"Oh great, it's THOSE morons."
Hershey grimaced as she peered through the pair of binoculars in her hands. She was laying down on the roof of a building a block away from the charging station.
She watched as the two idiot skunk brothers posed, finishing their rhyme and hyping themselves up for the fight against the roboticized princess. She hasn't been able to hear anything, since she spent a lot of time running on foot to try and keep Sally in visual range, and then had to climb up a fire escape to get a good vantage point.
Honestly it was only thanks to her time as a member of the Secret Service that she wasn't gasping for breath.
At least too much.
Sally's physical abilities were certainly something else now that she was a robian. She knew from the director's files that as Eggman's enforcer, Mecha Sally could have speeds comparable to Metal Sonic. But those were just with the boosters so she hadn't thought that she would need the bike to keep up with the robian chipmunk on foot.
That was a mistake she wasn't going to make again.
The feline member of the Secret Freedom Fighters set down her binoculars and began rummaging through the duffell bag she had brought along containing the parts of a disassembled sniper rifle and the ammunition. Quickly she began to put the pieces together.
"Wish I could've just brought a wispon." Despite her grumbling, Hershey knew why she couldn't use one. It wasn't because she had anything against the wisps. They were helpful and friendly creatures who hated seeing Eggman in control after his short tenure as ruler of Planet Wisp. They lended their power to people who were kind to them and the wispon provided amazing abilities to anyone with two working hands and good eyesight.
But using a wispon meant bringing a wisp into the fold. And the wisps weren't likely to stay quiet about the operation amongst their own kind.
And that was something they couldn't allow.
Hershey's mind wandered back to Rough and Tumble, two more Genesis Births from the research the Secret Freedom Fighters had gathered. A pair of lowlife thugs, bullies who loved the power they are able to gain by blackmailing and beating down those weaker than them. They worked for this Eggman's version of a Grandmaster, Starline, and had worked under Eggman himself for a bit before throwing their lot with a criminal like Clutch the Opossum.
And yet here they were, wielding Eggman's tech to steal chaos drives from the looks of things.
Were they working under Clutch? Or Eggman? Or were they back to just being mercenaries like the Hooligans?
"We can figure it out later." She muttered to herself while screwing on the scope. Loading the bullet into the chamber she turned around and took aim.
She zeroed in on Tumble's head and…
And remembered…
It was raining as she took aim at the head of Infinite, her body hidden by rubble as the mad jackal floated across the street, directing Eggman's robots to attack the fleeing civilians.
The director had told her and the Secret Freedom Fighters to keep their involvement in the war hidden and focus on both sabotage and espionage to help the Resistance. However, he did instruct them that should they have an opportunity to take out Infinite they were to take it.
"Never again." She whispered and pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit the head right at the temple….
Only for Infinite to shimmer out in a haze of magenta.
Before Hershey could even blink there was another flash of magenta and Infinite was now standing in front of her. She cursed and reached for her sidearm, only for the jackal to have his hand around her throat. "I was a mercenary, during my previous and worthless life." He growled while lifting her up. "So I know a good hiding spot for a sniper when I see it."
"G-Go to…!" Hershey let out a gasp as Infinite gripped her throat tighter.
"What hope did a weakling like you have in killing me, your better in every way? What possessed you…" The gem in the jackal's chest began to pulse, and his single crimson eye began to widen. "You… you're not from here, are you?"
Hershey's eyes widened even as spots began appearing in her eyes. How did he know?!
"Hehehe…" Infinite chuckled before dropping her. "Interesting… Very interesting! So this wasn't how the world is supposed to be? This is wonderful! I'm actually bringing things back onto their natural course!"
"Never!" She coughed out and reached for her sidearm. "He'll never win ag-"
A shimmer of magenta and a boot kicked Hershey across her face.
When she looked up she saw the form of Drago Wolf towering over her.
He was grinning as he cracked his knuckles. "Weak little kitten… couldn't even do a simple job right! Didn't have the guts to just end it and return!"
"Return to me." Another shimmer of magenta and… and her husband was standing there. Geoffrey was shaking his head and sneering at her. "Sacrificed our marriage for a mission and what did it bring you? What did it bring you just so that you could feel so good about yourself?!"
"G-Geoffrey, no! No that's not…!" She knew it was an illusion but she couldn't help but feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. It left her unprepared for the illusion of Draco's fist crashing against her cheek.
"I'll leave you here to the ghosts of the past." Infinite intoned before he began floating. "I will not tell Eggman, for I will be the one to paint the world in my image this time! And I will ensure that you worthless weaklings will live long enough to see it. This I guarantee!"
The mad jackal flew away, letting out barks of joyful laughter as the illusion of Drago continued to pummel her while Geoffrey's image spat out his insults.
By the time the local militia found her and destroyed the constructs, she was a bleeding wreck that was bedridden for nearly a week.
And she kept muttering and crying, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Hershey grimaced and shook her head. "Damn it." She grit her teeth and saw she had lost Tumble. She moved the rifle to see Sally was running forward, her hands balled into fists and obviously ready to throw down.
"What can you do now…?" Hershey muttered to herself while frowning. Had Nicole helped the princess unlock all of her robian body's capabilities?
This was important information. She needed to observe and document what Sally, in full control of Eggman's weaponry, could and couldn't do. It might prove beneficial later.
"But if she gets hurt…"
Biting her lip, Hershey continued to watch and keep both Rough and Tumble in her sights.
If it looked like Sally was going to lose to the two thugs then she would get involved to save her.
Mission be damned.
Sally was no stranger to fighting opponents that outclassed her in many ways.
While badniks weren't particularly tough to destroy, as Eggman often had to stretch his resources just to keep his numerical advantage over everyone, plenty were physically strong enough to restrain even Knuckles for a time. There was a reason why the Freedom Fighters had to perform covert operations rather than just rush in guns a-blazing and leave before reinforcements could arrive.
