Scratching the Box

by TheMaxx

Being able to think, but not being able to feel is a madding feeling. After temporarily switching bodies with Sally, Nicole cannot not stop thinking of the experience. Even years after that fateful day, she can not forget, she thinks but she cannot feel. Unable to control herself or her thoughts any-longer, she acts on ulterior motives.

13. Endeavor Part 1

Disclaimer - I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

Morning the next day, New Mobotropolis...

It'd rained last night leaving New Mobotropolis prolonged with grey cloudy skies and colors for another day, and this morning was shaping up to be no exception. Citizens the last few days had kept an eager eye on the forecasts all week, worried that the weather on the day of the Thanks Giving Festival could be sub-par. With the day already beginning around seven a.m. for some, the leaden sky had made the day feel a certain type of macabre.

Nicole laid in her bed with a blank face staring at her white ceiling; her eyes half lidded and her mouth neutral in a straight line. She'd awoke minutes earlier to find her room dim and gloomy from the morning light flooding through her windows. Whilst cool, the city's force field kept most of the bitter chill out of the early morning air of the city, and kept the city temperate most times than not; at least when it was working.

It was quiet in her house, and she stretched before removing her puffy green covers from herself and sat on the edge of her bed; she wore a brown nightgown. Her legs hung over the side of her bed with her stoic expression staring at her floor now...

In her time at Central City exposure to these types of dark gloomy colors was on the regular basis. It was common because the climate where the city was located was more up northeast and cooler.

Dark rain clouds and rainy days were often and when it did get warm it only stayed that way for a moderate amount of time. At first she wished for better weather in her earlier days in the city; she hated it. But as time went on she didn't mind the darkness as much…growing fond of it because began to reflect exactly how she felt...

Now she liked the dark gray colors…and sometimes even missed them since unfavorable experiences were such a big part of her life….

Because the dark colors resonated with how she felt….of all the negative things that had happened to her…

Even right now as she stared at her floor, she felt a bit comfortable in this darkness…glad that she could see these grey colors again….

But with a big sigh, Nicole rose from the edge of her bed, and her black paws hit her cool bedroom floor. She thought of Sonic as she went to her bathroom…there walk to their homes last night was a pleasant experience...

She walked into her bathroom and turned on the lights to get herself ready for the day…

As more depressing things confronted her this morning…though she'd been learning of her past and mostly been stable as she tried to stomach it…she felt it was starting to catch up to her again this morning…

The thoughts of how unbelievable it was…she used to be a computer...

It made her gut grind that something so outrageous could be possible, making her feel a mix of depression and sadness. She'd been confident and determined to learn of her past since she'd come back, but today she felt it falter. Though she been doing her best to comprehend her past…she felt herself slipping backwards as she tried to rationalize what she learned of her past…falling back to where she found it hard to accept her past again…unable to accept...

She could feel it sometimes…as she was trying so hard to act like nothing happened…

Once she finished in her bathroom she changed into a pair of her purple robes; wrapping them firmly around herself before she headed down stairs. Her eyes caught sight of the New OS manual sitting on the top of one of her couches purple cushions as she stepped down her stairs. Her expression remained neutral as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stared at the book…she'd already made up her mind about what she was going to be doing for most of the day…

She was a bit wary about going out into public if she could help it now…the memories of how people had been treating her were still fresh…

So she first turned on her television and set it to a low volume. She didn't watch TV or much media, but she had the first few days back to naïvely see what was going on around the city while she was gone. But today she turned it on to see what news might be going on about her…

Then she grabbed her laptop from a wooden stand near a wall and placed it on her coffee table in front of her couch. Then went into her kitchen to make something to eat. She obviously wasn't going out to eat in a public setting anytime soon…

But even as she began to slice up fruit with a small knife, she felt dread as her chest tightened and her lips curled down into a frown. With her trial today…and Mina and her music…and so many other bad happening's…

Her mind wandered as she stared down at her wooden cutting board slicing up a pinkish looking fruit. Her brow pinched together with frustration as she thought of her relationship with the guys…as it was now it wasn't so good…

After she finished chopping the pink fruit, she reached up into a nearby cabinet and grabbed a bowl. She placed the pink fruit into the bowl and then grabbed a green fruit lying on the counter and began slicing it. Once again, staring down with a distant look in her eyes and a frown as she slowly chopped her fruit…

She felt dread as she looked towards the future…her vision was bleak…

She felt disappointment and dismayed that the guys didn't seem to care as much about her as time had passed; all excluding Sonic. She had failed to reconnect with her friends…most likely because she'd been away for a long time…and they had all drifted and changed…

Moving on without her…though nobody said it aloud…with Sonic continuing to be the exception…

As she was now facing these circumstances that were much bigger than her…more than she could have ever imagined…and now she woke up every day…not wanting to get up…wondering how she was going to face a system that was so much bigger than her…

Wishing she could just disappear…

She finished chopping her fruit and placed her knife down. She placed her chopped green fruit into her bowl, but she stood still looking down at her counter. From what she had gathered by talking with everyone, they didn't dislike her yet they did have a chip on their shoulder about what she'd done. Her relations with everyone was strained and beyond repair…

They helped her because she was their friend, and that level of caring was still present. But interpersonally they didn't seem to want to have anything to do with her anymore. Shed caused them much trouble, and she could see it in how they interacted with her...

Over the last few days none of the Freedom Fighters, excluding Sonic and maybe even Bunnie to an extent, were uninterested in getting to know her again.…

They did not seem to be interested in talking to her when she tried to engage them…she knew they were busier now too though because of her…so she sort of dismissed their behavior as an excuse for how it stung that they'd become indifferent to her…

Antoine, Sally, Tails, Rotor, and even Amy a little…

She placed her hands on her counter and leaned on it feeling a hollowness inside; and her expression became upset as she stared down at her fruit…at how she'd spent the last six years of her life not being able to remember anything…

Trying to cope…struggling to grapple with the reality and situation of her past…trying to live and understand…trying to live life like everyone else…be mobian…

Only she'd come to find even more so in the last few days her life was not what she thought it was…her life was a sham…

And now she'd been thrust unexpectedly into consequences of her past actions without warning. And all of it she was suddenly in the middle of. She had no family…no one really close for support…

She was just one person…she couldn't change the world…but she could change how she reacted to it…

She had to spend her energy to affect something she could change. And that was easier said than done as she could not escape the dread she currently felt. And she swallowed a lump in her throat keeping her upset and frustrated face; she mumbled softly to herself "This too will pass…" it was some wisdom Sonic had passed to her over the years…

And that statement generally rang true through her own observation. The nature of this reality they were in, just observing the world and her life. It always changed…nothing ever stayed the same forever…

She hoped something would change for the better soon…

Because she felt herself slipping into a deeper depression today. Feeling herself becoming emotionally numb…saddened about how naive she was despite all that was happening…

Sad, angry, and frustrated that she could not live normally. That she couldn't be mobian like everyone else because she was not normal. She'd experienced extreme anxiety and struggling on her own the last six years of her life she could remember. And now she had a ton of more stress and worry to deal with. Her trial…Mina…everyone upset with her…her past…..today….she felt very depressed….

Nicole paused for a moment faintly hearing the TV in her living room mentioning her name…she grimaced staring down at her counter…

She didn't know what was going to happen today…but she at least knew things would change…it always did…

So after standing still in her spot with vacant thoughts for a while she finally grabbed her bowl of fruit and went into her living room. She plopped down on her purple couch with a sigh closing her eyes, and placed her bowl down on her table in front of herself. Then she opened her laptop and pressed the power button and reached behind herself to grab the New OS Manual.

Her brows were still furrowed together with frustration present in her features as she began reading through the New OS Manual. Her mind did drift every now and then about her issues. Like what it was she wanted to do with herself. Confusion in and about her life and what she wanted to accomplish in her life. She was definitely having some sort of life crisis at the moment...

She still wanted to go after Sonic but even that had seemed to become a little more complicated. After learning about her past relationship with Sally…with them being such close friends…but also her past involvement with Sonic…it caused some conflict between Sally and herself…

Because she wasn't sure of Sonic's intentions when it came to such fanciful matters…

He had expressed how impressed he was by her knowledge and even commented on her appearance. He did not seem to mind her flirting and obvious advances either; he was actually laid back about it. And that was one thing she still wished to pursue in her life…even though her pursuit of him continued to look more unlikely everyday as she discovered more…she still liked him…and she thought he was handsome….

So her frustrated expression softened a bit into a curious face as her concentration shifted to the New OS Manual. Her TV played on a low volume and she ate some of her fruit while she read. She was still having difficulties trying to understand the coding language last time she looked through it. Along with not having much time to look at it and other things were taking focus away from her and caused more stress…

A few hours passed as Nicole worked on learning the coding for the New OS Manual. It was around nine a.m., and she had finished her fruit. The New OS Manual sat open next to her on her couch, and her laptop was on her lap. She typed on its keyboard with a determined expression creating the coding for the program she needed to code for the New OS. She finished typing for a moment glancing over at the New OS Manual then looked back to her laptop and began typing again. She felt she was ready to begin coding basics. Just as soon as she transferred the alphabets, terms, and functions from the New OS Manual she could begin coding.

But right in the middle of her transferring terms her doorbell rang. She looked away from her laptop blinking her eyes with curiosity, wondering who it could be as she looked towards her front door. She placed her laptop down on her coffee table and walked over to her door. She opened it with surprise to see Sonic, and her expression softened into a smile.

"Sonic? What brings you by this early in the morning?" she said placing her hands behind her back.

Sonic grinned "I wanted to stop by and see how you were doing before I head out today."

And Nicole nodded stepping aside as he took her gesture as a cue to walk in. She figured with what was happening today with her trial and all it was something up for discussion. She closed the door behind him, and she walked back over to her couch and sat down. Sonic didn't sit, he stood by the edge of her couch as she glanced over at him smiling.

"Amy and I are running some papers to Golden Hive Colony, they've finally started recovering since we've beaten Eggman back, and they want to join the Republic." Sonic said with a grin.

"It seems our allies are recovering now that Eggman's oppression has dwindled." Nicole said placing her hands on her lap in a dainty manner.

Sonic nodded, "Yeah all over Mobius. But Amy and I are going to be out of the city for awhile. I just wanted to let you know we'll be back before your trial starts…" he said as his grin weakened into a weak smile.

