Rediscovered Frontiers Chapter 5: I'm Here Part 2, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

"Another robot? Where do they keep finding these things?" One member of the restoration, a skunk, whispered to his collegue as they both held folders in hand.

The goat Restoration member next to him shook her head. "I have no idea. First there was that Belle one and now this! And with how this one looks, it is a weapon to boot!"

Nicole shot them both a glare, but before she could say anything Sally decided to intervene. "It's not worth it."

She wished there was more confidence in her tone.

She wished she could say that she didn't care.

"Yeah. Just ignore them." Tangle turned on her heel, glared at the two and blew a raspberry. The two other members of the Restoration scurried off, embarrassed over being confronted. "They're just jerks that haven't gotten to know Sally yet."

"I'm not sure getting to know me would help much either." Not everyone was like Sonic and their friends. What happened with Nicole at New Mobotropolis was a prime example. She had kept them safe and built their homes, and then Mina and the others kicked her out without a moment's hesitation thanks to their fear. Heck, even after E-123 Omega turned his ire against Eggman there were still people who feared he would turn on them at the drop of the hat. "They're probably also waiting for the day I'll turn on them."

"Still, that is no way to talk about her." Nicole shook her head. "If this Belle person has been with this organization for so long, and both Jewel and Lanolin have met her and don't have a problem with her, I don't see why they treat Sally as if she's…!"

"Not a lot of people know Belle." Whisper cut in. "Not a lot of people met her. Or Omega. Or Gemerl. Only robots most have met have tried to kill them."

"Gemerl. That's a new one." She would probably have to ask Whisper about who Gemerl was. But right now she focused on that depressing fact.

She was an oddity, even in a world that didn't have the shadow of Eggman's years-long rule.

And the monster still found a way to make her feel like even more of an outsider.

"Yeah, but I still wish this is a world where people wouldn't talk smack behind other people's back. Especially if they don't know about them." The lemur sighed and smiled back at them. "I promise that Belle will not be like those jerks."

Belle the Tinkerer… a living puppet that worked for the Restoration. If it hadn't been for all the other crazy stuff that had and currently was happening with her life, Sally would find it too ridiculous to believe.

How was the puppet alive? Was she a puppet or a robot, like Tangle mentioned and those two Restoration members outright said? Why was she working for the Restoration?

"Is she tied to Eggman?" Sally's hands clenched into fists before relaxing. "No… No. Tangle and Whisper trust her. You're in control. In control…"

"I must admit, I am looking forward to meeting her." Nicole smiled. "It's not every day one meets a living puppet!"

Sally couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah… bet she'll be in for a shock to see you too, Nicole!"

All save for Whisper chuckled at that.

It was nice… a nice break from her thoughts.

It helped distract her from what they were heading to.

They stopped in front of a large tunnel that looked as if it were the station for a train. She knew that the Restoration HQ once was a mine, so it was likely that this was where workers and materials were dropped off and picked up back when things were operational. The tracks were still in the area below the platform, but the ground was littered with disassembled machines and devices like Extreme Gears. She could even see a half-repaired boat and car further ahead, with oil-stained rags strewn on fallen stone blocks. A coffee maker was brewing the so-called black gold, but it appeared to have just been turned on. And she knew she would've been abe to smell it with the stench of oil and rust in the air if she still had a nose.

It would've smelled foul, as she could see Tangle's nose wrinkle slightly, but she wanted to smell it.

"This is the Machine Shop." Whisper motioned around them. "The Restoration maintains their gear and helps to repair vehicles here."

Sally clutched her left arm. "Repair me…"

Nicole's holographic hand hovered over her left, and the princess looked up to see her friend's soothing face. Taking a deep breath she nodded and steeled herself.

"Hey! Belle!" Tangle shouted, her voice echoing through the station. "You here?!"

"Coming!" A young female voice shouted, and a head poked out from behind one of the pillars. She looked kind of like a mouse mobian with orange fur and braided hair hidden underneath a green cap, but wasn't. Her face had the distinct brown hue of wood with two lines at the side of her mouth that looked like the mouth of a nutcracker. "Wow, Tangle! I didn't know you would be back so soon…"

Belle's eyes had a distinct glass sheen to them, but the pupils weren't glass as well, They moved and focused on them, specifically on Sally and Nicole. They widened, as if they were normal living eyes, and she asked, "Tangle… who are your friends?"

"Right! Well…" The lemur went by Sally's side and put her hand on the robian's right shoulder. "This is Sally Acorn! And the holographic lynx is Nicole! They're friends of mine and she kinda needs some help with fixing some stuff. We, uh…" She glanced at the princess and carefully said, "…we helped Sally free herself from Eggman's control."

"O-Oh!" Belle fully revealed herself, showing her pink shirt and green overalls but most importantly the rest of her body. The wood limbs and joints that belonged on a puppet rather than a living being. Literally nothing about her was natural in the slightest. "That's wonderful! Thank you, Tangle!" She ran down the few steps to the platform shouting, "I'll get to work on her right aw-!"

Belle's left foot hit her right ankle and the puppet fell face-forward onto the ground.

"Aw, sawdust…" The wooden girl moaned on the floor. "Not again…"

"Does that… normally happen?" Sally asked Whisper as Tangle rushed forward to help out her friend.

Whisper looked at her and then back at Belle. "You'll be in good hands."

Nicole merely stared at the wolf. "You didn't answer the question…"

"So far, so good." Whisper thought to herself as Belle approached Sally and Nicole with Tangle next to her.

A part of her had been worried about bringing the robian to the Machine Shop. From her breakdown last night and her reaction to the Restoration member, Hershey, not recognizing her she couldn't help it.

Sally Acorn was in an extremely volatile and vulnerable state of mind. Trauma from her experiences were causing her to withdraw into herself or simply break down. Even the wolf could see that the princess' head was a swirling mess of emotions.

One that could very well be a ticking time bomb.

"And I can't exactly blame her for that." Not after what Silver had told them about… well… the world. "Not everyday you are told that your home no longer exists because of Eggman."

The revelation had been a shock to Whisper. A part of her couldn't believe it. Hell, a part of her still didn't want to believe it. The idea that she, technically, didn't exist until whatever Eggman did in some previous world that existed just restarted the universe was a horrible thought. As was the fact that she and Tangle were, in a way, not supposed to exist.

That they were some sort of cosmic mistake.

She couldn't imagine what Tangle thought about all this. While Whisper had made her own thoughts known, Tangle seemed to just chalk it up to some sort of reboot that happens in her comics and didn't say anymore about it.

And it hurt, knowing how much the lemur kept to herself.

The only two things keeping Whisper sane from all the existential questions bouncing around in her head now was the simple fact that she and Tangle were here. They did exist and have their lives, and nothing could change that.