Then you had mobians like Drago Wolf and Sgt. Simian who were physically imposing in addition to whatever upgrades Eggman gave them. A couple blows from them and she would be as good as dead. Even seemingly unimpressive mobians like Nack the Weasel could beat her in a shooting contest.
Which is why she had long since learned to fight smarter rather than harder.
Rough jumped up and his brother's artificial tail opened its hand. "Ready, bro?"
Tumble grinned. "You bet!" And with a flick of the red tail-hand, the smaller brother was hurled towards Sally. The blue-gray furred skunk curled into a ball and began to spin, a green smoke trailing him as Tumble shouted, "Enjoy the Stinkbomb Special!"
Sally blinked. "Wait, is he..."
RELEASING THE GLANDS THAT STORE HIS N-BUTLYMERCAPTAN CHEMICALS TO INCREASE HIS SPEED, YES. Nicole sounded more fascinated than disgusted. HM. I SUPPOSE THE MOBIANS OF THIS WORLD ARE MORE WILLING TO USE THEIR BODIES NATUR-.
"Not now, Nicole!" The robian leapt to the right and brought up her hands just as Rough uncurled and kicked out at her. She caught the leg and turned her body, diverting the momentum so that she could turn and throw the skunk right back at his brother. "Ugh! I'm so glad I can't smell this…"
Honestly if Geoffrey had pulled something like this back when she first met him that stupid crush she had would've died real fast.
"WOAH!" Tumble caught his brother, who seemed dazed and confused by the turn of events. "You okay?"
Rough shook his head and glared at Sally. "No!" The smaller skunk raged. "That tin-can just ruined the Stinkbomb Special! She… LOOK OUT!"
Sally dashed forward. She couldn't afford to give either of them enough time to recover. "My name is Sally Acorn!" She shouted as she leapt up and uppercutted Tumble while he was still distracted. "Remember it!"
The cream-furred skunk stumbled back and threw up his brother, who kicked down with both of his feet. "We will!" She raised her arms just in time to block Rough's feet before they made contact with her face.
But from the corner of her eye she saw Tumble glaring at her and turning, the giant hand now transforming into a spiked club made of red light.
"We'll label your scraps with it!" The bigger skunk screamed before he swung.
ACTIVATING BOOT JETS!
Both Sally and Rough let out a scream as they shot up as the engines underneath Sally's feet brought them up. Tumble's attack passed harmlessly beneath her, but now she was now ascending high enough to see the rooftops of some office buildings!
"Nicole! That's enough! Help me to descend!"
SORRY!
But the princess also had no intention of giving Rough a safe ride down. Reaching up and grabbing the skunk by his oversized tail, she began to turn towards the ground.
"Will this kill him?"
NO, BUT HE WILL CERTAINLY BE HOSPITALIZED FOR A WHILE.
"Good!"
She needed to take Rough out first. He was obviously the more agile of the two and would be Tumble's support. If she ignored him and focused on Tumble, she would not just be dealing with two opponents but one that could pepper her body with quick strikes while the other could wreck her with some powerful blows.
"LIKE I'M GONNA LET YOU DO THAT!"
Sally turned her head just in time to see Tumble next to her. To her shock, the tail now looked like it was a stretched out spring. Did he use that to launch himself up here?
SALLY! TAKE EVASIVE MANEUVERS!
"How do I do that?!" She'd never fought while flying before!
As she wondered this, Tumble's fist crashed into her back.
WARNING! MINOR PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO UNIT'S SPINAL REGION!
Those red words appeared in her vision, but like the rest of her vision it was slightly distorted by some static. She let go of Rough as she began to fly to the ground, her legs kicking out and making her go from one direction to the next.
"How do I stop this?! HOW DO I STOP THIS?!"
POINT YOUR BOOT JETS TO THE DIRECTION OF THE GROUND! NOW!
Cursing, Sally curled up her legs and leaned back. Once the ground was actually underneath her, albeit fast approaching, she kicked out and her descent began to slow down.
When the ground was only a few feet away Nicole cut the jets. The robian princess stumbled forward and landed on the hood of a car. She looked up and saw the frog mobian had smashed open the window and was helping a rabbit kid out of the window while the father was still inside, handing her to him.
They stared at Sally with wide eyes and despite the situation she smiled. "S-Sorry. Bit new to this."
The kid looked up and screamed, "LOOK OUT!"
The princess looked up and saw that Tumble's artificial tail had changed. At the end of the spring was now a giant drill that spun as they began their descent, the bigger skunk grinning viciously as he made a bee-line towards Sally.
"Nicole! Activate the boot jets when I say so!"
She didn't wait for her friend's response. She ran to the door and grabbed it by the smashed open window. The gears and artificial muscles in her arms and back weren't even put into overdrive as she tore the door off of its hinges and threw it away. Thankfully, the father had long since taken off his seatbelt in anticipation of leaving so she took him with her left arm while encircling the frog mobian and kid with her right.
Sally could already see Tumble's shadow fast approaching. "NOW!" She screamed and the boot jets roared to life. She flew over to the street just as Tumble's drill made impact, completely crushing and tearing up the car. "Deactivate them!" She shouted, and the fires underneath her died down. She skid to a stop and deposited the three civilians onto the sidewalk. "Go! You need to get out of here!"
Before they could reply she was already turning. Glancing up, Tumble was now in the air with Rough on his shoulder, positioning himself to land on her again with the drill.
"Isn't this tail awesome, bro?!" Tumble cried out as he began to descend.
"Heck yeah!" Rough pumped his fist into the air as Sally ran forward and completely dodged the strike, cement and asphalt flying everywhere as the drill did its work. "And the best part is that it was free!"
When that sentence finished the two were back in the air and hot on Sally's trail as she remained one step ahead of them.
I CAN POSSIBLY HACK THAT TAIL AND DEACTIVATE IT. Nicole informed the robian. THAT WAY IT'LL LEAVE THEM WITH LITTLE MORE THAN THEIR PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES.