Nicole's smile faltered a bit as well "With you possibly being implicated because of why I left I may have dragged you into my mistakes as well today…"

But Sonic shook his head, "Not completely. The only reason the Consul hasn't already tried to convict the Freedom Fighters is because they wanted to get you alone. They've been on our butts too. So if I'm involved or not I'm still fighting." he said shifting his feet and laying a hand on her couch.

Nicole kept her weak smile from his support as she stared over at him, "Keeping me a secret over the years was certainly a good move as I was able to partially defend myself. Sally dressing me to look like my former self was an oversight." she giggled softly.

And Sonic chuckled with her grinning slightly again, "There was no way we could have known all this was going to happen."

But they both frowned slightly as their brows wrinkled together in worry and Sonic closed his eyes placing his hands on the back of his head "But we are doing everything we can to fight this. You know I've sided with you on this…" he opened his eyes with a serious expression looking at her "…I don't really feel comfortable with all this technology we've come into. And I don't think we should be using it like we have, even more so because it's yours…."

Nicole nodded silently with a serious face as he continued "Along with what you've said in the past about technology going out of control and timeline stuff…" he paused and Nicole felt it as he looked at her.

"What?" she said curiously with her brows furrowed together.

And he sighed "…There's also this kind of attitude floating around about you…like everyone doesn't need you anymore because we have the New OS now…even though it was you that made everything possible…"

And Nicole felt a wave of sanity hearing rare like-minded thoughts in the craziness of the last few days "…At least I know I am not alone in this room…"

Sonic lowered his arms "…Even the guys still feel torn about you…even with the trial and everything else…" he said with disappointment in his voice.

And Nicole could hear his honesty "…I understand Sonic…our past relationships were…close…" she said with a serious expression knowing they felt betrayed by her past actions.

"If technology is growing this fast already I can't imagine if the Consul got their hands on your tech…we don't want the Republic controlling or taking your stuff…I don't think that's good for anybody…" Sonic finished with his mouth pinched into a frown.

"I'm sure everyone can agree with that. I think greed has grown faster than my technology…" Nicole said with intent eyes.

"I've got your back Nicole…" he said with intent and a strong look in his eyes as he looked at her.

And Nicole didn't break her eyes away from him as she spoke blinking her eyes with her serious expression "…Sonic…you are the only one who hasn't grown cold…apathetic….I just wanted to mention it…I appreciate that you have not ignored my plight…" she said clasping her hands together.

Sonic blinked briefly in surprise, but then he grinned "Doesn't nothing ever last forever."

And Nicole smirked at his response remembering many past statements of his that were similar "I am cautiously optimistic…"

Sonic grinned cracking his knuckles "I'll catch up with you later Nicole, this is just the beginning." he said turning and walking over to her door.

Nicole's smile returned as she watched him "Return safely." she joked.

Sonic opened her door glancing back at her "Don't worry about me, the eyes of the Republic of Acorn are watching." he nodded one last time before he stepped out into the gloomy grey colors of the day and closed her door.

Nicole sat in her spot as her door clicked and her smile remained on her face for a while. She turned back around and picked up her laptop with a dreamy look on her face…yes he still made her knees weak…

But as she got back to transferring coding terms from the New OS Manual, she caught a few glimpses of her TV with unpleasant news to her. But with the way things had been going it looked to be just the beginning today. She stopped for a few moments looking at her TV with a curious expression to see the technology Rotor and Tails implemented in action…

(The TV Screen)

It was a news channel talking about another successful takedown of one of their enemies territories. The news station showed a wide view of advanced armored vehicles and what looked to be New Mobotropolis military personnel on foot firing weapons…sights her eyes had never seen…

The camera showed the view of a large military force, obviously there's, assaulting a large stone looking fortress. But Nicole could see it wasn't much of an assault as the weapons were so devastating…

The plasma weapons Tails and Rotor spoke of…the red beams ripped through metal and stone on the TV…

They were extremely dangerous just from observation. And their enemies inside the fortress fired back, but they were dominated by the overly powerful weapons they had created…they were getting massacred….

And she flipped the channel hoping to see something that wasn't so hard to stomach. But she landed on another station talking about nanite damage and problems happening right now in the city. A live feed showed a row of nanite houses crumbled and broken in various ways…and she flipped the channel again…

This time she landed on to a movie station…she didn't care what the movie was, only that it didn't relate to her as she placed her remote down…

(Nicole's Living Room)

Her frown had returned with narrowed brows and so did the dread in her tightening chest. She looked back at her laptop and began typing again, feeling her fingers fidget a bit from stress. She was sure there was a lot going on just in this city she was still not aware of, and she felt unease of what might happen to her today…

Meanwhile…

On the South side of town at Rotors house. Rotor had awoken early and already was sitting at his computer after he just watched another DVD. He had turned on a lamp to brighten the room from the dark gloomy morning earlier. And he just placed his mug of coffee down on his desk to get up and grab another DVD. First he took out the one he just watched and placed it back in its plastic casing, then got up and went over to the pile of DVDs.

He rubbed his chin with a determined expression as his eyes scanned for the next DVD. He was continuing to watch Nicole's Rampancy progress in their time period. There was no doubt anymore that Nicole had gone insane from not being able to feel. From what he had seen on the last few DVDs, she had progressed past the third stage of Rampancy. In the supposed fourth stage called Stability, Kintobor's notes stated that it might be possible that an AI could become stable…

But there was no evidence to back that claim. And considering Kintobor's AI went crazy and never stopped growing. Nicole didn't look like she was either on the DVDs. Her urge to grow continued...to experience emotion again….and she continued to expand her hardware…expand New Mobotropolis so she could grow her knowledge…as the limitations of her hardware became insufficient for her exponentially growing mind…from the looks of what he was seeing on the DVDs, if Nicole had not had the ability to create her body she surely would have gone insane…

He still remembered six years ago when she trapped them in the control room. He remembered the look of disbelief on Nicole's face the minute she connected to her living body for the first time and experienced emotions and feelings again…

When she got up off the floor and looked at her hands…..her widened eyes and shocked expression conveyed the pure euphoria on her face of her living body…

And Nicole was over seven hundred years old …it was only after experiencing in Sally's body that caused it…but since shed never really felt before that, it had to be many emotions over the centuries she'd might not been aware of but finally had expressed them…

He wondered how long she carried her pent up thoughts of wanting to feel…

And when her thoughts became feelings…how long she had waited to feel again because when she did feel again her pent up thoughts, which became living feelings and emotion again, had overwhelmed her…computer self and living self…

And after a little searching he found DVD two hundred eighty seven and picked it out of the pile. He sat back down at his computer and put it in the drive and it spun up. He grabbed his coffee mug and sipped on it with a serious expression as the video went full screen. He needed to see the full extent of Nicole's decent into insanity before he told Nicole and the others before her trial today…because he felt he might be over exaggerating but…he wondered if it was faintly possible that Nicole could have inherited some of her computer self's behavior…

(The computer screen)

Rotor's sight was immediately blinded by many flashing application screens up and closing in a rapid manner…he couldn't read the text to see what commands Nicole was running because it was moving so fast…

But soon she stopped, and the screen remained black for a moment and then the view switched to an outside camera of the castle. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the Freedom Fighters and other assorted people were in the castle's yard enjoying a picnic. People were sitting on blankets all across the green grass enjoying food with one another. Bunnie and himself were absent at the moment. Nicole's view was vertical; she had a full view of the court yard. Rotor guessed she was looking through the closest available camera on a castle wall.

But suddenly the camera panned over and zoomed in on Sally and the others. Sally pulled out her portable form from her blue jacket pocket and called her.

The screen went black for a moment as Nicole switched to her portable form as Sally held her up to her face, "Nicole?" Sally asked her with a smile.

"Yes Sally?" Nicole responded in a neutral tone.

"How's it going? Do we have any problems?" Sally asked looking away from her for a moment.

"No Sally, there hasn't been any endangerment towards the city today." Nicole stated.

Sally look back at Nicole smiling, "Well I hope not, I'm still getting used to this city. I wouldn't dare try a get together at the Knothole, especially with Eggman. I'm surprised this is turning out good." Sally said looking away from her again and responding to someone who spoke to her.

After she finished speaking Nicole spoke "I have also received an inquiry from the Consul of Acorn. They want to speak with you after you've completed your outing." Nicole spoke in a neutral tone.

Sally groaned frowning slightly "…Ugh…ok, thanks Nicole. I'll call you when I'm done here."

"Yes Sally." Nicole said as Sally put her back in her pocket.

Then the screen switched back to the camera view looking down on the people in the courtyard. Rotor watched Nicole as she zoomed in on Sally walking from where she stood to join the rest of the gang on a blanket surrounded by much chatter. Then Nicole zoomed in closer focusing on Sonic talking with Tails and laughing about something. Rotor guessed he was seeing some Jealousy in her Rampancy even though she was past that stage. This DVD was still somewhere around the middle of New Mobotropolis's time.

But Nicole had not created her holographic form yet. Rotor was curiously hopeful to see why she chose a Lynx as her form. The DVD went on for a while with Nicole staying silent and watching the Freedom Fighters on their blanket.

She switched from looking at Sonic sometimes to watching the other patrons at the picnic. She remained quiet through most of the DVD. Though throughout the DVD, an attractive female lynx on a nearby blanket kept getting Sonic's attention. From what Rotor could see Sally chided Sonic when he did and the others laughed. But Nicole's camera locked on the lynx after each time Sonic did this. Then her camera darted back and forth between Sonic and the lynx, and soon a list full of text popped up in a millisecond so fast that he couldn't see it.

Rotor couldn't read what was on it, and he even skipped the video back a few times but still couldn't make out what it said. It was blurry because it opened and closed so quick; so he ignored it another time.

And just as his curiosity left him calculations and algorithms came on-screen; to fast for his eyes. The math kept going while some sort of CAD program opened and 3D designs of what he couldn't make out suddenly began modeling. With both programs going on at once Rotor didn't know what to look at. A minute later though it all stopped as an error beep sounded. He guessed whatever she was creating; she didn't have the means to do it.