And the second one was that, as bad as the wolf had it right now with the revelations, what Sally and Nicole were going through was so much worse.

"It's nice to meet you!" Belle smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Belle the Tinkerer, but I guess Tangle and Whisper told you about me!"

Sally returned the expression, but Whisper could tell that there was a twinge of hesitation in the smile. "Nice to meet you too, Belle." She took the hand and was prepared to shake. "I'm Sal-." Then the robian froze. Her artificial eyes widened in shock as she muttered, "Y-You're a…?"

Whisper and Tangle tensed, with the sniper slowly reaching for her wispon. A part of her had feared this. After all, it Eggman had altered Sally into basically being one of his badniks then wouldn't he have her be able to easily identify other badniks?

This could be bad.

Belle stared at the frozen Sally and frowned. She looked to the side and sadly muttered, "Figures you'd be able to see it."

"Remarkable." Nicole seemed to be equally shocked by the revelation. "I-I wasn't able to see it, but now… How? Why would he…?"

"Why would Eggman make you?" Whisper finished in her head. And the tricky thing was that Eggman technically didn't make her. Eggman would have no reason to make a being like Belle.

Her father, the kindly toy making inventor Mr. Tinker, did.

The sniper's eyes darted to Sally, who was standing in place. Her face was shifting between fear, confusion, and even something darker. Something that made the artificial lights in her eyes glow brighter.

Hatred.

If Belle noticed it, she didn't say anything. Instead she stood in place and looked at Sally with fierce determination. "Eggman didn't create me. A monster like that could never be my father." She looked down. "My dad… he used badniks as a base and created me. He's… he's dead. Eggman and Starline killed him."

The bright light in Sally's eyes died down and slowly she released her grip on Belle's hands. The shifting array of emotions on the robian's face was instead replaced by one of deep sadness and shame. "I'm sorry." She muttered and put her hand on Belle's shoulder. "I shouldn't have reminded you about that. It was just a shock is all. I'm fine."

The puppet girl shook her head and smiled softly. "No. It's fine. I'm used to it."

Whisper really wished that those words didn't sound so sad.

"Now…" Belle clapped her hands and the full smile returned to her face. "…Can you please let me know what work you want done? I can already see those dents and the signs of wispon-caused damage, but I'd like to know if you had anything else in mind."

"Yes!" Nicole jumped in and smiled at the puppet girl. "We were hoping for the following adjustments to be made to…"

"Man, that was close." Tangle muttered as she moved besides Whisper, both her hands behind her head. "I know that Sally would be a bit freaked out by Belle, but I didn't expect that."

"Understandable." The wolf muttered. "After everything that her Eggman did."

"Yeah." The lemur sighed. "Still, it looks like it's going to be cool now. Nicole's here, and she can help Sally and Belle through this." Then she groaned. "Which means we've got nothing to do!"

Whisper couldn't help but chuckle at that. If there was one thing that her friend hated more than Eggman and jerks, it was just standing still.

But then Tangle's eyes widened and the sniper could practically see the lightbulb appearing over her head. She took out the PDA and whispered to it, "Nicole? Hey, Nicole!"

After a second Nicole's voice came from the PDA. "Yes, Tangle?"

Whisper looked from the PDA to Nicole's holographic form who was still talking animatedly to Belle, motioning to Sally's body up and down.

"Technology really is amazing."

"Well, I was wondering if you could send us Sally's measurements." Tangle rocked back and forth on her heels. "Y'know, what her shirt, pants, and glove size would be after Belle's done. Wanna do something nice for her."

"Oh! How wonderful! I'm sure she'll be happy to see it!" The PDA then blinked and measurements down to the centimeter were appearing on the screen. "It will probably take a couple of hours, so please take your time."

"Will you be okay?" Whisper couldn't help but ask the question.

The PDA seemed to hesitate before answering. "Yes. I'll be sure that Sally is… comfortable."

"Great!" Tangle hooked her arm around the wolf's arm. "Call us if you need us, Sally! Me and Whisper are going shopping!"

Whisper really hoped that the lemur couldn't see her blush.

But she kept an eye on Sally, Belle, and Nicole as they left the Machine Shop.

She really hoped that everything would be alright.

"What is wrong with me?"

That thought had been bouncing around inside Sally's head as Nicole talked with Belle about the body she was trapped in. She had barely heard Tangle declaring that she and Whisper were going to go out shopping, and a part of her wanted to go with them. To get out of here and away from all these machines and what was going to happen.

To get away from Belle.

Because she was afraid. Not by the puppet girl herself.

No, Sally was afraid of herself.

"She didn't do anything to me. Tangle and Whisper trust her and brought me to her. She just wanted to shake my hand. Wanted to help." Sally looked at the right claw that had been used to shake Belle's hand. "And I… I wanted to…"

She looked at the puppet and a red circle hovered over Belle's head with red text rolling down.

CLASSIFICATION: BADNIK

TYPE: UNKNOWN

SCENARIO 102 IDENTIFIED: HELPING RODENTS

ORDERS: DESTROY

She wanted to do it too. As soon as she realized what Belle was, all she could see was him.

A tool used by the monster that had turned her into this.

For a split second she wanted to crush the hand. To begin punching and punching until the Badnik was nothing by splinters and scrap. To destroy something that belonged to Eggman and…

"If she hadn't told me… If she hadn't said anything…" The robian put her hand on her forehead and shook it. "Why? Why am I like this?! I was never like this before!"

"Sally?" The princess looked up to see both Nicole and Belle looking at her, concern written on their faces. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She was lying as easily as she breathed. Or used to breathe. It was hard to tell anymore. "I'm just… trying to mentally prepare myself."

"Oh! Is it your first time?" Belle asked, nodding sympathetically. "I guess you're kinda new to this… I remember my first time getting repaired. It was weird having part-."

No. No, she didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to have this conversation. "Where do I sit?" She asked, looking around wildly. "I-I need to sit to get repaired, right? Is there a chair or something?"

When she looked back at the Restoration member, the puppet girl was giving her an odd look. One of her painted eyebrows was raised and the corner of her fake lips pulled back in a confused smile.

As if she were the odd one.

Nicole was instantly by her side, her hand on Sally's right. "Listen, if you don't want to do this…"

"No, no Nicole! I have to! I have to get this over with!" Was she screaming? She hoped not. She didn't want to scream at Nicole. Nicole was trying to help. Sally walked over to a chair and sat down on it, the wood creaking as she crossed her legs. "Okay, I'm ready now!"

