Mina pointed to a spot on the map of the Acorn Kingdom sprawled out on the table. "There, in what used to be an airport. The entire building was seized and remodelled to a temporary prison facility."

"'Temporary'?" Antoine asked.

"The prisoners there are only held for a short while, then they're shipped off to any number of places. Some are put to work, others are simply detained in more secure cells, and in the worst cases, some are experimented on…"

Bunnie clutched her robotic arm. "How terrible."

"I managed to pick the lock with a small explosive I smuggled past the guards, but the alarm sprang and they chased after me. My boyfriend was in the cell next to mine, and there wasn't enough time to break him out!" Mina looked down at her microphone, which lacked back with a sympathetic look. "It was all I could do to rescue this lil' guy on my way out."

Sally put a hand on Mina's shoulder and pulled her into a gentle hug. "You did very well, and don't you worry. We'll take care of the rest."

"Er, Princess," Rotor started, "Not that I don't agree with you fully, but this facility… it's under direct command of Thunderbolt. She might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but she's an Egg Boss for a reason. She won't let us just waltz in and stage a full-scale prison break without a fight."

Antoine nodded his head. "I am in agreement with Rotor. If we had ze army of equal size, we could be staging a distraction, but our numbers are low, and much of zat is only trainees."

Sally hummed in thought, examining every detail of the map surrounding the prison. "The main problem is a lack of information. This map only shows an airport. I have no idea what the prison itself looks like, so I can't form a plan of attack."

"Oh!" Nicole chimed in. "If that's what you need, just give me one second!" Her hologram fizzled away, and everybody waited in silence, exchanging awkward glances as time passed. Eventually, Nicole came back, holding open a large map. "Ta-da! One map of the prison, complete with geological surveys of the area, a complete list of the guards and their patrol schedules, and most importantly, Thunderbolt's scheduled naptimes!"

Sally's eyes practically lit up and she jumped for joy. "Oh Nicole! If you were solid I'd hug you!"

Nicole blushed at the compliment. "Aw, it's nothing! Hacking into the Eggnet is easy when he doesn't even realise you exist."

Antoine tried to grab the map, only to be reminded of its holographic nature. He cleared his throat as Bunnie and Rotor chuckled at the sight. "Erm, so with all zis in our minds, is zere an opening where we can be sneaking in without being noticed?"

Sally studied the map and schedules closely. "There are a few windows where it would be perfect to stage a prison break. We'd only have to disable some of the guard robots as they start their patrols, and then bust out before Thunderbolt finishes her nap and realises what's happening."

"What about security cameras?" Rotor asked.

"I can fix that," Nicole stated. "The guard robots all look and act alike. All I have to do is take footage of one of the patrol cycles and loop it, so it looks like everything is normal."

"I'm so glad we found you," Rotor said.

"Same here. The problem will be entering the prison itself though. The walls and the floors are all metal, so we have no hope of breaking in or digging a tunnel, at least not quietly."

"There's a way," Sally said, "But it won't be pretty."

"Lay it on us, Sugah," Bunnie said.

"Well, there is a sewage system that dumps all the waste produced there into a nearby river."

Antoine's face fell. "I do not like where zis is going."

"That system isn't guarded. We could enter through the exit pipe, wade through all the sewage, and come out inside the prison itself."

Antoine's face turned green. "I am having several objections to zis plan!"

"I can make all of us protective suits suitable for going through sewage waste," Rotor said. "Does it say how many prisoners there are? If we're all going to sneak out through the sewer…"

"It doesn't, but it won't matter," Sally said. "You only need to prepare suits for us four. On the way in, we'll plant an explosive charge here." Sally pointed to a wall on the map. "Once we get the prisoners out of their cells, we blow the charge. As long as the alarms haven't sounded before then, everyone can rush out before the guards have enough time to scramble."

"Five." All eyes turned to Mina. "I'm going with you."

"Mina, this a is a dangerous mission."

"You've already seen that I can handle myself! Besides, I can't just leave my boyfriend there, not again!"

"Her wispon could come in handy in a bad situation," Rotor pointed out. "Plus, she's fast. If there are any prisoners that have trouble moving, she can help them get out."

"That's right!" Mina sang, smiling brightly at Rotor. "I was trained by the Sonic the Hedgehog, so I know how to fight, too!"

"You're pullin' mah leg!" Bunnie cried in surprise. "The Hero of Mobius himself? The one who's stopped Robotnik many times?"

