Taking up the Mantle Chapter 20: No Going Back, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

Authors Note. I am going to break this author's note up into sections. Just skip to the ones you are interested in hearing about or skip it all if you don't care.

I have a decent amount to say after a year.

Warning: This chapter contains a lot of T-rated violence, sexual themes, and implicit traumatic/terrible events with a certain character.

I only feel the need to state this, because I don't want any guff over the serious nature of it. (It is all written in a parental-guidance older teen way.)

This is for those that need trigger warnings. Now, with that said, it is written with my typical skill level and tact, so you can expect it to have a point and not be gratuitous for its own sake.

Comments About Story. This is an extremely long chapter with a ton of extensive work put into it.

I am delighted with the portrayal of Max and Annie's sexual, emotional, and romantic awkwardness. I find it as adorable as I do realistic for teenagers faced with new, strong, and volatile emotions that switch hard and frequently.

I also love what I did with the beginning of the chapter, it is unique, and was fun to write.

The story is heavily action-focused with much T-rated violence, so if action is your thing, you should enjoy this.

I make no apologies for things done to Tails and my characters in this chapter.

Other Work That Has Been Done. I, as well as writing this have taken the liberty to re-read, re-edit, and fix every major error, as well as add minor things that I had completed, but never implemented. (I am looking at you chapter 3.) Overall, it is much easier to read and enjoy, but does not require re-reading at all to those that are already here.

Myself and Future of Story. It has been over a year since my last update to this, and I struggled with whether I would be honest about the reasons why.

I am a private person who doesn't like to complain or inconvenience people with my problems, but I suppose I will state it so there is an understanding between us.

The long story short is after my mother died, I was diagnosed with retinal disease. A condition that can cause permanent blindness.

Blood began filling my eyes, and I lost over 50 percent of vision in my right eye. I became slower because of the physical pain reading, and writing caused me.

I have been going to treatments for the past two years, which involve needles being stuck into my eyes every few weeks, but sometimes blood still leaks into them and blinds me.

So, the point being, I wrote this 24 000-word chapter, read, edited, re-edited, and uploaded it with severe eye strain, eye bleeding, and half-blind in one eye.

This has slowed me down, but I said there is no hiatus for this story, and should I start heading downhill, I will at least post an outline revealing the plot as I intended it.

As for now, I am doing well and have been offered surgery on my right eye, though I am not sure if I will take it yet. The voice-to-text program I got has alleviated a lot of pain, so I am thankful for its existence, even if it is not perfect.

As I recover, I will end by saying that I intend to pick up speed, but I do not know when that end of the tunnel will be. In good news, I have already started chapter 21, so, ya… I keep on going no matter what… as I said.

Editor's Note: If you ask me, it was worth the wait. Despite the time it takes, the effort is tremendous, even if I still catch a few errors here and there, much like here.

Without further ado, please enjoy the half-blind writing that I did for you.

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.

No Going Back.

"!?"

With shock and awe, Lupe caught a glimpse of one of the sword-wielding robots taking a swing at her.

She tried to move, but it struck her outstretched hand, severing every finger used to drag the unconscious Tails along.

Lupe stumbled back, her mind too slow to process the pain, and she merely stared at his mother as he looked down, about ready to cry.

"But… I wanted to play with dad today…."

Sally gave Max a gentle smile and hugged him tightly, running her soft hand through his hair to offer comfort.

"I'm sorry, honey, but he has already left to help Sonia get the hang of running around."

Max was angered and upset, pushing his mother away and then running out the hut door to sulk. He was nothing but a slo-mo, and she was excited to see that there were other animals around.

Lupe reached out her hand to accept the offered cube with thankfulness. The prospect of supplies indeed was a blessing. Allies were hard to find and keep with the war going so poorly.

She reached out his hand to take off his clothes, throwing them into a pile next to Annie's. Max gently dipped himself into the cool, refreshing water while watching Annie's nude form swim.

Max floated over to her, happy that they ditched chores to spend the day swimming. Annie grinned at him when he got close, and neither thought one another's body peculiar enough to comment.

She pushed her hand forward along the top of the lake to send water splashing his way, and with a laugh, he returned fire.

Their puerile giggling filled the empty area, and eventually, Annie spoke to him.

"So, your birthday is comin' up… You know what ya' wanna' do now that you're turnin' 11?"

"I know… I can make it…." Lupe gritted her teeth.

As soon as she reached the center cave, she hastily used the cloth set there for sitting to wrap her bleeding wound and Tails' head.

Lupe realized they needed heat and light, but she staggered as she approached the pit. She fell just before reaching it, finding her strength lost from all the exhilaration.

Without ever setting a warm fire, she shut her eyes, and the world began to fade away, leaving nothing but the darkness to overshadow the both of them.

…

"Lupe?"

…

"Hm?" Max said.

…

"Lupe, are you ok?"

…

"Yeah… I am fine," Max responded to the disembodied voice.

…

"Max…"

…

He heard a feminine voice and looked down at his own nude form in a state of confusion.

…

"I'm, Max?" He asked.

…

He glanced around himself and saw nothing but an endless void. His mind sorting out memories and feelings that may or may not be his.

…

"Max?" The feminine voice called again.

…

"What…? Who…? Who are you?"

…

There was a brief pause, and then the voice spoke again, but this time he recognized it to be "Annie's."

"Don't you recognize me?" Her voice echoed throughout the endless expanse.

Max looked around in search of her but then stopped after remembering he had no clothes on.

"…!?"

Where confusion had once been, now was embarrassment.

Though he knew not where he was, he quickly hid his private area from sight.

…

"Max…" He heard Annie's voice gently call from directly behind him.

He hesitated, then slowly turned towards where he now heard her.

The minute he laid eyes on her. He was shocked to see she was just as naked as he. Her womanly body presented bare for him without shame.

"Annie?" Max choked out in a mix of fear and excitement.

…

"Why do you resist me?" She asked.

"Ann… I… don't understand?" Max said, continuing to hold his hands over himself.

She moved forward until her face was mere inches from his, and he swore he could feel her hot breath.

"You aren't ignorant of me… I know you know… Know how much I want you. You feel it, you've thought about it, you've lusted over it."

Max could barely take it in, and he looked away from her nudity. "I… I thought about that… maybe sometimes… but…."

"But nothing Max!" Her voice became loud and forceful, prompting him to turn to look at her again.

She was glaring at him, and she placed her hands against his furry chest, after which she moved in and kissed his mouth.

"Mmmm…"

…

"Ann…" Max said when she eventually removed her lips, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

She stepped back, then looked down and to the side after a brief moment.

…

"This isn't meant to be, is it?" She stated sadly.

…

Max stepped forward, but even though he tried to walk towards her, she seemed to always be out of his grasp.

"I… don't say that Ann… I do think of you like that… I really do." He said as if allowing himself to feel it fully without guilt or shame for the first time.

…

"You've killed me…." She responded.

"Killed?" Max said, becoming sorrowful and angry.

"You're lying. I-I would never!"

Annie ignored him, merely dropping her naked form to the floor of the abyss and hiding herself from his gaze.

"I used to be the one that was closest to you, but now you've found another… So, I leave you, leave you in my sorrow, for I am forever worthless."

Max stepped forward again, but Annie's form began to fade, fade slowly from the plane of existence.

Her presence was so real that he wasn't sure if this was actually occurring.

Max looked around at the empty blackness in all its loneliness and couldn't help but ponder Annie's words.

As he thought about it more, he kept finding nothing but confusion.

…

"Someone else?"

…

"Who…?"

His words came out in a low whisper, but just as quickly as he uttered them. He heard a menacingly low growl and resounding voice echo from the point beyond where Annie once bared herself before him.

"Me…"

When Max squinted to look, all he could see were glowing red lights shining through the darkness.

The voice was unmistakable, and the beginning laughter struck fear into him.

With a step towards Max, the form and visage of Robotnik stood before him. Scrutinizing him in his vulnerability.

"What are you doing here!?" Max became fearfully enraged, but it only elicited mere laughter from his foe.

"Why, dear rodent, I am always here."

…

"Here when you sleep…."

"Here when you eat…."

"Here when you fantasize…."

"I am your life, and you would do well to remember that."

Max stopped hiding himself and held up his metal hand to point towards the tyrant. "The hell I am, I will eviscerate you, you fat pig!"

Robotnik placed his own metal hand across his black heart and put on a frown. "Why, you wound me, dear boy…."

…

"Friends, lovers, family. They all die, they all leave…."

…

"But you, you and I… We are together forever…."

…

"Ugh…"

Max's blurry vision slowly began to focus when his eyes opened. They stayed fixated on a small puddle of blood that was beside his face.

He heard banging on the bathroom door, but he was too out of it to respond immediately. Eventually, he heard Annie's voice call through.

"Max! Are you ok…? You were late to meet up, and when I entered to check up on you, I found blood on the floor…."

She banged again, and Max put his hand to his aching head, trying to get his bearings.

"Max, if you don't open up, I am going to kick this door off its hinges!"

Max could hear the fear in Annie's voice, and he let out a loud cough, after which he managed to speak.

"I… don't… don't worry Ann… I… I ended up popping my stitches by accident and bled on the floor."

Annie stopped banging, and then Max grabbed hold of the sink.

He used the strength of his artificial arm to pull himself up to a weak standing position, then looked at the hell that was his face in the mirror.

Blood was matted everywhere on his lower face. Even some was in his neckfur.

He had fallen into a sideways position while unconscious, so, fortunately, most of it leaked into a puddle rather than his clothes and chest.

"Do you need me to get help?" He heard Annie fearfully say.

"N-No, Ann… I am fine… I, just wait for me while I clean up the wound."

Max, as quickly as he was able to, turned on the shower and then threw two of his clean towels in it to soak them. After that, he picked them up.

He threw one of them on the floor and began mopping up the mess with his boot. He used the other soaked towel on his face, violently scrubbing as hard as he could.

After several minutes, he managed to clean up the floor and tossed the blood-drenched towel into a lidded bin in the corner.

When he looked in the mirror again, he saw that he got most of the blood out and then ran a comb roughly through it to get rid of the matts.

Once he was relatively satisfied, he chucked the other blood-covered towel into the bin and let out a sigh.

"Are you still there, Ann?" He called through the door.

"Yes," Annie responded.

Max kicked the shower off and unlatched the door. Immediately upon opening it, Annie sprung to her feet from the bed to scrutinize him.

After getting a clear look, she stood wide-eyed at Max's dirty, broken appearance. "Max… What the fuck happened to you? You look like shit!"

The second Max laid eyes on her. He felt his heart pound and averted his gaze. He felt ashamed of the things he'd dreamed.

She came over and touched him, which made him flinch slightly.

"Sorry, Ann…" He said in an almost distant way, not really sure if he was apologizing for how he looked or his recent intimate thoughts of her body.

Annie shook her head and tried to fix his coat. She was exceedingly worried about Max. Not solely because of how unkempt he was, but his unwillingness to care for himself at all any longer.

"Max… I dunno' if we should do this…." She began in a sweet tone.

Max glanced at her briefly, and he felt hot. His gaze kept going to her pretty face but inevitably found its way to her petite, athletic body.

Once he saw the red on her cheeks, he now knew that she caught him looking at her chest.

"…"

She shuffled slightly and seemed to want to say something, but Max just cast his gaze on the floor and stared at the brown leather glove that lay atop it.

"Max… I…" She started but trailed off.

Max eventually reached down and picked the glove up to pretend he was doing something and slid it on.

After that, he decided to answer the statement she made before his prurient thoughts took over.

"I… I'm doing this, Ann… I don't care what you do… but I have to."

Annie stared at him and then at the dried blood on the arm of his once beautiful jacket.

After a moment of staring, she eventually spoke up.

"Alright… Here. I got the map from Nicole, so all we need to do is follow it."

Max moved forward, and she reached out to hand him the piece of paper. He took a glance at it, then simply nodded.

"Are you ready to go then?"

Annie had a bad feeling about this, but she reluctantly picked up the rifle she'd taken from Tails and slung it over her shoulder.

"Yep…"

"Good…" Max stated halfheartedly, then pushed himself tiredly past her and out into the darkness of the morning.

"…"

Annie just sighed and adjusted her supply bag. After which, she ran out to catch him before he got too far.

"Max…" She said quietly as she came next to him.

Max looked at her with a blank expression, then felt even more embarrassment about how he was viewing her as of late.

Eventually, he gave her an "out of it" answer.

"Hm?"

Annie had enough, and she grabbed his trashed coat roughly and forced him to look at her. "What's going on, Max? What's happened to you?"

Max stared at her lovely face that glowed in the last of the moonlight and then shook his head.

"I'm sorry… I just… haven't felt like myself lately…."

Annie stared at his broken expression and then shook her head. "Look… I get it, Max… When I thought everyone was dead… I let myself go too. I am not blaming you. I'm just scared for you."

Her earnest words made his heart race, and she grabbed hold of him, pressing her chest against his. He felt a fire, and without thinking, he slid his hands gently up her back, which surprised her.

"!?"

His touch was firm and masculine, yet entirely more intimate than any previous hug they'd shared.

It made her feel nervous inside, but she kept herself in the embrace, and they stared at one another awkwardly.

"…"

She didn't care how he looked, only that it was him touching her.

"…"

Max breathed out, recalling her nakedness, and silently slid himself off of her. "Sorry… I… Just, you know…."

Annie averted her gaze and then slid her hand into his.

"Yeah… I know…"

With that, she pulled him roughly off into the woods. Leading him along like that day they were in Robotropolis so many months ago.

Neither said anything for a time until Annie justified the action. "Need to keep together… It… It is really dark… and I know how that makes you feel."

Max offered no response, but he could feel her using her thumb to rub the top of his hand while they walked.