Cautiously, Belle stepped forward and took the hand of the body Sally was trapped in. "Um… no. That's not where you go. I have to work on your entire body." She paused and looked down. "Listen, like Nicole said if you don't want to…"

Great, now she was making the puppet girl she had already made feel bad feel even worse. The Princess of Acorn was on a roll today. Taking a deep but pointless breath, Sally got up "Please." She whispered. "Just… bring me there."

Belle glanced at Nicole, who bit her lip and gave a small nod. Slowly, the tinkerer led Sally and Nicole to a back room where a metal slab was propped up with a footstool. Tools were hanging on the wall to the slanted table's right, but when Sally glanced at the back of the room she saw them.

Badniks.

Crushed Badniks with bent metal and broken shells. Bodies taken apart and the parts they made them sorted into buckets or neat little piles.

"Those are the ones that the Restoration destroyed during the war." Belle explained, a sad look on her face as she said it. "They are usually brought here and disassembled for parts after the Restoration or Sonic destroy them. Nothing to recover…"

"Good." The word was spat out of Sally's mouth before she could take it back. She saw the hurt expression on Belle's face and the shame returned. Looking down she muttered, "Sorry. I just… I just don't like his weapons."

"They didn't get to choose to be like that." Belle shook her head and motioned to the table. Only a little hesitantly, the robian placed her feet on the small platform at the end and leaned her back against it. Her holographic friend was still next to her, smiling reassuringly as the puppet girl kept talking. "Eggman never gave them a choice. He just wants them to be weapons or little suck-ups like Orbot and Cubot. They never got a chance to be anything else."

"…Damn it." She couldn't argue against that. The badniks Gamma and Omega were proof that Eggman's little monsters could choose to become forces of good if freed from his control. Hell, Belle herself was proof that just because something was a badnik didn't mean they were evil. "And that just makes it worse."

"Is that why you're sympathetic to his machines?" Nicole asked the puppet girl, who was now looking over the various tools on the wall. "Because you were given that choice?"

Belle smiled at them. "Yeah. My dad didn't want a weapon. He wanted an assistant to help him fix things and make toys. But he also said it was always my choice. That I could explore the world if I wanted to." Something caught her eye and she took it. A handheld cigar-shaped tool with a red button on the side. She pressed it and a thin one-inch laster came to life at the end, a small buzz filling the air as the puppet girl continued to talk. "But I wanted to help him. So… I did that until he wasn't around anymore. And I stayed in our village until…" She paused. "Until the Metal Virus. Until everyone began to suspect that I really was a badnik and one of Eggman's spies. And… and I had to go away."

"And you came here?" Sally asked, her eyes widening in shock and amazement. Belle's story… It reminded her so much about what had happened to Nicole. All she wanted to do was help and the second the going got tough they turned on her. They would rather feel safe and kick out a friend rather than trust her. "Why?"

"Sonic and Tails, of course!" Belle giggled as she turned around. "They found me while I was exploring one of Eggman's bases and introduced me to Amy and Cream. They… they didn't mind that I was different. They just believed that I wanted to help and when everything was over Tails invited me to work here. So here I am!"

Sally couldn't help but smile at Nicole, who was giggling. "Sounds like Sonic and Tails." Nicole shook her head. "They make the oddest of friends."

Yeah. That was Sonic.

Always moving. Always friendly, even if he acts before he thinks a lot of the time. If someone shows that they are trustworthy then he'll give them a chance, no matter their past.

"Just like mine…"

"Okay then." Belle put her left hand on Sally's right wrist and brought it up. "I'm going to start with the fingers, since that'll be the easiest part. Can you tighten up your joints a bit? I need to make sure nothing moves."

"I can do that." Nicole turned into data and flowed into Sally's body. "Just give me a second."

After barely a second a message appeared in the princess' vision.

REQUEST: LOCK RIGHT ARM JOINTS…?

SALLY. ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?

"Y-Yeah…" She wished she could sound more confident.

LOCKING RIGHT ARM JOINTS

ALLOW BADNIK UNIT TO ASSIST WITH HARDWARE UPDATE?

"Hardware update… Hardware… like a machine. Like a… a…" Sally looked at the small cutting laser in Belle's hand and she remembered.

The sparks flying as the blowtorch hit her body's shoulder joint, the smoke rising as wires and metal were melted and cut.

SALLY! NO, PLEASE DON-!

Screaming, always screaming. Telling the monster to give back her arm as he threw it away.

Oil stained gloves gripping her chest before tearing the metal plate off.

The guts and organs that should be in there were replaced with wires, circuitry, and metal bits.

DAMN IT! WHERE IS THIS FILE COMING FROM?!

The whistling. All the happy whistling as he tore apart and threw away her body as if it were nothing. Nothing because she couldn't do anything to stop him. She couldn't do anything but scream and cry within the metal prison that housed her mind.

YOU'RE NOT THERE ANYMORE SALLY! YOU ARE HERE! PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T THINK ABOU-!

Cutting and breaking. Piece by piece thrown away. Until nothing remained but her head and spine. She didn't feel it. She didn't feel a thing but knew that she couldn't… couldn't…

"NO!" Sally's left arm shot out and swatted the cutting tool away. Bell cried out in shock, not pain, as her glove was torn and the wood cut to reveal a metal skeleton. The tool clattered on the ground as Sally leapt off the table and crawled away on the ground, scrambling until she had her back to the wall. "N-No! Not again! Not a…!"

"Sally!" Nicole was out of her body and in front of her, her holographic body on its knees and on her lap as she looked frantically into Sally's eyes. "You're not in Eggman's workshop! You're not being taken apart! You're here! You're here with me…"

"N-Nicole…" Sally looked down at her left hand then, looking through Nicole's body, she saw Belle's hand and the torn glove. "I did it again. I did…" She didn't feel it. But she knew. She knew she was crying again. "Why? Why am I like this?! I thought… I thought that I could do it! I need to do it, so why…?"

"Sally…" Belle hesitatingly moved forward with her question. "I know you're scared, but it's not so bad after the first…"

That made something inside the princess snap. "I'M NOT A MACHINE!" She slammed her left fist against the floor. "I'm not… I'm not supposed to be like this! I'm a chipmunk! I was a normal Mobian chipmunk, with fur and skin and hair! I could feel things! I could smell and taste and go to sleep! He…" She closed her eyes. "He took it away from me… I shouldn't be here… I shouldn't be getting repaired like a… a…"

Damn it. It was happening again. Why? Why was she breaking down again?

Right in front of Nicole and another stranger in this strange land that used to be her world.

As she continued to cry Nicole softly said, "Belle… there is something you should know about us."

Belle the Tinkerer had never been told a more horrible story in her life, short as it had been relatively speaking.