That was tempting, but…
"No. You said that tail was broadcasting a signal, right?" Sally turned on her heel and ducked underneath the skunk brothers. "If you go in there, it'll alert Eggman and he'll know your capabilities. If he finds out…"
No. No, she couldn't risk that.
Never again.
An idea sprung to her mind.
"Nicole, what about the arm blades? Can those cut through Tumble's projections?"
…POSSIBLY. BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND CUTTING THROUGH THE SPRING PORTION. THERE'S A 85% CHANCE THAT CUTTING THROUGH THE DRILL PORTION WILL NOT DISRUPT THE PROJECTION.
Good to know they were on the same page about that.
"Activate both of them!"
The practicality of having the buttons on her sweatshirt's sleeves showed when the panels on her forearms opened and twin black bars popped out. With a hum, the light blue blades made of pure light materialized, the blade portion near the end hovering just above her wrist wings.
FOREARM SOLID LIGHT BLADES ACTIVATED
She leapt back just as Tumble's drill crashed on the ground once again.
Rough's eyes widened. "Hey, the tin-can's showing some new tricks!"
"Doesn't matter!" Tumble's feet hit the ground and both of them leapt up with the spring uncurling as they ascended. "It'll be scrap soon!"
Sally grinned. "Idiots. Nicole… boot jets."
She shot up and, crossing her arms horizontally, she zeroed in on the middle portion of the spring before uncrossing them.
The blades did their job and slashed right through the spring. The hard light projection exploded into tiny cubes before it and the rest disappeared into a shower of pixels.
"MY TAIL!" Tumble screamed in rage. "SHE CUT MY AWESOME TAIL!"
"FORGET THAT!" Rough shot back. "WE'RE FALLING! DO SOMETHING!"
"LIKE WHAT?!"
The skunk brothers screamed as they held onto each other up until impact with the ground.
Sally turned around and stared at the two moronic criminals on the ground, the asphalt cracked underneath Tumble while Rough laid on top of him.
"Alright, let's go down and check."
Nicole helped the robian chipmunk down and, thankfully, she only stumbled slightly when her feet touched the ground. But she recovered quickly this time and walked over to the heap of skunks.
Time to take a page out of Sonic's book.
"Hey!" She lifted her leg and lightly tapped it on Tumble's thigh. "You done?"
"My tail…" The cream-colored skunk moaned. "You ruined my tail again…"
Rough groaned out, "Mommy, I want my coco…"
I BELIEVE THEY ARE DONE, SALLY.
The princess smirked and allowed the relief to wash over her.
It looked like, even with this new body, she still had it.
And that meant more to Sally than she ever thought it would.
But, to her astonishment, she heard something.
Clapping.
She looked around and saw the civilians now clapping and cheering, some pumping their fists into the air as they smiled at her!
"Did you see that?! She just beat the crap out of those two punks!"
"The way she moved…! You think she hangs out with Sonic and his friends?"
"She didn't even hesitate to help those people!"
"She has rocket boots and laser swords! She's got to be the coolest robot around!"
"What was her name again? Sally Acorn?"
"SALLY! SALLY! ACORN! ACORN!"
Sally couldn't believe her ears. Or eyes.
They were treating her like a… like a…
"You get used to it."
Sally yelped as she turned around and saw Whisper there, her mask down to hide her face as the wisps flew around her. They were letting out their own cheers in their strange language as they clapped and stared at the robian with admiration in their eyes.
"H-How long…?"
Whisper pointed to one of the sidewalk's trees, specifically one with large branches that could hold up a person. "Arrived when you were ripping off the car door."
The princess couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "And you didn't try to help?"
The wolf shrugged and pointed to the two skunks. "Would've gotten involved if you were in trouble. You were not."
…Okay, that was fair. And Sally couldn't blame Whisper for not getting involved right away. If things were starting to go bad, then having a sniper hidden enough to provide backup would've been useful in turning the tide around.
Nicole materialized next to Whisper, nodding in response to the wolf's statement. "Thank you. Your involvement would've likely extended the fight if you entered it early." She glanced up at Sally, smiling. "Anyways… don't worry about it too much, Sally! You're a hero to these people! Enjoy it!"
The robian chuckled in response to that. She couldn't help it! Here she was, being praised as a hero for beating up two punks! The people didn't even seem to care that she was a robian either!
Man, she really hoped that she wasn't crying.
"Anyways…" An almost evil little smirk formed on Nicole's face. "I wish to try something… would you mind assisting me with a little rhyme?"
Sally blinked. No. No way. "You want to do a…?" She looked in her friend's eyes and saw that she was serious. "B-But… it's embarrassing!"
"I believe it'll be fun!" Did Nicole somehow install puppy eyes? "Please?"
The princess' shoulders slumped. She couldn't say no to that. Sally turned on her heel and cleared her throat, despite the new artificial one and lack of lungs not needing it.
Standing tall she pointed at Rough and Tumble. "You crooks have just reached the finale!"
Nicole was now at her side, her hands on her hips. "And have paid a hefty physical toll!"
Sally and Nicole now stood back to back, flashing matching smirks as they finished.
"You got both courtesy of… SALLY AND NICOLE!"
For some reason, the cheering of the civilians grew louder.
Both skunk brothers let out growls, muttering at the same time, "That was so weak…"
The robian rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up."
It didn't take long for the local Restoration chapter to arrive and begin putting restraints on the skunk brothers. It was really easy since both were in no shape to resist, especially when they had to be carried into the armored truck on stretchers.
"Interesting…" Nicole muttered, rubbing her hand on her chin as she stared at Tumble. "I know that Eggman had worked with hard light technology previously, but from what I can tell the one that currently exists has never used it in such a compact form. Especially one that connects directly with the mind of the user to change shape…"
"Problem?" Whisper asked the holo-lynx. "Could be him trying to counter against wispons."