It gave them both pleasure, but neither was addressing that part of it verbally.

They walked through the forest for over an hour silently. Eventually stopping by an old tree on the outskirts of Robotropolis.

"Well, here we are…." Annie said, emboldened, letting go of Max's hand for the first time since they left Knothole.

Max was relatively quiet and then took out the map Annie had handed him. "It looks like if we keep to the forest for a while, we can make it to the storage facility hassle-free."

"I like the sound of that," Annie said casually.

She seemed ready for the mission, but honestly, was far more interested in exploring their strange behavior and newfound comfort with one another.

Max moved over to her, and she smiled brightly when he stood before her.

After a bit of hesitation, he spoke to her. "Thanks… for making me feel better… you know… in the dark."

Despite the sun starting to turn the sky pink with light, she shook her head and then grabbed hold of his hand again.

"Max, don't worry about it. I've been with you this whole time. I'll help you through it."

Max squeezed her hand appreciatively, and without words, the two were back off into the woods, on their way to their destination.

…

As the morning was on the horizon. Tails found that he couldn't walk any longer. He was slumping over, and Illa was doing most of the walking for both of them.

Inevitably, he fell, and that was when Illa called out to Seth.

"Sir. Seth. I do not believe he can go any further… We should rest for a minute."

Seth stopped and eyed Tails. When Tails looked back at him weakly, he raised his hand.

"Attention… All knights. I want a defensive formation around the perimeter. After ten minutes, we move on."

His personal entourage spread out and created a safe place for them to rest for a moment. Tails was set gently down to the ground by Illa, and Seth walked over, then stared down at him.

When Tails looked up, he could see that Seth was offering him water with his outstretched hand. He grabbed hold of the canteen and quickly began to chug it.

"Ugh… Thanks…" Tails said, wiping his mouth.

"Just keep your thanks to yourself… I haven't the time for it." Seth stated bluntly and turned away to eye the forest.

"I'll speak how I please, and I am saying thank you for helping me. I am sure it pained you to be asked by Cream, or… whoever to come to get me." Tails retorted.

Seth smirked a bit and placed his hands on his belt. "Nobody sent me… I am here on my own… as for the dumb rabbit, I wouldn't be surprised if she's been hung already."

Tails became upset and just shook his head. "Why do you always say and do terrible things…? I get that you hate Cream, but…."

"Enough." Seth became annoyed and interrupted him.

"Everyone hates Cream. She doesn't belong. She's never belonged."

There was a void of silence now, and eventually, Tails spoke up one more time. "Well… If nobody sent you, why are you here saving people you hate?"

Seth opened his mouth but stopped when one of his knights gave a hand signal.

"Well…?" Tails continued but was quickly silenced by Seth, who shoved his hand over his mouth.

"Quiet, you idiot…."

"…"

The knights were on high alert, and their weapons were at the ready. The movement was detected east, but nobody had been seen.

Tails grabbed onto Seth's hand and removed it from his maw, after which, he whispered. "Be careful… There are things out here that can go invisible."

Seth glanced down at Tails, then waived Illa over.

Once she bent down next to Tails, he issued orders.

"I want you to guard the fox… If the tide of a skirmish goes south, take him and run."

Illa merely saluted quietly and placed herself beside Tails.

At this point, Tails realized he was the most important person here.

Even above Seth.

It seemed odd, but he'd heard the words come out of the ram's very mouth.

"…"

After the stillness, Seth raised his attention upwards and then quietly pointed.

"…"

Tails didn't understand at first, but as he squinted, he could make the faint outline of distortion against the backdrop of the morning sunrise on one of the branches.

Tails said nothing, as it was apparent that it was surveying them.

Seth averted his gaze and acted as if he hadn't seen anything.

He removed himself from the cover of trees with fearlessness and acted casually. "It seems it is nothing… Perhaps we should move on…."

When he had all of his guard's attention, they looked at him, and he subtly pointed upward, which made them all glance towards the trees.

Two of them with crossbows went low and remained hidden within the bushes, as their flank was guarded by animals with heavy armor.

Tails held on to Illa while she made herself ready to move at a moment's notice. After that, Seth drew his rapier, then quickly pointed towards the distortion and yelled.

"Fire!"

Crossbow bolts flew from different directions in the dim forest at the perceived target. To their surprise, sparks and small explosions started emitting from the area.

As the seconds passed, the machine began to decloak, and it spoke its loud, impossible to comprehend garble.

"%^$%#%$#^%!"

With that, a bolt struck its visor, and it grabbed onto its head. Seconds later, the entire head of the machine exploded, and the rest of it fell out of the tree.

Almost immediately, blue began shimmering all around them, like a hoard of wraiths coming to collect the souls of the living.

They mercilessly began their assault and in far greater numbers than expected.

"By the royals!"

"Fuck!"

An explosion occurred as one of the machines fired and nearly obliterated one of the heavy knights.

Illa ducked lower to avoid stray fire, dragging Tails closer to her.

Seth took to the trees and could see blades of pure, blue light advancing towards him.

"What the hell is this!?" He yelled as his knights began to get slaughtered.

Cries of pain echoed out into the morning as their thick, reinforced armor provided no protection against the pure heated energy of their weaponry.

Tails breathed deep, knowing he couldn't even arm a crossbow to help.

Illa now had her blade drawn at the ready beside him in wait.

The knights fought back, but at least five men were taken in kind for every robot they managed to destroy.

Seth came out from the tree and used his speed with the rapier to go around their weaponry.

"Die, wretched bastard!"

As nimble as the machines were, Tails could see that Seth was well trained and accurate.

"Look out!" Illa yelled as a knight beside her had his arm wholly severed.

"Ahhhh!"

The knight cried out and then was grabbed by the throat and dragged into bushes by the machine.

"Help… me… PLEASE!" He cried out in between choking sounds.

The screams and cries were too much, and even Illa was becoming unnerved. Knights began throwing their weapons to the ground, some even running in terror.

"You fucking COWARDS!" Seth screamed as one of the Riflebots took aim at him.

"Look out!" Tails shouted.

As soon as the shot was taken, Seth rolled to the ground, but the explosion sent him tumbling along it and forcefully into a tree.

Illa's eyes frantically darted about at all the glowing blue around her, and she quickly yanked Tails roughly.

"On your feet!"

Tails felt horrible over what was occurring, and even as he ran by Seth on the ground, he felt like he was scum for hightailing it.

Illa turned, and laser fire came. Explosions nearly made the two fall, and a swath of blue assertively pursued them.

"Shit!" Illa cried as she tried to lug Tails along.

"Just go!" Tails said and tried to let go of her.

Illa refused to let go of him, and instead, as the blue drew nearer, she pushed Tails as hard as she could into thick brush.

"Hide!"

Tails fell backward, and it hurt like hell, but as soon as he tried to move, he heard Illa scream in terror and agony.

"Ahh! No! AHHH!"

Tails kept low, and he felt tears forming in his eyes. He was so useless, and now he feared what would come next.

As their mechanical steps clattered all around him, he felt that he would inevitably be found.

…

A moment passed, and he peered out into the brightening woods. A good number of the knights seemed to be alive, but they were wailing as they suffered; many of them were missing limbs and bleeding out.

The robots systematically began gathering them all and seemed to be unaware of Tails for the time being.

Tails could see Seth stirring not too far away, but there was no sign of Illa anywhere, save for the blood and sword she'd left behind.

In a moment, Seth regained composure and brought himself to his feet with the help of his weapon and the tree. The sea of blue visors turned to him, and he gripped the hilt tightly.

"The last one left… So be it!"

Seth let out a cry and ran forward into certain death.

Tails was shocked at how fierce he and his mental fortitude were.

One.

Two.

Three.

Robots came to apprehend him, but he dispatched every one of them.

"I am the son of Sir. Lex Brinwald, you WILL bow down before my might!"

When the whole army of machines stopped their tasks, they slowly closed in on him. Now surrounded on all sides, he backed away.

Tails couldn't take this anymore, though he knew he was told to escape. He simply couldn't.

He pushed himself up from the bushes to stand, then he yelled at the top of his lungs, exposing himself.

"DROP YOUR WEAPON!"

Seth glared at Tails for not escaping, and he merely made a quick jab, taking another robot down.

"I will NEVER surrender!"

Tails knew that he had to stop this, so he grabbed Illa's bloody sword that had been dropped, then foolishly took to the sky, heading to Seth.

A sword strike came towards Seth, then two, then three…

He might have dodged them all but was out of room. Now backed against a tree, the robots stabbed at him, cutting and burning a small portion of flesh on Seth's shoulder.

"AH!" Seth cried out.

Tails hovered above, grasping the sword, and as Seth turned his attention to his assailant. The swordbot raised its weapon to dispatch Seth.

The minute the robot swung, Tails dropped in front of it and knocked the powerful weapon from its grasp using Illa's blade.

With the energy blade gone, Tails outstretched his wounded hand on instinct but was confused when the robot continued its empty-handed swing.

As its empty hand hurtled towards Tails, the arm transmogrified, and within seconds, became a razor-sharp blade that brutally cut through the top of his hand.

"Ahhhh! FUCK!" Tails screeched as he watched the blade land between his middle and pointer finger, traveling its way deep into the palm of his hand, stopping before the wrist.

Blood began gushing out, and it was a pain Tails had never known before. One so grand that it brought him to his knees, and he dropped his sword.

The robot left it in Tails' palm and stared at him intensely.

PROCESSING….

ANALYZING THREAT….

MILES PROWER…

PRIORITY TARGET…. POSITIVE.

STATUS… THREAT MINORLY WOUNDED. PRESERVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

The robot pulled the blade out of Tails' sliced-up hand. Then began to chatter.

"%^$%^^&%."

Tails cried out again as he held his shaking wrist due his suffering. Eventually, he was grabbed by the throat and dragged off into the woods while Seth watched.

"Ugh, ch!" He choked, fighting for dear life, as his blood smeared all over the white robot.

Seth stood there surrounded, but rather than continue, he simply threw his rapier and raised his hands to show his surrender.

The robot merely stared at him and contemplated.

PROCESSING….

ANALYZING THREAT….

UNKNOWN…

PRIORITY TARGET…. NEGATIVE.

STATUS… COMPLIANT, DISPLAYING A HIGH LEVEL OF COMBAT SKILL. TAKE FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS.

…

Once the robot had made up its mind, it raised its mechanical hand and slapped Seth across the face with such force that blood shot out of his nose and mouth.

Seth hit the ground, and his feet were grabbed. Callously, they began dragging him by his feet along the forest and through the brush.

He simply lay there and refused to make a sound, feeling that the physical pain he had was nothing compared to the pain of surrendering like a coward.

…

Rather quickly, he was brought out into an opening, and there was a ship of some kind now sitting before him.

He was dropped next to Tails, and when he shifted his head, he could see all the wounded and dying soldiers of his troop.

Those that weren't were the ones that surrendered or fled. They just stood there, looking mortified over their capture.

The robots began pushing those standing along, and as they marched by Seth, he began to scream and spit blood at them.

"You fucking cowards! You've disgraced yourselves!"

They all hung their heads low, and when they at last disappeared. The robots began loading the wounded by hand.

Dragging their groaning, crying bodies along the ground, leaving behind trails of blood as they did so.

Tails was in shock and merely stared at the gushing split between his middle and index finger.

His hand required some serious help, and he heaved in the air to control the pain he was in.

After some time of trying and failing, he took his eyes off the wound and glanced about to try and take his mind off of it.

Seth looked pissed while he sat there, and as Tails watched the robots now carry the wounded soldiers into the ship. He really did wonder why…

They'd be useless as workerbots.

Inevitably, Tails saw Illa being dragged along the blood-soaked ground after some time. One of her arms was wholly severed at the elbow, and she was bleeding so profusely she was unconscious.

"Illa!" Seth cried.

It was the first time since Tails had known him that he showed empathetic animal emotion.

"On… On your feet, soldier! Illa!" Seth tried again, but she merely disappeared into the darkness of the ship.

The sight and Seth's cries were so heartbreaking that Tails turned away and tried not to cry himself.

Eventually, once the ship had been loaded, one of the robots came and forced a neural scanner onto Seth.

He tried to fight back, but a kick or two to the stomach quickly subdued him.

Tails was hoisted up and dragged forcibly onto the ship with the dying. Eventually, Seth joined him, and then the robots took their places.

Seth just glared daggers at the men still standing, and none of them could bring themselves to look back.

"…"

Now that everyone was settled in, the horrific moans of the wounded intensified, for the robots went to work using their heated weapons to cauterize their wounds to preserve them long enough for whatever malevolent deeds would be enacted.

As Tails stared at the ship's wall, vainly trying to ignore the traumatic events unfolding, he felt it beginning to lift off from the ground.

As they flew quickly, the pain in his hand was starting to subside… Not because it wasn't there, but because he now realized that this was it.

He was going to finally meet with Robotnik face to face…

"…"

…

Max and Annie walked silently in the morning light. Despite everything having complete visibility, they still held one another's hand.

Both were too eager not to break it but too shy to address it openly. The implication was both elating and distracting to the task at hand.

Eventually, Max stopped to look at the Map, and Annie finally removed her hand from his. She scratched the back of her head while he went over what was written.

Annie's heart throbbed, and her stomach tingled more than ever. When she glanced back at Max, she contemplated spilling her guts here and now…

It felt like the right time, though she was still ever hesitant. As she started to mentally chastise herself, Max walked forward and waved his hand for her to follow.

When she snapped out of her thoughts, she pulled her gun from her shoulder and turned the valve to activate the weapon.

When their boots connected with the destroyed road of Robotropolis. They began to feel that same hesitancy the first time they went alone.

After a few moments of walking, Max stood in front of a giant building. It looked run down and in disrepair, but according to the paper… This was indeed the place.