She knew that Eggman was a horrible madman. No sane person would create something as terrible as the Metal Virus or do any of his many bids for world and even universal conquest. He believed that everyone should serve under him, to become his living robots and work to shape the world in his image.

He even made sure that the badniks he created would do nothing but serve him, and then tossed most of them away whenever they failed to meet expectations.

But this…

"Is this what you will do if given enough time?" Belle looked at the badnik… no, robian that was now sitting against the wall and looking down. The holo-lynx sitting next to her and looking at Sally's face with concern. "Force even organics to become machines that serve you?"

Nicole had explained it, or at least some of it. How they were from another world like Blaze where their Eggman had ruled for years. Where instead of the Metal Virus they had robotization, and that Sally had become the victim of it before 'crossing over'. That Tangle and Whisper had helped to free Sally, but she was still stuck in her mechanical body.

And, that worst of all, Sally had been fully conscious of what was happening when Eggman took apart her body and weaponized it to hunt her friends.

The puppet girl might now be a genius like Tails was, most of her smarts came from engineering, mechanics, carpentry, and other things related to being an all-in-one helper. But even she knew that the story was edited. Like Nicole and Sally were hiding something because they were afraid how she would react.

"Can't really blame them for that. It's not like I'm blameless with hiding things."

She didn't advertise that she was, technically, Eggman's daughter. She had accepted that Eggman and Mr. Tinker were one in the same, even if the differences between the madman and the kindly toy maker were striking. Under normal circumstances, the monster that was Eggman would never be the kind and sweet Mr. Tinker. But a bout of amnesia had allowed him to take on a new life.

A better, kinder life.

It didn't last. Starline made sure of that. Heck, he even bragged about it in Belle's face.

She still hated the platypus, even if he was gone.

Some members of the Restoration knew, like Sonic, Tails, Amy, Jewel, Tangle, and Whisper. But otherwise she just mentioned Mr. Tinker and didn't elaborate much more on that. It was her life and she could chose who she told it to. She had the choice and the freedom to make it.

And now she knew keeping that secret probably saved her life.

"It's amazing that she even took this step." Belle thought sadly to herself while rubbing her arm. She felt nothing from the action, but it was one of many ticks her father had installed into her mind. "Organic beings probably don't like the idea of replacing parts."

And then there was the loss of other bodily functions. Belle didn't feel things, like the temperature of the room or pain. She didn't need to eat or even go to the bathroom. She didn't mind it that much, but she sometimes yearned to participate in the meals her friends had.

Sally had all of that and now lost it. It went beyond simple shock. There was no real adjustment period to that.

"I'm sorry." She apologized to the robian. "I didn't know. I thought that you were like me. Like Omega and Gemerl. I never thought…"

Belle had thought that Sally was like Metal Sonic, a weapon specifically crafted to hunt for her friend. A part of her had even been glad. While Metal Sonic still chose his vendetta and Eggman over leaving with Belle, the supposed badnik in front of her had left the doctor to start a new life. That she wanted to help people, and Belle could help her along that path to becoming her own being.

But no. Instead she was an organic being unwillingly transformed into something she was not.

"It's not your fault." Sally muttered. "I… I was hoping not to mention it. I didn't want to tell anyone. I thought I could do this without a problem." Her hands clenched into fists. "I can't feel pain. So why am I so scared?"

"Because he didn't give you a choice." Nicole shook her head. "He just took and added with you only watching."

"But I'm in control now, Nicole!" The robian shot back, only to wince when she noticed the lynx's look of pain. "You guys helped to free me. I should be able to do this. This… this isn't even my real body." She curled up her knees and hugged them to her chest. "It's his… his weapon. His thing…"

The words came from Belle's mouth before she could stop them. "No it's not!"

Both the robian and the holo-lynx looked up to her in shock. A wave of mortification rolled over Belle "Aw, sawdust. Why did I have to speak up?"

No, no she knew why. It was something that had to be said.

If she didn't, then Sally would fall into the hole that even Belle could see coming. A hole of deep and utter despair and self loathing, forever cursing her own existence because of what Eggman did.

So, her hands balling into fists, the puppet girl decided to walk over and sit to Sally's left. She looked up and said, "I'm going to tell you a story I never told anyone. I… I promise there's a point to it all." Belle closed her eyes. "My dad, Mr. Tinker… he programmed me to be thirteen years old. I had a bunch of knowledge downloaded into my head, words and images and actions… stuff so that I could help him around the workshop." A crooked grin appeared on her face. "Only problem was, when I came online, I was still basically a newborn. I could speak and walk around, but I didn't really have the maturity he was expecting. I was just wandering around the workshop, picking stuff up and smashing it because I wanted to see how everything really worked with my own two hands."

She remembered it, and it was deeply embarrassing. Her picking up a hammer, grinning like a little idiot, and destroying a toy train because she wanted to experience what smashing things was like. Then running over to a chair and spinning in it while throwing the hammer carelessly over her head, barely missing her father's face as he tried frantically to talk her into stopping.

"For the first two days of my life, I basically destroyed my dad's home." Belle shook her head and looked down. "But he… he never got angry at me. Once I was bored from having experienced everything I could think of, he sat me down and showed me how to clean up. He showed me how to repair some of the stuff I had wrecked. And then… he asked if I wanted to help. And because it looked interesting, I said yes."

"He gave you that much free will?" Nicole asked, and her voice was filled with awe. "He didn't try to turn you off or anything?"

"I think me having free will was something he wasn't expecting. Not really." The puppet smiled. "He made me to be his assistant. He gave me a body that wouldn't look scary to the villagers and kids… but I didn't turn out at all like he was expecting. My body and my mind weren't his." She looked at Sally, the robian staring at her with wide eyes. "Eggman may have made that body, but it's yours."

"But…"

Belle held up her hand. "It was always yours. It was never his. He tried to make you into his weapon…" She pointed at Sally's chest. "…but it's your choice as to what you do with your body. It is never his. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

Eggman once offered Belle a place by his side. To have her join him, because he was somewhat sentimental towards her existence as a thing he made as Mr. Tinker.

A part of her, a small part, even wanted to go.

But she couldn't… wouldn't go. Eggman may have had her father's body and face, but he was never and could never be him.

She then made her choice. And she never regretted it.

"Feeling scared… It's nothing to be ashamed of. This is something you never could have planned for." Belle put her hand on the robian's shoulder and smiled. "But you don't have to feel like you need to bottle it in. You don't have to feel obligated to fix yourself. We are here for you. And you can talk it out with us if you don't feel comfortable."

Sally said nothing for a few seconds, her lips pursing as she mulled over the puppet girl's words.

Then, the robian pulled Belle into a hug.

"Thank you." Sally whispered into Belle's ear. "Thank you, Belle."