"Possibly… but I'm not too sure."
Sally frowned as she glanced at the armored truck. "Will that even hold them?"
She remembered how, time and time again, she and the others had imprisoned their enemies after defeating them. But they never stayed there for long. Something always broke them out, the creeps and monsters always returning for another round to cause more misery for their own ends.
"How long before they break out too? Before they run back to Eggman to help him with hurting more people?"
People like Belle.
"Thank you so much!"
Sally blinked and turned her head to see the rabbit mobian father and daughter. The father was carrying his child and both were smiling at her gratefully.
"I would've been a goner if you didn't get me out of that car!" The father chuckled nervously as he looked at the wreckage that was already being towed away. "Seriously, I chose today of all days to recharge and almost get killed because of it! The battery wasn't even half empty!"
"It's no big deal!" Sally smiled and waved her hand. "You don't need to thank me! I was just…"
Just what?
Passing through because she freaked out over not being able to have food?
"Thank you for saving my daddy!" The daughter giggled and the grin she wore went from ear to ear. "You were really cool! Like Sonic!"
The robian blinked in surprise at that. Sonic had always been the one to call her cool. The others, not so much. Sure, some like Bunnie said it in their own way but for the rest it was just that she was brave or whatnot.
And now that she was a robian, she had expected a degree of guarded gratefulness.
But this child saying that she was cool?
Sally couldn't help but chuckle. "Thank you…"
The girl pointed at her face. "I think you're leaking."
The princess wiped her eyes and saw a stain of oil on the white glove. "Yeah. It happens sometimes."
She bid the father and daughter farewell before walking over to her friends.
"Do they have things handled?" She asked Whisper. "Do they need help escorting them to the prison?"
"No." Whisper looked up to the sky and asked, "You ready?"
Sally could see why. It was starting to get dark.
"Yeah, I am." The robian chipmunk and wolf began walking out of town with Nicole returning inside of Sally's body. After a few minutes of silence she decided to ask, "How long before you came to look for me?"
"Twenty minutes." The sniper took off her mask and put it away. It was just the two, well technically three, of them now and other than the occasional car heading into the town there was nobody watching them. "Tangle and Silver were getting worried but didn't want to put pressure on you. Asked me to find you." She took out her cellphone and said, "They're at the gas station a mile ahead."
Sally sighed. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys. I just… I just needed some time alone."
I'M SURE THEY UNDERSTAND, SALLY. Nicole muttered inside. THEY NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU.
"I know. But I ended up hurting them. Probably made them think it was all their fault."
BUT IT WASN'T!
"It doesn't change anything."
"Did it make you feel better?" Whisper suddenly asked, snapping Sally out of her thoughts. "Fighting them?"
The princess looked down. Fighting Rough and Tumble was the right thing to do. They were hurting people. They had helped the men who killed Belle's father. She was treated like a hero and not some sort of monster for beating them. And yet…
"For a little bit." She admitted with a frown. "But it didn't last. When everything was calming down, before I talked to that girl and her father, I just kept thinking about how they will likely break out again. Break out, hurt more people, and help Eggman… It just never seems to end."
She remembered the day when Eggman had almost won. When New Mobotropolis was just created by Nicole and both she and Sonic had saved everyone from certain doom at the hands of the Egg Grapes.
"You're trespassing on royal grounds." She told the old Eggman after she, Sonic, and the others had reduced his battle armor to scrap. "As princess I order you to retreat back to New Megaopolis."
Had she done something back then… had she ended things then and there…
Whisper glanced at her and said nothing for a few seconds. "…Doing it won't change anything. It won't help you heal."
Sally couldn't help but stare at the wolf.
"…I also hate someone who ruined my life. Who betrayed me and threw away the bond I thought we had. Who killed my friends. My… family." The wolf looked up. "Spent a long time trying to find him. To make him pay. Finally found him and wanted to kill him."
"But…?"
"Tangle stopped me. Said that it was something that would stick with me forever. That I would have to live with it forever." Whisper sighed. "Still wanted to do it. But I stopped myself for her. And I thought I would be fine with just humiliating him by beating him. It worked… only for a little bit. And I knew I wouldn't feel any better if I had killed him. But… whenever I'm with Tangle." A small smile grew on the sniper's lips. "Whenever I'm with her… the bad feelings go away. I can feel better with her. With… my friends. They're what helps."
The robian knows what the wolf is getting at. That killing Eggman wouldn't solve anything, at least inside. That if she was with her friends, only then could she get better from the scars within.
But, in a quiet voice, she said, "I don't know if I can do that."
She really didn't.
"…But I'll try."
Whisper simply nodded and continued on without saying a word. Even Nicole was silent as the gas station came into view. Silver was leaning against the hood of the car while Tangle was sitting on the roof, scanning her surroundings before spotting them. She waved with both her right hand and her tail, and Sally couldn't help but nervously wave back.
It was time to hit the road again.
She was still on her laptop when the call came.
She looked at the caller ID and grimaced when she saw the words Criminal Imbecile attached. She really did not want to talk to him, but this was a relationship she and the others had to maintain.
Clearing her throat she asked, "Yes?"
"Do you know I just got an interesting call from some backwater called Autumn Leaves Village?" Clutch the Opossum growled from the other end. "Rough and Tumble are in jail. A jail they wouldn't be in if they hadn't gone on your little errand."
"We sent them there for a purpose!" She shot back, searching on the internet for the name of the town. Sure enough she saw an article declaring that Rough and Tumble had been taken in by… a badnik? It was not a unit she recognized. "The Eggtail needed testing. You wanted a weapon that you could sell for a large sum on the black market, didn't you?"
"That was the only reason why I let you borrow those two morons." Clutch sounded like he was gnashing his teeth. "And only because you assured me that Sonic and his friends wouldn't be in the area while they did your errands!"