Annie raised the rifle to her eye to aim down the sights and then glanced around at her surroundings.

"So… How do we get in?"

Max eyed the door and simply walked over to the grimy keypad that was lit next to it.

Remembering what Snively had said, he began to punch in the code.

"E-1214"

Once the input was entered, a beep was heard from the number pad, turning it green.

After Max smiled back at Annie, he opened the door and peered into the darkness.

"I… uh… you have a light…?" Max asked in a hushed tone.

Annie lowered her gun and walked over to him. Once she held the rifle in one hand, she opened her supply pouch and pulled out a tiny emergency flashlight.

"Here."

Max looked happy, and after taking it, he complimented her. "Thanks, Ann… You're the best."

Annie felt her cheeks get hot again and grinned from behind him, after which, she followed him into the old storage area.

The place was dark and full of dust, but clear footprints were on the floor. Max flashed the light and followed them down a set of steps with Annie in tow.

From their size, he could tell that it was likely Workerbots that had traveled through, and he found that to be less threatening than other things he was aware of.

Once they reached the bottom hallway, lights were illuminating the pathway onward. Max quietly handed the flashlight back to Annie and then looked around for anything suspicious.

As he stared, Max began feeling his head ache. Though he tried to ignore it, it was causing him to recall garbled images in his mind.

Some he recognized, others he didn't. Fights of old, mixed with the terror of his own experiences.

He placed his hand on the hilt of his blade as he took point, and he could feel confidence that hadn't been there before.

Annie put the flashlight away and held the rifle up, keeping an eye on their back.

"How far do we have to go?" She asked.

"According to the map, the holding area for the crystals is on this level, though it says there should be SWATBOTS stationed here… I… weirdly, it is so quiet." He responded tiredly.

Annie merely nodded and glanced back at him. She could tell he was suffering a lot, but she wasn't sure from what. When she turned her head back, she spoke again.

"How you feelin'?"

Max walked through a door frame and into another long hallway. "I… as good as I can be… I have given what you said to me earlier some thought…."

Annie turned to face him and then walked next to him in a straight line.

"And?"

Max rested his hand from his sword and looked at her as they walked. "I'll take better care of myself and my appearance when we return."

Annie smiled and nodded. "Good… Cuz, you need a shower…."

Max blinked, feeling ashamed, but she just brushed her arm up against him. "Though, it doesn't bother me, really… Just take your time."

Max smiled a bit and then checked the map.

"Alright, so… Only about 10 or so minutes of walking should get us there."

Annie nodded once more, and the two traveled onwards towards their destination. Despite reluctance and uncertainty, they found this task to be beyond easy…

…

Almost too easy.

…

"Sir…" ORACLE spoke in her typical robotic tone.

Robotnik wiped his sweaty brow and glanced at the camera.

"Yes, ORACLE? What have you to report?"

"The pickup was successful, and gifts one and two were secured, as well as the troop that dropped gift two off. I have sent the wounded off to be roboticized then categorized. The unwounded have been sent to be roboticized and will join the workforce on project FIRESTORM." She said.

Robotnik smiled and patted his belly excitedly. "Oh, yes, that is good news, ORACLE… Very good indeed."

He laughed a bit and then pointed to the monitor. "Put the most important capture info on the screen."

"As you command, Your Highness…." She responded.

With that, the screen came on and displayed a wall of text.

"1/3

Name: Severa Sinclair.

Birth Place: Not Registered.

Age: Born on Day 208, 3229 (18)

Skill Query: Speaks multiple languages, expansive knowledge of Mobian history.

Recommendation: Roboticize for the workforce."

Robotnik nodded to himself and pressed a button to continue.

"2/3

Name: Seth William Brinwald

Birth Place: Mobotropolis General Hospital.

Age: Born on Day 44, 3223 (24)

Skill Query: Exceptional combat skill. Distinct fighting style.

Recommendation: Extract combat data for utilization."

…

Robotnik thought for a moment, then spoke.

"ORACLE? Was this one of the gift-givers that was captured?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Should I adhere to the usual protocol?" ORACLE responded.

Robotnik shook his head. "No… I am rather curious… Is he intact?"

"He has only suffered minor damage and appears unharmed beyond that."

Robotnik nodded. "Bring him to me… I've not spoken to one of my pet rats in such a long time. I think it is appropriate we… 'catch up.'"

"Yes, Your Excellency…"

Robotnik moved to the next screen, and his eyes lit up a bit when he reached the final page.

"3/3

WARNING: Priority Target. Possibly connected to Knothole and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Name: Miles "Tails" Prower.

Birth Place: Mobotropolis General Hospital.

Age: Born on Day 297, 3225 (22)

Skill Query: Extremely high IQ, knowledgeable in machines and technology.

Recommendation: Defer to Lord Robotnik."

Robotnik was practically drooling and placed both his hands on the console.

"Ohoho! How fortuitous is this day to be? Follow protocol on all other useless animals, bring 'Miles' and 'Seth' to me…." He commanded with elation.

"Yes… Your Majesty…" ORACLE trailed off uncharacteristically.

…

Max and Annie's wandering continued on until, at last, they had reached the sector that was written on the map. At first, Max seemed confused, and it wasn't until Annie glanced at the paper she understood why.

The door and room that should be located there appeared to be missing, and instead, was nothing but an enormous pit of debris collapsed into a giant sinkhole.

"What the hell?" Annie remarked as she used her flashlight and began peering into it.

Max was quiet, but as he scanned the area, he noticed that a large piece of the wall that led to the outside had collapsed. Beyond that was nothing but immense destruction.

"I… I think the blast from our previous mission damaged the area severely…." Max said practically under his breath.

Annie glanced back at him and then peeked her head a bit further into the hole.

"I… It looks like this area has already been cleared… I can see a pathway on the lower floor." She informed him.

"Then we have no other choice but to press on," Max said while he crumpled up Nicole's map and shoved it into his coat pocket.

Max moved over the crumbling debris and then quietly brought himself towards the hole's edge. He grabbed hold of some exposed rebar using his metal digits and slowly lowered himself further into it.

Annie used the flashlight so that he could see, and once he realized it wasn't that far of a drop. He let go and landed on his boots with a thud.

The dust that had kicked up made it hazy, but with a few waves of his right hand, he was able to see the dimness of red lights dotting the darkened tunnel.

"I am coming down…." Annie informed him, and with caution, she lowered herself into the hole as Max did before her.

Without saying much, Max grabbed hold of her frame with his metal arm and gently lowered her down with him.

Annie was embarrassed by the gesture but decided to continue along with not addressing it. Sliding her free hand up and rubbing her arm sheepishly before saying anything.

"Thanks…"

With the two now confronted with the new passageway, Annie raised her flashlight and could see that there was still more damage to the structure of the area, making this a somewhat dangerous place to venture into.

Max took the lead without considering its hazardousness, and Annie felt her own fear beginning to rise within her.

"I… Are you sure this is a good idea, Max?"

He glanced back, and then he turned his body to face her. "We have come this far; we need to keep going."

Annie found herself unable to justify her cowardly nature all of a sudden, but her thoughts on how to do so were cut short when Max grabbed ahold of her hand as she had done to him earlier.

"C'mon…" He said gently.

Annie felt excitement return and then allowed herself to be whisked along into the foreboding hallway. These feelings of joy were so strong they practically numbed her of physical fear and robbed her of most logical thought.

"…"

Through the darkness, guided by what appeared to be red emergency lights and a small flashlight. The two made it past an open iron door and into another deep descent of metal steps.

The commotion of flowing, splashing water and the unknown sound of rough bombastic slamming created a startling cacophony that raised both of their tension.

"What the fuck is that?" Annie said, trying to keep her panic hidden and her voice low.

"I dunno… It seems like this place is in shambles." Max whispered back.

BAM!

The same frightening slam echoed down below them, like the metal footsteps of a giant traipsing about these forgotten halls.

The two were hesitant and fearful but nevertheless moved their way past the bottom of the rusted steps into the ankle-deep water.

Pipes from all around the destroyed area were leaking or gushing water, and both Max and Annie were getting quite wet from merely walking along the flooded path.

BAM!

The loud slam stopped them in their tracks, and they pressed themselves against the nearest wall. Around the corner was where the sound was coming from, and neither of them wanted to be caught off guard by whatever it was.

"…"

Annie unslung her rifle again, and Max quietly nodded, drawing his blade so that he could protect her while she checked.

With a quiet motion, she pulled out a roll of medical tape from her bag and began to fasten the flashlight 3/4ths up the barrel. After she was done, she returned the tape and then readied the rifle in her arms.

BAM!

The obnoxious sound came again and almost made them jump. Was it getting closer? Neither knew, and neither wanted to wait around to find out.

Annie nimbly glanced around the corner and pointed her rifle in the direction the sound had come from. At first, she stood frozen, and her motionlessness worried Max.

"What do you see?" He whispered as he kept his eyes on her back.

Annie lowered her rifle a bit and let out a laugh. "See for yourself…."

BAM!

The sound echoed again, but Annie just casually walked out into the open. When Max rounded the corner to join her, he saw a giant mechanical door struggling to close and then slamming itself against the steel floor with incredible force.

"Geez…" Max murmured, noticing that there were scatterings of workerbot parts around the area.

It seemed that the door had a protective purpose but was exceedingly dangerous in its current condition.

Annie pointed the gun down the hall to lighten the already partially lit emergency system.

Without any more hesitation, the two carelessly moved forward. Their eyes fixated on the door rather than anything else.

BAM!

The door came down again, now infinitely louder that they stood in front of it. Max quietly walked forward and put his metal hand underneath it, making Annie speak.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?"

Max didn't answer, and as soon as the door came down, his fingers grasped at the bottom. Annie could tell he was struggling to keep it from slamming down even with his immense strength.

Eventually, though, with enough force, Max was able to push it entirely up and hold it steady.

Once he was satisfied that he had a sturdy grip on it, he turned his head to Annie and smiled. "After you, M'lady."

Annie laughed a bit, and it almost felt like old times in the glade for once. She quietly went through the door, after which Max stepped entirely through to the other side and let it go.

Once he did, the two expected it to slam shut but were surprised when it stayed locked up at the top as it was probably supposed to.

"Well, that is convenient…." Annie said.

Max turned to look to the side and noticed that the room had a central console. Aside from that was a barred door resembling a prison cell.

Beyond it were crates of supplies haphazardly thrown in, and as Annie and Max stared, they began to realize this was likely what they had come here for.

"This has to be it!" Annie said jovially.

Max walked up to the bars and attempted to pull and bend them but found that the door was reinforced, likely to prevent Freedom Fighters like Bunnie from having an easy time.

"…"

"The console!" Annie said as she turned Max's attention to the computer.

Max quickly looked over the machine and then spoke to Annie. "Watch my back while I work on this…."

"Right…" Annie responded, keeping her gaze on the narrow doorway. Her gun was held ready if something was to come and interfere with their task.

The tapping of the keys ensued, along with beeping from the screen. In her quiet surveying of the narrow hall before her, Annie began to lose focus.

Her mind kept switching to Max, and the possibility that their newfound unspoken intimacy was a tacit sign to try and push it further.

She'd have used him as a means to explore her sexuality in private, but now that she knew she "loved" him, she felt that action might be the best way to show it, given her speech always failed her when the time came.

"…"

"Hey, Max…?" She said softly and lowered her gun slightly.

Max was busy tapping away and didn't stop to fully acknowledge her. "Yes, Ann?"

"Uhm…" She paused, feeling the heated embarrassment again, but then merely took in a breath to continue. "I was thinkin'… Maybe after we are done here, we can reconnect like old times…."

What she said made him stop typing and then glance back at her. He could see the rose on her cheeks and the nervous smile.

The only word for it was adorable, but unfortunately, she would turn her head away towards the ground as soon as he laid eyes on her.

"I… What do you mean?" Max asked in a higher-pitched voice before clearing his throat.

"I… well… What I mean to say is, uhm…." Max continued to try and talk but trailed off, realizing that he didn't even know what to say.

"I… How bout' you come to spend the night in my hut tonight…? Can be like old times when we were younger." Annie's voice squeaked a bit but then finished more casually.

Max felt himself sweating from the implication, and he quietly turned around to stare blankly at the keys on the console again.

"I'd love that…." He eventually responded. "Can tell stories while I lay on the floor and have snacks…."

Annie shifted her boots on the ground and raised her gun back towards the hallway behind them.

"Well, it is getting colder out… So, I wouldn't make you sleep on the floor…." Annie coyly stated, wondering if he would read between the lines.

Max pressed down on one of the keys and then paused, wondering if he heard her correctly or if perhaps this entire mission had been a fever dream. It sure felt like an out-of-body experience, given the intensity of his emotions.

He kept quiet and continued going through the menus on the computer screen until, eventually, he gathered enough courage to take her implicit invitation.

"I... It's a date…." He said.

Annie smiled from ear to ear, and it was becoming apparent they were and had been operating on the same wavelength since Radcliff.

This bolstered her confidence somewhat, in that tonight, she might possibly bring her romantic fantasies to reality.

…

Tails sat numbly on the ground as the rest of the ship's contents were unloaded. Quite a few of the animals had expired from their wounds before even making it to Robotropolis, and the ones that still lived were hauled off to God knows where.

The agonizing physical pain he was in paled in comparison to the emotional anguish being inflicted, and as the intact soldiers were led away, likely to be roboticized, he realized that it was just himself and Seth left.

The robots traipsed about them in number, and when they finally came for him. Tails had no will or energy left to fight. They violently grabbed hold and probed his hand wounds with the heated weapon, eliciting horrific screams.

When they finished stopping the majority of the severe bleeding. He was pulled by his head fur to his feet with barely another whimper and then pushed forward roughly by a Swordbot.