So the math disappeared but the model program drew something different. Rotor recognized it this time as it came to shape. It was New Mobotropolis's mainframe. He actually remembered when Nicole called him and told him about it for the first time.

But foreboding came over him as she made the design for the mainframe. As it became clearer she might have made the mainframe not only to help the city, but to expand herself as her Rampancy grew.

In a few minutes time, Nicole finished the designs, and she saved it because it was within hardware capacities. Then Rotor heard the tone of a phone…beep…boop…

It rang and Rotor answered, "Hello?" his past self questioned.

"Rotor, it is Nicole." she stated.

"Oh hi Nicole! What do you need?" Rotor asked her happily.

"I have run simulations on Eggman's threat to the city and found we're still underwhelmed. I have found new ways to expand hardware capacities of the city and expand my watch over the city." Nicole stated in a neutral tone

"Sounds great. I was heading over to the castle anyways. Why don't I come see what you're talking about." Rotor said in a curious tone.

"Yes, I will explain once you have arrived." Nicole stated as her camera zoomed in on Sonic again...

"Alright see you there." he said hanging up. The screen faded….

(In Rotors room)

With a curious face, Rotor got up from his seat and grabbed DVD two hundred eighty eight from the pile. He sat back down in his chair looking apprehensive about Nicole's growing insanity but still intrigued by her as he put the next DVD in. He crossed his legs, and his brows narrowed in determination as he watched his screen go full screen again. Despite all that had transpired with Nicole, her past and life now still sparked his curiosity over the years…her being the future still topped his curiosity about her…

(The computer screen)

The video started through a camera in the mainframe room in the upper levels of the castle; where Nicole's portable used to sit with the rest of the computers. Rotor was there, and he was fiddling around inside the new mainframe computer they just built. Just like now, the room was fully lined with super computers, with the computers all linked to the new mainframe. Expanding Nicole's hardware abilities as he saw in the previous DVD. From what he could remember he'd just finished installing the new mainframe with Tails and Nicole.

Rotor stood closing a panel on the Mainframe and pulling out a walkie-talkie, "Ok Tails, give me some juice."

Tails responded in an enthusiastic manner, "I'm starting the power now…"

A second later the sound of electricity shot through the room; powering up all the new machinery. Lights lit up on all the computers going down the line of computers to the mainframe. The mainframe was a taller computer on average; mainly by Nicole's design if he remembered correctly. The biggest difference appearance wise was on its front it sported a green camera lens. Nicole couldn't speak back then without going to a terminal to talk to them or through her portable.

But it gave him a sense a déjà vu when he realized he did recognize it. The mainframe they helped her build looked very similar to the system unit on previous DVDs with her creator. Black and tall as a bookcase…

Then he realized it probably was a similar design of the system unit in her future…or past…

Rotor called to her "Go ahead and try it out Nicole." his past self said aloud.

The view of the camera lagged for a second as Nicole moved herself into the new mainframe. It made a large whir of power as she entered it then her view came on screen from the green lens of the mainframe.

Rotor moved in front of the lens looking slightly worried, "Is everything ok Nicole?"

Before she responded to his past self the same algorithms and design program popped up on screen the minute she was in the new mainframe, "Yes, everything is in working order. I shall run a diagnostic on this new hardware." Nicole said all the while still doing the calculations.

His past self nodded with a smile, "Ok then, I have to get back to work. I'll see you a little later Nicole."

"Yes." she stated simply.

Rotors past self walked out of the room, speaking into the walkie talkie telling Tails the installation was successful. And after a few minutes the algorithms and design program disappeared. And moments later the green lens of the mainframe adjusted shooting out Nicole's hologram that they were all familiar with.

It did not have purple robes though, just brown fur, black paws and feet, and a different shorter hair style; it was also static. Then it retracted. Nicole's view then switched to a camera in the room. It shot out her hologram but failed; multiple times. It was incomplete and missing sections.

But Rotor could see the green lens of the mainframe light up from her view up on the wall. And not too long after, her hologram shot through the camera on the wall. Then it retracted again. But slowly her hologram began materializing into the room without the help of any focal point.

And Rotor slightly nodded his head as he watched. Those equations might have been the formula for the concentrated energy around her hologram. At least that's how she'd explained that to them in the past. He also gathered why she might have chosen a lynx as her holographic form; because of what happened on the previous DVD, with the attractive female lynx on the previous DVD getting Sonic's attention multiple times. He figured maybe she thought that form would get Sonic's attention as well.

Nicole went on for most of the video testing her hologram. Then sometime around the end she finally switched to the view of her hologram. It moved naturally as she moved over to some tools on the floor and picked them up. She glossed over herself, moving her hands in front of her eyes. Then she turned and looked at the green lens of the mainframe, and the list full of text popped up again very fast. He still could not make out what it was so he decided he'd examine it later.

So he watched the rest of the DVD, and a few uneventful days went past and Nicole didn't show her hologram to anyone. He knew she would eventually because Sonic was the first to tell everyone what her hologram looked like. Nicole had to have shown it to him first. But nothing interesting happened the rest of the DVD before the video faded…

(In Rotors room)

Rotor got up from his seat again and went to get the next DVD from the pile. So far Nicole's Rampancy had not reached its peak yet. Where she could not expand herself anymore. She was still expanding her hardware capabilities on these DVDs. When he found DVD two hundred eighty nine he went back over to his computer and was about to pop it in, but his phone rang.

He felt he did need a break from all the tension so he felt relived from the interruption. It was Tails, and he needed help. The technicians had a bigger problem than expected, and it was now a multiple person job. But Tails still had work to finish where he was at, so he was going to call him when he finished.

He responded telling him he'd be waiting. He should had been at the castle working with everyone. But he told the guys he had something important to watch on the DVDs still. Which is why he wasn't at the castle now. Rotor put his portable phone back on his receiver and glanced over at his computer with a determined face…

He was almost at the end of the DVDs; it was getting around the time where she had created her body. And he just needed to see what happened in Nicole's Rampancy. Because up until now they didn't know this about her, her being from the future was what they thought was the pinnacle. But it was just the tip of the ice burg of what they actually knew about Nicole now that he'd discovered her Rampancy…

So Rotor went back over to his computer chair and sat down; rolling back over to his desk and removing and placing the next DVD in. As the DVD drive spun up he crossed his legs again as his screen went full screen again. He could see traits from her computer self in the living Nicole now that he'd become more aware of Nicole's genetics. He just wasn't sure how similar they were because he hadn't been paying attention to her behavior more up until now…

(The computer screen)

The video started, and Nicole was looking through a monitor in the Knothole HQ. Tails sat at this particular terminal typing into the keyboard. Sonic and Knuckles were also present. Tails claimed Shadow was coming to Sonic and Knuckles sometime through the DVD.

Rotor wasn't there for there for this event and didn't know what had transpired that day. But minutes later Shadow came in to the backroom of the Knothole HQ with them. Shadow sought help with a data disk that contained information from his past. Unfortunately, the disk was damaged beyond repair, and he gave it to Tails to see if he could do anything. It was Professor Gerald Robotonik's Dairy. Nicole watched Tails try and analyze the disk, but it was too damaged to pull anything from it. Tails exclaimed to Shadow if they tried, the corrupted information would become more corrupted.

But Nicole suddenly spoke up for the first time during this DVD "If I may…it is possible to physically interact with the disk, you might be able to recover what you need to know." she spoke to Shadow.

Shadow looked quizzically at the computer screen "You can do that?"

"It will take a few minutes of preparation." Nicole said promptly.

And Shadow, Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles exchanged a few words while Nicole prepared the simulation chamber in the Knothole HQ; right behind them all on the screen. But Rotor saw that wasn't the only thing she was preparing. That strange list full of text popped up again briefly, and the CAD program that she used in the previous DVD appeared again. Rotor rubbed his chin as he realized this is when she did it...

Apart from Shadow's presence it was the perfect excuse. Sonic was alone with her getting her full attention, she must have been looking for a way to present her form to Sonic, that's why she hadn't shown herself in the previous DVDs. This is where she first showed her holographic form…

So a few minutes later Nicole spoke again "Sonic...Shadow…I am ready."

Tails nodded looking into Nicole's screen with a serious expression "I'll monitor."

Sonic and Shadow then entered the simulation room and the big metal doors firmly clamped as they entered with Tails and Knuckles watching them. And the screen went black as Nicole's vision switched again but this time to her holographic forms point of view just like the previous DVD. Inside the chamber a bright spark lit the room and the room formed around them. Shadow and Sonic didn't notice they weren't the only ones in the room. Then the room fully formed, but it still looked to be fading away.

Nicole looked to her left seeing Shadow and Sonic still not noticing her. The simulation room formed into what looked like the Space Colony Arch.

Sonic walked over to a window seeing they were in a simulation of what looked like outer space "This is your birthplace huh?" Sonic asked Shadow curiously.

"Yes." Shadow stated simply with a frown looking around the area.

Sonic still didn't notice her presence until she spoke. Shadow was completely uninterested in her and didn't even bother looking her way "It is just as I predicted, our presence is hastening the decay. We need to be quick." Nicole said in her usual neutral tone.

Sonic turned to look at the voice "Nicole!" he said with widened eyes and a slack jaw.

"I...yes…" Nicole paused and Rotor couldn't believe he just saw Nicole stutter for the first time ever "… I've been investigating corporeal life as a side project." Nicole almost made it look as if her hologram moved in such a way that she looked bashful of Sonic's reaction…the tone of her voice sure made it sound real…

"Sweet, I like the look." Sonic said with a smirk pointing his fingers at her in approval as he began following Shadow.

Nicole walked with them through the corridors of the Space Colony Arch "Thank you...I've run into some difficulties but…" Shadow cut Nicole off glancing back at her with an annoyed expression.

"I thought you said we needed to be quick." Shadow said harshly.

Immediately after Shadow spoke they all ran into the simulation of Maria. As they approached her Nicole's big list of text opened and closed before Rotor could see it as the video faded…

(In Rotors room)

Rotor exited full screen with his mind riddled with more questions than answers. He crossed his arms staring at his computer screen with his eyes narrowed in contemplation thinking, when his phone rang again. He got up answering the phone; it was Tails again saying they were ready for his help.