"The very same," Mina answered, standing proudly with her arms folded. "He taught me how to run as fast as I do, and how to kick butt! That's why I'm going to use those skills to save him, and then he can take down Eggman like he always does!"

"He is alive?" Antoine asked.

"Must be," Mina answered simply. "I don't buy for one second that he died so easy, especially when the news comes from Eggman himself. If you guys saw Sonic in action, you'd agree!"

"Mah stars, ah'd love ta see that!"

Rotor and Antoine turned to Sally, who simply stood staring at Mina in complete silence. Mina noticed this, and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Sally snapped out of her daze. "Huh? Oh, no! I was just thinking… you're probably right," she said with a smile. "Sonic's probably out there somewhere, waiting for our help. But until then, we have to do what he would do!"

"Right?!" Mina agreed.

Sighing, Sally said, "Okay, okay. You can come with us, but you'll have to follow our orders as though you were one of us. Understand?"

Mina quickly straightened her body and gave a salute. "Sir, yes, sir!"

Laughing, Sally turned back to the map Nicole was holding and nodded. "Right, I'll go ask Uncle Chuck if he can prepare an explosive to breach the wall. Rotor, you prepare the suits. Antoine, why don't you show Mina to her room?"

"What can ah do?" Bunnie asked as she watched Sally leave the room with Nicole.

Sally paused for a moment, and then answered, "Go rest up. We'll need you in top shape."

As she left, Bunnie turned to Antoine and Rotor. "Did she seem different to y'all?"

Antoine jolted. "Ze princess, d-different? Now, whatever may you be referring to? It must surely be all in ze imagination, non?"

Bunnie simply deadpanned at the smiling and sweating coyote, as Rotor facepalmed. "Smooth, 'Twan. Smooth."

Antoine sighed. "It ees… not out place to say it, but ze princess is fine, so you do not need to be worrying about her."

Bunnie cocked her head to the side, but when she saw Rotor also turn to leave, she decided to leave it be. "Ah guess that's her business, an' hers alone." She watched as Antoine escorted Mina out of the room, leaving her the last remaining person inside. She clutched at her robotic arm, staring down at the floor. "Ah wonder if they don't see me as one of 'em yet? … Well, ah guess ah'll just have ta prove mahself! Ah'll show 'em what ah can do on this next mission!"

Chuck hummed as he examined the files pulled up by Nicole. "Yes, I should be able to put something together, but I'm out of remote triggers. You would have to set a timer and break out the prisoners before it expires."

"If we set the timer too high, we run the risk of being noticed," Nicole pointed out.

Sally studied the schedules. "Even assuming the worst-case scenario and we take too long, the maximum time we have before the next patrol would pass us by is fifteen minutes," she said. "We should aim to release all the prisoners in twelve."

Chuck nodded. "As long as you're confident. I'll have that bomb put together in just a few hours. I would recommend attacking the prison at night."

"No, the robots there are equipped with thermal sensors. They'd have an advantage over us in darkness. We'll leave tomorrow at noon. That way the prisoners will have had time to wake up." Sally watched as Chuck walked over to a pile of scrap and began to search through it. "Say, Uncle Chuck?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"Sonic's… probably alive, isn't he?"

Chuck stopped, turning around slowly to look Sally in the eyes. "Well… I would certainly hope so."

"It's just, we can't really trust everything that Eggman says, right? If it's the Sonic I used to know, I'm sure he wouldn't die so easily."

"The problem is that if it's the Julian I know, he wouldn't just let his long-time nemesis live after defeating him." Chuck adjusted his glasses. "But then, that was over ten years ago. A lot has changed since then. Julian changed his name and invented that 'Metal Sonic'. That black hedgehog defected over to Julian's side. Sonic has been to other worlds, saved many people, and from what I understand he's even defeated gods themselves. I suppose I'm a bit out of touch with my nephew. Perhaps Julian would keep him alive, as long as he had a purpose."

If I may interject," Nicole started, "Searching through the Eggnet, I've found numerous records devoted entirely to Sonic, including details on how to defeat him. One key similarity is rubbing his victory in Sonic's face."

Chuck huffed. "Gloating? Well, that aspect of him sure hasn't changed."

"In other words, it's very likely that Sonic may indeed still be alive. But I haven't found anything data to confirm or deny it…"

Sally smiled. "Thanks, Nicole. What you've found is plenty." Sally clenched her fists and nodded. "Mina's absolutely right. Sonic must be alive! And we'll save him. We will."