She didn't hesitate and hugged the robian chipmunk back. "I always try to help my friends."

And she meant it too.

Slowly, they disengaged and Sally got up. Reaching out with her hand, the robian helped Belle to her feet and said, "If… it's okay, I want to try again."

"Are you sure?"

Sally smiled hesitantly. "I think I'll be okay… so long as it's you doing it, Belle. And Nicole is here."

"Always." Nicole was already on her feet and smiling, tears at the corners of her eyes. "I'll be here for you every step of the way."

Nodding, the robian stepped back onto the table and rested her head back. "Okay. Alright, let's do this."

"Well, here goes nothing…" Belle picked up her laser cutter from the floor and turned around. Sally and Nicole looked tense still, and that probably wouldn't be good for the repairs. "Okay. Just once."

Coughing, she drew the two women's attention to her and reached up with her free hand. Smiling, she honked her nose.

Neither said anything for a minute.

Grinning sheepishly she shook her hands. "Tadah!"

Sally and Nicole looked at each other before bursting into a fit of giggles. All the anxiousness and worry seeming to wash off of them as if it were just a bit of first on some metal.

Relief washed over the puppet girl. "Great! I didn't look like an idiot!"

"I-I thought Tangle was just joking about the nose." Sally wiped away an oil tear from her eye. "Oh man, thank you Belle. I needed that!"

The grin remained in place as a single thought went through Belle's head.

"Tangle… your bike is scrap."

Belle stared in awe at the power ring that floated inside the center of Sally's chest cavity, where her heart should've been. "Gears and starters…"

Nicole knew it was dumb to ask, especially since she had looked it up ever since she got access to the wireless network in the base, but she just had to. "Are you sure you've never seen anything like this?"

"No, no we don't have a power source like this!" She glanced at the tablet in her hand which was measuring the energies of the power ring. "The closest I can think of are chaos drives, but you'd need several to equal the energy this ring provides! And you said your world just made these?"

It was a strange experience seeing the puppet girl look at the ring with awe. While power rings were certainly amazing back in the previous world, they were common enough to be basically just another thing there. Just another source of power for machines or a boost to physical abilities and speed.

Would Nate Morgan be happy to see the innocent and childish wonder in Belle's eyes?

"Or would he be sad, knowing it's being used to keep Sally's roboticized body online?" Nicole didn't know. She never truly got to know the man before he disappeared after the destruction of Robotropolis. The inventor of the power rings was listed as missing in action, but considering how long it had been since Robotropolis' destruction it would be safe to assume he was dead. "Perhaps a version of him is alive in the human continents…"

"Belle? Nicole?" Sally nervously lifted her head and looked at the puppet girl, grinning nervously. "Can you please close that? It's starting to freak me out knowing a power ring is there."

It had been slow progress, carefully moving inch by inch and asking her friend if she was comfortable with what they were doing. And shutting off the system's 'helpful' warnings about how the hardware changes were eliminating combat efficiency was an annoying chore. But they had been able to remodel Sally's body to one more to her liking.

The claw tips had been filed down and smoothed out to resemble normal, albeit mechanical fingers. The shoulder pads and knee guards had been completely removed and the sharp corners of Sally's elbows and chest had been smoothed and rounded. They even managed to make the sharp points of Sally's new feet rounder, resembling actual shoes.

After getting rid of the dents and buffing out the damage from Whisper's wispon, Belle had offered to repaint Sally's body but warned that it would mean taking off the metal casing around her body and limbs. The robian had refused, believing that they should 'put a pin in that' for later. So they instead settled for applying spray paint to the metal, turning the dark blue portions into a familiar light blue. The feet were also painted a light blue to make them somewhat similar to Sally's old boots.

"It's a miracle that she was even able to muster up the strength to be repaired. Especially after…" She noticed everyone was staring at her expectantly. "Oh! Right." Nicole went into Sally's systems and requested for the core panels to close. Slowly, the metal plating slid shut and the energy percentage appeared for both the princess and holo-lynx to see.

POWER: 25%

That was going to be a problem.

Nicole appeared back in front of Belle and stated, "I do have the schematics to create a power ring maker, which will allow us to produce new ones. If we can just make a few…."

Belle frowned. "I do want to try and make those… but the Restoration would want to test it. It would also take some time to gather all the materials and parts too, and a lot of the research and development team are on other projects."

The holo-lynx wanted to protest, to ask what could be more important than making sure their princess was well, and then remembered that this wasn't New Mobotropolis. These weren't the Freedom Fighters or former citizens of the Kingdom of Acorn. Sally was just a new recruit to a vast majority of the Restoration, an unknown and a robot at that. "They can't just rush development of a new energy source and take my word that it's safe to use."

"Then what about the chaos drives?" Sally asked with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't Omega use those?"

"Yeah, but your energy core isn't designed to take them. It seems like it was made specifically for these rings…" Belle hummed in thought before snapping her fingers. "You mind turning your back to me? I think I know what to do!"

As the puppet girl ran off Nicole turned her full attention to Sally. "Are you sure you're alright with this?"

Her friend merely shook her head. "To be completely honest, Nicole? I'm still scared. I still can't believe this is happening to me." She let out a sigh. "But… I want this to happen. I need for this… no, my body to be ready. I can't have it just break down or lose power during our search."

"I know. But… are you just lying again to make me not worry?" Nicole couldn't help but suspect that was the case. She hadn't seen Sally's initial reaction to Belle's repairs coming. Some nervousness and a bit of fear, sure, but not to that extent. And she cursed herself for it. "Why don't you tell me everything? Like you used to? Back before I became what I am?"

Was it selfish of her to want that?

"O-Okay!" Both the robian and holo-lynx looked back to see Belle stumbling towards them, a power cable and a fuel tube wrapped around her arms and one partly around a leg. Her had and clothes looked slightly disheveled as she said, "I think I got everything! Nicole, please open Sally's emergency power plug and fuel cap."

Frowning, Nicole disappeared into Sally's system again and looked through the various files and commands. Finding the open fuel cap command was easy. The emergency plug though…

"I need to think like Eggman…" A part of her shuddered at the thought, but she went into a folder titled 'Emergency'.

PLAN B-Z:

BLOW YOURSELF AND THE HEDGEHOG UP: TO BE USED IN SCENARIO WHERE ESCAPE AND/OR RECOVERY IS IMPOSSIBLE AND RODENT IS THERE WITH YOU.

CUT DOWN HOSTAGE WHILE HEDGEHOG WATCHES: TO BE USED IN SCENARIO WHERE HOSTAGE IS TAKEN BUT ESCAPE IS IMPOSSIBLE AND THE RODENT IS THERE.