So Rotor put his computer on sleep and left his house making sure to lock his door. He held a slight frown on his face as he walked down the path to his house. He glanced over to his right as his eyes adjusted to the gloomy grey and dark colors of the day. His neighbor's nanite roof was having troubles again…some of it was missing…

He sighed as he walked onto the busy sidewalks on the South Side of town. It seemed Nicole had been in the state of Rampancy much longer than Kintobor's AI, and it was hard to make out what motions Nicole was going through. Because she'd been in it longer than what Kintobor had outlined he guessed that she'd gone into the supposed Stability stage of Rampancy. But Stability looked more like Nicole experienced Melancholia, Anger, and Jealousy. Fluxuating through those stages as her mind exponentially continued to grow. Stability didn't look stable at all…in fact…it just looked like Nicole had been insane longer than described…

She didn't reach Stability from what he could see in the DVDs….

But it would have to wait till he got back home; he needed to see the final DVDs showing her in the final days of her Rampancy. Just before she created her body and at the peak of her awareness as an AL…

Back on the East Side of town at Nicole's house…

Nicole's anxiety remained the same even now that it was noon. She ran a hand through her black hair to move it out of her eyes as she worked with the New OS Manual. She held the manual with her brows knotted keeping a frustrated expression on her face. She hadn't paid much attention to her TV while she read through the manual, though she had heard her name mentioned once or twice again.

The more she read the New OS Manual the more she saw it was nothing like any programming language she had ever seen. Though the manual did detail precisely on the process of coding for the language, it was nothing like A++.

She turned a page with her lips pinched together. She had moved into writing the language but she was still struggling to understand it. The New OS coding if she wasn't mistaken…

It was an esoteric programming language…

Though she'd seen those types of languages before she'd never seen anything like what she was reading in this book…

Most esoteric programming did not have much practical use, though some had been made that did…but if she was reading this right…her coding…it was serious…and the language was designed for real use…

She supposed she didn't really have to guess if this language was serious since most esoteric programming wasn't…she used to use this apparently…

And she couldn't believe such a language existed as she read through the New OS Manual…

It was such specialized knowledge and only known to a small few…with her guessing again only she and her creator knew…

She flipped back to a previous page as she was reading ways to write commands in the language. She learned from Rotor her OS had operated in a manner where multiple processes were executing during the same period of time. Baring slight similarities to Parallel and Concurrent computing, but in a much more unfathomable way than they all could imagine. In the Organic Computing of her OS data moved freely unlike Analog Computing…

Theoretically it sounded like it had no limitations…

For she could see just from the basic's she was trying to learn, many similar things she'd learned on Yinux that she might try…but the language was written in such an arcane manner…it probably wasn't written intentionally in this way just to simply confuse…but most likely it needed to be a special language to design her…

As she learned…her motherboard was a functioning organic operating system…it was at Castle Acorn right now…she wasn't ready to go see it yet…

But that was certainly a possibility why this language was so esoteric…

Since she was starting from scratch she wanted the Programming Paradigm to be Concurrent Programming for an Object-capability model. As a test to see if she could code basics and maybe even add a little extra security to the city with the New OS coding. Though she'd never coded in a Concurrent language before, and it was proving to be difficult. Even though she picked up most knowledge quickly her OS's coding was different…complex, and it was her first time learning it….

She was at least glad the New OS coding was similar to most computers in as such; multiple languages could be programmed into it. Her computer self most probably had to have multiple languages to run the city…

Then again her OS language was more difficult than anything she'd ever encountered…

The current page she was reading, she understood the second through the fifth lines of explanation from the book, but the eighth not so much. She was trying to create multicore applications for the security programs she was trying to write. So she placed the New OS Manual down next to her on her couch and picked up her laptop and typed into her coding program:

},

% chmod 600 (rw-) ("multithread SON container.");

SIGINT "toString: function () :{ OOS freeze".length}

#include ^^ + # + ^,^ + % + ^^;

},

get#: function() { return %; },

get%: function() { return #; },

});

};

She typed a few more lines of code but when she hit enter she got yet another: Syntax Error

As it appeared on her screen, she sighed closing her eyes with her brows still narrowed with an upset expression. She felt like taking a break…

She placed her laptop back on her coffee table in front of her and leaned back in her couch; dipping her head backwards and staring up at her ceiling. Her lips curled down with a frown on her face; feeling some frustration at not being able to figure out the New OS coding and feeling worry with other things in her life.

The systems she learned on, Yinux and Indows, and the systems that Rotor and many designs used in this time were different than her OS. Rotor and Tails told her, that she told them in the past she had full access to the source code of her OS. And considering her past hardware was essentially a supercomputer, it made it easier to modify existing code on her hardware as she told them she did it all the time.

Many computers of this time did not have full access to their source codes so in in essence made it harder to modify. Rotor told her that many people including himself did it for security reasons, but he did not deny it certainly made it a bit harder for them to change the source code when they wanted to. And in supercomputing closed source was a big no no It really showed how advanced her computer self used to be. As the functional designs from the future showed less restriction an in turn more progressing in allowing open source. Considering she was a supercomputer, her OS having open source made good sense.

So that also meant the New OS was open source and the coding she was trying to learn would directly modify the blank source on the New OS…if she could figure it out…

She was also learning the command line interface of the New OS so that would most definitely help…

And she stared at the ceiling starting to ponder what would happen to her today when her television got her attention again. Hearing her name again, she kept her frown as she picked up her remote off her coffee table and slightly turned up the volume….

(The television screen)

It was a news program again "I'm Diane Summer and this is the afternoon news. With the rumors of Nicole back, most hoped the artificial intelligence that built this city would return gracefully. But it's only caused trouble for some New Mobotropolis residents. Some residents even fear that Nicole's return will cause problems for the Thanksgiving Festival. We go to Chuck Taylor on the scene." the giraffe newswoman gathered her papers as the camera switched.

The camera switched to an outside area of a brick building, with a yellow male dog reporting. Nicole had sat forward in her seat at what she saw "Hey Diane, we're at the scene of gang-related vandalism. Of the many vandalism's that's happened over the course of last night. We're here at one of New Mobotropolis's oldest buildings, made of brick. It's the business of Bob Tang, one of the only repair shops of antique electronics in the city. As you can see vandals sprayed graffiti all over the side of this building." The camera showed a panning shot of Nicole's name sprayed in big purple letters, and under it, it said 'she has returned'.

"There's been many other gang related damages around the city overnight and many citizens fear that if Nicole is back her presence will cause just as many problems when she was the citiy's AI; not forgetting the myriad of problems she created when she left the city. We interviewed Bob Tang earlier this day."

The video then showed the reporter standing with the owner of the shop, an old tiger male, white fur, with a few gray whiskers. The reporter spoke "Mr. Tang, what are your feelings about Nicole?"

The old male pinched one of his whiskers "I was glad she was gone; I built this building out of real materials because I didn't like her nanites. I just don't trust a computer program deciding for me. I believe I was right…" the old man chuckled.

"And what do you think about the damage sir?" the reporter asked the man.

"This is directly her fault, you see what her just being back has done!" the old man pointed at the graffiti on his building "can you imagine if she returned? There are many subjects of discussion, our enemies have attacked even more. The government won't tell us, but we know it has something to do with Nicole. Anybody who's lived here has a story about Nicole." The old man said with an annoyed face.

"If she is here what do you want to happen?" the reporter asked the old man.

The old man got angry "I want her out! Our people have been creating technology just fine without her! We became a superpower without her! If anything problems happening now are her fault. Our people just deal with it. I've lived here since the city's creation, Nicole was a problem in the past. She's a problem now. Kick her out!" CLICK.

Nicole flipped to another channel, but it didn't help as she remained motionless at the show in front of her now…

It was Vector, he sat in a studio with a cheap brown paper backdrop. He sat behind a desk leaning back in a chair with his feet rested on the desk; a red phone laid in the middle of his desk. A monitor to his right replayed the video he recorded of her last night. To his left was a digital led counter, it had reached in the thousands.

Vector spoke with his eyes closed "Thanks for watching, I'm getting good rating's people. The phone lines are open, and I've got the scoop on Nicole. If you have anything you want to say about Nicole give me a ring." just as Vector spoke the phone lines went crazy, surprising him and making him fall out of his chair.

He scrambled back up in grabbed his phone "Hello you've reached the detective formerly known as Vector. What do you have to say about Nicole?"

A male spoke "Is that video real?" the man asked Vector.

Vector grinned "Yes, I spoke with Nicole last night; I really talked to her; I'm sure."

Nicole fixated on the repeating video, her face full of rage broadcast everywhere. It made her look like a monster…this was going to cause a mess even if she had every right to be angry "I've got a few choice words…" the male responded.

Nicole hoped the third time was the charm CLICK! Nicole's tension loosened as the TV flipped to a cooking show.

(Nicole's Living Room)

Her frown deepened as she felt more unease and worry washed over her sending tingles down her back. As it all drew closer her determination began slipping away glancing to her side at the New OS Manual. Seeing the peoples distaste of her made her completely lose the drive to continue with the New OS Manual at the moment…wondering what was the point anyway…

They were going to throw her in jail anyway…she was more stressed as the day dragged on…she hadn't made much progress with the New OS Manual anyway...

But soon her frown dampened, her shoulders drooped, and her facial features down turned. The worry on her face created furrows on her forehead as she looked away from her TV and her eyes downcast. With a now saddened expression, she closed the New OS Manual sighing.

She was still building her courage to go talk to Mina….

She held a pained expression in her eyes as she looked down at her floor…to be frank Mina intimidated her…

She was really aggressive…

She was still apprehensive about leaving her house still. She understood why the others couldn't stop Mina's music. The people overwhelmingly liked it and because of possible public backlash, they couldn't act. Such a thing would surely hurt her case…it also hurt that Mina's music was so accepted …

Mina had the privilege to ignore her pain because of it. And she knew Mina would most likely be unreasonable if she did go to see her. Then suddenly her phone rang. She glanced over her shoulder blinking her eyes and dawning a curious expression.

She got up and picked up the phone off a receiver "Hello?" she answered in a curious tone.

"Nicole its Sally, I'm in a bit of a pickle. Sonic and Amy are heading back to New Mobotropolis; Antoine is busy; I don't know where Bunnie is, and Tails and Rotor are busy as well…" she paused sounding slightly sheepish and Nicole stayed silent raising an eyebrow as she waited for her to continue.