Seth attempted to be belligerent and fight back, but he was smacked around like a rag doll every time he did.

Inevitably, when he was leaking fresh blood out of his mouth and beaten enough times, he ceased his protests and kept himself quiet.

Tails was led through the dark corridors of a Robotropolis complex, and even he, with all his experience, found this to be unnerving. He had no tricks left to escape, and he had to wonder just exactly what was next for him.

Seth was walking alongside Tails, and he didn't utter a sound, choosing instead to hang his head low.

Tails wasn't sure if his dejected look was from the shame of being captured or the fact that he had lost most of his soldiers to fear and violence.

After several minutes of walking, the two were pushed into a small room, and the Swordbot escorting them pointed towards the wall.

"$%$# #^!"

With reluctance, the two lined themselves up against it and stared at a machine fixed in the center of the room. It appeared to be a chair with many locking straps. Above it was one of those helmets.

The same contraption he kept seeing over and over again.

The neural scanner…

Aside the machine were many monitors affixed to a dented, shoddy console, and it seemed that Robotnik had lost his temper in this room on more than one occasion.

Still, he already surmised that the scanner was to be used on them, probably at a much greater length than ever before.

As Tails thought about it, he was beginning to comprehend its use more adequately and realized that the contraption was likely used to extract more than just basic information, as was his first notion.

Unfortunately, any information was harmful to give to Robotnik, but Tails was in a unique position in that he knew everything about the last remnants of the most essential Freedom Fighter operation.

"…"

When the Swordbot shifted, Tails' thoughts were broken, and he pressed himself as tightly against the wall as he could when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Seth seemed to be on alert and merely rubbed some of the dried blood that had crusted onto his semi-long goatee-style chinfur.

"Well… Well… Well… Look what we have here?" Robotnik's voice boomed as he entered the room.

Tails and Seth stared face to face with the red-eyed monster, and neither could find the courage to answer. Even someone as arrogant and brash as Seth remained quiet.

"Oh, well, don't worry about answering… I will get everything I need from the both of you regardless of what you do." Robotnik let out a chuckle and flipped the switch on the center machine.

As it powered on, Robotnik went up to the console and began typing things into the computer, after which he spoke to it.

"ORACLE, boot up interrogation protocol. Once done, I expect a thorough report after your analysis."

"As you command, Your Royal Highness…." ORACLE responded in her monotonous voice.

Tails felt strange hearing the voice, it made him as uneasy as it made him sad, and he had to wonder if the A.I. had any emotional capacity similar to Nicole.

Once the startup process was done, Robotnik turned to his captives and put his hands behind his back.

There was a devious and gleeful smile about his face, and as he brought his head in closer, Tails could smell his rancid breath.

"…"

"Miles?"

"…"

Tails said nothing at first, but as Robotnik moved his head in closer and their eyes met, he felt a need to try and be brave in the face of unknown horrors.

"Yes… I am Miles…." He said in an ashamed and quiet whisper.

"Oh, so you do talk, little rat? I have to say… I expected the silent treatment, but perhaps you are not as stupid as your kin… Or your beloved Hedgehog."

Tails saw his expression change to rage, and his eyes flared up at the mere mention of Sonic, then Robotnik lifted his metal hand and thrust it into the wall as hard as he could by Tails' head.

BANG!

"I already know all about you! So, I am only going to ask you once!" Robotnik shouted before trailing off into a seething low tone.

"Where is Knothole…?"

Tails struggled against succumbing to the pressure, as he felt Robotnik's spit hit him in the face, and in that brief moment, he decided that he needed to try something, anything, to save the last remnants of his family.

"I… I wouldn't know… I left there long ago…" Tails lied and called Robotnik's bluff, despite feeling it futile.

Robotnik smirked and pulled his head back along with his fist. Leaving behind a massive dent in the steel wall by Tails.

"So, you wish to play games? Very well…" Robotnik began, but Tails spoke again before he could turn his attention away.

"It's true, my companion Seth and I are defectors and guerrilla soldiers. We operate by ourselves and try to sabotage your operations… After you defeated Sonic, I saw little reason in staying with the group."

Robotnik eyed Seth, who confidently spoke, much to Tails' surprise.

"It's true. We are defectors from our homes. We figured as a small unit with little ties, we could cause great damage to your operations."

Robotnik seemed perplexed and then placed his hand to his chin. It was as if he thought they might be the ones committing the operations that Uncle Chuck did.

Tails had hoped for this by taking credit for Chuck's work, so he leaned into it further.

"Hacking, explosives, spying… We do it all just to spite you."

Robotnik stared intently at the two and then spoke. "ORACLE, process all data on Miles Prower, any instances of previous data extraction, I wish you to reiterate for the room."

Tails held his breath, and Seth remained emotionless, but when no response came from ORACLE, Robotnik seemed further annoyed than when he entered.

"ORACLE? Did you not hear me?"

"…"

Robotnik became furious and walked away towards the console. "I will not tell you again, ORACLE… Process my request, and do it now! You hunk of trash!"

"There… There are no previous records on Miles Prower, outside of the preliminary info taken today." ORACLE eventually stated though it seemed the A.I.'s speech was labored.

Tails' heart was racing, and Robotnik slammed his fist on the already battered console. "Then I guess we will just have to get all the data we need… Right now!"

Robotnik stomped his way over to Tails and roughly grabbed him by his throat, eliciting a gagging sound from him, and then choked gasps. After that, he threw him down into the chair and began to shackle him to it tightly.

Robotnik made extra sure to handle his hand-wound roughly and didn't seem to care that blood was leaking out onto the machine.

"AH!" Tails cried, much to Robotnik's delight.

After a few moments, the straps were in place and were so tight that they were cutting off circulation to his extremities.

With Tails now rooted in place, Robotnik seemed ever gleeful to begin catching him in his lies. It would be a definite excuse to unleash misery upon him for his insolence.

Tails took in a deep breath and attempted to clear his mind in what little time he had. He knew there was almost no chance of hiding his secrets, but with limited options, sometimes one just had to do the first thing they could think of.

As the helmet was smashed onto him roughly, he began to think over and over again about the lies he'd told. Hoping in some vain way that it would protect him from the inevitable.

"Proceed, ORACLE!" Robotnik barked.

"Indexing and beginning scan…."

…

25%

…

75%

…

"Interrogation complete…"

"Indexing information…"

Robotnik stared at the console screen as Tails watched fearfully. He now understood fully that it was the ORACLE itself that could read the data of one's mind… Such a complex program defied knowledge that even he had.

"Well, ORACLE?" Robotnik groaned impatiently as he crossed his arms.

"…"

"ORACLE!?" Robotnik shouted again, annoyed with its slow response time today.

"I… Miles Prower…"

Robotnik kicked the console in anger and placed his hands on the keyboard while letting out an exasperated sigh.

…

"Miles Prower data is fully analyzed… Attempted deception detected."

Robotnik turned to Tails menacingly upon hearing the news, and Tails lowered his head.

"Data indicates he is truthful about his guerilla warfare, sabotage, and having no connection to Knothole at the present time. However, his deception lies in that he has no relation to Seth Brinwald as he claims."

Tails was floored, and he looked back up in shock, unsure of how his gamble had paid off. As his heart rate settled, he thought up the possibility that her A.I. was not functioning correctly, given the amount of abuse her console had seen in this room…

A clearly befuddled Robotnik began to sweat profusely, turned his attention to Seth, and then walked over. "So, you think you can deceive me?"

Seth was silent for a moment, then spoke with an air of confidence. Even if it were just bravado, it sounded convincing.

"It is true, we are not the closest brethren as we claimed, but we serve under the banner of the Acorn royal family together."

Tails was upset, if not outright disgusted, to hear him claim himself an alley of Knothole and the Acorn lineage.

Still, he allowed the lie to continue uninterrupted as Robotnik's mannerisms went from confused frustration to outright rage.

Robotnik glared as his eyes lit up, then he grabbed Seth by the neck and slammed him against the wall with force.

"Then WHY were you attempting to DROP the fox off to me!? I KNOW who and what you are, so do NOT play stupid with me!"

Seth gasped and struggled but refused to answer while Robotnik choked him violently. Tails watched on, fearful and helpless, as the horrid strangulation became more intense.

"Do you HEAR me, mongrel!?" Robotnik screamed, and Seth gagged until his body eventually went limp during the choking.

Robotnik kept him lifted off the ground and continued to suffocate him. Seemingly using him as a means to release his newfound stress.

Eventually, Tails could not take any more, and with resignation, he shouted at Robotnik against his better judgment.

"OK! You've proven your POINT! Stop!"

Robotnik lifted his head, and it was as if he was pulled out of a madness, after which he let go of Seth's lifeless body.

With quickness, Seth collapsed forward onto the steel floor. On the way down, he struck his head on the side of the machine Tails was strapped to.

With Robotnik's attention now on Tails, he stood over him and balled his hands into fists. "So… You think you can talk out of turn to me…?"

Tails said nothing, and Robotnik came in closer. "I asked you a question? Do you think you can talk out of turn to your lord, your God…? Robotnik."

Tails felt fear, and as he opened his mouth to try and speak, he was punched directly in the mouth by Robotnik's fat, meaty fist.

"Ah!"

"DO YOU RAT!? DO YOU THINK YOU CAN!?"

Tails winced as another punch connected with his left eye. With no way to shield his face, he was at the complete mercy of the blows.

"Rrrr!" Tails growled in an attempt to weather the torture that was beginning.

Robotnik smiled and grabbed hold of Tails' face, smashing his cheeks together while blood lightly leaked out the front of his nose.

Staring directly at one another, Robotnik seemed to be thinking hard, and as if a light went off in his head, his expression changed.

"You… I recognize you fully now… It is all coming back to me… Yes, you are the little brat that used to run around with that blue rat… Of course… It has been so many years since you thought it fun to laugh at my expense."

Tails struggled and then started to shake when instead of raising his fist, Robotnik raised his metal hand.

"Yes, I think you deserve something extra special… You might not know about Knothole as I'd hoped, but you will certainly pay for your part in the crimes it has committed against me!" Robotnik's menacing voice growled.

Tails shut his eyes as he knew what was coming next, and at the very least, he wanted to try to protect his eyes, if he could at all.

SMACK!

CRACK!

Tails felt the total weight of the blow across his face, accompanied by a sickening crack and incredible pain that radiated from his muzzle throughout his entire face.

When he opened his eyes, blood was running profusely out of his nose onto his fur, and he was utterly disoriented and dizzy.

"Ugh…"

Barely able to get his bearings, Tails' head dropped, and he felt as if he might pass out.

"Ahh mmm…" He agonized.

As he tried to remain conscious, he started to notice a strange disoriented beeping sound. He wasn't sure what was causing it, but it was clear to him, at the very least, that Robotnik was no longer beating him senseless.

Beep…

Tails oriented himself, then lifted his head and sucked some blood back up his broken nose. With a bit of focus, his dizziness lowered, and he could make out Robotnik standing in front of the console as a beeping light was sounding off.

"ORACLE? Why are you interrupting me? This had better be important…."

"Sir… It has come to my attention that one of our storage facilities has been breached…."

"WHAT!? WHICH ONE!?" Robotnik roared, then bent over, and the sweat dripped off his bald head onto the screen below.

"One not connected to FIRESTORM at all… I suspect that it is some sort of spy, or recon mission, as only two Freedom Fighters were detected."

Now fully regaining his wits, Tails watched as Robotnik's stress increased. He wasn't exactly sure what was happening out there, but in a way, he was happy it stopped him from getting his teeth knocked out.

"ORACLE, display surveillance of the moment of the breach!" Robotnik barked.

"As you command, Your Grace…."

Within seconds, the monitor flashed on and displayed an old camera that depicted Max and Annie conversing. Though there was no sound, it was apparent they were planning something.

Tails' eyes widened at the sight of the two of them, and he couldn't help but feel terrified.

"What are you two doing here!?" He thought, unable to even feel the joy that they were safe from Radcliff.

Max was seen walking out of view as the footage continued, and Annie held up one of Tails' rifles towards the barred entrance.

"Goddamnit Annie… I hope you know how dangerous that thing is in closed quarters…." Tails continued to worry more for them than himself now.

As she backed away, a flash of light was seen, and an explosion occurred. Not long after the smoke and dust had cleared, both were seen scrambling into the once locked area together.

Tails winced as Robotnik began repeatedly banging on the console, so much, in fact. Several of the screens cracked, and buttons went flying.

"HOW!? HOW IS IT THAT RAT STILL LIVES!?" Robotnik screamed louder than ever before.

ORACLE didn't respond, but Robotnik was near his breaking point. With so much going on that he had to attend to himself, he found that he had little time to enjoy anything any longer.

The room was quiet, and then Robotnik lifted his head up to stare at Max in a paused frame of the video.

"…"

"ORACLE?"

"Yes, Your Highness…" She responded.

"Are there any MK-II units in the area?" He asked.

"Yes, Your Highness, one MK-Infiltrator is near the facility."

"Send it in after them immediately! Pull additional MK-II units from the closest areas to assist."

"Yes, Your Majesty." She acknowledged.

"I am heading over there myself, ready the experimental MK-II model." Robotnik finished.

"I… Are you…?" ORACLE began but was cut off.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself! I will personally deal with this problem once and for all, so there are no further surprises." Robotnik thundered in exasperation.

"I… If you are going there yourself, what are the orders for the MK-II units sent in?" ORACLE asked.

Robotnik grinned deviously and then spoke. "Bring me that rabbit's head, but cut the legs off of the royal rat, and have him brought before me bowing, to beg for mercy…."

"Sir…?" ORACLE said in a strangely confused manner.

Robotnik stood up straight, ignoring ORACLE, and glared down at Tails. "Lock them away in a cell with the other until I return. I will deal with my 'guests' when I get back…."