Nicole scrolled down and couldn't help but roll her eyes. These were obviously where all of Eggman's last ditch plans were stored. He didn't put much thought into any of them, and most were designed to hurt Sonic in some way, shape, or form.

But one caught her eye.

POWER RING ENERGY LOW AND ONLY SOURCE IS ELECTRICITY: TO BE USED IN SCENARIO WHERE OBTAINING POWER RINGS IS BELOW 10%

"Perfect!" Selecting Plan P allowed for a second panel to slide open on Sally's back right below her neck. A male plug was there, three metal prongs sticking out and waiting for the socket. Getting out of Sally's system she smiled at Belle, who was just finishing with securing the valve for the gas. "I can't believe he would include something like that."

"I think he has that just for emergencies. Sometimes he can't capture animals or the chaos drives are running low, so he always needs some way to power his badniks." Belle lifted the socket and hovered it over Sally's plug. "Sally, I'm going to be putting this on, okay?"

The robian tended slightly, her hands clenching into fists, and then nodded. "Do it."

Belle connected the two…

And the lights began to dim and return to full brightness several times. A hum echoed through the air and occasionally the sound of generators were heard as well as the sound of surprised Restoration members.

After a few seconds the lights returned to full brightness, leaving the three artificial beings to sit in awkward silence.

"Do you think I'm going to get in trouble for this?" Belle asked nervously to Nicole, who couldn't help but sheepishly shrug her shoulders.

"If anyone gives you any problems they can talk to me." Sally grinned slightly. "Trust me when I say I know how to hit back with anything they could dish out."

That grin… it was nice to see on Sally's face.

And she had Belle to thank for that.

Without the puppet girl giving her advice, Sally likely would've gone down the hole she had been in last night. She could add a perspective to the situation that Nicole couldn't have. Built for one specific purpose, but whose mind and body were their own.

She reminded Nicole of Shard in a way.

Belle, Tangle, and Whisper… three people who when faced with the unknown and strange only offered their help and understanding. Three women, all touched by Sonic in some way, and in turn they touched Sally and Nicole.

"Perhaps… perhaps this new world isn't too bad."

But still, they would never replace their friends who were out there somewhere.

Nicole placed her hand on Sally's own and smiled, while the robian smiled back.

"And so long as you're here, we will find them."

Sally had expected the discomfort. Not physical, since obviously she wouldn't feel anything happening to her body. The discomfort would come from her mind. That nagging feeling that none of this was right and that her body shouldn't be worked on with power tools.

Her explosion earlier had been that discomfort vocalized and taken to its extreme.

Even after she had that talk with Belle, she felt wrong while the puppet girl was working. The only thing preventing her from shaking and twitching as Belle worked on her was the fact that she had locked her joints.

But what she hadn't expected was the sheer boredom once all the hard stuff was over with.

Fuel: 100%

Energy: 89%

"I'm really sorry…" Belle fidgeted in her chair. "The only television we have is the chief's, but I don't want to use it without his permission. And…"

"It's fine." Sally carefully turned a page in the comic book she was reading, one of several that Tangle had let Belle borrow so she wouldn't be bored at night. She really couldn't see the appeal of the superhero comics. Reminded her too much about her own life. At least this one about some ludicrous and insane royal Overlander family was pretty funny. "Honestly, I don't usually mind there being peace and quiet. It's just…"

Constantly getting reminders that a wire was plugged into her back and feeding her body electricity wasn't letting her relax.

She didn't really want to say that out loud. She didn't want to worry Nicole and Belle.

Again.

Nicole was leaning down and looking over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "I do have to admit, reading one of these is certainly different from a novel. The authors do not give more description to a scene or act than necessary, but here there is no need for descriptive language."

She couldn't help but smirk. "So I guess you mean that the pictures are pretty to look at?"

The holo-lynx actually blushed and looked away. "I suppose… though I'd have to see more before I can make that judgment. I certainly want to see why comics appeal to Sonic."

Sally chuckled. "Part of it is his attention span. Sonic doesn't have to sit down to read a comic for long!"

Belle actually giggled at that. Well, at least something was going right.

"Still, these plans are amazing, Nicole!" Belle swiped at the tablet in her hand… honestly, technology in this world was pretty amazing too. Massive computers were condensed into little steel and glass tablets and carried around as if they were nothing. Not as impressive as Nicole, but still pretty impressive. "A power ring generator… and this nanomachine thing! I mean, I know some of the human countries and even Tails is messing with the concept, but nothing like this!"

Now the holo-lynx looked a bit bashful at the praise. "I will admit, the other one I shared for a bit of a selfish reason." She smiled and said, "With those nanites, I can create a semi-solid physical body to interact with the world."

"Not only that, but I bet these things can help rebuild infrastructure in no time!" The puppet girl was grinning wildly. "I can't wait to show this to the chief!"

Sally glanced from her comic to Nicole's face. The smile had disappeared, replaced with a small frown. "Oh, Nicole…"

The last time she had decided to help everyone with the nanites, to create a new home with New Mobotropolis and help them maintain it, the people she helped repaid her by driving her out.

Was she also scared that it would happen here too?

Before Sally could ponder these questions more, an excited and familiar voice echoed through the Machine Shop. "WE'RE BACK!"

"Oh!" Belle perked up and put down her tablet. "They're actually on time."

Nicole looked a bit sheepish. "I… might have sent them a reminder, letting them know Sally's repairs were done." She looked at the princess and asked, "I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, it's fine." Setting down her comic she motioned to the cable inserted on her back. "Can you get these things off of me, Belle? I want to actually stand up."

"Right!" The puppet girl ran towards her and began to unhook the power cable and the gas.

POWER CABLE: DISENGAGED

POWER: 100%

FUEL HATCH: CLOSED

FUEL: 100%

CLOSING PANELS…

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this."

"We're in here, girls!" Nicole poked her head out of the doorframe and waved. "Sally's about finished."

Turning her head to the door she saw Tangle burst through carrying bags with both hands and one on her tail, Whisper trailing behind her carrying her own bag. "You caught us just in time! We were just finishing our coffees and wondering what to do next when we got your message and…" The lemur took a good look at Sally, whistled, and gave a thumbs up. "Man, you're looking way better now, Sally! I mean, you looked totally cool before but now you look cool and cute!"

A smile crept on Sally's face. She couldn't help it. Tangle liked how her body looked? "Thanks." She motioned to Belle. "It's all thanks to her and Nicole, though. I was just laying around while they did all the work."

"Aw, shucks…" The puppet girl kicked the ground, smiling sheepishly. "Thanks."

Whisper looked from her to Belle. "You two seem to be getting along." She muttered, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ah, so Whisper was actually a bit worried. Well, she couldn't really blame the wolf for that. Not after how she reacted at first. "Yeah. I can see why you guys are friends with her." Shaking her head she motioned to the bags. "You went clothes shopping?"