"Calm yourself." She pinched bridge of her nose and ignored the sparks of frustration jumping off of her. "They won't be there for long. I'll send some of our people to free them before they can be processed. I do not want to ruin our business relationship."
"Yet." A part of her mind hissed with glee. "Because the doctor will surely have no use for you in the future."
"They better. Those two may be morons but they are useful morons. You have 24 hours."
With that, Clutch hung up on her.
She threw her phone at the wall and it exploded in a shower of sparks.
"Insolent scum!" She screamed, shaking her fist at the remains. "You should be honored to even speak with us! Our relationship is the only thing that allows you to still draw breath!"
Clutch was a lowlife. But a useful one. He brought her supplies and in exchange she provided him weapons.
Mere trinkets that allowed her to hone her craft, so that she may impress her master when they finally met!
Growling, she opened up the chat room and saw only one member was on with her.
LightningAsh263: The Criminal Imbecile just gave me an order! ME! I ought to order his execution!
BaristaMaster2020: Not a smart idea. If the Doctor doesn't order it and has a use for him later he'll be angry.
She growled. That was a good point.
LightingAsh263: In any case we will have to try and free those two idiot skunks. Is IronProngQueen available?
BaristaMaster2020: I'll send her a text. She's eager to test out her upgrades. Send me the location and I'll arrange their transportation.
She couldn't help but smirk at that. While she didn't consider the man her friend, he was a reliable comrade. A fine addition to the doctor's ranks when they join!
LightningAsh263: Wonderful! In the meantime I'll message TreacheryClarent37 regarding the situation in that desert of his. Things are apparently progressing and we'll want to be there when things get started.
BaristaMaster2020: Right. Keep me posted.
She nodded and added one last message before signing off.
LightningAsh263: Glory to the Eggman Empire!
It had driven on for a few more hours, but when Tangle began to snore in the backseat it was decided staying at a roadside hotel was for the best.
They got two seperate rooms with Silver staying in one while Tangle and Whisper slept in another. As the two slumbered on their beds, the lemur sprawled in a mess of covers and blankets while the wolf was curled into a cocoon formed from her blanket, Nicole stared at the stars from the window.
"They look so different now…"
Has space changed as well thanks to the Super Genesis Wave? It made sense. Stars would've been either created after the shift in reality or simply no longer existed. The major constellations appeared to be the same, but there were minor ones that were now incomplete or simply gone.
The heroes and creatures from the myths of Mobius were now broken or gone.
They no longer had a place in the new world.
"…Just like us."
"Hey, Nicole?" She turned her head and saw Sally now standing up from the couch she had been laying in. "Want to go out stargazing?"
The holo-lynx blinked before smiling. "I'd love to."
She went into Sally's body as the robian carefully left the room, being mindful of the two sleeping mobians, before opening the door and walking outside.
It didn't take long for them to reach the pool area. Next to all the pool chairs and the pool was a small sunbathing area where beach chairs were set on top of a small square of sand.
The two, however, ignored the chairs and simply laid down on the sand staring up.
"Hey, looks like the Big Dipper is still here." Sally pointed at the aforementioned constellation. "And so's the Little Dipper! That's nice to know."
"Indeed it is!" Nicole giggled as her eyes scanned the black void dotted with tiny sparks of light. "I need to research the new constellations that may have been created. They must have some fascinating stories attached!"
They talked like that for a few minutes, just pointing out constellations or the holo-lynx calculating how far the star was from Earth. Just like old times. As if nothing had changed between them.
"…Nicole, I really am sorry about today." Nicole paused in the middle of her lecture and looked at Sally, who was frowning at the sky. "It's like you said. I should've talked to you about how I was feeling. I shouldn't have bottled it up. I shouldn't have gone on my own and make everyone worry."
"I know. But you did promise to do better, didn't you?" The artificial intelligence smiled at her friend. "So long as you keep that promise, everything will be all right!"
It would be a return to the old days. When Sally always had Nicole by her side and told her everything. Those simple and wonderful days…
…before everything went wrong.
Before everything became complicated.
"…and you know, you can talk to me about anything right?"
That simple sentence shocked Nicole to her core.
"I… I…" She shook her head. "It's alright, Sally. You don't have to hear about my…"
The Princess was now leaning up and frowning. "Nicole, I want to know. You've been helping me so much these past few days. Helping me to…" She looked down at her legs. "…Adjust." Her hands clenched into fists. "So I want to help you. Besides…" A sad smile appeared on the robian chipmunk's face. "I've got hours to kill since I can't sleep anymore. We can talk about anything."
"I can't sleep anymore."
Hearing that once again… Nicole tried to stay strong. To not show any tears. She had lived for years without these emotions. She had to treat it like a program. Block it. Block the sadness. Block the…
She couldn't block the tears.
"I'm sorry." She sobbed out, "I'm so sorry. If I had just found a way to shut off the roboticizer faster… If I had just found a way around the Death Egg's defenses… then you wouldn't have to go through this! You became like this because I failed! I…!"
Sally's hand was now overlapping Nicole's own. The holo-lynx looked up to see Sally's eyes brimming with her own artificial tears.
"It's not your fault, Nicole. It was never your fault." She squeezed Nicole's holographic hand, the sand crumbling underneath the curling fingers. "It was my call… Nobody's to blame but him for forcing me to make that choice. I'm sorry you felt like this for so long…"
But even as she said this, the guilt that the holo-lynx felt didn't go away.
However, a part of her did feel… mended.
They stayed on the sand and looked at the stars until morning.
Nothing more needed to be said.
"Wait here." The albino fox told Mina as he pointed to the rich emerald couch, the wood frame nice and polished sitting on the left side of the room.
Above it was a strange painting, black and white of an Overlander with bat-like wings falling through the clouds to an orb of some kind. Across from the couch were framed posters of movies the mongoose had never heard of. A regal-looking female elephant mobian leading several others through brown grass with the title Elephant Queen, a mostly blue poster showing a blond-furred hedgehog wearing a green shirt and holding a strange ax with the title The Knight of the Sun, and others.