Sally and Nicole left to go and check on Rotor. As the door closed behind them, Chuck let out a heavy sigh, wiping the tear forming in his eye. "Sonic, wherever you are, please be safe."

The following day, the group set out early. They followed the river, laying low and keeping quiet to avoid potential scouts in the area. Eventually, they reached the pipe where all of the prison's sewage was being dumped. Even through their suits, the smell was terrible. The water was an unnatural mix of brown and green, the remains of the fish that used to swim there floated atop the surface, and even the grass and flowers surrounding the river began to wilt and die.

"Cleaning this up is gonna be a nightmare when the war is over," Rotor said.

Sally led the group to the pipe. She activated Nicole's hologram and asked her to lead them through. "You'll be able to light our way," she reasoned, and Nicole accepted. As they waded through the sewer filled with garbage, waste and dead rats, the group were thankful for the hazmat suits they were wearing. "It's just up ahead," Sally announced as they rounded another corner. "What's the time?"

"Five minutes until the shifts change," Nicole reported.

"Alright, we'll wait for five minutes and then head up."

Antoine groaned. "We are waiting down here?"

"If we go up too soon, we'll be spotted," Sally told him, and the group stopped as they reached a ladder. "Just try to think of happy thoughts and… don't look around too much."

Nicole dimmed herself, reducing the light that the group had. "I'll shut my hologram form off when we go up. Less chance of us being spotted."

Sally nodded, and turned to address the team. "Okay guys, get ready. We only get one chance at this and we have to be quick."

"Ah'm ready, Sal," Bunnie responded.

"Just lead the way," Mina added.

Sally reached out her hand, and the rest joined her. "Let's do it to it!"

After the five minutes passed, Nicole returned to her handheld and the group climbed up the ladder, reaching a hatch at the top that led them to an open courtyard. Searchlights swept the area, but using her revised knowledge of their patterns, Sally was able to lead the group safely inside the building, removing their suits once they were clear and throwing them aside.

They stopped at a wall, where Rotor placed the explosive charge that Chuck had put together. "Timer set to twelve minutes," he said as the time appeared on the screen, and began ticking down. "Once this goes off, the alarms will ring."

"Then let's be quick." The group ran through the prison, stopping occasionally to let the guards walk by or to avoid the cameras placed all around. Occasionally they would bust out and attack the guards if they were too problematic, hiding the bodies in nearby closets. "Nicole, get ready to hack the cameras overlooking the cells."

"Already on it," Nicole said through her handheld. "Just a few more… There! The monitors are now showing footage from the previous night!"

After sneaking past the last two robots walking by, the group reached the cells, where a number of frightened and exhausted Mobians looked with surprise at their sudden visitors. Some were cautious, not sure if they were here to rescue them or interrogate them, whilst others jumped to the fronts of their cells and begged to be let out.

"Quiet," Sally shushed. The prisoners began to calm down, and Sally had Rotor, Bunnie and Mina get to work picking the locks. "We're going to get you out of here, but you need to keep your voices down."

"Thank you," a cat Mobian said as she and her cellmates scrambled outside.

"Oh thank you!"

"See? I told you the Resistance would come."

"Merci!"

As the cells opened one-by-one, Sally had the prisoners line up in rows of three behind Antoine, who was keeping an eye out for sudden visitors. She counted the heads as their number of escapees grew. "Okay, looks like there are 58 prisoners altogether."

"Wait, where's Ash?!" Mina ran from cell-to-cell, whipping up dust from the floor as she moved. "He's not here! Why not?!"

"Mina, honey, calm down," Bunnie said, placing a hand on Mina's shoulder and motioning for her to breath slowly.

Mina, who was beginning to hyperventilate, took a second to breath in, held it for a few seconds, and then let it out.

"He was taken for interrogation," one of the prisoners spoke up. "I think that was a couple of shift changes ago…"

Sally grimaced. "That's a long time for a simply interrogation."

"It's because he came in with the one who escaped," another prisoner said. "I guess Thunderbolt wanted revenge for making her look bad."

Mina gasped. "I-It's because of me?!"

"Mina, calm down," Bunnie repeated. "Sal, those maps show where the interrogation room is?"

"There are a number of them," Sally said, looking through the maps on her handheld. "There's no information on which ones are being used."

"I'll go look for him," Mina said. "You get the prisoners out of here!"