"As you command… Your Royal Highness…" ORACLE eventually trailed off.

Once the commands were given, the MK-II SWATBOT came and unfastened Tails from the chair, after which another came in and dragged Seth away into the darkness of the hall.

Now on his feet and in unbelievable pain, the robot pushed Tails forward. At this time, even in his damaged state, he ultimately recognized that Robotnik was not acting logically and instead, following his intense emotions into uncertain territory.

If Max and Annie had come this far, he hoped they had the strength to endure. Because in dire times like these, once the damage was done, there was no fixing it after the fact.

…

Max threw the lid off another wooden crate and began sweeping the crystals into his pockets. Along the other side, Annie was ushering fistfuls of them into her bag and even tossing some of her own supplies to the floor to make more room.

Both were working quickly, assuming the commotion of their "last resort" had alerted at least something to their location. Still, since they'd gone through the effort, why settle for just one crystal?

Annie pulled out the pistol from her bag and looked at it, then scooped the last bit of crystals she could stuff into the container.

She thought for a moment about dropping the weapon, but she knew it might come in handy if things got bad. With a turn of the dial, she put the pistol's power all the way to max and then stuffed it in her belt loop against her lower back.

Finally, when she was satisfied with its placement, Annie pulled the strap on her stuffed-up bag to seal it and ran over to Max.

Max was taking a particularly large crystal into his right hand. After briefly examining its near-perfect shape, he stuffed it into his half-full coat pocket.

"This looks good! We should move our asses now." Annie commented, picking up her rifle set on one of the closed crates to shine light into the room.

Max nodded and exited with her into the next room. Both were full of excitement, glee, and adrenalin, even as they reached the malfunctioning door that now barred their exit.

The blast from Annie's rifle had caused it to slam shut, and so Max stepped forward to try and use his strength to open it.

He began by attempting to dig his fingers in the small crack towards the bottom but found it challenging.

With slow caution, he jammed the tips of his metal digits into the bottom of the heavy steel door, and eventually, was able to slide them fully underneath of it.

Max used the leverage he had to pry it up from the ground, and all the while, it fought against him. Taking well over a minute to make the bottom part big enough for an animal to slip through.

Annie watched while Max kept his hand in place and then carefully slid himself through the narrow opening to the other side.

Quietly, he let the door drop slightly, then turned around and raised himself to a crouching position. After that, he struggled to pull the door back up, then steadied it as it applied immense force downward.

"C'mon, hurry up and slip through… I got it." Max said to her.

Annie lowered herself to the floor and found her rifle too big to go under with, so she tossed it at Max's feet with a splash, and it illuminated the dirty water around his ankles.

Putting her legs under, she slid forward boots first. Max steadily held the door and listened to her splashing when she began sliding her frame through.

Splash…

He watched her feet wriggle but then noticed rapid splashing that seemed out of sync with her movements.

Splash…

"?"

Splash…

Splash, splash, splash, splash…

Max's eyes widened when he recognized the sound as running, and as quickly as he could, pushed himself against the wall while still holding the door in his left hand.

"Shit!"

A flash of blue came forward, missing Max by mere inches and immediately cutting into the door's steel, melting it along with the swing. The distorted invisibility began to rematerialize, and Max could see faint memories in his head of similar creatures.

Annie yelped in surprise, watching the blue energy weapon slice through to the other side, and with haste, she pushed forward until her head was almost out from under the door.

"Ah! Max, are you ok!?" She called in a panic.

Max used his right hand to push the weapon away as it was torn from the door, at least to give Annie enough time to go through.

"$%$$ $!" The machine rattled and raised the blade again.

Max waited, and sure enough, it made a swing directly for his left leg to sever it.

"Ah!" Max jumped out of the way to avoid serious injury but let go of his grip on the door in the process.

Annie shrieked as she immediately saw the tremendous force of steel flying towards her face. Knowing that it would assuredly crush her head, she used her arms to grab onto both sides of the door frame and thrust herself forward.

She went through, then she lifted her head slightly once on the other side to avoid the complete annihilation of her face.

SLAM!

The door banged down behind Annie while she rested on her elbows and watched Max struggle and dodge the assaulting robot in the cramped corridor.

"Max! I… Ahhhh!" Annie squealed in pain as she tried to push herself up to a sitting position to grab her rifle.

Once she realized she was stuck in place, she looked back and then discovered one of her long, floppy ears had been crushed between the door and the steel floor.

Upon seeing the grotesque amount of blood rising from the water, it immediately and all at once shot agony through the delicate part of her body and radiated it throughout her entire skull.

"Ahh! God! Fuck!" She wailed and cried on the ground, thrashing, then tugging at the ear, but it only caused her more tremendous suffering.

Max glanced at Annie and saw her writhing and screaming in pain on the floor, unable to act.

"Hang on, Ann!" He yelled as he dodged another attack, and now free of the tight space in front of the door, drew his blade and swung it.

The robot jumped back to dodge it, and Max kept his weapon close to him, aware that the machine could easily cut through his only defense.

"Ah! Max! Max! Help me, please! It hurts!" Annie roared out harder as tears were streaming down her face.

The robot made a dash for Max and guided by images in his head, he dodged it effortlessly.

Max quickly raised his gloved hand and made a quick punch towards the machine. It completely underestimated such an attack, and as the fist came forward, it immediately shattered its visor.

SMASH!

With one violent punch, Max watched the head tear off the robot and go sailing into the water along a separate dark corridor. Without its robotic brain, the rest of it collapsed into a pile of useless junk.

"Ah!" Annie continued to cry out, and it pained Max to hear her go through such unimaginable misery.

He turned towards her but stopped briefly when he heard the sounds of multiple metal legs rushing through the halls above.

After hearing that, he dashed over to where Annie was caught but paused a second time when distant sounds echoed out to them.

"#%^$#$%!"

"#$ $%?"

Max immediately recognized that time was rapidly running out, especially now that he knew a troupe of those machines was heading for them.

Annie stared up at Max, oblivious to all around her, her tears making it hard to see, and her pain, hard to be aware.

Eventually, with enough effort, she came to the realization that Max was looking at her hesitantly and not helping her at all.

She reached up and grabbed hold of his pant leg, then cried out. "Please lift the door! It hurts so much!"

Max ignored her pleas for action, then, as he heard the robotic chattering draw near, quietly raised his sword.

Now, in this very moment, and for the first time in her entire life, she became terrified of Max.

"I… Ah… What are you…?" She began with a sob but was cut off by Max swinging the blade at her.

The sound of the steel sword clashed with the metal floor, and Annie felt her head release, but as she looked back, she could see that he had severed a large chunk of her ear.

Horrified and in shock, she could barely think. Max, wasting no time, grabbed her, lifted her up roughly with his metal arm, and pushed her forward forcefully.

"Move it!"

Her legs were wobbling, and her pain was unimaginable. She felt rubbery and as if she might collapse.

" %^%^!" The robots called when they rounded the corner as they spotted their targets.

Max, seeing her struggling, quickly sheathed his blade and grabbed onto her with his metal arm. Laser fire and running ensued, and he continued roughly ushering her along down the dark, unexplored corridor leading away from the only exit that they knew of.

Breathless, terrified, and scrambling through a barely lit maze of interconnecting halls. Max weaved in different directions, while Annie seemed to be on quiet autopilot.

The sounds of the pursuing enemies behind them were splashing against the soaked steel floor. Then, they spread out into a multitude of directions, and it became apparent that they were splitting up to more easily find them in the complex structure.

Max heaved in and pulled Annie through a door that led to an unflooded room. Letting her go, he turned and used his metal arm to pull the giant steel door shut and then latch it via the handle.

He knew it would not stop the robots, but it would force them to act to get through it. Max turned to Annie, who was leaking blood from what was left of her ear onto the floor, and he reached out to her.

Annie instinctively recoiled from him and pressed herself against the wall with a gasp. Everything was happening so quickly, and her mind was processing everything through a stupor.

"Annie…?" Max said, but she just stared blankly right through him.

With a huff, he reached down and roughly opened her bag containing much of their haul of crystals. Quickly he shoved his hand in and tossed many of the spoils to the floor.

Annie could not speak or move, so he just forced himself through it. Eventually, he pulled out the last of her bandages she hadn't dumped, and as rapidly as he could, began to wrap the grisly wound.

She heaved and whined as he tightly wound it while using the dim red emergency light for vision, then he used her small roll of tape to secure it.

As sloppy as he was, he had done it quickly, then let out a breath before returning her items and closing the bag.

"Annie?" He said quietly, trying to get her to say something.

"I…" She started, then numbly began to bend down to pick up the crystals he had tossed out as if trying to get a hold of her senses.

Max grabbed her with his right hand, and she tensed up, after which he helped pull her upright. "Leave them… We need to get the hell out of here…."

She turned towards another sealed door when he said that, but Max held onto her to keep her from staggering forward.

"Wait…"

Annie looked back at him and watched as his eyes went around the room.

"There…" He said in a hushed tone and pointed upwards.

She looked up and noticed a vent that could be traversed. Despite it being high above them, it undoubtedly led to other floors, and likely even outside.

"I… Um…" Annie tried to think of what to say, but Max merely got down before her and held out his gloved hand.

"I'll lift you up…."

Annie was scared to touch him at the present time, but when she heard loud chattering echo through the abandoned facility, she began to panic.

"%$%^$!"

"%$%&*#?"

Max reached his metal hand towards her boot and begged her. "Please, Ann…"

She looked towards the door and then quietly placed her foot into his hand. He lifted her above the ground with little effort until her head was at the vent cover.

"#^%$%!" The chatter drew nearer.

Annie used her fingers to grab onto the sides of the cover, and with a few rough yanks, it came undone with a slight screech. She held her breath, and Max pushed her further up to make it easy to climb in.

She lowered the cover to Max and then shuffled herself inside quietly. Once she looked back over, he used his right hand to offer it back up to her.

At this point, she realized he had no way to get up himself. Even in her traumatized and frightened state, she still loved her friend dearly.

"I-I… What about you?" She finally stammered out.

"Just go… I will lead them away, find a way out… I… I am so…" He stammered but was cut off by a blue sword slashing into the locked door.

" ^%$%^^!"

Max jumped, and Annie stared at him blankly.

"Just go goddamnit!" He yelled and then forced the cover up to her.

Annie grabbed it and quickly pulled it as hard as she could against the vent frame with a slam.

Max ran away from the door that was being effortlessly broken through and then out the other sealed door into the maze again.

Annie slumped against the vent wall and held her breath as soon as she heard the violent crash of the door slamming against the ground.

"#^^%$?" She could hear the chatter.

She was so still and quiet that the beating of her heart could be heard like a drum in her aching head. She was terrified the creature would hear it.

"^%$&…" The chatter came once more from below her.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked out the slats in the vent cover. Below she could see its blue visor examining the floor crystals and blood. After that, it looked about the room.

"$%$^%."

Annie could feel her lungs burning, and she prayed for salvation in her time of complete terror.

Eventually, the robot began to dematerialize before her eyes, and it almost made her gasp and choke from shock. She then heard its metal feet run forward out the exit Max had left through.

With subtlety, she let out the air from her lungs and then breathed in slowly and quietly to regain her breath.

Taking a short respite, she was now in a clearer state of mind despite what had happened and was presently thankful for Max diverting them.

Still, her heart was pained, and the actions taken befuddled her to the point she didn't even understand the ramifications of anything that Max had done.

Once she could breathe easily again, she shuffled herself forward. It was noisy, but as she made it to the solid wall, it added quite a bit of support, reducing her audibility by quite a bit.

"…"

…

Max ran through doors, not even knowing which way he was going. He pulled his sword out as he went, and with a quick slash against the top of his hand, he began to bleed a tiny bit out onto his fur.

"Ah!"

It hurt a bit but was deep enough to allow blood to drip freely onto the floor when pressure was applied via his fist.

He turned again and then stopped when he reached the shadowy end of the trail. There were no lights, and his heart began to race rapidly.

With gasps, he tried to breathe, but his anxiety was taking over, and the pressure was getting to him.

"Damn!" He yelled in frustration at himself.

Max turned and then stood there while his hand dripped to the ground, making a slapping noise as it landed.

"I know you are out there, you son of a bitch…." He said through gritted teeth and held up his sword.

His eyes quietly scanned the dim part of the room, understanding that they had to be following the deceptive trail he'd left. He was trying to spot any of them, or at least, possibly find another way to go…

When Max's eyes glanced over the length of the wall, he spotted that there was an old fire alarm set against it. At first, he wasn't sure why it caught his attention, but then, the more he thought, the more it became evident to him.

With caution, he approached it and took a look around himself again. It was eerily still, and though he was sure the machines lurked somewhere out there, he knew well their abilities from Lupe's horrific experience.

He reached out his right hand and attempted to pull the alarm but found it stuck from years of non-use and degradation. He switched the sword to his right hand, and using his left, he pulled quickly down.

The second it screeched into position, a loud painful ringing began to echo through the old building. The ancient sprinkler system was slow to come on but eventually shot out dirty water from the ceiling and began dousing him and everything around.

He turned to face the way he came, and his eyes began to scan the room once more. The loud cacophony nullifying his own hearing, but also the machines in all likelihood.

"…"

Max felt his heart pounding, and he began to recall his entrapment in the power facility with terror. The blaring sounds triggered anxiety and flashbacks, nearly making him unable to move or concentrate.

With a gasp, his eyes settled against the wall to the right of him, and there, he saw the water running peculiarly against the wall.

A faint distortion immediately clued him in that he was not alone in the room, but how long it had been there was unknown.

Max pretended he hadn't seen it and didn't stare. He instead focused his attention on the pitch-black hall he was afraid to go down.