But they were all underneath another strange black and white painting. Of Overlanders without features and dressed in identical clothes going up and down stairs or leaning over balconies. But the stairs and people were going left in different directions.
A small label underneath told her the name of the painting at least.
Relativity by M.C. Escher.
"Since when was that monster ever interested in art?" But despite the venom spat out inside her head, Mina did as she was told and sat down on the couch. She didn't even look at the fox who shook his head and walked over to the door.
He knocked twice and a voice she dreaded ever hearing again said, "Enter."
The fox nodded and opened the door, shutting it close behind her and leaving the mongoose alone.
"I don't want to be here."
And yet here she was. A thin wall and door being the only things separating her and Mammoth Mogul.
A Mammoth Mogul who somehow knew her.
She hadn't torn the card when the fox had given it to her. She didn't know why. She hated Mammoth Mogul. He was the one that took over her mind and helped to kickstart the path that led to all of Mina's horrible decisions. He had hurt her friends, hurt Sonic and the others in his mad quest for power and godhood.
…No, it wasn't true. She knew why she hadn't torn up the card.
Someone actually knew her out here.
Sonic and Tails… the others… they hadn't recognized her at all. She knew that if she tried to see Amy or Cream they wouldn't know who she was. Everyone outside of that place was now someone familiar but different.
It had been terrifying and so lonely out here.
In a world where she never existed.
The thing that made her decide to go to the office address listed on the card was going through her earnings for the day and debating whether she should use it to pay for a night in a rundown hotel or save for a nicer one tomorrow and sleep under a cardboard box. Both options left her hungry for the night.
And realizing that made something inside her break.
Mina's mind wandered to a curry and coffee given to her out of kindness…
"No, I couldn't stay there. I couldn't…"
Before she could begin to cry again the door opened and the fox poked his head out. "The boss will see you now."
On shaky legs, Mina got up and trudged to the door. The fox kept it open for her as she entered the office…
…and saw the monster.
Mammoth Mogul, still as massive as ever with rich brown skin and fur. The fur was neatly combed and screamed of elegance. The white suit he wore screamed of that as well as money, tailor made to fit his giant bulky frame. A simple wooden cane leaned against the rich oak desk he was sitting behind, and behind the seated mammoth were the blinking lights of Studiopolis itself.
"Figures he would pick one of the tallest buildings for his base."
Mogul wasn't even looking at her as he continued to cut into his meal. They were cubes of… were they meat? Or some kind of fruit? The smell of chili and sesame flakes were overpowering to her, but she could smell something like watermelon in the air.
"Leave us, Shiro." The mammoth grumbled. "I can handle things from here."
"Got it." The fox lowered his sunglasses and stared at the mongoose with his red eyes.
The message was clear.
If his boss didn't kill her if she tried something, he would.
The door shut behind her and she stared at Mogul as he continued to eat.
"It's so interesting, experiencing what mortals can come up with when the threat of enslavement or death isn't hanging over their heads." He popped another cube into his mouth and chewed. "Watermelon tuna has to be one of my favorite little treats."
Mina's lips quivered as the word fell out of her mouth. "…Why?"
Why was he here?
Why did he send his men to find her, specifically?
Mogul glanced up and set down his knife and fork. "Why indeed. I must admit, I thought my business with you concluded when you fulfilled your purpose." He steepled his fingers and asked, "Tell me, Mongoose, did you learn some interesting things when you left your little sanctuary?"
The deep emptiness she felt disappeared for a second. Now, the anger was bubbling up. "Did you do it?" She croaked out, glaring at him. "Did you work with Eggman to do… all this?! To erase us from the world?! Is this some sort of sick plan to mess with Sonic?!"
The mammoth rolled his eyes. "Sonic… why must all my actions revolve around that annoying little hedgehog?" He shook his head. "No, I did not work with Eggman. In fact, his actions surprised me as well."
"Then how…?!"
"Did you enjoy the paintings outside?" He motioned to the door. "They are recreations of art that was lost in our world, now simple pieces in a museum for all to see should they wish to make the trip. Those two in particular speak to me." He took a glass of wine on his desk and sipped it. "Lucifer, a figure from the humans' little tales around the fires, cast down from Heaven. Just as I was cast from my comfortable seat of power by those two idiots. And Relativity… Now I had stared at that particular piece for hours. I didn't grasp why until the museum was about to close."
He set down the glass and smirked at her.
"I realized that no matter how gravity or the world may change direction, I will always remain the same. I will always endure."
"What are you talking about?!" Was Mogul just rambling to mess with her? Mina pointed at Studiopolis. "The world changed! I don't exist! And… and Sonic and the others don't recognize me! Why am I here?! Why are me and the others…?!"
Mogul let out a tired sigh as he got up from his chair. "Mongoose, be quiet and let me finish my story."
It wasn't a request.
The once rock star could feel it in the air.
Mogul would kill her as if she were an annoying fly if he felt like it.
And Sonic… he wouldn't be here to save her.
Mogul took the cane and turned around, staring at the city underneath. "The arts of mortals have always fascinated me. I had no time to create. Why bother when I was on the path to godhood? But despite how fleeting your lives may be, you mortals create such wonderful things. Art, music, movies… They are the things that make life interesting. Without them, even a world under my glorious rule would be dull.
He chuckled, as if he were laughing at a joke despite it being at his own expense.
"So when I set foot on this brave new world, I decided to start from scratch and help to shape the art that would interest me. Some light mind reading here, some murders there, and plenty of blackmail were all that was needed for me to regain my old standing. With Sonic being none the wiser. I intend to keep things that way. Even if he is weaker than the old one…"
Mina's eyes widened. Sonic… was weaker? How?! From what she could tell, Eggman was never able to control the world for long here!