"No," Sally said, stepping in front of Mina before she could race off. "If any of the prisoners have trouble running away, you are the best one to help them."

"But-"

"Leave it to me. I'll search the interrogation rooms and join you."

"Then I shall accompany you, Princess," Antoine said.

"I'll be fine sneaking around by myself, especially if their focus is drawn on all of you."

"Perhaps, but can you be checking all of ze rooms before zey notice you are here?"

Sally hummed, and then nodded. "Okay. Antoine and I will find Ash."

Mina's eyes darted from Sally to the prisoners, then back to Sally. "But it's my fault he's in trouble. I can't ask you to-"

"Mina, remember – you promised you would follow my orders on this mission." Sally offered the distraught mongoose a gentle smile. "Trust us. We can handle this. If it's just one prisoner, we can find him and be out of here in no time."

"We gotta get a move-on," Rotor cautioned, checking his watch. "We only got four minutes to get back to the escape route."

Mina stared into Sally's eyes, her own trembling. When she saw how calm and reassuring Sally's gaze was, she steadied herself. "Okay," she said. "Then, please, rescue my Ashy."

"'Ashy'?" Rotor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We will," Sally assured. "Antoine, let's move."

"Yes, ma princess!"

As Sally and Antoine scurried to find Ash, the rest of the group escorted the prisoners through the halls.

As the two snuck past the guards by hiding in the shadows, they eventually heard the explosion in the distance, followed by the sounds of sirens wailing. "That's our cue," Sally said. She and Antoine jumped from the shadows and assaulted the guards scrambling to reach the site of the breakout.

"We must take advantage of ze confusion!" Antoine cried as he slashed through robots with his sabre.

"Down here!" Sally rounded a corner, leading to a hallway lined with doors on either side. "Search every room!"

As Antoine took the left side, Sally took the right. They worked down the hall, opening every door, but as they reached the end they still had no sight of the wayward prisoner.

"Okay, let's try another set!" The two once again battled through the guards as they raced through the prison.

"Why are zere so many cells for so few prisoners?!"

"This was going to be where he kept his high-profile prisoners, before he launched the new Death Egg!"

Antoine groaned as they reached another hallway lined with doors on either side. "Zis will take all day!"

"Less whining, more searching!"

"Oui, oui."

"C'mon, just a little farther!" Bunnie cried as she hovered above the prisoners fleeing across the open plains, carrying three elder Mobians that were unable to keep up. "Once we're in the forest we'll have cover!"

Rotor stayed at the back of the group with Mina to ensure that no straggles were left behind. Rotor used the Void Wispon he had brought along to keep incoming gunfire from reaching any of the prisoners, but his Wisp was beginning to get tired. "Just a little more, buddy!"

Mina sang a song through her own Wispon, bolstering the stamina of the prisoners and allowing them to run faster. She stopped as she noticed one prisoner trip over a branch, and she rushed to scoop him up. "You hurt?" she asked as she continued running with the goat Mobian in her arms.

"N-No, just my pride," he said with a blush.

Mina nodded, slowing down so that he could jump back to his feet and continuing running on his own. She went back to singing, until a flash of light interrupted her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw something approaching them, fast.

"Here she comes," Rotor groaned. Noticing that the gunfire had stopped, he called out to Mina, "I'll slow her down! You just get everyone out of here!"

"What?! But-"

"No buts! They take priority!" Rotor came to a stop, and when he saw that Mina had stopped, too, he said, "Take them to the evacuation site! That's an order!"

Mina hesitated, but reluctantly, she obeyed. She started running again, leaving Rotor behind to deal with a very angry Thunderbolt.

"Out of the way, walrus! I don't have time to deal with you!"

"Make time," Rotor said, pointing his Wispon as her.

"Hah! You think a toy like that can do anything to me?!" Thunderbolt fired a wave of electricity at Rotor, short-circuiting the Wispon and forcing the Wisp inside to jump out.

"Gah! These aren't really my cup of tea, anyway." Rotor put the Wispon away, and raised his fists as he slowly approached Thunderbolt.

The chinchilla sparked and snickered as she raised her own fists. "Well, I guess this could be fun."

Opening another door, Sally lit up as she found her target. "Antoine! Here!" She ran inside an approached the male mongoose, tied up on a chair in the centre of the room with a piece of cloth acting as a gag in his mouth. He struggled and tried to speak, but his voice was muffled. "It's okay. I'm here to rescue you."

