"Here's my report. I couldn't go as far out as planned." Fiona Fox placed the tablet down in front of Rotor, who simply looked down at it with a neutral expression. "Looks like what we did in Downunda got Eggman angry; he's putting extra effort into finding us now."

Rotor picked up the tablet and scrolled through the report, scanning the key points without taking his eyes off of the screen. "Thanks. You can go now."

Fiona rolled her eyes. "You're unbelievable, y'know that?" Rotor's eyes didn't move, and he said nothing. With a disgruntled sigh, Fiona turned and left, making sure to swipe the tablet with her tail, almost knocking it out of Rotor's hands. She grinned as she felt his glare on the back of her head.

"You need to let it go, Rotor," Chuck said, having watched the interaction. "You can't hold onto this grudge forever. It's not good for the team."

"She's a murderer, Uncle Chuck! Sure, Drago was our enemy, but he was out! He couldn't defend himself! If she had to kill him during combat, that'd be one thing, but she already had him beat! How are we supposed to feel safe around someone like that?"

"Yes, I agree with you that she went too far. But the fact is, we're in difficult times, and she's one of the strongest fighters we have here in Knothole. There needs to be synergy within the group, or we risk tearing ourselves apart before Julian even has a chance."

"I get that, but… I just can't. She doesn't feel any remorse for what she did. I can't work with someone who thinks it's okay to kill someone when they're down, even if it's an enemy."

"How much do you know about Fiona's past?"

Rotor turned to look at Chuck. "Nothing, but what's it matter?"

"I don't know anything about it either, but I've seen her look before, on many faces, both before and after Mobotropolis' fall. The look of someone who forcing themself to be strong. You see her as a cold and callous person, but what I see is a child who survived, and is determined to keep surviving, no matter the cost."

Rotor considered Chuck's words, gently putting down the tablet. "Even if that's true, she-"

"Think about the circumstances in which we met her. She was all by herself, working alone and looking for the right Resistance faction to join. She played it safe by contacting us through messages first, before deciding to trust us." Chuck stopped working, staring at the Wispon he was repairing with a solemn look. "I'd wager she had a team, once." Rotor said nothing, simply listening to Chuck's words. "I'm not saying this to justify what she's done, just… take it from someone who's seen it first-hand: war can make good people do bad things."

"…" Rotor returned his attention to the tablet, combing over the information in the report. "Looks like we'll have to avoid the eastern routes for now; too many robots." Rotor adjusted his glasses. "This report is well-detailed. Without this, we'd likely have sent many scouts to their deaths."

As Fiona passed through the halls of Knothole's Resistance HQ, she tried but failed not to let Rotor's attitude get to her. 'Seriously, what is that guy's problem? Just because the Princess let me off the hook, he decides he has to mope around for the next several days!'

"You wanted to see me?" Fiona found both Sally and Rotor waiting for her as she entered the briefing room, with a nervous Nicole off to the side. Sally's face was calm, whilst Rotor scowled at the fox. Clearly, this wasn't going to be just a nice chat. "What is it?"

"Fiona, I want to talk to you about Drago Wolf," Sally said.

Fiona sighed. "Look, Princess, if you're going to lecture on the morals of killing and the value of Mobian life-"

"I understand that we're at war, and that sometimes, killing is unavoidable. Believe me, I understand that. Even my brother has taken a life in the line of duty, when he was barely older than I am now. However, the situation with Drago is different. He was weak, and defenceless."

Fiona folded her arms. "Eggman wouldn't exchange any prisoners for the likes of him, so the only thing capturing him would accomplish is draining our resources."

"Even so, we're not the Eggman Empire. We show mercy to our foes, even when they don't deserve it."

"Does that include Eggman, too?" Fiona's question was met only with silence. "And what of the rest of Knothole? Have they said that they'd be happy sharing their precious rations with someone who sold them out, and sent their loved ones to go work in the mines?"

"Of course not. Many would probably agree with what you did. But that's why we have to be better than that. If we don't lead by example, how can we ever expect anyone to follow us?"

Fiona shook her head. "I never said I'd be a leader of anything. I joined up with you guys to defeat Eggman, and anyone who sides with him is our enemy. That's all there is to it."

There was a tense silence in the room as the two stared each other down, Fiona daring Sally to challenge her point of view, and Sally trying to figure out what it was that drove Fiona.

"If there's a problem with resources, I will give up my own rations to feed any prisoners we take."

"Such an idealist. Mobotropolis must've been peaceful before all this." Fiona sighed, softening her gaze as she looked away. "Just don't blame me when reality comes knocking."

"For now, there will be no punishment," Sally said, surprising Fiona and shocking Rotor. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. "We are in no position to be fighting amongst ourselves, so I want this issue to be dropped and for all of us to keep doing our best for Knothole. No, for all of Mobius."