The mammoth continued. "…If I were to show my hand, he would become a thorn in my side. Likely find some way to fail my plans yet again. So I decided to leave this one alone, as I did for the last one. He and his annoying friends, along with Eggman, shall all wither and die. Their children will be weak and inexperienced." He smirked. "I will likely make my move then. Or perhaps whenever running this company bores me, which it likely will in fifty or so years. I have nothing but time to decide."
"He's just… casually talking about killing kids. Killing future kids as if they're nothing." Mina felt a cold pit form in her stomach. "Is this… really how an immortal sees things?"
Of course it was.
When Mogul's mind touched hers, she saw his as well.
They were all truly nothing to him.
"And I wish for you to be a part of it."
The mongoose stared at Mogul's back. "What?"
He waved his massive brown hand. "I could use some fresh talent. From my understanding, you do not exist in this world. Therefore your music is something the ears of the teeming masses have never heard. Perhaps it will be a bit dated in terms of style, but nostalgia is something that brings in plenty of money. Of course we will have to introduce you to the music scene, make you someone worth talking about, but…"
"Why?! Why would I work for you?!" Mina screamed while pointing at Mogul. "You took over my mind! You made me hurt Sonic and our friends! You threatened to have me kill myself if you weren't freed!" Her teeth ground together as the anger was bursting out of her throat. "Just tell me how you got here! Why me and the others are here! Tell me the truth!"
Mammoth Mogul was silent for a moment.
Then, he began to chuckle.
"Why would you work for me? It's rather simple. As is the truth." He turned his head to smirk at her.
"It's because without me, you all simply would have been erased from existence."
"Please tell me we're close…" Tangle rubbed her stomach and her cheeks were starting to look a bit green. "Because I don't think my stomach's going to make it!"
Silver rolled his eyes. "Told you that you shouldn't have eaten the empanada."
"But it looked so good!"
Silver stared at her. "It looked like it was holding green meat. What kind of good meat is green?"
Sally sighed. "You should have waited until we actually stopped for lunch, Tangle. Not eat food from a gas station."
Seriously, none of the food looked right. The owner was probably breaking some health and safety laws!
One look at the bathroom and all three of her friends decided it would be better to just make discreet trips to the woods.
"We're about a mile away." Whisper informed the lemur, glancing at her friend through the rear view mirror. "Just hang on until then."
The trip had actually taken only two days. Two days that seemed to fly by quickly as they went through zone after zone, some that Sally and Nicole could recognize while others were new sights to them.
The trip would have taken longer, but during the final night the wolf simply asked for Sally to drive the rest of the way. Tangle, Whisper, and Silver had been fine sleeping in the car for the night while Sally, who could not join them in slumberland, drove on with Nicole feeding her directions.
"They're doing so much for my sake."
She was grateful for them. She truly was.
The robian glanced up at the top corner of her vision to see her power and fuel levels.
POWER: 85%
FUEL: 90%
Belle had been right that the solar battery wouldn't give her a full recharge. Every time she had the thing plugged into her, it would only give the robian a ten percent charge. It was annoying, especially since her fight with Rough and Tumble reduced it to 80%.
"Was she right? Is the electricity actually degrading the power ring's charge?"
Nicole appeared in her vision. DO YOU WISH FOR ME TO SEND A MESSAGE TO BELLE TO ASK FOR PROGRESS ON THE POWER RING FORGE?
Sally shook her head. "No. When it gets down to fifty percent or something, then we can worry her. Right now it's not that big of a deal."
She didn't want to rush things and maybe get the puppet girl into trouble.
They were going up a steep hill when Tangle began to scream, "GETMEOUTGETMEOUTNOW!"
Whisper instantly pulled over to the side of the road and skid to a stop. The lemur practically threw open the door and flew out, running to the bushes with her hand over her mouth before the sounds of retching were heard in the air.
"Told her." Silver leaned back and took a sip of the ginger ale he got. "Nothing good comes from meat that is green."
"I'm going to check on her." Whisper got out of the van and the wisps were instantly out as well, flying around and stretching their tiny limbs. "Going to make sure she's alright."
"How far are we from Studiopolis?" Sally asked the wolf.
The sniper motioned to the top of the hill. "You should see it over that."
That close by huh?
A smile began to grow on Nicole's face. WANT TO GO SEE?
The robian looked out the window and saw Whisper patting Tangle on her back while the lemur was hunched over.
"Sure. We might be here for a while." She unbuckled herself and looked at Silver. "I'll be back. I want to take a look at the city."
The time traveler nodded and smirked. "The view is probably great from here! Go for it!"
"Thanks!" She opened the door and began to jog up the hill. What could a city of movies and dreams, even one created by Eggman, possibly look like?
Nicole was disappearing from her vision and floating beside Sally when they reached the top and saw it.
Buildings, as tall as the ones in Station Square or those from that world full of costumed adventurers.
It seemed to be utterly drenched in neon, all of them flashing and beaming in the setting sun. Miniature video screens were shining brightly, the images far too small for Sally to see. But she could see the numerous small train cars that went to and fro, from one part of the city to the next. Searchlights were even on and beamed up at the clouds in the sky.
Three in particular stood out.
Written in three clouds were one giant word each.
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
Sally Acorn stared in disbelief at the scene.
"Oh my…" Nicole muttered beside her. "That's rather big…!"
She couldn't help but grin at the city.
Only one word could summarize her feelings about it.
"Wow."
They had finally arrived.
"That's the last of it?" An iguana member of the Restoration asked as he handed the crate to his partner, a cat.
"Yeah." The cat yawned as he carefully placed the crate into the van. "There's still the computer stuff, but orders are to wait until Tails gets back with Sonic. It's likely that Eggman rigged the stuff to blow if anyone but a super genius tried to access it."
"Of course he would." The iguana grumbled as he and the cat walked to the front of the car. "Seriously getting sick of that guy."
