before he could take the plunge.

17….

16….

"Nicole!" He cried out; he couldn't leave her there. He wouldn't.

15….

Max ran over to Nicole's place on the floor; her screen was still dead, but the green light next to it indicated some functionality. He hurriedly grabbed her and ran back to the hole.

9….

8….

Without hesitation, he threw himself into the hole and, after several feet drop. His boots connected hard to metal, and he twisted his ankle badly from the drop. "Ah!" He cried.

Immediately, he started to slide down a steep incline. He dropped the sword he was holding in his right hand, and it made a clanging sound that eventually traveled away from him.

He was disoriented due to the complete blackness, but he could tell that he was rapidly descending at breakneck speeds.

He was in some smooth metal shaft… Down, down, down he went. Bouncing ever so slightly and bashing into the rigid steel walls that surrounded him. He grasped Nicole tightly, his left hand, and pushed her against his chest.

BOOM!

The sudden loudness of the explosion was ear-splitting, and everything went mute for Max. The shaft rumbled as it felt like it was tearing apart, and he started to tumble in all sorts of directions.

His head smacked into the ceiling of the shaft, almost knocking him out cold, and he tried to put his arms up to protect his face from even more damage.

Everything going on around him was so chaotic that he couldn't make sense of anything. Up was down. Down was up, and he didn't even have the luxury of rationalizing his continued existence. He looked down at where he thought his boots were located, and it was apparent now that a fiery glow was following him to his destination into the unknown.

He smacked into the side of the closed chute once more, and it jostled Nicole from his grip. She was sent sailing into the darkness, and he could do nothing to save her or himself. He flew for a second, and he now realized that he was no longer touching anything but merely gliding at rocket-like speeds through the air.

SMACK!

He smashed into the stop wall of the drop chute, which was slanted downward. He hit it with such force that he wailed out in excruciating pain.

"Ahhh!. N-!."

Knowing he could do nothing but endure the ride given to him. He was flung out of the chute, and at last, he could tell he had reached the end of his journey.

He was flying, like a bird or some kind of angel. He could see the bright orange light that was chasing him in his disorienting descent of blackness.

With but a thought, he recognized it was fire funneling down the shaft. It came out like the burst of a flamethrower, and it licked his boots as if trying to devour him in midair.

Max opened his mouth, but it was for naught. His screams of fear, agony, and surprise were muted. He fell into the unknown. To a place of unparalleled darkness… Where the sun could never shine.

Falling…

Falling…

Falling…

Until his form was swallowed whole by the endless expanse of the abyss.

…

…

…

…

Hours passed, and the forest was still and quiet. The rumbles of thunder and the flashes of lightning were hardly noticed. The world seemed so different after what had just happened, so crushing. Was this what victory was supposed to taste like? If so, it was bitter and tough to swallow.

Annie thought hard while she limped to the rendezvous point alone. Her body ached, and she held her arm that kept bleeding out through the bandage.

The satchel was barely slung over her as she forced her exhausted body to move through the forest. She was extremely late, but who could blame her? She was torn up and filled with many unstable emotions right now.

Thunder rumbled louder, and she looked off into the distance. The walls of trees, bushes, and shrubs making it hard for her to see great distances.

She put one boot in front of the other and ever so slowly made progress. She trudged through the mud, determined to get to her destination before she fell over from exhaustion.

She walked through a patch of bushes and pushed out into an opening. There, she could see the splashing of the lake of rings as it was pounded by the hard rain.

She looked around, slightly disoriented and confused. Wasn't this the place? She scanned the area slowly but could see nobody else.

"Annie!"

She could hear a familiar voice call out to her. She turned her gaze all the way to the right and discovered Sonia standing under a giant tree.

She immediately started to move towards Annie and stopped just a few feet away from her. Sonia had a giant smile on her face, and it was clear she was ecstatic to see her there.

Annie stared at Sonia and was immediately hit with a fiery burning. Under any reasonable circumstance, she would be thrilled to see her, but under this circumstance… she was filled with relentless rage.

Just seeing Sonia standing there with a giant grin on her face was more than Annie could handle.

Annie said nothing and just slowly limped her way to Sonia. The girls' eyes locked with one another's, and Sonia moved forward to her out of concern.

"Annie, a-are ya ok? I was worried about you. I came back to find you guys at the facility, but it was already too late when I got there… I'm sorry I couldn't get back to see the place go up with ya." She said a mix of nervous and cheerful.

Annie now stood in front of Sonia, and she could see the anger on the older girl's face.

Annie abruptly grabbed onto Sonia's vest, and her rage took over. She was fighting every urge she had in her body not to sock her in the face.

Even though Sonia now looked scared, and her grin had disappeared. Annie still felt disgusted, and this was probably the first time in her life she could say she hated somebody she knew.

Sonia grabbed onto Annie's wrist to try and pull her off her vest, but her grip was so tight that it seemed impossible.

"Annie, please… I'm sorry! We… I made a mistake... ok? Please… We need to g-go back. I've waited here for hours, and you're the only one that showed up."

It was clear that Sonia was terrified of more than just Annie. Not a single person but her had made it back here, and it was as if Sonia were in denial.

Annie's hands were shaking. She was grabbing her vest so hard. She was not in her right mind at present, and she felt as if Sonia were unforgivable at this point. Rotor and her parents weren't here, and while that had shaken her to the core, she knew Max had been obliterated.

Annie pulled Sonia forward until they were in one another's face.

"It's all your fault…." She said. Her voice was low, and the tone sounded like the pain of somebody almost crying.

"My fault?" Sonia said with a confused look, and then she glanced around at the surroundings.

The only person standing here was Annie… no adults, and no Max. It was now crystal clear to her what was being inferred, and reality was starting to crash down on her with incredible force.

Annie's words pierced Sonia's brain like a high-power laser, and Annie could see her blank, broken expression. She released her grasping hands from Sonia's vest and stood there watching as she stumbled a little bit on her own feet.

Annie knew now that Sonia understood, and while she had initially come for bloody retribution, she had received an abundance of remorse instead.

"Sonia… Ifdhg ifhs…" Annie said.

The world around Sonia started to melt, and words that were spoken to her just became nothing more than garbled nonsense.

She dropped to the ground, and her hands rested on the springy, soaked grass. Images of her dear brother started coming to her mind, and she grabbed at it, ripping it from the ground.

She could feel it now… the world-shattering grief that would scar the heart permanently. Every good memory she could recall with him only served to plunge the dagger deeper into her already shattered soul. Her tears started to fall slowly, and then they turned to whimpers, then sobbing.

"Brother!" Sonia wailed like a banshee into the early morning storm. "I love you! Please! Brother!" She begged, and she pleaded, but there was no solace.

Annie's own shattered heart filled with despair, and she was crushed with every sob.

The poor broken girl on the ground was crying in a way she didn't think possible. She stared at the fractured, wailing thirteen-year-old and was destroyed when she realized she was the cause of this.

"I hate myself." Annie thought, as she dropped to her knees and rubbed her face with her hands

Sonia cried there like a broken mess on the ground, and it seemed like she was in a whole different world. It didn't matter either way what happened now, because no matter what the future was to bring Sonia. She could never forget the words that had been spoken to her.

"It's all your fault."

The two of them sat alone and destroyed… just waiting for somebody to come and save them from their emptiness, but as the light of day turned into the darkness of night.

They realized that nobody was coming for them.

Wrap Up: Lots of work, I really did enjoy this story at one point lol.