Tangle motioned to Whisper. "Well, yeah but we also had to make another stop."

The wolf opened the bag and her wisps popped out, each of them carrying a small toy like a ball or stuffed animal. They let out their alien laughter as they began playing on the floor with their new toys, speaking and interacting with one another.

"So cute…" Sally's mind practically melted at the sight. Darn it, they were almost as cute as the Chao!

"But we weren't shopping for ourselves." Tangle ran over and lifted the bags up. "These are for you!"

Sally blinked in surprise. "What? Tangle… you didn't have to…"

"Nah, I wanted to! I mean, you're here without any stuff or money so I wanted to help you out with getting an outfit!" The lemur's smile softened and she said, "Besides, I figured you wouldn't want to… y'know…"

That she wouldn't want to strut around in her robian body.

Honestly, Sally wasn't surprised that Tangle could see that coming from a mile away.

"Still, for her to go out of her way like that…" Taking the bags in her hands, the princess smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much, Tangle. It really means a lot."

"No problem! What are friends for?"

"Right." Sally set down the bags and began to root through them. "Where'd you get these, anyway?"

"From Honey's of course! She makes all the best clothes." Tangle motioned to herself, specifically her tracksuit and amber top. "Why do you think I look so good in these?"

So the fashion designer existed in this new timeline too? She never met the cat, but knew that Amy was a huge fan of her fashion line.

Her heart ached remembering the young pink hedgehog who had grew up too fast just because of her crush on Sonic, but who had quickly become one of her closest friends and comrades.

"I hope she's doing okay…"

Sally didn't care much about fashion. Her old light blue vest and boots were her preferred outfit of choice. But from what she could tell, women wearing full outfits were more of a norm here than a rarity. Honestly, even if she wasn't a robian she would feel self-conscious enough to dress herself up more.

She picked up a sleeveless azure vest and stared at it. It looked really nice and would be close enough to her old vest that she would've worn it in a heartbeat.

"But the sleeves…"

Reluctantly, she put it down and spotted a white t-shirt. Grabbing it, she began to put it on…

…but hearing the fabric strain against her fingers made her pause.

"Damn it…" Sheepishly looking at Tangle she asked, "Mind helping me out with this?"

After a few seconds of swearing as they maneuvered her metal hair past the neck hole, Sally finally got on her shirt and looked at herself.

"I feel silly…"

Shaking her head, Sally continued to rummage through the bags. She grabbed an light blue hoodie with a golden zipper and buttons on the sides of the sleeves shaped like rings, a pair of white gloves, two golden wrist rings, and a pair of long black pants with a white ring waistline that matched the ones at the bottom hems.

After negotiating the pieces of cloth with Tangle and even Whisper's help, Sally adjusted the sweatshirt slightly and looked over herself.

She had kept the buttons below the elbows unbuttoned so that if she needed to use the blades housed in her body she could just pop them out without wrecking the sweatshirt. The pants were long enough that they made her new feet look more like shoes than just another part of her body. She kept the hoodie unzippered, mostly because Tangle insisted that she looked 'cooler' that way. And the hoodie's golden zipper and buttons matched the gold rings on her wrists, securing on the white gloves that hid her robotic hands.

Sally smiled to herself. "Okay. I can work with this."

"You look great, Sally!" Nicole beamed as she stepped forward and looked the robian up and down. "Honestly I think I should work a bit more on my own outfit. I believe this feeling is… jealousy?"

"Hey, don't sweat it! We can go shopping after this!" Tangle put her hands on her hips and nodded. "Told ya I had an eye for these kind of things!"

Whisper stared at Tangle. "You just wanted to give her a tracksuit."

The lemur's cheeks flushed and she glared at her friend. "S-Shut up! I'm the one who said the stuff you picked looked good, remember?! So I made the choice!"

Belle giggled at the exchange and shook her head. "Well, I don't really get it myself. But I do admit it suits you, Sally."

This was… nice. It felt like she was just talking about fashion with the girls. Like those conversations she sometimes had with Bunnie, Amy, and Julie-Su. A normal conversation about normal things, like she was normal again. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot…"

"Hey! Hey, Belle?!" The male voice snapped Sally out of the warm feeling of nostalgia enveloping her. "You here? I was wondering if a… uh… robot chipmunk is with you!"

Tangle and Whisper winced at the sound of Silver's voice.

"What's Silver doing here?" Nicole muttered to herself and looked down, her own face twisting in a troubled frown. And Sally knew why.

Because he was the one who had told her about the truth of the world.

Belle was looking at all of them in confusion. "Silver's back? That guy from the future that Amy and Cream talked about? Are you guys angry at him or something?"

"No, no I'm not." It wasn't really a lie, at least not completely. Sighing, Sally walked to the door and went through it. She stared down at the light-gray furred hedgehog and crossed her arms. "Silver, you can just say my name you know."

Silver was startled at her appearance and coughed. "Uh, Princess Sally! I… uh… wasn't sure if…" He looked down, frowning while his shoulders slumped. "Princess… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for telling you all those things. I wish I could say that it was because my head was all messed up, but…" He shook his head. "I did what I thought was best. But I just screwed up like I always do. And… and I ended up hurting you and Nicole because of it." He closed his eyes. "Some hero from the future I am, huh?"

A part of her was still angry. Silver, through his words alone, had managed to shatter the hope that her home was still out there in the Multiverse. That this was just a weird Zone and she would be able to go home where everything made sense. That her situation was only temporary, rather than cold hard reality with no expiration date in sight.

But… she couldn't blame him. Silver was just a boy who had never asked to have those memories from another life injected into him. He wasn't some perfect hero. He was just another teenager like her, despite the whole being from the future situation and the psychic powers. He could screw up just as much as her and Sonic did.

A certain slap instantly popped into mind.

"So do I really have a right to hate him over that?"

No. No she didn't.

Sally sighed yet again. "Silver… you did screw up. What you told me… it hurt. It hurt a lot. I won't lie to you by saying otherwise." She noted the pained grimace and shook her head. "But… me and Nicole would've figured it out eventually. And we probably would've reacted worse if we had. So…" She smiled and said, "If you want to make it up to me… we'd really like your help finding our friends."

Silver looked up, astonishment on his face. "R-Really?"

The princess nodded. "Yeah. If me and Nicole are here, it must mean some other people from home are too. And then there's your whole situation, which means some of them are around and just don't remember things." She looked back at Nicole and saw that she was smiling at her, looking relived. Sally smiled back before turning to Silver. "I want to help find them, and an extra set of eyes and hands would help out a lot…"

The psychic powers that the hedgehog used also wouldn't hurt.

