At All Costs 1/2
Note: I'll be following the original Archie Comics for this chapter. Then we're back to Archie Sonic Online after this.
(Theme song - Kim Possible by Disney Channel on YouTube)
(Abigail's POV)
*It's been a week since we left Albion. We were now in the Artic Tundra. Amy was wearing a red long sleeved dress, black tights, & red boots & I was wearing a purple turtleneck under my brown jacket, my blue jeans, & my black boots (look up "Abigail - Winter Gear" by "SwanGirl24" on "Deviantart"). We were currently scoping out the Death Egg with Guntiver the Artic Wolf, Leader of the Artic Freedom Fighters (a red & yellow male wolf with blue eyes wearing a green vest, brown gloves, & green & yellow shoes)*
Guntiver: The Death Egg arrived a few days ago. Eggman's forces took a few days to secure the area, putting that bunker at the end of the only safe path we could take. Then he settled into the water so Akhlut & his Legionars could begin repairs and restocking. I've never seen the Doctor act so cautiously. You've really struck fear into him.
Sonic: He better be afraid! We've tracked him all over the planet, and now he's cornered. There's no distractions up here! This time, we're rescuing Sally!
*We made our way back to where the rest of the Artic Freedom Fighters were waiting for us*
Tails: We appreciate the help, Guntiver.
Guntiver: It's been my pleasure and honor. What's the plan for the Princess? She won't come quietly, and being roboticized . . .
Tails: T-Pup has the Tornado prepped for take-off and keeping Sally disabled. We've got someone working on the next step back home . . .
*Huck (who was on my shoulder) & I were walking with Sonic & Amy*
Sonic: C'mon, Amy. Erma loaned you & Abby some clothes, and you're still cold?
Amy: We're in the Northern Tundra, Sonic! Of course I'm cold!
Sonic: You're wearing the most of any of us.
Amy: I'm a delicate lady! I chill easily!
Abigail: Okay, you two. That's enough. It's time to focus.
Huckleberry: Chao-Chao.
*We met up with the rest of the Artic Freedom Fighters at the entrance to the Death Egg (there was a black & white male penguin with blue eyes, a yellow beak & yellow feet wearing a red visor, a purple female seal with blue eyes wearing a green beret & a blue & white striped shirt, & a white male polar with blue eyes wearing blue shorts)*
Guntiver: Are we all set?
Flip: Yup! Just waiting for Erma's signal that she's cut the bunker alarms. We don't need Eggman knowing we're here too soon, do we now?
*Just then, the holographic sign above the door changed from "Get Lost" to "Welcome"*
Sonic: There's the signal! Team Fighters! Artic Freedom Fighters! Let's do it to it!
*I got out my hook swords as we smashed through the doors & destroyed any robot in our way. Just then, a orange & white female ermine with blue eyes & pink - red hair wearing a pink sweater & pink boots appeared & pulled a few wires, shutting off the Egg Swats. Suddenly, a few of the Egg Swats stopped moving, floating the air. We all then turned around & saw . . .*
Guntiver: What the - Silver the Hedgehog!?
Sonic: You.
*He was about to go to Silver, but I grabbed his wrist, stopping him*
Guntiver: Easy Sonic.
Sonic: No way! This jerk has been hounding me and my friends with some crazy notion that there's a traitor among us. It got old fast, and I don't have time for it now!
Guntiver: I remember. He tried to kill Rotor in our territory.
Silver: No, I was . . . I wanted . . . Look. I admit I've been wrong - a lot. But this time, I swear I've got it figured out.
Sonic: Forget it. I'm sick of your accusations. Beat it.
Amy: Room's secure, by the way.
Silver: Please! You've got to give me one more chance! I got outside help to figure it out! I can't tell you who it is but . . .
Tails:*whispering* Is Prince Elias involved?
Silver: How did you . . . I never said!
Tails: Let's hear him out one last time.
Sonic: Dude, what's the deal?
Tails: Just trust me.
Sonic: Meh. If you say so, little bro.
Silver: Thanks, Tails. Look, here's the deal; in my era all that anyone remembers is that in this era, one of the Freedom Fighters does something that destroys the team, and everything falls apart from there. According to history, I'm running out of time.
Sonic: Says the time traveler.
Silver: This is serious! Your team has already fallen apart! Sally is a killer robot and Antoine is in a coma! Eggman is attacking the world with the Death Egg, and Naugus is plotting terrible things against the people of the city! I know I've made mistakes, but I've done my research and gotten help. This time I'm certain the traitor is . . . Princess Sally Acorn. Founder of the Freedom Fighters. She's the one responsible for my future.
*For a minute, everyone was speechless. Then, Sonic & Amy jumped to attack him*
Amy: How dare you!
Sonic: That's it!
*Tails, Huck, & I held them back*
Tails: Hold it! Hold it!
Abigail: At least hear what he has to say!