"You and everyone else on Earth, pal. But until someone gets the actual guts to put him down we're going to be seeing his ugly mug for a while."
The truck came to life and drove away, leaving the gaping hole in the ground of Green Hill Zone unwatched and unguarded.
Metal Sonic watched all this from the shadows of some bushes and felt only relief.
He was seriously getting tempted to just kill the two and finish his objective.
While he had patience, it wasn't infinite.
And he had spent a lot of time uncovering the loopholes… no, the true meanings in his programming.
It was important to make that distinction.
As Metal Sonic flew down the cavern, ignoring the professional climbing equipment and machines to bring up the prizes they found inside, he thought back on the protocols.
PROTOCOL #1: EGGMAN'S ORDERS ARE ABSOLUTE
Eggman's orders are indeed absolute. However, some orders take more importance than others. In order for a unit to be effective, they must judge for themselves what takes priority.
PROTOCOL #2: EGGMAN NEVER MAKES MISTAKES AND CAN NEVER BE SURPASSED
Eggman will never make mistakes. It is the unit's responsibility to ensure, however, that elements that could potentially lead to a mistake are removed from this world.
PROTOCOL #3: SAFETY OF EGGMAN AND EGGMAN EMPIRE IS TOP PRIORITY
This world is full of danger and adversity. The doctor has acquired numerous enemies that will act against his and the empire's safety, several of whom will act without his knowledge. Therefore, a unit must do everything in their power to ensure the safety of both even if Eggman is unaware of it.
PROTOCOL #4: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND ALLIES ARE ENEMIES TO EGGMAN AND EGGMAN EMPIRE. ELIMINATE
This one is self explanatory. However, a unit must also perform what it deems the best and most efficient process to eliminate the hated copy and his allies. In order to do that, the unit must investigate whenever an unknown factor is brought forward.
CONCLUSION: Unit Metal Sonic's every action is to the benefit of Eggman and the Eggman Empire. Therefore, every action is not in violation of the protocols.
Honestly, he had felt quite proud coming to that conclusion.
And best of all, the protocols installed in him weren't arguing with Metal Sonic as he stepped out of the base and flew towards Green Hill Zone.
While he could have made his way to the Restoration HQ and tore the base to shreds to find what he wanted, it would lead to… complications. Especially since it would cause the doctor more problems. And as a loyal unit to the Eggman Empire, he couldn't let that happen.
So he went to the location where the unknown badnik unit first appeared.
He landed at the bottom of the cave and looked up at the wreckage that was illuminated by flood lamps. He tilted his head and stared up at the structure.
It looked like a Death Egg… but its model wasn't in Metal Sonic's records.
He walked forward and looked at the female cable port that was next to the door. Activating a subroutine, a panel opened in the back of Metal Sonic's head and a male-end cable snaked out. He pulled on it before inserting it into port.
ACCESSING… ACCESSING…
UNKNOWN METAL SONIC UNIT REQUESTING DIRECT CONTROL.
PASSWORD?
If Metal Sonic had eyes he would've blinked. Unknown Metal Sonic unit? He was the only one!
The doctor never made any others.
Still, his electronic mind raced before he began to enter the true admin password.
GERALD ROBOTNIK
PASSWORD ACCEPTED.
WELCOME HOME, METAL SONIC.
The generators contained within the Death Egg flared to life and a map of the entire structure was downloaded into his files. Metal Sonic disconnected from the port and began to fly through the now open doors.
What would have been a maze to organic minds, even with a map, was easy for him to navigate.
Within minutes, he made his way to the main server room and walked over to the center of the room as the machines hummed to life.
He looked up and sent the wireless request to give him access.
Cables descended, and Metal Sonic picked the ones that were comparable with him. Opening the ports behind his head, he plugged them in one at a time.
Once the final cable was set, he saw the digital landscape that was the Death Egg's system. Full of statues formed in the doctor's image as the blueprints of a theme park labeled EGGMANLAND bustled with activity in the distance.
The badnik ignored all this and pressed his hand against the statue's leg, accessing the files.
One folder in particular stood out.
EGG MEMOS
He entered the folder and opened the first file.
His visuals flickered as the Doctor sat behind a desk, grinning joyfully at the camera.
"Well, might as well label this as Egg Memo number one." Eggman nodded as he continued. "First of all, I need to reiterate the reason for why I am creating this. It's because, after the activation of the First Genesis Wave, the world of Mobius still wasn't under my control. And I can only assume that's because my reset self wasn't fully aware of the plans I had set into motion and had to figure things out as he went along, giving the hedgehog enough time to defeat him."
Metal Sonic sent inquiries to the other folders. Genesis Wave? Mobius? What was the doctor talking about?
"So, to avoid that scenario again, I am recording my history so that you…" The doctor pointed at the screen. "…are fully aware of who you are, what you were, and what needs to be done to finally destroy that accursed hedgehog! We cannot rely on the Dreamcast Protocol to get the job done, after all!"
Metal Sonic was already cross-referencing the terms Eggman made in the system as his creator continued to talk.
"First of all, while you are indeed Ivo Robotnik you aren't the native one to this Zone! Now, the circumstances of how you came here are certainly a tale…"
To Be Continued…
Notes: Okay, this certainly came out faster than planned.
Originally the Rough and Tumble fight was supposed to go for longer but after thinking it over, where it ended seemed good. They aren't meant to be particularly effective. Tough sure but starter villains and minion fodder all the same.
Mammoth Mogul and Metal Sonic were perhaps the most fun to write. The former is basically Vandal Savage but a mammoth while the latter allows me to tap into some inspiration from Kieron Gillen's Eternals. Especially with how creative a thinking being can be with interpreting protocols and finding philosophical/logical loopholes.
Anyways hope you enjoyed it! Please be sure to leave reviews and tell me what you think! Also please be sure to add to the TV Tropes page!