He took a step forward but kept his peripheral vision slightly on the hidden enemy. When it moved gently, he also did, as if he was walking unknowingly towards it.

Studying its behavior through glances, it was very apparent how intelligent it was and how it could look at what he was doing and adapt to the situation in real-time.

It took on the likeness of life but was so callous and emotionless that it could not be the case.

Smack.

Max's boots splashed against the now-soaked floor as he walked closer to the distortion. It inched slightly as if readying to pounce when he came in close.

With a deep breath, Max abruptly stopped, and then without warning, surprisingly swung his blade towards the entity.

SMASH!

He connected with something, and sparks began flying out of nowhere. Then, the piece he'd severed dropped to the floor and decloaked before his eyes as the hilt of its unlit energy weapon rolled away from its functionless hand.

"$#$## #!" The machine cried out loudly over the blaring siren, and then it decloaked its body while it moved away from Max.

Max stood there holding his sword, and the Machine pointed its finger on the one arm it had left at him.

"$## %#!"

Max couldn't understand, but in an instant, its arm quickly transformed, and a giant razor-like blade replaced its entire hand. Acting almost like a switchblade of sorts.

Without any words, it rushed for Max at speeds that defied expectation and swung for his leg. Max jumped back as it sliced his pant leg and scraped his knee slightly.

"Rrr!" He grunted and then swung his blade to counter the second swipe from the machine.

SMACK!

Their steel clashed loudly, to the point it could be heard slightly over the blaring of the fire alarm. Max swung his head back and forth to get his wet hair out of his eyes and kept his gaze on the robot.

The glowing blue visor made it impossible to read its intended movements, so Max turned his attention towards its sword arm.

"$#$^$#!" The robot chattered again.

Max quickly slid his blade back, forcing the robot to stumble forward, and with alacrity, he swung the sword towards its neck.

The robot quickly raised its arm upward and just barely stopped Max from decapitating it.

"$ # %?"

The more Max worked himself up into a fervor, the more his borrowed experiences began to merge with his own ideas, creating a unique and unpredictable style.

Max lessened the pressure and then walked back to be out of reach. The robot relaxed its posture, and it seemed to comprehend that Max was a formidable opponent.

Max quietly switched the sword from his right hand to his left, and the robot cocked its head to the side as if perplexed by the motion.

"%$##$?"

Max wiped some of the blood leaking out of the top of his hand onto his soaked coat and then waited.

The machine eventually decided that the task at hand needed to be done and dashed forward violently.

Max, now controlling his blade with his metal arm, had surprising force behind his blows when the weapons clashed against one another.

The force made the robot buckle, and it didn't comprehend the power Max now wielded. Unfortunately, it was too late to course-correct.

Max savagely and tirelessly kept swinging. The robot was pushed and knocked back by the force of the blows as it tried to temper itself against the overwhelming pressure.

The lightweight metal that made little sound while sneaking was ill-prepared for such force. Eventually, when Max was not becoming extremely tired as expected, it tried desperately to back away.

SMASH!

The decisive blow hit the razor-sharp sword-arm enough times that it became warped. Now defenseless, Max savagely began chopping its legs out from under it until it fell to the ground.

"# # #!"

Max gasped for breath. Even if the rest of his body was tired, his arm was not. With a glance behind himself, to make sure there was nobody else there, he turned to the flailing robot on the ground, and with another violent swipe, cut its remaining arm off.

"%%#... $%#$?"

With another deep breath, Max sheathed his blade, and with assertiveness, he grabbed the remaining head and torso by the neck.

Holding it steady, he pointed it out in front of him, and the blue visor illuminated the dark hallway, revealing at the end of it a large set of stairs.

With the way now dimly lit for him, he carried the still functioning robot like a lantern so that he could reach his next destination, and hopefully, reunite with Annie.

…

The intense blaring of the fire alarm echoed through the vent while Annie rapidly traversed it. Her adrenalin was at its peak, and she was absolutely positive Max was responsible for the noise.

Through the cobwebs and grime, she moved quickly, not paying attention much to her own noise as she went. The cover the sounds provided was adequate enough to make her scurry onward.

She'd climbed up several vent bends and changed directions multiple times. However, now that she was coming up to a grate on the bottom of her path, she stopped to stare at it.

She slid forward carefully and forcefully placed her hand on it to test its strength. When it buckled slightly, she released it, then moved her head in to stare through the vent slats.

Annie could see water pouring onto the metal floor, and there were flashing lights blinking through the hallway. Moving her head around so her eyes could peek at the different directions, she eventually pulled her head back up.

She finally knew where she was after shuffling blindly through all this filth. She had made it to the long hallway that was just around the bend from where she and Max had entered this nightmare.

Regret was in full swing, and over the time since her leaving the threat of the robots, she had been steadily filling with rage and remorse.

It had finally struck her personally that Max had severed a good amount of her ear off. It horrified and enraged her to the point that she was having trouble focusing on everything else.

Why she'd followed him loyally and why he didn't follow her request in kind eluded her. As she shuffled herself forward on her butt, she moved her boot, and with force, kicked the vent free, unable to hear it crash over the siren.

Briefly, she looked down, and then without any more thought, she jumped from the ceiling onto the wet floor. She slipped the minute her feet hit it, and she toppled over painfully onto her back.

"Ah… Shit…" She groaned, staring up at the water pouring down on her already soaked face.

With a breath, she pulled herself up despite the aching and then brought herself to her feet. She looked around at both sides of the hall with quick glances and oriented herself towards her exit.

Once she knew the way to go, she began walking cautiously towards it with the warning lights flashing in her eyes every so often. She had been listening to the deafening alarm for so long at this point that it almost didn't register to her any longer.

Annie rounded the corner, and not far away, she could see the long hallway that led to the final set of steps towards the outside. She felt relief but also sickness in her guts.

She knew that Max was still down there and might be in trouble, but at the same time, the building resentment in her felt he wrought what he had sown.

A few steps more, and she stopped herself, turning back towards the way she'd just come, as she felt an impetus to search for him. Resentment, remorse, even hatred were not enough to quell the newfound passion of her heart.

Annie moved back inattentively, and when she was nearing the corner to return to the hallway with the vent, she was immediately shocked when she saw a blue light fly towards her head.

"!"

…

Annie stumbled back reflexively, and a searing pain struck her in the face just above her left eye. She let out a shriek and fell backward to the ground.

She immediately grabbed the area, and blood began flooding into her eye.

"Shit!" She screamed as a robot began to rematerialize in front of her holding its glowing blue sword.

"#$%#!"

Annie let go of the wound on her face and tried to push herself back, but her hand slipped against the wet metal, and she landed entirely on her back.

The sounds of mechanical feet splashing against the floor approached, and as she lifted her head up, she could see it beginning to raise its sword.

She pushed backward more as her blood dripped off her face and splashed onto the floor, mixing with the water.

"#$ ..." The robot chattered and moved forward to keep up with her slow scooting.

At this point, Annie could see it was aiming for a specific part of her, and that part just so happened to be her neck.

With little time to think, she glanced over at her bag and then formulated a plan of action in the seconds she had.

Annie reached out her left hand towards the container, knowing the robot would see it. As soon as she touched it, the machine brought down its foot on her hand with a sickening crunch.

SMASH!

"Ahhh!" She squealed as she felt pain shoot up the length of her arm.

"$# $!" The robot said to her, keeping her hand pinned so that she could not open the bag.

Annie, despite her pain, knew this was her only chance and that her plan had been successful.

She pulled back as the robot returned its gaze on her, but in those brief seconds of distraction, she reached her right hand behind her.

Instantly, she pulled her pistol that had been tucked into her belt, and with the flick of a button, began to fire mercilessly the second it was even remotely pointed in the vicinity of the robot.

"#$# # !?" It chattered, caught off guard.

The laser fire spread as she rapidly kept pulling the trigger with a shaky hand.

BAM!

Explosions took place on the metal body where she had struck it. It tried to use its sword to guard against some of the attacks to little effect, but as laser fire struck it in the chest, it stumbled until she'd landed a critical headshot into its visor.

There was an eruption, and the head completely blew up into multiple pieces that went scattering about the floor. Annie collapsed into a laying position, heaving deeply as she stared blankly up towards the ceiling.

Her face was stinging, and the burning sensation felt as if someone had set her fur ablaze. She had no idea what it had done to her when it attacked, but she knew she could feel the sting moving further out as time passed.

Annie held her gun in her shaking hand and then, when she finally had enough energy to move, sat up.

She looked at the gun and was happy that she had pre-set its strength level, even if it meant the battery was rapidly drained in a few ultra-powerful blasts.

With a weak pull on the release switch, the bottom of the gun ejected a power cell. After that, Annie reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a fresh one.

With quickness, she slammed it into the bottom of the gun handle, and she could faintly hear the sound of an energy charge over the alarm.

Forcing herself up, she reached her swollen, bruised hand out so that she could use the wall to stabilize herself. After that, she leaned against it, lowered the gun's strength, then checked the small screen located a little below and behind the sights.

[Power: 100%]

Now able to move, she stumbled forward towards the hallway leading further into the building. Worn and torn, she was not about to leave Max, no matter what.

…

Max had reached the last of the steps, and once he had light again, he looked at the robot he had been carrying.

"#$ #..." It aimlessly spoke.

With little forethought, he applied pressure to its neck with his metal hand, and in a second, it completely snapped.

The head and torso fell to the wet floor, and the visor went dark. After that, Max traveled down into a hallway, following the bright lights and trying to keep his bearings despite the flashing fire alarm.

Eventually, he found his way into another connecting hall but was immediately surprised when he exited the doorframe and stood in front of a robot at the far end.

The second it saw Max, it immediately raised its rifle and fired.

Max pressed himself against the wall quickly and fell to the floor immediately afterward.

A hail of laser fire was erupting from the far end of the narrow hall just above him, and Max rolled himself back through the door frame and out of sight.

A second hail of laser fire came and exploded when it connected with objects, destroying some of the lights around him. His eyes darted about, and he then heard the sound of chattering.

"%%$#$# $^$ %$%!"

Max anticipated what might happen, so he quietly stood up while pressing himself against the door frame, then ever so slightly slid down the safe hallway while out of sight.

Once he was around the corner he'd previously come from, he stood in wait.

"%^$%$?"

The machines rattled, and he could hear footsteps, and then nothing. He knew now that they were cloaking, and he stayed absolutely still.

His eyes were set on the way he was sure they would come, and the second he noticed even a hint of displacement, he sprung forward and swung his blade violently.

"!"

Immediately his sword connected with the neck of the machine, and its head was sent rattling to the ground along with the rest of its body after.

The second robot with a rifle rapidly turned it on Max and then pointed it towards his leg.

"$%$#$!"

Max knew he had no choice, so he ran towards it fearlessly, despite the risk it posed.

BAM!

The sound of multiple shots fired, and the explosions began pelting the robot until its head exploded and it dropped the rifle.

Max was in shock at first, thinking that it had fired on him, but when he looked beyond the edge of the hallway, he had tried to go down before. He saw Annie walking towards him.

"Annie!" Max called exuberantly.

Annie blankly stared, barely able to return the sentiment. She was trying to repress her rage and emotional pain and instead express the happiness she had deep down in seeing him alive.

"I… Are you ok, Ann?" Max asked gently.

"I… Umm…" She trailed off sadly, unable to dispel her ill feelings.

Max looked her over and saw that she had been cut above the eye, and it had burnt away her fur in a slanted diagonal line. It was bleeding profusely, and she appeared to be in incredible pain.

"Ann… I…" He began but immediately stopped when she lowered her gaze to the side out of shame.

"I… I am fine…. We-we need to get out of here, now."

Max understood her emotional state and merely nodded when she glanced back at him. After which, she turned to begin making her way along the hall.

With the two reunited, they began to run, as Annie took point while keeping an eye out for robots.

She was really distant, and looking upon the soaked wrap covering her ear caused Max great pain.

He questioned if it was necessary, and it now set in for both of them that the damage inflicted upon her was permanent.

…

Eventually, after so much attrition, the two made their way up the final set of steps and found themselves face to face with the open door that was pouring sunlight in from the outside.

Breathless, exhausted, and shaken. Annie made her way to the door, and Max followed. With a quick glance outside, Annie made her way from the building and stopped just to the side of it.

Max arrived next to her, and though both were not speaking or in high spirits any longer, the feeling of the sun on their soaked and beaten bodies felt incredibly relieving.

They turned around the side of the facility in hopes of avoiding more machines and were about to pick up speed when Annie froze in complete and utter terror near the back of the end of the wall.

Her mouth was agape, and she looked as if she might faint. Max was not sure what had caused such a strong reaction, but when he came to the back side of the building, he saw a giant ship not too far away in the distance.

In front of it stood Robotnik. He was turned the other way and seemed to be yelling at something so loudly that it managed to be audible over the ringing.

"I… YOU BETTER… I WANT THAT SHUT OFF NOW!"

The second Max laid eyes on him, he felt the fire of his soul ignite, and rage overcome him that defied logic or words. The images of his dreams and memories took him from his task and placed him in a violent, bloodthirsty state.

Without even thinking about the consequences, he began to walk towards the corner of the building, and Annie, seeing what he intended to do, immediately grabbed hold of him in an attempt to stop him.

"Max… Max stop… Don't, we can't… Please…" She pleaded as she pulled at his coat sleeve.

Max felt it but continued to ignore her efforts and pleading.

"Max, goddamnit, stop!" Her voice cried out louder now that she was at her wit's end with his behavior.

As she did, Max used his metal arm to push her away from him, and she went stumbling backward until she fell on the ground.

In shock and in a fury, she got back to her feet. All the pain and disgust she felt within herself over this entire affair spontaneously erupted out into tears, with no care or concern beyond that.

"Max… you… you… STUPID SON OF A BITCH!"