Huckleberry: Chao-Chao!
Tails:*to Silver* You better be able to back that up.
Silver: I can! I promise! And I've changed my mission! I'm not here to destroy the traitor! I'm here to save her!
(Lacey's POV)
*Me & the rest of Team Freedom were all attending a ribbon cutting ceremony, the Grand Re-Opening of the Civic Center. Cream & Big held the ribbon, Rotor held a big pair of silver scissors, & me, Bunnie, Zeke, Nathan, & Mason stood off to the side*
Nicole: As my first act since my return to the city, I hereby present the newly restored Civic Center! *whispering* And this this, I am hopeful the people will start to trust me again?
Rotor:*whispering* They never should have doubted, but this should help.
*They got the scissors in place*
Nicole:*whispering* I know Ixis Naugus is deathly ill, but I would've thought his agent would be here to keep up appearances.
Bunnie:*whispering* Don't worry about it, Sugar. The less we see of those two the better.
*They then cut the ribbon*
Nicole:*whispering* Naugus is dying, guys. For all he's done, we can't be heartless about it. I've been working on a device he commissioned, but I may not have it completed in time.
Rotor:*whispering* You're too kind for your own good - *suddenly, the Civic Center started crumbling**out loud* What's going on!?
Nicole: I - I don't know! Everybody get back!
Rotor: First the Power Station, now this! Did the foundation fall!?
*Nicole's hands started to glow*
Nicole: Nngh . . . No. Something is interfering with the system! Coding is being erased, signals are being jammed, and some are self-destructing! *soon, the crumbling stopped, but Nicole started to look a little woozy. Rotor & Bunnie caught her before she fell* There! I managed to stabilize the matrix. I'll . . . I'll fix it . . . Once I figure out what's going on.
*Just then, Cheese flew over holding that creepy Tails Doll*
Cheese: Chao-Chao!
Cream: Cheese! You found the doll I've been taking care of! *Cheese handed her the doll* Bad dolly! I'm trying to take care of you and find your owner, and you keep disappearing . . . *my & hers eyes went wide* like at the Forget-Me-Knots concert. And this is just like what happened to the first Civic Center . . .
*I leaned down to her*
Lacey:*whispering* Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
*She nodded & handed Cheese the doll*
Cream: Um . . . Cheese? Would you mind taking the doll home for me. Thank you.
Cheese: Chao.
*We went up to Rotor, Bunnie, & Nicole*
Cream: Mr. Rotor! Mr. Rotor! I . . . Ms. Lacey & I think we know what's causing problems with the nanites!
Rotor: Oh?
Cream: Back when Dr. Eggman attacked the city, I found a doll shaped like Mr. Tails, and I kept it safe because I thought it belonged to someone . . . But it keeps vanishing.
Lacey: And now we think it might be an evil doll made by Dr. Eggman . . . And it's what's making the city's systems fall apart! *we both blushed in embarrassment* That . . . Sounded more convincing in my head.
Cream: I'm sorry, I . . .
Rotor: No apologies, girls. That's very observant of you, and it sounds crazy enough for an Eggman scheme. Where's the doll now?
Cream: Cheese is taking it back to my house.
Rotor: Then here's what we're going to do . . .
(Abigail's POV)
*Silver explained everything he had learn in his investigation*
Silver: . . . You see. The problem I was having was that I assumed the traitor's actions were malicious. I thought the traitor meant to destroy the team. But Sally's action was selfless. She destroyed the World Roboticizer, and in turn was Roboticized herself. History just lost the details. Sally was turned against the rest of you, and that's what caused everything to start falling apart. Eventually, there were no Freedom Fighters left to stop the villains. Now you four are about to go into the heart of the Death Egg. I think . . . I think this may be my last chance to turn things around!
Amy: But Sally didn't betray us! She's not a traitor!
Erma: What Silver says adds up, though. After two hundred years of devastation and the F.F. gone, no one remembered that the person responsible wasn't acting of their own free will. They might not even now "Roboticization" existed.
*I got worried when Sonic marched up to Silver*
Sonic: There never was a "traitor." That was your assumption.
Silver: History's assumption. I got the motive wrong.
Sonic: We're saving Sally. We're stopped Eggman.
Silver: And I'm going to help.
Sonic: And you think that'll save the future?
Silver: . . . I don't know. It's a start.
Sonic: All right. As long as you meant that, we're cool. *I breathed a sigh of relief. he turned to Guntiver* Let's get moving. Same plan as before, but now Fern-Head gets to add his psycho mumbo-jumbo to the mix.
Guntiver: My team will cover yours as you look for the Princess.
Sonic: Cool.
Amy: Hey, Silver - Just how did you know we'd be in the Artic at this point?
Silver: Uh . . . Er . . . I'm psychic, remember? *Huck & I gave him knowing smiles & he blushed* So Guntiver! What is the plan?