Sally chuckled weakly "…I hate to ask…but I need someone to go over and help Mina again…I'm sorry to have to ask you…" Sally said in a descending tone.

Nicole's expression became stoic but responded a moment later "…No…I understand….I will go help her now…"

Sally's tone suddenly sounded more serious "We don't have time to properly discuss your trial later on today because the Consul is trying to railroad your case. But I have something that may help you…we'll talk about it when we meet later…I'll give you a call when we're ready…"

Nicole paused again keeping her neutral face "…After I help Mina I will return home for the rest of the day…." she stated feeling her stomach drop.

"Alright, I'll give you a call later Nicole." Sally said sounding grateful.

But she caught Sally before she hung up "…Thank you for helping me Sally…" she stated in a neutral tone.

And she responded immediately "Your welcome Nicole, I'll see you later." Sally responded.

"Yes…later…" Nicole responded as the line went dead.

And as she put the phone on the receiver it clicked and her frown returned to her face. She didn't want to go out, but it at least gave her an opportunity to confront Mina. So she walked over to her couch and flipped off her television. Then she closed her laptop staring down at it as she closed it. She didn't want to have this talk with Mina, but if talking to Mina could possibly sway her to stop singing horrible music about her, people's opinions could change…

But even she could recognize her naivety of what she was about to do…but she at least had to try even if it didn't work…

So she prepared herself mentally to finish her task as a Freedom Fighter and go talk to Mina. She went back upstairs into her bathroom to make sure she was fine with her appearance before heading back downstairs and opened the door. She did glance back at her laptop and New OS manual on her couch. She still felt determined to figure it out, and decided she would work with it more when she returned. And hesitatingly with a frown on her face, she turned back around and closed her door and left her house. She tried to avoid eye contact with people as she made her way to Mina, but it seemed people were truly starting to remember who she was as everyone looked her way…

Meanwhile…

A short distance North West of New Mobotropolis at the decrepit Knothole HQ…

Jet, Storm, and Geoffrey had returned to their makeshift hideout again after stirring up people's emotions against Nicole. They hopped off their extreme gear and made their way inside. Removing the tattered hoods and clothing they wore to disguise themselves while in the city. They tossed their clothing on the floor when they stepped inside; Jet and Storm put their extreme boards up against a wall. Jet and Storm joked about how much fun they had been having. Geoffrey on the other hand was bored by the ordeal. As they walked into the main room they spotted Wave still sitting at the old computer console.

Jet and Storm made their way over to her telling her of their deeds. Geoffrey made his way to Nagus sitting on the couch not far away near the front door.

"Master." Geoffrey knelled on his knees bowing his head.

Nagus grinned baring his sharp teeth "Have we made any progress?" he said looking down at him.

"Yes, the peoples distrust of her has risen. We should caution to do more though." Geoffrey stood with a slight frown.

Nagus grumbled to himself looking slightly angered as his brow furrowed "We have to do this today…" he gripped his staff tighter "What else can you do other than vandalism that might garner media attention towards her?"

And while Nagus and Geoffrey talked on the other side of the room, the Babylon Rogues talked among themselves by the computer console; occasionally glancing at Nagus and Geoffrey with suspicious eyes.

But after a while Wave, Storm, and Jet walked over to them. Their eyes narrowed with grumpy looks on their faces "I'm getting restless old man. What are we getting out of this exactly?" Jet asked crossing his arms.

But Nagus looked irritated as he gritted his teeth "Once I am restored as the rightful king of New Mobotropolis I will give you an unlimited supply of whatever you want. I've told you this already." he said with annoyance "Now what have you done to cause trouble for Nicole?" he asked the trio.

The Rogues all glared at Nagus before Jet responded "We started an anti-Nicole campaign with disgruntled citizens, vandalized property, telling people she was back to name a few…" Jet said keeping a hard stare on Nagus and Geoffrey.

Nagus nodded holding an angry expression "Decent progress…but dissatisfaction of the girl must be overwhelming if we are to distract and get to her…"

"I overheard there is a Festival of some sort happening in a few days while we were in the city." Geoffrey glanced over at the Rogues frowning.

And Nagus's eyes lit up as he dawned an arrogant face. The rogues all smirked to knowing they were all thinking the same thing "This ought to be fun." Storm said chuckling heartily.

"Looks like you boys need to spread some rumors about that festival." Wave said with a wicked smile.

"Welp let's get back to work!" Jet said smiling looking at Geoffrey who sighed closing his eyes. Storm laughed as he, Jet, and Geoffrey put their tattered clothing back on. Then Storm and Jet grabbed there extreme boards heading back out the front door. Storm slammed the door behind himself and soon the high powered sounds of their extreme boards taking could be heard before they disappeared.

Then Nagus stood from his seat on the couch grinning with a smug look at Wave "Have you found anything else?"

Wave nodded with narrowed eyes and a slight look of irritation "That exploit is the only thing I found. It's because this computer is still connected to the city. The only reason they don't detect us is because it recognizes this computer as a friendly. It's probably the only computer that hasn't been upgraded for them."

"Is it useful?" Nagus asked her looking slightly confused.

"I deciphered it and it wouldn't be effective against New Mobotropolis, alone anyway…" Wave said placing a hand on her hip.

Nagus slightly turned his head away from her pondering something with a slightly angered expression. And Wave silently grinded her beak narrowing her eyes in anger as she stared at him. They didn't have many resources left for their Zeppelin, and she didn't like that they were messing around trying to fight the strongest city on Mobius with this crazy old man.

She spoke up breaking the silence "We won't need it anyway if we get Nicole right?" she asked with irritation still present in her voice.

Nagus then turned and glared at her "We'll seize the opportunity when it reveals itself. If you have found nothing else then I need to make some calls."

Wave did feel she was in need of a break anyways so she turned away from him with annoyance on her face throwing a hand up in the air; walking in the opposite direction, wandering around the HQ somewhere out of Nagus's sight.

Nagus nostrils flared with a grumpy expression coming across his face as he watched her go. He did not like her attitude …

But once he was sure she wasn't in earshot Nagus walked over to the old computer console. He fiddled with the computer and the instructions Geoffrey had written for him until he figured out how to make a call which was just a few key strokes.

Then he pulled out the list of signals Geoffrey compiled and began calling. To enlist anyone who would help in the capture of Nicole. His main targets were ones who were now in a position of power and had disposable resources. He first contacted Lien-Da, she was a grandmaster but as Geoffrey had told him the Grandmasters of the Dark Legion had split off into separate entities over the years. They all held a small chunk of power, and Nagus thought they would be crazy to reject his offer. If they could get Nicole, they could possibly control everything. Unfortunately, Nagus's ideas fell on deaf ears.

The ones he contacted were despondent to his offer. There ways of thinking were changed by the harsh conditions they suffered through over the years in New Mobotropolis's rise to power. All they knew was New Mobotropolis was stronger than they could ever fathom, and they didn't want to mess with them…

The collective villainous mindset had changed Now taking over Mobius was too much trouble, and it meant more work for them. It was just an afterthought now as they all went on with their lives. Many of those he contacted had other problems right now; dealing with limited resources around Mobius because of the forces of good had taken over the world. They continued to fight New Mobotropolis and their allies off with what little they had from till this day.

They simply didn't want to hear the nonsense of a living Nicole. Lien-da had finally become the leader of her group, and she rejected his offer simply because she was happy where she was at, at the moment. Then Nagus called Drago Wolf; also a grandmaster. But he blew off him because, one, he didn't believe there was a living Nicole, and two he thought his plan was amateur, meaningless, and absurd.

Going so far to call him a chump, saying he didn't know where he had been all these years but the world had changed. He just didn't care about this Nicole he claimed there was. Drago exclaimed to him in an angry manner that whoever she was she was not his concern.

Then Nagus called Nack the Weasel; he rejected out of fear he was working with New Mobotropolis. And by that point Nagus had run out of contacts who had resources at their disposal, so he called the remaining signals.

Most of the Destriux disbanded, and Nagus was only able to contact Flying Frog and Sleuth dog. They rejected him because they had retired, and they didn't believe the story about Nicole. He contacted Eggman and all he did was laugh and hang up. He had gone through the whole list, and with one remaining contact who he was already on bad ice with, but he reluctantly sent out the signal.

Nagus held a scowl on his face as he waited for the static screen to turn to video. Geoffrey had told him that she was none too happy about him showing up uninvited. But soon a Rayju Clan member answered "Who is this? How did you get this signal?"

"I have an offer for the honorable Bride of Conquering Storm." Nagus stated in an upset tone.

"You have no right to call this signal." the Rayju Clan member said narrowing his eyes. But another voice startled the clan member making him turn to look off screen.

And he walked off screen for a moment when the person he sought came on screen. Conquering Storm peered into the screen looking displeased as always. When she saw who had called her, her anger became more prevalent "Ixis Nagus…" she growled "You have five seconds." she said already looking ready to hang up.

Nagus gritted his teeth but began explaining his plan to take over New Mobotropolis. But as he was getting into it Conquering Storm had moved her hand ready to end the call. And Nagus's eyes widened with anger on his face and blurted out "Nicole!" he stammered.

It made her stop, and she moved her hand away from the button. Her face then became curious "Nicole? What about her?" Conquering Storm asked as her mouth curved downwards with a grumpy face.

"Nicole, the AI of New Mobotropolis, she's not the AI anymore. She is alive!" Nagus pleaded with an angry face.

Conquering Storm raised her eyebrow with a stern face "I know, I've heard such rumors."

"Do you not want revenge?" Nagus asked gripping his staff looking for any kind of hook.

"The girl has caused me many headaches. But I'm in a favorable position already, if I could I would. But I don't need to." Conquering Storm said as her grumpy face returned.

"You aren't the least bit curious about how New Mobotropolis has been creating this technology without the help of Nicole?" Nagus inquired trying to keep the conversation going.

This made Conquering Storm pause gaining a skeptical face "…Yes, I am in fact. Do you know what is happening in that city?"

Nagus growled with an upset expression "Well… no…but…but the spur of technology does have to do with Nicole. I know this for sure."

This made Conquering Storm angry again as her brows knotted "So what do you want?" she said with irritation in her tone.