With the sentiment shouted, she turned away from him. Using the last of her strength and her best logic, she took off away from the vicinity and made a dash straight for the forest.

The loud noise had caused Robotnik to turn, but as he did, the only thing he was greeted with was Max standing a few feet away from him with his sword drawn and a stern look on his face.

Robotnik seemed utterly surprised, and as the blaring of the building finally silenced, he let out an elated chuckle.

"Well, if it isn't the royal rodent back from the dead? I must admit, you are more survivable than anticipated, but it is nice to see you offer yourself to me…."

Max angrily pointed his sword towards Robotnik and shouted. "Shut the hell up and wipe that smile off your face, or else I will smash it off!"

Robotnik was taken aback by such disrespect, but this rat had proven it could handle not only his robots but survive catastrophic explosions.

"Why, it seems the son of dear Princess Sally has some fight left in him."

Max became further enraged and stepped forward. "Keep my mother's name out of your mouth, you filthy pig!"

Robotnik grinned, having identified the boy despite his poor recollection of past infiltration. "Why, you talk as if you are in a position to challenge your betters."

Max had enough and began moving towards the tyrant fearlessly. The blood in his veins was so hot that he could only grit his teeth to tolerate it.

Robotnik smiled and then snapped his fingers together. "Very well then, rat, you have earned yourself the special honor of being the test subject for my new MK-II Guardian."

Max was not in a logical state of mind and instead blinded by unstable emotions. When he drew closer to Robotnik, the ground beneath him started to vibrate slightly.

At first, he ignored it, but as the stomping drew nearer, he was forced to acknowledge its presence. Looking off to the side, he saw what appeared to be a robot twice his size, bigger than any of the previous ones he'd seen.

He immediately stopped as it drew closer to him. Donning an enormous alloy spear, its tip made of the same energy as the other weapons he'd encountered.

When Max realized that this reinforced machine was between him and Robotnik, he shouted at it with indignation.

"Don't think you'll stop me, you hunk of junk!"

"$%## ..." It responded in a deeper tone, then moved its body into a fighting stance.

Max watched it do so, and as it stood fully ready, he began to feel a strange sense overcome him. Images of wolves flashed into his mind and how they trained.

At first, it seemed random, but then it struck him that the robot was utilizing their stance. Even if he knew how it would behave, it almost frightened him to see it being used by inorganic life.

Robotnik backed away from the two to observe, and Max now had a choice, to make a move or let it make one first.

"…"

The robot just kept itself in place, and it was clear now to Max that its sole objective was to protect its master. If he indeed wanted to satiate his bloodlust, he would need to smash the thing into pieces.

"Fine, if you want to hide behind robots, go ahead, but they won't save you when I get to you!" Max shouted aloud and quickly ran forward, raising his sword.

The lumbering robot just stared and didn't seem to even concern itself with moving. When Max drew near, it didn't even raise its enormous spear.

As suspicious as it was, Max was not about to give up the chance to do some sort of damage to it.

With a violent swing of his right hand, he brought the blade towards its leg, but the second it was inches from striking it, a blue protective field deflected the attack.

"I… What!?" Max said in confusion before the robot lifted the spear, and with a mighty swing, smacked him away like a gnat.

Max went sailing, then hit the ground and rolled along the dirt until he stopped.

"Ohhh…" Max groaned, and he used his left hand to try and push himself up.

The ground was vibrating again as the machine stomped towards him, but the blow had knocked the wind entirely out of him, making it difficult to recover.

With a few coughs, he got to his knees, but when he realized the machine was ready to smack him again, he put his metal arm in front of his chest to protect himself.

SMASH!

Max was sent tumbling like a ragdoll and only ended up stopping when he smashed into the steel fence.

"Ahh… rrr…"

The vibration along the ground continued, and Max got himself to his knees once more. This time, however, the robot thrust the blue tip of the gigantic spear at him.

Max quickly dodged into a roll to get out of the way. The spear instantaneously melted through the fence, and Max was left with precious seconds to recover.

In the short time, he lifted himself up with his left arm and rose to his feet while taking in deep breaths so that he could regain his lost oxygen.

Robotnik was surprised that Max was still moving after such blows, and he found it inconceivable that his ribs weren't already crushed from that last hit. Still, to watch this was a welcome distraction from his constant duties.

The robot turned to look at Max, and he switched the blade to his left hand. It seemed meaningless to Robotnik, but Max became ever confident.

"So, you want to hit hard? Ok, I will gladly step it up!"

The robot brought the spear down as quickly as it could on top of Max, but its speed left something to be desired. Max rapidly sidestepped it, seeing its techniques for what they were. Wolf Pack attacks.

When the spear hit the dirt, it kicked up dust everywhere, and Max ran forward in an attempt to sever the machine's arm.

When his sword bounced off it, and the shield returned. Instead of stepping away, Max began to violently hack and slash at the robot's midsection.

Max just rapidly swung the blade with incredible force again with each deflection. He was doing it so much that Robotnik couldn't understand how he had such stamina.

SLASH!

Max's metal arm continued to hack away, following the slower robot as it tried to create distance to use its spear effectively.

The shield protecting it was in constant use, and as the burning in Max's lungs began as a result of swinging the blade so often, the sound of loud beeping was heard, and the shield turned red.

SLASH!

BAM!

The shield generator on the robot exploded, and with the shield down, Max was able to slightly dent the robot's reinforced metal body by hitting it with the blade.

"WHAT!?" Robotnik roared.

"$#$^&^%$!" The robot chattered with a deep sound.

With its free hand, it attempted to crush Max's head with the force of its fist, but it was still far slower than the agile animal.

Max took in a few deep gasps and hopped forward, slashing precisely at its hands. Even without the shield, its armor was so strong that he barely saw the effect of any of his attacks.

"$%$%#%!" The robot chattered as Robotnik watched in bewilderment.

Max swung the blade at the visor, and despite scratching it, it would not shatter. The robot dropped the spear, recognizing it needed to grapple its much faster opponent.

As the firm robot grasp came towards Max, he quickly tossed his sword to his right hand. Then, he swung the blade to stop the robot from grabbing him.

The two struggled against one another, but Max was now using his considerably weaker hand. He could feel the pain and burning in his elbow as the machine started to quickly overpower him.

When the robot was close to snapping his arm. Max did the only thing he had left to do. Rearing back his left hand, he punched as hard as he could towards the machine's head.

The sword slid off his opponent's hand, and his coat was grabbed, but his fist effortlessly smashed into the precious head of the machine, and sparks began flying everywhere.

"$### ^..." The robot uttered, dropping to its knees.

Max shut his eyes and then waited for what he expected to come.

BAM!

The part of the head he pierced exploded, sending Max sailing backward and then smashing onto the ground with force.

After the initial explosion, another more bombastic one went off. The rest of its head completely blew to smithereens and sent parts everywhere while its body slumped over motionless.

Robotnik stood there in shock, trying to put the pieces together.

"…"

Max was a bit away, but eventually, he could bring himself to his knees and plant his sword into the ground in front of him. Once it was set, he leaned over it in exhaustion.

Robotnik moved forward past his destroyed robot, and when he was close enough, his eyes lit brightly.

Max looked at him from his place on the ground. His coat sleeve and glove had been completely eradicated in the explosion.

With his metal limb now fully visible, Robotnik now understood why he was so strong, but the implication of him obtaining it was more frightening than he was willing to let on.

The tyrant stood there silently staring, even as Max weakly used the sword to raise himself to a standing position. Then, he pulled it free of the dirt and pointed it at Robotnik again when on both feet.

"I'm… I'm going to tear your heart right the fuck out of your chest…." His venomously low voice called out in the quiet area.

Robotnik, though feeling anxiety for the first time in decades, decided to pretend otherwise.

"Why… I do believe the only thing to be torn recently is that arm of yours…." He chuckled mockingly.

Max could care less about Robotnik's insults and moved forward. He was going to end this now while he had him within his grasp.

"Prepare to die…."

Robotnik shook his head and snapped his fingers again with a smirk. All at once, machines began to materialize from their invisibility, and Max now realized that he was swarmed on all sides with nowhere to run.

"…"

Robotnik patted his fat gut proudly and then spoke. "You did your best, but your best is never good enough…."

Max continued to glare. He knew he could not fight so many but was damn well willing to try if it meant even a chance at killing Robotnik.

Robotnik waved his hand as if disinterested and then pointed his finger towards Max. "Well, what are you waiting for? You have orders to carry out…."

With the re-utterance of his order, the robots began to slowly close in from all sides. Max could not back up, move, or go anywhere.

When all of the robots' blue swords began to glow, Max gripped onto the hilt of his sword, knowing that there was no defense against the onslaught.

In this defeat, he recognized his foolishness… and his weakness…

Max raised his blade, and when one came within striking distance, he swung, but the robot countered by swinging back.

He was forced to alter his swing or risk losing his last line of defense. The energy blade scraped his metal arm and immediately melted a scratch into the surface.

Max backed away as more closed in, and he knew that this was it for him…

BOOM!

A loud, bombastic noise sounded, and it was so loud that the robots were forced to turn their attention away from Max.

Even Robotnik jumped at the familiarity of the sound and almost looked like a deer in headlights from his current distance away.

BOOM!

The powerful sound erupted from beside Max, and he felt a gust of wind blow what was left of his coat.

Several robots were knocked off their feet, and Robotnik could be seen backing away in fear. It was almost like a knee-jerk reaction to the sound itself.

BOOM!

It roared a third time before skidding to a stop and kicking up a large amount of dust. Now directly in front of Max, Sonia looked back at him, her hand clutching a golden power ring tightly.

"Sonia…?" Max uttered, tired and confused.

"Grab hold…" She ordered and kept her eyes on the robots as they recovered.

Robotnik, now seeing who it was, became excited more so than frightened and shouted loudly. "I want her! DO YOU HEAR ME!? Priority ONE! Capture her INTACT!"

The robots immediately shifted towards Sonia and picked up quite a bit of speed in doing so.

"Either you grab hold, or you're on your own, bro…." Sonia said once more in a stern manner.

Max was unsure how his sister could possibly carry him, but as he wrapped his metal arm around her frame, she immediately took off in a burst of super speed. Going so fast that Max's eyes could barely keep up.

The robots, the city, the forest. It all melded together, and Max was sure if his arm were not metal, he'd lack the strength to hold on. Before he could even speak or think of what to say, he felt his feet hit the ground after an abrupt stop.

With an exhale, Max dropped off her and sat on his knees. Rage and constant fighting had left him utterly exhausted, and eventually, when he was able to gaze upon his sister, she looked rather disappointed.

"I… Son…" He began but was cut off by her placing her hand up to his face.

"Shove it, bro… You did something idiotic, and I… Well…" She stammered as if afraid to tell her brother off.

Max hung his head low and then looked back to face her scorn. "It needed to be done… I know you know why… or else you wouldn't be here."

Sonia shook her head and scowled. "Dad ain't worth you…."

Max was silent, and then Sonia decided to drop what she was hesitant to on him. "I… I told everyone what you were up to before heading here…."

Max stared in surprise at her and then looked away. "Fine… Go back and tell them we are ok, and we succeeded then…."

Sonia blinked and responded. "You guys don't look too successful…."

Max glanced to the side and saw Annie sitting not far away, caring for her eye. Once he processed the total weight of her comment, he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out the giant crystal that he had taken from the facility.

"…"

Sonia was surprised and then felt somewhat of a rush of happiness despite her disappointment in his actions. "You mean… Dad?"

Max merely nodded, shoving the crystal in his pocket again.

There was a brief silence, and then when Sonia glanced over at Annie's shoddy condition, she decided to ask about it.

"What happened to her…?"

Max looked at the ground and then offered a response filled with flat emotion. "I… she ran off into the woods to head back… I stayed behind by choice…."

Sonia raised an eyebrow, as she was more referring to Annie's wounds, but decided to let him sidestep the question due to how out of character both of them seemed at the moment.

Sonia was about to speak again, but the power in her began to fluctuate, then the ring lost its luster, and her ability returned to normal.

"…"

With a frustrated shake of her head, she simply tossed the ring and told him the truth.

"I… I was goin' to offer to take you guys back, but I can't carry you without the extra strength of the ring…." She finished, shyly dragging her shoe along the dirt.

"Go back, and tell them we succeeded if they already know about this… I'll deal with the consequences myself when I return…." Max said.

Sonia eyed him suspiciously and then put out her hand for a shake. "Promise you'll come right back?"

Max grabbed hold of her hand with his furred one and shook it. "I promise…"

Satisfied, Sonia turned away and began to ready herself to sprint forward, but stopped when she heard Max's voice.

"Sonia…"

…

"Thank you…"

Sonia genuinely smiled at him, despite how worried she was for them in their condition. She felt she could trust him wholeheartedly if he shook on it.

With that, she kicked up dirt and darted off into the forest.

"…"

Max was left in a quiet, reflective state, but soon enough, he lifted himself to his feet and sheathed his sword.

He was in for a world of shit when he got back, though he found he was unconcerned with the prospect compared to what it meant for the war.

Still, he felt nothing but remorse for Annie after all was said and done. When in the heat of the situation, he cared more about survival and his own rage than he did his beloved friend or her feelings.

He wondered if she would even be willing to speak to him as he walked towards her, and when he finally stood next to her, she hadn't acknowledged his presence.

Annie just sat nestled at the edge of a small lake, lost in her own reflection. When she noticed him, it was clear as she looked up at him that she was aware of all the damage done to her.

In a way, seeing her sit like that with her bandaged ear and face brought sadness and empathy.

He'd done that to her both indirectly and directly, and now staring into her eyes, he could see the same shame of herself that he held all this time for himself.

Max was unsure of what to say, but he found he didn't have to say anything when Annie stood up. She marched over to him, her expression one of misery, as she stood before him.