"R-Right! Of course!" The psychic smiled in relief as he stepped up and moved closer to Sally. Awkwardly, the hedgehog got on one knee. "I'm at your service, princess."

Sally covered her face with her right hand. She could hear Nicole and Tangle stifling laughter behind her.

"Silver… Please stop embarrassing the both of us and get up." When Silver got to his feet the robian simply raised her hand up for a shake. "And stop calling me Princess. Just call me Sally."

"Okay… Sally." The hedgehog smiled and took the offered hand, shaking it.

"AWW!" An arm wrapped around Sally's neck and she was pulled into a hug with Tangle while the lemur's other arm pulled Silver in close. "I knew you guys would make up! Group hug!"

Sally heard a swishing sound in the air, and Tangle disengaged to look back. She saw that the wolf had avoided the lemur's tail and Belle had followed suit, staying out of the prehensile tail's range.

"Whisper… Belle…" Tangle's lip quivered. "G-Group hug…"

"…Don't want to." Whisper muttered and looked to the side. "Too many people…"

"And I'm covered in oil and stuff." Belle raised her hands to reveal the oil-stained gloves. "Don't want to dirty your or Silver's fur."

Tangle's shoulders slumped while Nicole sympathetically put a hovering hand over the lemur's shoulder. "There, there…"

Shaking their heads and smiling, Sally and Silver turned their full attention towards each other. "Was that apology all that you came here for?"

"Oh! No, no it isn't." The hedgehog put his hands on his hips. "Prin-Sally, I found out this morning that Blaze is in this Zone."

The robian's eyes widened. "But doesn't she stay in her own Zone?"

"Not this time. Apparently she's on vacation and checking out Studiopolis."

"Studiopolis…" Sally hummed and tapped her foot. "I never heard of it before…"

Tangle's mood instantly brightened. "Oh! That's where we shoot a bunch of movies on the islands! It's full of movie and TV sets, famous people, movie theaters, clubs, and tons of stores! Humans visit there all the time too!"

"Also made by Eggman." Whisper added. "Used to be where he made his propaganda videos."

Tangle waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, but he's not in control anymore so its a cool place again!"

…Honestly, Eggman making a city just so that he could make movies about himself sounded on brand for him.

"I was thinking…" Silver looked Sally in the eyes. "…If anyone knows what happened, it'll be Blaze. And if anyone can help find your friends and family, it'll be her."

"A lead!" Already, Sally was feeling giddy inside. Before, her goal of finding the others seemed like a distant and almost impossible task. But now… "if we find Blaze, we can find the others! We won't have to just keep searching aimlessly!"

"I have a friend that leant me his van, so we can leave right now if you're up to it." Silver pointed behind him. "The distance is pretty far so I don't think flying would be the best idea. But you wanna relax for a second…"

"No, no I don't. " Looking behind her, Sally asked her friend, "You feel like going on a road trip, Nicole?"

The holo-lynx's ears perked up and a smile grew on her face. "That… sounds like fun, Sally! I don't think I've ever experienced a road trip before!"

"Aw, yeah! Road trip with the gals!" Tangle pumped her fist into the air. "Going to Studiopolis to meet the celebrities and have two princesses meet!"

"Silver's a boy, you know." The wolf pointed out. "So it's not just girls."

Tangle grinned and pointed at the now blushing hedgehog with her tail. "Well, then I guess he's one lucky dude!"

"I want to go…" Belle sighed and shook her head. "But I've got work here, and I can't just leave the chief alone. He depends on me…"

"Don't worry." Sally smiled at the puppet girl. "We'll be sure to bring you a souvenir!"

"So, all of you are going to Studiopolis then?" The entire group turned at once to see a beetle with light blue skin and an iridescent exoskeleton that wore a pink blazer and skirt. She was flying towards them with a clipboard in hand, looking somewhat relieved as she approached.

Belle let out a squeak. "D-Director Jewel!"

"Director Jewel… This is the leader of the Restoration?" Tangle had told her yesterday that the Resistance and Restoration used to be run by Knuckles and Amy, but it had since changed hands to her friend named Jewel. Sally felt instantly self-conscious, a hand already moving to the hood to bring it up.

But she wasn't fast enough. Jewel instantly locked eyes on her and Nicole… and while there was momentary surprise she smiled before flying over. "You must be the two new recruits!" Jewel was now in front of them with a hand outstretched. "I've got to admit, it's pretty funny getting a robot and an artificial intelligence to join so soon after Belle. But I'm sure you'll both do great!"

Sally stared at the outstretched hand for a second. It was so odd being greeted as if she were just another member of the rank and file. In the old world, she and Jewel would probably treat eachother like equals. "But I'm starting from the bottom now. Guess this is what everyone else thought when they met me after joining the Freedom Fighters." Hesitantly she accepted the offered hand. "It's nice to meet you, Director Jewel."

"Likewise!" Nicole waved at the beetle with a smile.

"Please, don't call me Director. It's way too professional. Call me Jewel!" The beetle shook her head. "Anyways, if you're going to Studiopolis then I have an assignment I would like for you to do."

Sally couldn't help but smile. "Guess I can't take it easy on my first day, huh?"

Well, not like she would've either. Can't have new recruits just laze around with nothing to do.

The beetle at least looked sheepish. "Sorry, but most of the other Restoration members are on other assignments and you're going to be in the area anyways." She cleared her throat and said, "We've been getting strange reports from the Mirage Desert Zone. It's just a couple of hours away from Studiopolis, so if you can please just go there and look for something."

Sally glanced at Silver, Tangle, Whisper, and Nicole who all simply shrugged. "Something?"

"Six reports all say that nothing was going on there. All of them saying the exact same thing to the letter." The director of the Restoration's eyes narrowed. "I don't have to explain how strange that is, right?"

No, no she didn not. Already, warning bells were going off in Sally's head.

Something was certainly happening in the Mirage Desert Zone, another unfamiliar place to Sally's ears.

"That sounds manageable." Nicole spoke up. "But it's up to you, Sally. If you want to…"

"No, I want to do it." Sally stood up straight. "I'm a Restoration member, Nicole. I can't just say no to this."

Especially when something that odd could be happening practically next door to where she was going.

"Guess I'll help out too." Silver gave a lopsided grin. "Technically I never quit the Restoration, so I guess I'm still on the clock. Besides…" He frowned slightly. "Maybe it'll be a clue to what my master warned me about."

Sally gave the future hedgehog a small frown. "Right. The future…"

Silver's future was destroyed… and somehow she was the key to saving it.

Honestly it was more than a little strange to think about. Was her and Nicole's existence in this new timeline the catalyst for what had happened?