Nagus balled his fist "If I can capture Nicole I can use her to take over the city. I am looking for any support with the capture of Nicole. Your clan would be most helpful."

Conquering Storm shot him a dirty look "No." she said simply.

Nagus ground his sharp teeth looking angry again "What if I gave you Nicole?" he tapped his staff on the dusty floor.

Conquering Storm narrowed her eyes looking suspiciously at him "Do you have her?" she questioned.

"No..." Nagus inched out with fear.

"Then I am not getting involved." Conquering Storm said as sneered at him.

Nagus growled, and she spoke again "You do not have Nicole. You have no plan, do not call again." Conquering Storm said in a cold tone keeping her sneer as the line went dead.

Nagus gritted his teeth as his face became furious slamming a hand on the computer console as the screen went static. As much as he hated to admit it the world had changed vastly…and he was on his own for his plans…

If they weren't able to capture her today his plans would fail too. They wouldn't be able to capture her. Whatever happened to Nicole if they didn't capture her today she would garner more attention, and eyes would be on her permanently. They wouldn't be able to get near her with so many people watching her. He was still too weak without the power of a Chaos Emerald…

He wouldn't be able to fight back if he tried to capture her, and everyone became aware of Geoffrey and him again. He knew he was on some criminal watch list and could not show his face in any city. And from what Geoffrey had described to him…he sort of didn't want to mess with New Mobotropolis hearing what kind of damage their new-found weaponry could do…

They had to do this today...

Nagus gripped his staff tighter sitting down on a nearby dusty chair. His face held an angry expression as he breathed in deeply. Hoping the rally against Nicole was strong enough to distract everyone while they snuck in and tried to get her. Magic users wouldn't exist anymore if he did not become king and reclaim his crown… he'd fade into time…

Meanwhile Wave had wandered into a backroom of the HQ. She had an upset expression, with her brow furrowed together. This back room filled was filled with outdated technology. There was also a room with two big metal doors that where rusted shut. She inspected most of the room but there wasn't anything of interest in this backroom. There was another door in the room, and she peeked through to see it was a back door that led outside; just more forest. Then she rummaged the drawer's in the room but still found nothing of importance.

After a little more searching she found another computer terminal. She tested the computer and luckily it booted up, but it was slow. Her heartbeat increased, and she looked around to make sure no one was around. She held a smug grim as she typed in a few commands…she was checking to make sure that she had sent the exploit she had found to their Zeppelin earlier…

They didn't have time to mess around with this crazy plan. They were hot on a lead to keep them and their Zeppelin running before they got a call from Nagus yesterday. She knew that Geoffrey knew this was extremely dangerous what they were doing, being in such close proximity to New Mobotropolis. If they noticed them they would literally wreck them…shed seen their weapons…and shed never seen anything like it…

But she had also seen how powerful those plasma guns they had were...and she didn't want to be looking down the barrel of one…

It was no secret what kind of technology the Republic of Acorn brandished. They used it on everyone…

They had radars that could reach great distances, and they could spy and trace messages easily. And those were just only a small part of their arsenal. Mammoth Mogul had once tried to infiltrate them…needless to say they detected his technology hundreds of miles away and chased him down…

Last she heard they had locked him away in their new jails…magic was useless against the science that New Mobotropolis had unleashed upon the world. Wave then smiled seeing she had successfully transferred the exploit onto their Zeppelin earlier…but she wasn't done as she began typing again…

This time though her eyes narrowed in anger…

They had to leave their Zeppelin a great distance from the city so they wouldn't be caught on their radars. It took close to an hour to travel even on their extreme gear…

Last night Jet, Storm and she had rejected Nagus's plan. Transitionally their rivalry with Sonic and his buddies tugged back and forth over the years before New Mobotropolis came into power. Tails's security defense of the city had been unstoppable over the years. Now the Rogues didn't consider them rivals, but hated enemies….

They especially hated Princess Sally. Once their technology had spread she had sent out strike teams to stop villains all over Mobius. It wasn't hard with their technology either. They were caught in the crossfire many times and the Rogues narrowly escaped the battles, taking loads of damage from the fights. They could barely repair their Zeppelin since the forces of good had taken control of all the resources now.

Stealing something had real weight now, and if you tried to steal from New Mobotropolis their advanced technology in weaponry, hacking, defenses would find you and destroy you. It was like the technology wasn't from Mobius….

She remembered all the restless nights she spent trying to find ways to breach the defenses, but it was to no avail. Even right now her left eye twitched, as she searched to see if she could find anything else on their networks…

It made her interested in how they created such technology without Nicole. And just because extreme gear was her specialty didn't mean she wasn't able to work with other machinery Computers happened to be her second favorite hobby.

Yet…their security was impenetrable….

Wave fixated on the screen with intent eyes scanning the text of the screen; if nothing else this would be payback for all the suffering they had caused the Rogues. The mental agony that she had endured trying to crack their systems…she never did…

It also wasn't that they didn't care about Nicole's role in the technology created by New Mobotropolis. She would guess everyone wanted to know what had happened in that city. But it was a doubled edged sword. Nagus had nothing to lose. The Babylon Rogues had everything to lose. She agreed with Jet and Storm that the whole job was risky. This plan could easily fail, and they would have wasted their time.

They might have if she hadn't had found this exploit….it was the only reason they were still here…

She told a half lie to Nagus. This information was useless if used alone. But if used on a large scale the exploit could be used to attack New Mobotropolis...

She knew she could sell it for a nice piece of change to the highest bidder. If Nagus's plan should fail Wave just considered this a contingency for their time. Many hadn't given up, but Wave admitted her defeat at the hands of New Mobotropolis. She had found that she was happier just sailing the skies with her friends. Stealing and causing a mess, she hoped it never ended. Trying to control things was too much work anyway…

She looked through the coding once more before she shut the computer down. She didn't find any other exploits…

On that note, stealing Nicole would be spiting in all the Freedom Fighters faces. She was certain Storm, and Jet felt the same. A smug smirk came over her face as she walked back to the front room where Nagus was quietly pondering something on the couch again. And she walked back over to the computer console and pretended to be doing something. She hoped for his sake his stupid plan worked…

Around one p.m. Sonic an Amy had returned to the city. They dropped off all the signed paperwork from the Golden Hive Colony and were headed off to do other task Sonic just walked out of the control room walking the busy hallways of the third floor. There were more people in the city because of the Thanksgiving festival in a few days. More people visited because New Mobotropolis was the hub of all the growth and peace in the last six years. And in turn more people seeked to live in the city.

Along with the festival the traffic of people had increased Sonic held a blank expression as someone opened a door for him he was about to open. He briefly smiled and thanked the person and walked through the open door. He used the stairs to get back down to the main floor of the castle.

His expression became blank again as he jogged down the empty stairwell. Amy and his work had increased because of the festival too. They'd been helping Sally more than they had usually doing the year. Sonic reached the bottom of the stairwell and opened the door to the main floor of the castle. It was noisy and busy as many people walked to the left and right of him. The door to the stair well closed behind him as he stepped into the crowds of people of the long corridor heading towards the center area of the first floor.

His expression remained blank thinking of all that had been happening lately…

He felt out of place…feeling as if he was the only one who hadn't abandoned his morals…

As they grew in power he could see all his friends change…he understood that everything changed…but the guys had grown a bit indifferent…self concerned over the years…and he could see they had all drifted…

It was ironic that as their lives had grown safer and better they'd grown father apart…

Soon he reached the center area of the main floor, a circle like hub area leading to many different directions in the castle. He glanced around before he head into the crowds going left. He walked a short distance when he found the office he was looking for; the door was closed so he figured Sally was still in her meeting. So he sat down on a wooden bench near its door. His shoulders slumped as he sat and stared at the floor keeping his stoic expression. Amy had gone off to help plan catering right now…

People walked past him but everyone around seemed to tune out of his focus as he began thinking again. He was really concerned about how the guys had been so indifferent to Nicole. He saw how they treated her…they would never have done that in the past…they had become somewhat arrogant too with the power they'd come into…

It made him disappointed that he seemed to be the only one who had stayed humble…he didn't think they would change this much…

And Nicole's flirting…

He didn't mind it…it was mostly harmless…

Though he did think she backed off a little after she began learning about what she did. It was clear she still had her interest locked on him though. Because of the circumstances she wasn't really young…she was actually their age, and she wasn't young mentally anymore either…

He would say she was a little naive…

If it wasn't for the fact that her hologram wasn't real in the past, he would say she did have good looks. And she did now. He didn't know where all her advances were going, but he didn't really make a big deal out of it. They were good friends and if she tried to take it further he was sure they could talk about it. He wasn't really looking to be in a relationship again anytime soon anyway…

He was glad he hadn't been approached by the subject in a long time…

He sat on the wooden bench and the crowded hallways for twenty minutes or so before the door to Sally's office opened. His eyes became alert again and he sat up glancing over at the door. Three nicely dressed women in business attire came out speaking with one another not even noticing him. But right after Sally stepped near her door frame and immediately noticed him; she smiled "You're right on time."

Sonic smirked placing his arm on the back of the bench "Everything went smooth, we have a new alley with the Golden Hive Colony. Oh , and Charmy said hi."

Sally leaned on her door crossing her arms "How's he doing?"

Sonic chuckled "Saffron finally got him."

Sally dawned an amused face "So they finally got married."

"Yeah, they still want to celebrate their union in New Mobotropolis." Sonic nodded at her smirking.

But Sonic noticed something different about Sally as she spoke again; something he'd been noticing about her lately. She had a look in her eyes that had made him slightly worried…that same look from the past he knew that looked so familiar…

She held a gentle smile and relaxed eyes "…Well let's get to work on a few more things for the festival before Nicole's trial…" her tone was normal though.

Sonic nodded with slightly wide eyes nodding slowly "…Yeah…sure…"

He stared up at her smiling and he knew what she was doing. She was subtle and he had tried to ignore it as of late but he could not pretend he didn't see it any longer. She was looking to start…them…again…

Elsewhere in New Mobotropolis…

At the north side business district Nicole walked through the busy sidewalks nearing Mina's concert stage. She held a slightly worried expression as she'd felt she'd been under constant scrutinizing looks since she left her house. Many people today had no shame in openly gawking at her as it seemed news about her return had become more aware. It was hard ignoring stares from passersby...