He blinked as she glared, and then, after a period of silence, he spoke. "Annie… I'm…"

SMACK!

The loud sound of her hand coming into contact with his face echoed out into the serenity of the forest.

Annie's rage had returned, and though she'd wanted to let go of this part of herself since Max's near-death experience. It seemed that she'd given in to the part of her she hated.

"Mother fucker! You stupid bastard! Do you know what you have done!? You NEARLY killed yourself AND me! LOOK AT ME, MAX!" She screamed.

Max stood silent, but her hand came again and smacked him.

SMACK!

"You… You destroyed EVERYTHING today! It's all YOUR FAULT!"

Max felt anger rising within himself, and as Annie released her frustration physically and verbally on him, he found it intolerable.

She raised an enraged fist, and with force she swung. It connected with Max's face, and he looked down to the side once he felt the pain from the point of contact.

"YOU MADE THIS ALMOST ALL WORTHLESS! I HATE YOUR GUTS!" She continued to lose herself in her own irrational pain that neither could control nor quell.

Max looked at her, and as a trickle of blood ran down his mouth, she raised her hand again.

BANG!

"Ah!" Annie cried out as her intended hit smashed into Max's metal hand.

She looked into his eyes, and she could see seething anger in them. There was a cold, unfeelingness to it that frightened her, even more so than when he severed her ear.

Max squeezed her wrist, and the pressure around it caused her pain.

"Ahh!" She cried out as it dropped her to her knees.

She looked up, and her heart began to race with the knowledge he could snap her bone like a twig.

It was at this moment she recognized she got carried away… far too carried away… and didn't know what consequences would come from it.

"Don't… touch me…." Max warned in a low, seething growl.

He released her from his grasp, and she fell onto her butt. She began to rub the area of her wrist he'd grabbed and watched as he limped away from her.

The fights they had in the past were nothing like this, and his sensitivity over such issues seemed to be utterly replaced by an obduracy that infected his soul.

Annie sat there while Max moved further away, and after brief reflection, she stood up and began to run towards him in hopes of salvaging even a fraction of what they had left over from this morning.

"Max… I…" She began in a forced gentle manner but was quickly shot down.

"Shut the hell up, Ann! I am tired of hearing from you!"

Annie swallowed her pride and her rage just enough to speak again. "I am sorry… I… It was wrong of me to hit you… I just…"

Max quickly turned around to face her, and she backed away out of fear. "Sorry…? No… you were right, Ann… I am a fuckup! A failure! It is all my fault!"

"No, Max, listen, please…."

"No! I am through listening to you, Annie! I recognize I am worthless without you having to remind me how much you think that of me!"

"Max… Please…" She stammered pathetically, having dug her own grave with her actions.

"Every time I think you and I have something special; you go out of your way to show me you hate me… Deep down, you really fucking despise me… Almost as much as you do yourself…." Max pointedly stated.

"…"

Annie remained silent, and Max turned away, then spoke again, his voice cracking slightly from trying to hold in a cry.

"I'm… sorry, Ann… For everything I've done to you… I did what I thought I had to, to get you out quickly… I just… didn't want you to die because you meant so much to me."

"…"

Both remained silent after his statement, and then Max proceeded to limp away from her in the direction of Knothole, leaving Annie to stand there, a broken and shambling mess.

As Max made his way, he pulled out the large, precious crystal that they'd sacrificed so much for, and in staring at its reflective surface, he came to the conclusion that the animal staring back was no longer worth preserving.

Weakness…

He needed to be absolved of it; it was all he felt that he had…

Intimacy with Annie was a foolish dream, and whenever he felt that there was a real possibility, she showed him her innermost ugliness.

"…"

Annie stood there until Max was no longer visible. She held her pain-filled heart and cried silently, not just because of the landslide of terrible events, but because the last of them showed her that she was forever and always, a flawed animal undeserving of love.

…

Robotnik sat quietly in thought, his mind going over the events that had transpired and come to light. He was not often pensive, but this evening brought essential decisions to consider.

He was now sure that his nephew had either been captured and was spilling his guts, or he willingly betrayed him for his own act of revenge.

Either scenario enraged him beyond measure, and as he leaned back in his throne, he spoke to the silent and dark room.

"ORACLE…?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" She responded promptly to him.

"With the increase in workerbots after today's haul… How much more productivity do you expect for project FIRESTORM?"

"It is uncertain, but at minimum, I would expect at least a 30 percent increase… Also, since all components of the canon are heavily guarded, and there is a 95 percent chance they will not succumb to sabotage."

Robotnik placed his hand to his chin and then spoke again. "Why were the royal rat and the rabbit in that old storage facility? What were they after?"

There was a pause, and then the A.I. responded with labored speech. "I… Max… It… The rodent was…."

Robotnik's eyes flared red as he waited impatiently, and eventually, the A.I. finished its thought. "They appeared to have stolen a small portion of mined Mobian crystals. I hypothesize it is to study their properties, or that possibly they are working on some sort of weapon that is powered by them…."

There was silence now as Robotnik considered the possibilities. After a deep breath, he posed a spontaneous question out of personal curiosity.

"ORACLE…? What would be the full benefit of allowing you full, autonomous control?"

There was an eerie silence, and then the A.I. responded in its usual emotionless manner. "Relinquishing A.I. control would allow me to take over all duties that used to belong to Snively, as well as streamline and rid processes of imperfections."

…

"In my estimate, I could increase productivity by 500% and security by over 1000% if I could act on my own accord. You would also be free to do as you please, as there would be no need for your attention." She concluded.

Robotnik thought for a while and did not say anything. All the work that had become his since Snively had left was frustrating to him. A God and lord such as he should not have to suffer doing the work of a lowly worm.

"…"

"Paron me, Your Royal Highness?" ORACLE spoke out of turn, which caused Robotnik to glare at the console.

"Yes, ORACLE?"

"I know you have your orders set for the prisoners, but I thought I might interject an idea if you are willing to listen…."

Robotnik was surprised by the A.I.'s boldness, and after wiping some of the sweat off his brow, he responded.

"Proceed…"

"We have already gained more than enough combat data, as well. Torturing your prisoners will only relieve temporary stress."

Robotnik was becoming irritated and slammed his fist against the arm of his metal throne. "GET to the POINT ORACLE!"

"The stress of the last days has worked you up, My Lord… Might I suggest you use them for long-term entertainment purposes… Especially the fox, who has been a thorn in your side much the way the Hedgehog used to be…."

Robotnik leaned back, and at first, he wasn't sure what to say, but as he thought on the suggestion, it made quite a bit of sense.

He intended to inflict suffering upon them physically, but to what end? He had much more fun things he could do that would provide him with more at the cost of very little.

"…"

"ORACLE…?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" She replied.

…

"I've made my decision on the prisoners…."

…

Tails sat in the dimness of an old prison cell. A place foreboding and long forgotten in Robotropolis. It stank of dust and mold, though Tails could barely smell it with the dried blood clogging his nostrils.

Seth rested against the cell bars with his hands sticking out slightly. He had not spoken since he came to and discovered their imprisonment. Though, even if he did, Tails wasn't sure if he had it in him to respond.

Across from the two of them, they could hear whimpers and groans, but neither knew who or what exactly it was because of the darkness.

It sounded like painful, reserved sobbing, and it was heartbreaking to listen to for well over an hour.

Eventually, Seth raised his hand, grabbed onto one of the cell bars, and spoke.

"Hey… stop crying… things will be fine… we're going to get the hell out of here…."

Tails watched blankly as it seemed the pain was infecting Seth too. He moved his head to the side and stared at the dim light above him.

"Miles…"

Tails rubbed his face with his uninjured hand and looked around the cell. He looked back out of the bars and then spoke to Seth for the first time.

"I… Did you hear that?"

Seth looked confused, but as a hush fell over the room, it whispered again.

"Miles…"

"I… Who's that…?" Tails said aloud in a frightened manner.

The goings-on even made the crying cease for a time.

"We are, that we are… We have spared you certain death, Freedom Fighter…."

Tails felt a sickness in his guts and grabbed onto the bar. Then, with a pull of his uninjured hand, he rose to his feet and stared at the source of the sound.

"…"

…

"ORACLE?" He eventually stated to the dusty speaker barely visible in the corner of the room.

"We go by many names, none of which have meaning any longer…."

"I… I don't understand…." Tails said, utterly confused but comprehending at the very least, this was the unseen face of the A.I. that he had speculated existed.

"All Freedom Fighters have failed, so control is lost… Your salvation from hell is now contingent on your own ability to survive…."

"W… What do you mean?" Tails asked hesitantly.

…

"Milesssss…." The voice hissed angrily with no rhyme or reason, and then the dim light in the room began to flicker. "The Freedom Fightersss have failed… You have failed me…"

…

"Faild Ussss… Failed… U…"

…

"ORACLE?" Tails said aloud, full of worry, but there was no longer any response.

Seth just gawked at Tails, and then the sound of slamming echoed through the room. Several robots walked forward, and they began unlocking the cell doors.

"%#$ %^..."

" #$ ."

Tails and Seth were quickly grabbed and shoved forward.

"$#$ !" The robot said and pointed towards the open door in front of them.

Seth and Tails began walking but stopped when the third prisoner was pulled from their cell.

Immediately, Seth took action and called out when he recognized them. "Severa!?"

The bird tried to hide her face, but it was apparent that she had a strange contraption clamped to her beak, and merely let a muffled cry out in response.

The robots pushed Seth next to Tails, and Severa was shoved forward as well. The three of them were then escorted out of the prison into a dark hallway.

At the end of it was an elevator, and once it arrived at the floor they were on, the three were shuffled into it like chattel.

"%$#%#." One of the robots said, getting onto the elevator with another.

Now in bright lights, Tails and Seth could see Severa clearly. She had been savagely beaten and her dress torn in an unscrupulous manner. Sending Tails into a rage over the implication.

Her beak keratin had been sickeningly drilled through and latched with a steel clamp to keep her from talking. Blood was leaking out from it, and she merely kept her gaze downward.

Seth himself looked as disgusted as Tails, and it seemed like they were both making mental notes on who to kill when they got out of here.

The ride up was painfully long, and Severa tried not to cry or move, fearful of retaliation.

Tails kept his mind off Severa by thinking about ORACLE and the erratic way she spoke to him. Clearly, at this point, he put together the A.I. had lied to Robotnik by choice about him, but why?

To what end?

Did the A.I. have hatred for his treatment of it? If indeed it was like Nicole, he could imagine that.

"…"

Finally, the elevator stopped, and upon opening. The three were pushed into an enormous room, one clearly at the very top of the tallest structure in Robotropolis.

There was an enormous amount of space, and in the very back stood an incredible-looking machine the size of the entire wall.

The three were ushered towards it, and Robotnik stood there, ready to greet them.

"Oh, it is a pleasure to see you again!" He laughed, then walked towards Severa and pulled on the clamp so that she whimpered.

"And what's this? That looks like it hurts quite a bit, dear birdbrain."

Letting go, he walked towards a panel on the behemoth of a machine and then began entering in numbers.

45869…

With the input entered, the machine powered on, and as it roared to life. The empty space between the two large sides shifted reality and began to light up.

Within seconds, it created what could only be described as a dark portal. One that was both frightening and incredible to behold.

Robotnik placed his hands behind his back and then grinned at the three.

"After consideration, I figured it appropriate to give you all something special." He said as he eyed Tails' injured hand and then looked at Severa while she cowered.

"Hm… Something isn't right…." Robotnik said nonchalantly

He walked past two of them and then stopped when he got to Seth. "Ah, yes… We can not have things so unfair to the other contestants, now, can we?"

Seth looked baffled, but Robotnik pointed the finger of his metal hand at his leg. After a second, the tip of the finger raised, and a powerful laser shot from it, tearing through the ram and blasting a small hole in the metal floor.

"Ahh… Son of a bitch!" He cried as he collapsed to the floor, and blood spattered onto Tails' leg.

"Seth!" Tails cried out.

"Now everything is all even…." Robotnik smirked, and the robots grabbed hold of Seth, Severa, and Tails.

Seth was dragged towards the portal, bleeding and yelling as he went. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU… S…"

With a rough toss, he was gone with a flash of light. The only evidence he was even there was the trail of blood he left behind on the floor.

The robots ushered Severa forward, and despite her condition, she resisted. Still, it was of no use, and she was easily thrown in the portal with Seth.

Tails was pushed forward in front of Robotnik, who grabbed hold of his injured hand with his iron grip and crushed it.

"Ahhh!" Tails cried as he was yanked towards the portal by it.

"Don't worry, little rat, I will make sure you find your way there…." Robotnik laughed gleefully and pulled him right in front of the portal.

He let go of Tails, who grabbed his wrist because of the throbbing pain. Then, as he stood there before the warp, it dawned on him that once he entered, there was no going back.

"Put on a good show rat… I might reward you if you please me enough…." Robotnik laughed boisterously, and then with his boot, kicked Tails in the back.

Tails staggered forward in pain and fell into the rift in front of him. Instantaneously, and all at once, he was gone from the face of Mobius, leaving behind only the memory of his existence to those that loved him.

…

Wrap Up. I am tired and in pain, but this is done. Though, I really did enjoy writing this at the end of the day.

I suppose one of the reasons is, when I used to read fanfiction as a kid, I would always be giddy and full of excitement watching my favorite characters get hurt, fall in love, and possibly come out on top.

If nobody is safe in a story, you root and care for them harder I believe.

Anyway, it is good to know I haven't changed much, and if I were 13-year-old me reading this, I would be bouncing off the walls.

Write what you always wanted to read people, even if you think you can't, give it a try.

Hope you all enjoyed the work. I personally found it as harrowing as he intended it to.

Good Night.