As she undid the binds around his hands, Ash reached up and pulled down the gag. "It's a trap!"

Sally gasped and turned around. Standing before her was Shadow the Hedgehog, his hand raised in the air as he glared down at the princess. He brought it down, barely missing as Sally jumped backwards, over Ash and landing behind him.

She drew her energy blades as Antoine entered the room, his sabre out. "Well now. It appears I was right," he said with a chuckle. "I thought you might try to stage a prison break, after hearing that mongoose's story. I also knew there was no way you could leave even one prisoner behind."

"Shadow, why are you doing this?" Sally asked. "I know I don't know a thing about you, but from what I'd heard, you were a good person. A hero! You saved the Earth from that alien invasion, and you helped Sonic save the Wisps from Eggman!"

"Yes, I did do those things," Shadow confirmed.

"Then why?!"

"It doesn't really matter, does it? None of you are leaving here alive."

Sally gritted her teeth together. "Sorry, but we didn't come here for a fight… Antoine!" Sally jumped over Ash again, this time bringing her energy blades on Shadow, forcing him to step back. "Get Ash out of here!"

"Non! Our chances are high two-on-one!"

"But he's in danger if we do that!" Sally kept up her assault on Shadow, keeping him on the defensive. "Rescue the prisoner! I'll find my own way out!"

Antoine watched as Sally pinned Shadow against a wall, and then delivered another attack, only for the hedgehog to catch it and deliver a kick in retaliation. Sally took a step back, but regained her composure quickly. "… As you say." He ran over to Ash and cut the mongoose free. "Zis way, and be quick about it!"

"But what about-"

"You heard her! She will be finding her own way out!"

Antoine led Ash out of the room. Shadow watched with a glare, but was unable to chase them as Sally landed a kick on his chest. "Eyes on me!"

Shadow growled as he set his sights back on the princess. "When I'm finished with you, I'll keep you locked in this very room! Then, I'll chase down your friends and kill them all before your eyes!"

"Geez, mellow out a bit," Sally chided. "Anyway, this room's a little too cramped for my liking."

With that, Sally charged Shadow, pushing him back and making her way past him, into the hallway outside. She slammed the door and lowered the metal bar to lock it, moments before the hedgehog began banging from the inside.

She took the chance to run through the hallway, barely making it around a corner before the sound of the door flying off of its hinges and banging against a wall reached her ears. "Sally, take the next left!" Nicole told her.

Sally nodded and turned left, reaching a large storage room filled with crates and metal containers – perfect for hiding in!

As Shadow entered the room, he clicked his tongue as he saw no sign of the princess. "Hiding? What a cowardly tactic. Come out and fight me, like a true freedom fighter would."

Sally ignored Shadow's provocations as she sat perfectly still behind a pile of crates, keeping her eyes closed so that she could focus on the sounds of his footsteps.

"… Okay then, we'll do it the easy way." She heard what sounded like metal hitting the floor. "Chaos…"

Sally's eyes snapped open. "Oh no…"

"Bla- GUH!"

Sally risked looking from her hiding spot to see what had happened. She could see Shadow kneeling on the floor, and standing behind him was… "Antoine!"

Antoine, panting and shaking as he stood before the felled Shadow, laughed as he stared at the slash wound down Shadow's back. "I will… no let you… harm ze princess!" Shadow slowly climbed to his feet, startling the coyote and prompting him to swing his sabre again. This time, however, he stopped short as Shadow turned and stared him in the eyes. Antoine's entire body froze as he saw the hatred, the rage, in those eyes, and when Shadow took a step forwards, he took a step back. "I-I will not-"

"Cowards…" Shadow reached his arm out, grabbing Antoine by the throat and lifting him into the air, "Should stay OFF the battlefield!"

Antoine dropped his sabre and claws at Shadow's hands, gasping for air. Shadow started to tighten his grip, only to be interrupted when a large, metal bar struck the back of his head, knocking him down once more.

Antoine fell onto his rear, finally able to breathe once more. "M-Merci, Princess!"

"I told you to get Ash out of here!" Sally scolded.

Antoine picked up his sabre and climbed to his feet. "Oui, but you see, zere was-"

"Nngh…"

"EEK!" Antoine grabbed Sally's hand and bolted out of the room as Shadow began to rise. "Zere will be time for explanations later, when we are hopefully still alive!"

Shadow clenched his fists and gave chase.