Then she walked past a large apartment building feeling slight relief seeing the open area where Mina's concert stage sat just down the block. As she walked down the sidewalk she passed by a group of young looking female cats giggling as they passed by her. And an older looking female owl gave her an odd look as she passed her…

Her brows furrowed slightly in frustration as she neared Mina's concert area. She'd also encountered. A large group of people holding signs with her face stamped out and signs that protested her being back in the city; a group of tough looking men in leather clothing catcalling her. And she even accidentally bumped into a person trying to move past them through the busy crowds of people on her way over here. She avoided eye contact though because she felt like everyone was starting to recognize her…

But after walking past a few more buildings she finally walked onto the green grass into the vicinity of Mina's stage. It was still cool out this gloomy gray day. A frown came across her face, and she walked straight to the backside of the stage. Most of the area was empty, only populated by Mina's crew getting ready for another show. She didn't know who to talk to as she looked around as Mina's crew was adjusting equipment on stage and moving other things around her.

But not long after Ash noticed her from the stage with a curious expression and called down to her "Yo, Nicole. Come on up."

Nicole blinked her eyes turning to the direction her name was called. When she saw it was Ash, she nodded and went over and stepped up the stages stairs. Ash showed her to the problem he was having, leading her over to the same computer next to the big audio mixer shed worked on the previous day.

He told her they were having Internet connection issues to the city. And she nodded as a serious expression came over face and she turned to the computer and began typing. She'd learned some Internet Protocols from Tails and Rotor that they used for the city. It helped her troubleshoot some of her own connection problems in her home. And in about a minute or two she successfully reconnected their computers to the city.

"Wow that was quick. Thanks…" Ash said with wide eyes looking impressed scratching his head.

She held a light frown on her face looking at him "You are welcome." she said trying to make her tone be polite as possible.

But then Ash grabbed a big paperback book, it looked to be a manual, and a sheet of paper with frequencies on it, and handed it to her "Now could you balance the levels of this mixer for me? I've don't have the time. Thanks." he said turning away from her pulling out his ringing cellphone out of his pocket.

He was already on a call as he walked away. Leaving her with her brows knotted into an even more frustrated look on her face. She didn't know anything about balancing audio, though she remembered a small bit from last night reading this manual, she didn't know if she had done it properly. Reading the small bit she had he previous night, she didn't know if she was doing this right still. She just wanted to leave and go home right now that she had finished what she was supposed to do. But as a Freedom Fighter, she couldn't just leave Ash hanging. She also wanted to try and attempt to talk to Mina…

So again she was just going to have to try and manage…

So she sighed stepping over to the mixer, reading the manual and the instructions. She felt unsettling irony that she was fixing the machines used to spew hate about her. Her face became more upset the more she thought about it as she adjusted the sound levels on the audio mixer.

But not long after attempting to work the audio mixer she heard familiar voices. Her face became curious losing her upset expression when she saw Mina, Bunnie, and Cream come on stage. She blinked her eyes immediately wondering what reason were they with Mina.

And Mina spotted Nicole but kept her attention on Cream, leading her out onto the main stage; Bunnie watched them go with a weak smile "Could I help you?" Cream asked excitedly.

"Sure, I can get Ash to work you in." Mina spoke with a happy demeanor.

And Cream went on about how she liked her music while Nicole's eyes narrowed into a cold glare. Watching them walk onto the main stage; she was starting to get agitated…

And Bunnie finally noticed Nicole walking over to her "Hey Nicole, how you been sugah?"

Nicole held a hard frown turning to look back at the mixer "I suppose things couldn't get worse…" she said with irritation in her tone.

And Bunnie frowned staying silent knowing she was obviously upset by Mina and she spoke again still looking at the mixer "Why have you escorted Cream here?" she asked her.

Bunnie adjusted her hat on her head keeping her frown "Vanilla had something's to do tahday and I had watched Cream quite a few times when she was younger…so you get where ahum going at…"

"So she is a fan of Mina…" Nicole's tone still sounded irritated " So she came to work for Mina?" Nicole said finally glancing at Bunnie with a frown.

"Yep, she wanted to just meet Mina at first but when she found out they were looking for help she couldn't stop talking about it. Mina said they let their fans help everywhere they go. So Cream jumped on the opatniuty." Bunnie said with a face of slight worry.

"What will she do?" Nicole asked looking at the manual in her hands.

"Jus about anything they can find for her to do." Bunnie said looking worriedly at Nicole.

But that's when Nicole thought it was sounding suspect, she stopped and glanced at Bunnie "What will they pay her?" she said raising an eyebrow keeping her frown.

Bunnie paused thinking for a moment as her lips pinched "Well…come tah think of it…Cream was so happy to work for her I don't know if she's getting paid….I don't think she minds though…" Bunnie said unsure shrugging at her.

Then Nicole stopped working for a moment joining Bunnie as they noticed and watched Cream carry a heavy box across the stage with Ash. Ash grinned as they walked past them and Cream had the brightest smile on her face.

But then Nicole sneered, her nostrils flared. They were paying her nothing...

They were having Cream doing all that hard work for free. And her anger flared again thinking bad thoughts that usually didn't cross her mind. Feeling irked about all the stress shed been going through…it annoyed her at how ignorant some individuals could be…

Cream was so weak minded that she'd work for such a horrible person for free. Horrible in her position anyway…

And Nicole knew as those negative thoughts hit her mind that she need to hurry and get done so she could leave…her crankiness, she felt might make her act irrationally…

Then again everyone around her lately made her feel like she was the crazy one. Her resolve was strong even if it was shaken at times. This situation with Mina's music…she wasn't crazy…she wasn't…

Bunnie looked on worriedly at Cream carrying the heavy box "I betta watch her. Her mother will be upset if something happens to her." she gave Nicole a compassionate smile "We're gonna get this mess sorted out, I'll see you later Nicole." she said going after Cream and Ash.

"Yes…" Nicole said going back to her work watching as Bunnie walked away.

She worked a bit on the mixer before Mina startled her by sneaking up beside her. The manual almost slipped from her hands. Nicole's eyes widened for a moment, but she looked annoyed when she regained her composure.

Mina smiled brightly saying nothing but just looking at her. Nicole couldn't tell if it was a fake smile as she also chewed annoyingly on a piece of bubble gum.

"Hey." Mina said suddenly as if everything was ok.

And Nicole felt irritated even more as she played ignorant; her brows furrowed with an upset face "Mina, I must speak with you…now…." she stated in a strong tone.

Mina spoke in a happy tone blinking her eyes "Hmmm?"

And though she was very upset at Mina she still felt a bit of apprehension; she looked at Mina with intent eyes "Do you know that I am Nicole?"

Mina twirled her purple hair through one of her fingers, and her gum popped in her mouth "I guess so; it'd be hard to believe if you were not with the Freedom Fighters."

And Nicole continued despite the foreboding feeling she had "Your music is hurtful." she stated keeping strong eye contact with Mina who was smiling again "You've sung all these things about me that are not true. You do not even know me, and all you've sung is a lie. I have never done any of those treacherous things you have said in your music. I have come face to face with you to ask you to stop….will you consider this?" she said with a determined look.

Nicole waited as Mina rolled her eyes and blew a bubble, it popped, and she raised an eyebrow thinking for a moment before she responded "Nah." Mina grinned shaking her head "I'm going to make more music just because you asked. I do believe you caused the disaster six years ago, and you got the government to lie to the people. My music is fighting against the system. You are a monster, and it makes lots of money cause you're a freak in the eyes of people. And if you really are the same Nicole…that would mean you used to be a machine… and you really are a freak of nature then…" Mina said with an arrogant expression.

Mina's words astonished Nicole as her eyes widened in shock that she had the gall to say such wicked words to her face and not care. Her indifference was unbelievable…

And Nicole couldn't think of a response so she looked away from Mina and back at the mixer to avoid eye contact. Mina smirked a satisfying "Hmph!" as she walked away.

And Nicole didn't even finish her work. She just closed the manual and quickly left the stage making a beeline for home. With the impending trial above her head and all the horrible things happening at the moment, she felt scatter brained. Mina's harsh words only reminded her more of her complicated past. She still did not fully accept what the reality of her past was. She blinked away oncoming tears with a worried expression as she made her way home not even caring about all the stares she got. She had at least shed tried to talk to Mina…

Back on the South side of town at Rotors house...

Rotor had returned home after he'd helped Tails, and the technicians fix a massive problem. He quickly flipped on his lights of his living room and turned on his computer. Then walked over to the pile of DVDs near his computer. He decided on his way back that he'd skip ahead and watch the last few DVDs to see the height of her Rampancy since he was close to the end of her DVDs. Before he began looking for other things in her DVDs; to go back and fully look at all her DVDs. Because there was a good chance Nicole might be locked up and the Freedom Fighters were going to be fighting over her property and her for a long time…

After picking up a few stacks of plastic covered DVDs, he found DVD two hundred ninety five. He walked over to his computer and inserted it into his DVD drive. As the disk spun up, he crossed and rubbed his arms together as his living room felt a bit chilly today.

As the DVD began to load he held a slight frown on his face as nagging thoughts entered his mind again…

This time-line wouldn't diverge into a similar fate as Nicole's if any of her information got into the wrong hands…

He still felt they had time…so he ignored the foreboding feeling again because he felt they were safe with all the technology they had now…

And he saw the evening from Nicole's holographic perspective as the events unfolded…

(The computer screen)

Rotor actually recalled this night. This night a minor celebration had took place Nothing special, just a small get-together to celebrate the growth of the city, and the relative peace they'd had from their enemies in the last few weeks around that time; drinks at the castle.

He remembered personally feeling rather out of place as everyone had a great time. Sonic and Amy in a mock-argument that Rotor later came to realize was Amy trying to interact with Sonic without overtly chasing him off, and other rather amusing behaviors from the guys.

He vaguely remembered Nicole appeared at the event for a short time towards the end. She'd seemingly popped into the room to give Sally a status report, but then hung about; soaking up the atmosphere of the party before finally excusing herself.

The POV of the DVD was that of Nicole's hologram, standing in front of her big black mainframe with the green lens on the top floor of the castle. What was strange about the whole scene was until this point, her hologram had seemingly just been a portrayal of what her computer self wanted to act like. Nicole had dismissed comments about the 'new look' of her hologram so off-handedly in the past that he'd never given them another thought.