Guntiver: Flip scouted ahead and found an underwater troop tunnel leading straight from this bunker to the Death Egg. With the alarms down and the forces here destroyed, we'll sneak in right under Eggman's nose.
*We climbed down a ladder & began to walk down a long ice tunnel. Huck started shiver*
Huckleberry: Chao . . .
Abigail: I know, buddy. I feel it too.
Amy: Feeling cold now?
Sonic: No. I'm just not wild about walking down some rickety pipe under so much water.
Guntiver:*whispering* Speak softly and tread lightly. Akhlut's Dark Legionars are everywhere, and they might hear us.
Silver:*whispering* It's too dark. Let me light the way so we can -
*His hand started to glow*
Abigail:*whispering* Silver, wait!
Huckleberry:*whispering* Chao-Chao!
*It was too late. His psychic powers light up the ice tunnel. And, right in front of us was Grand Master Akhlut the Orca (a black & white male orca with green eyes & silver cybernetic implants wearing a yellow vest) & some his Dark Legionars*
Erma: We're surrounded! Swimmers, cover us! Silver, get the rest of us to the Death Egg!
Silver: R - Right!
*He began to create a giant bubble*
Sonic: I'm not getting sidelined. Deep breath, Tails!
Tails: Right!
*He & Sonic went into a double spin dash & joined Flip, Sealia, & Augustus in the water as they attacked Akhlut & his Legionars. Just then, Akhlut noticed us*
Akhlut: That powers . . . It's the same that touched the minds of the my Legionars . . . You ruined our hold on the walruses! Vengeance for my warriors! Vengeance! *he unleashed a psychic attack on Silver that disrupted his psychic powers, breaking the bubble. Augustus punch him in the face as we swam up to the underwater entrance to the Death Egg* No one touch them! They're mine! *we all climbed out of the water, coughing & gasping for air* There is no escape!
*Silver put a shield, blocking another psychic attack from Akhlut*
Silver: Nngh! Blow it out your blow-hole!
Akhlut: Attention! All forces! Intruder alert! Toss their battered bodies to me!
*All the Egg Swats came to life & began to chase us*
Sonic: So much for the stealthy approach! Let's smash some Badniks, gangs! And keep any eye out for Sal!
*We ran down the hallway, smashing any Egg Swats that got in our way. Just then, Sally ran up to us*
Amy: Heads up! She's he - Erk!
*Sally kicked her in the face. Augustus then protected Erma from lasers fired by the Egg Swats*
Erma: Augustus!
*Sonic was soon in a deadlock with Sally*
Sonic: You're coming home, Sal!
Mecha Sally: THANK YOU FOR THE POINT BLANK SHOT, SWEETIE.
*Her head opened up, revealing a laser cannon*
Abigail: Sonic! Look out!
Huckleberry: Chao-Chao!
(Third-Person POV)
*Back in New Mobotropolis, at Cream's house, Cream & Cheese were getting ready to leave the house*
Cream: Mother! I'm going out to train with Team Freedom for the rest of the day!
Vanilla: Mind the rain, dear! Don't overexert yourself!
*As soon as they were gone, the Tails Doll came to life & went out the window. It didn't notice that Cream & Cheese were actually on roof, watching it. It went all the way to the Power Station. It entered through an air duct. As soon as it was out, it was surrounded by Team Freedom*
(Lacey's POV)
Cream: I was right! Bad dolly! What do you have to say for yourself?
Nicole: So it was you, I don't appreciate what you've been doing to the system!
Lacey: I knew something was wrong with that doll the moment I saw it.
Zeke: This is gonna be fun!
Nathan: Normally, I would've approve of ganging up on a stuffed toy, but I'll make an exception this time.
Mason: I get first punch!
*Suddenly, the Tails Doll started floating a little bit off the ground*
Tails Doll: SELF-REPAIR COMPLETE. OBJECTIVE: DESTROY POWER PLANT TO WEAKEN CITY. *the doll started to twist & change* OBJECTIVE: DESTROY POWER SCRUBBERS, RELEASING ROBOTROPOLIS RADIOACTIVE WASTE TO WEAKENED CITY *It was now a hideous monster* OBJECTIVE: DESTROY TEAM FREEDOM!
(Abigail's POV)
*Huck & I were able to get Sonic out of the way before Sally could fire her head laser. It hit the wall, knocking us back. Amy & Tails went to help up*
Mecha Sally: TARGETS LOCKED! DEATH TO THE ENEMIES OF THE EMPIRE'S ENEMIES!
*Just as she aimed her laser aimed us, Silver used his psychic powers on her & she shut down*
Silver: I . . . I did it! She was about to . . .
Sonic: Nice work. Don't let it go to your head, Silverfish.
*Suddenly, a white light began to encompass us*
Silver: What the - A time shift!
Sonic: Oh, no . . . This is -
*Then everything went black*