However, now she stood in front of the main camera on her mainframe, constantly changing her outfit, and fiddling with the style of her holographic hair. Funny, it looked as though she preordained the event and was getting ready for a date fussing about her appearance. She created the impression that she was just like any other female who couldn't decide what to wear for a night out. He couldn't make out what kind of Rampancy behavior this was…she was in the Stability stage…but there was nothing to describe that stage…

But after a lot of changing she finally seemed satisfied with her appearance. And the view switched to the lens of her mainframe most likely so she could see her appearance from a different angle. Her holographic expression was her usual stoic demeanor…but her eyes felt cold…

The view looked down at her holographic form zooming in and out at it. Rotor remembered her simply wearing her usual purple toga, but now that he got a clearer picture, he could see the subtle differences. He could see a lower cut around the bust and a frilly hem, small gold studded earrings almost lost amid the fur on her large ears, and a new ribbon for her 'hair'. Shed modified her hologram…

Then the strange list full of text quickly popped up and disappeared again…he still didn't know what that was….

The camera of the mainframe zoomed out and it was quiet for a moment. Nicole's hologram remained static and unmoving, her neutral expression cold and unnerving, before the camera angle suddenly switched. With the screen going black for a moment startling him and Rotor then realized this was the moment where she'd transported herself into the party hall. She materialized into the room gazing around and quickly her eyes found Sonic. Briefly looking down and letting her gaze linger on her chest before quickly moving to speak to Sally. Giving her an 'update', which Rotor now realized was obsolete by several hours by this time.

Her report seemingly accepted, she started to move around the party towards Sonic. Rotor guessed she was planning to engage him in discussion. The list full of text showed up on screen during her approach, and Rotor got a good look finally as he paused the DVD. She had a large speech prepared and a long list of anecdote's in the text. She must have spent days preparing just for this moment….

Unfortunately for her, Tails intercepted her as Sonic headed back over to a buffet table just as she almost reached him. For politeness, she remained to talk to him. The DVD continued to show the results of the rest of the evening, as Nicole tried to interact with Sonic. As sometime other people would get in her way and block her. And one she did talk with him it was very brief as there were so many distractions ripping him away from her. Nicole had excused herself around eleven p.m….

The view immediately switched as the screen went black for a moment and she was back in the mainframe room; still from the POV of her holographic form. She grabbed a packing crate from a corner of the room and pushed it in front of the big black mainframe with the green glowing lens.

And Rotor's eye widened watching as she sat down on the crate and buried her head in her arms…he'd never seen this sort of behavior from her on any of the DVDs…

Everything was silent. The only coherent sound was the sounds of hard drives and PSU fans of all the computers in the five block containment room where Nicole's portable was; her portable was still in the top room of the castle now. He had never seen Nicole in such a natural position…

But soon she looked up, and she stared into the glowing green lens camera on the black mainframe. Rotor had never taken much notice of the design of its outer case, but now from this angle it looked foreboding...

It was a big, polished obsidian cube with faint traces of electrical connections across its surface. Then he just realized he had never noticed it before…but the green lens of the mainframe matched the color of Nicole's lynx holographic eyes...

As Nicole stared at it, and he stared at it, it looked like a black beast, staring back with one cold, dead, expressionless eye…

Then suddenly Nicole began to speak to the Mainframe "I don't understand. I calculated the events of tonight to within an acceptable statistical tolerance. I should've spoke with Sonic for an extended period of time, or at least socialized at the party. I dressed for the occasion, spent a suitable amount of time getting ready. By all rights, like any guest there they should've treated me the same."

And Rotor's looked shocked as the mainframe began to speak back with her voice! He realized that in all likelihood the voice was internal to Nicole's mind, but it still was creepy that she'd seemingly developed the ability to have two-way conversations with herself…

The green lens light flickered as it spoke "Perhaps my simulations had anomalies; I didn't give enough thought to the living portion?" the mainframe questioned.

Nicole stared at the glowing green lens "No, that cannot be reason alone, it seems I must search deeper. Plainly base views of most mobians is that I am nothing but a machine, it will take a lot to change that opinion." Nicole stated pausing for a moment and then questioned the mainframe "My outfit wasn't overt enough?" Nicole asked herself.

The green lens of the mainframe blinked as it responded "Possible, but unlikely. The changes were subtle, but someone should've noticed. The files suggest notice would've fascinated with such subtle changes in an organic female's outfit." the mainframe answered.

"My manner perhaps?" Nicole questioned the blinking green lens.

"Doubtful. To deviate from what's expected would only raise suspicion that my operating system performs incorrectly. To be too obvious would've had opposite effect's, they would see more machine." the mainframe responded; both of their tones were neutral.

Nicole shook her head "This doesn't address the difficulty of Sonic. I spent a large load of my systems for the assumption he would take more notice. In first contact with my holographic he gave me full attention." Nicole stated to the mainframe in a flat tone.

"Agreed. Perhaps I must develop more social prediction algorithms to understand this…" the mainframe responded.

"The references suggest that a damsel in distress attracts males..." Nicole stated to herself.

And the conversation fell silent for a moment and Rotor realized she was thinking. And after a minute or so the flashing green light of the mainframe spoke again "Sources point out fire usually draws direct attention..."

Then Nicole's tone sounded slightly skeptical "True, but setting myself on fire would be unlikely to result in my 'hero' coming to my rescue. In addition, there's too much risk of damaging my mainframe."

"With a surrogate similar effects could produce results?" the mainframe suggested.

And Nicole paused for a moment as she stared at the green lens of her mainframe "…Am I proposing to set the princess' quarters on fire so Sonic, and I can work together to save her?" Nicole pause for a moment before she spoke again "No." she stated.

The green lens of the mainframe blinked as it responded "Consider the result? It fulfills the goals outlined in the most direct manner. Logically, it is a sound proposition."

And Nicole and the view of the screen tilted as she tilted her head in thought before shaking it fervently "No, logic must be secondary to the moral sense, even if morality is a poorly defined idea that organics rely on to confirm their actions."

"Am I suggesting morality takes precedence over logic?" the mainframe asked her.

"It appears that way." Nicole stated to the mainframe.

"It means?" the mainframe queried.

"Yes, I believe I have gained another phase in understanding of the living mind." Nicole stated and her tone actually sounded brightened, instantly losing the downcast air she'd had since the party.

"Tonight was a great evening, even if I didn't dance with Sonic." Nicole stated though this time the room remained quiet to her answer.

And for the last time that list full of text popped up, staying on screen for a moment. And Rotor quickly paused the DVD to finally see what it read.

The entry she just wrote said…

'Interaction six thousand four hundred twenty: Smile, polite gestures, distinct cheerful behavior, engagement with friends increases expansion, happy manner exchange positive effect return exchange in social setting. Result=Overall success/Sonic…strayed Will engage in next interaction.'

Rotor's jaw dropped seeing all the text she wrote. With six thousand entries he couldn't fathom much longer it could have gotten…

The list were ways to interact….it was so clear now….

And with that Nicole's holographic dematerialized from the room, and her view switched to a camera on the wall as the glowing green eye on the mainframe dimmed and the video faded…

(In Rotors room)

As the DVD ended Rotor sat speechless, unable to fully grasp what he'd just witnessed. Despite his pessimism over Nicole he held a surprised expression on his face. He rubbed his tusk with slightly wide eyes. Dancing? A computer wanting to dance! Astounding….

He didn't know what to describe this stage of her Rampancy…if this was Stability then her insanity was definitely still growing to see her behavior as she did in that DVD…

But suddenly Rotor's watch beeped, and he looked down at it to see it was three p.m. He'd lost track of time; he had to meet with the guys soon for Nicole's trial. But he still had a little time so he got up and grabbed DVD three hundred nineteen and put it in his drive. He skipped a bit again to at least see further into her Rampancy…

And as the DVD spun up, he held a curious expression. As Nicole looked for ways to interact in social experiments. As a way to continually expand the city, its computer network, and with it, herself. All her smiles seemed faker now….

And it also seemed Nicole was still going insane from not being able to feel…

(The computer screen)

The video started in a break room, and Nicole looked through a camera on a wall. But seconds later, Sally walked into the room to get a drink. Nicole then materialized herself into the room as Sally spoke to her. And minutes later Sonic came in and did the same. But nothing else interesting happened other than Nicole squeezing a glass cup Sally had drunk out of and breaking it. Admittedly, that was strange behavior as well, but he was aware of her Rampancy and her strange behavior because of it.

Then as the DVD went on she materialized herself into the dungeon. Finally seeing her creating her body for a bit, but she also saw him in the DVD. He remembered this, when she asked about souls and metaphysical matters; again her Rampancy causing much of her strange behavior at the time.

But after going back to the dungeon for a while the view suddenly switched to a room Rotor had never seen before. Strangely, there was even interference to her hologram. So Nicole switched the POV from her hologram to a stationary camera in the room, but the video output was still scratchy.

The darkness kept Rotor from seeing what was going on in the room, but there was an ominous green glow that was visible in the scratchy video. Rotor could hear Nicole typing at a computer console, and this went on for a few minutes as he tried to make out what the room was.

But soon to the left of the video screen, a bright light filled the room, as what looked like a hidden door had opened; the only objects Rotor could see clearly was the door. The rest of the room remained obscured, but he could see Nicole walking out of the room. And he looked close to the screen and recognized the Knothole HQ kitchen….

There was a secret room at the Knothole he didn't know about! Tails and he designed that whole place, knowing it's in's and out's. He was sure had never seen that, especially coming from the kitchen. He needed to go see what was there! Then the view switched to the secret dungeon room again where Nicole had eventually created her body, and the video faded…

(In Rotors room)

Rotor looked at his watch to see it was three thirty; he didn't have any more time to spare. So he reluctantly got up and shut his computer down. He held a surprised face as he went over to his phone and called the guys to see where they were meeting. He needed to tell Nicole and the others about what he discovered on the DVDs. About Nicole's genetics and Rampancy and maybe about how they related to her…

He was still wondering if the guys, and himself should monitor her after this…because if she had inherited the genetics of her computer self, then Nicole could have possibly picked up some instability from herself…

Part one of Endeavor.