"Sal, you can't be-" Rotor began, but Sally cut him off with a stern look, the kind he had often seen from her father.

"Punishing her would only be a waste of time. Time that would be better spent securing resources and scouting the area. Furthermore, punishing a soldier for killing an enemy commander could damage moral, and at worst, could turn some of our members against us."

Rotor wanted to argue, but he could see that Sally's mind was set. He also couldn't deny Sally's concerns; even back in Downunda, Fiona was celebrated as a hero when word of her deed had spread back to the base. Those who had been hurt personally by Drago were on her side.

Turning to Fiona, Sally added, "Do consider this a warning, though. Next time an enemy is down, do not finish them. If you need a practical reason to leave them alive, we need information."

Fiona folded her arms and stared at Sally, but she didn't argue. "Fine. Next time, I won't kill."

'Sally's not much good, either. Her team is strong, but if they keep it up with this goody-goody attitude, they'll never beat someone as nefarious as Doctor Eggman. He'll take advantage of any weakness he can in order to-'

"Fiona, howdy!" Fiona stopped, her thoughts interrupted as she crossed paths with Bunnie Rabbot and Antoine D'Coolette. Antoine walked with a limp, clearly putting on a strong face as he fought through his pain. "We were just lookin' for ya! Have ya got a moment, sugah?"

"Sure. I just got back from a mission, so I'm free right now." Fiona watched as Antoine's hand wavered, clenching and unclenching by his side. She figured that he was trying not to move it up to his chest, where he had been wounded. "Should you be up right now?"

Antoine hid his hand behind his back, realising that Fiona had noticed it. "Ze Doctor said eet was fine for me to move, so long as I am accompaneed by someone."

"Actually, that's what we wanted to talk to ya about," Bunnie said. "See, 'Twan wants ta start trainin' with me right away. Doctor Quack said he'd allow it, but only if a doctor or medic was there ta oversee it. The Doctor's too busy, and we heard y'all are a medic, so we were wonderin' if ya'd lend us a hand?"

Fiona laughed. "Really? You think you're in any condition to start training, the way you are now?"

"Doctor Quack gave ees permission, therefore it ees okay!"

"I'm sure it's fine, but it'll still hurt like hell. You sure you won't quit after a few minutes?"

"Eet ees true zat I am not looking forward to zee pain… but when I think how I let everyone down back in Downunda, ze pain to my body ees nothing compared to ze shame I am feeling. And it as ze saying goes: 'no gain from no pain'."

"'No pain, no gain'," Fiona corrected. "Hmmm, guess there's more to you than just being a scared cry-baby after all… Still, seeing is believing. Sure, I'll oversee your training."

"Awesome!" Bunnie cheered.

"Merci," Antoine said, attempting to bow but stopping halfway, his face contorting in pain. "I uh, I am ready to start right away. I was thinking ze Lake of Rings would be-"

"Hey, Fiona!" Fiona looked over her shoulder, and found Hamlin running towards her. "Back already? That was quick."

"Complications. Recon was cut short."

Hamlin shook his head. "Well that's just great! If we can't scout the area, we're basically running around blind! This is why I was against sending help to Downunda. Sure, we were doing the right thing, but we just drew the heat towards ourselves."

"Did you need something?" Fiona asked, not even attempting to mask her annoyed tone.

"Oh, right. The Princess wanted to see you."

"What about?"

"A new mission."

Fiona folded her arms. "I just got back."

"I know, but she said it was urgent, no time to waste." With a shrug, Hamlin turned to leave. "Anyway, go see her right away. She'll debrief you."

As Hamlin walked away, Antoine let out a sigh. "I suppose ze training session will have to be put on 'old."

"Don't sweat it, 'Twan," Bunnie said. "It just means y'all have more time ta rest first."

"Sorry," Fiona said, but Antoine shook his head.

"If ze Princess ees calling you so suddenly, eet must be important. Go. We will be here when you return."

"Good luck," Bunnie said, and with that, Fiona parted ways with the two, making her way to the commander centre where, upon entering, she found Sally and Nicole waiting.

"Sorry for the abrupt orders," Sally began, "But there have been some sudden developments. We've been given some new intel, and we have friends from another faction that want to join us in a joint operation."

"I don't mind the sudden summons," Fiona said, only half-lying, "But have you only called for me? If it's such a big deal, shouldn't there be more of us?"

"This will be a covert mission, so discretion will be key. We're not anticipating much of a fight, and the two who are joining us are experts at infiltration and espionage."

"Shall I show them in?" Nicole asked, and Sally nodded. Nicole withdrew into her handheld and, after being plugged into a nearby terminal, she pinged an announcement for their guests to make their way to the commander centre. Almost a minute later, the door opened, and in walked two cloaked figures, both wearing masks that obscured their faces.

The taller one removed her mask first, revealing herself to be a brown-furred wolf. She smiled at the two, her eyes narrowed as if focussing on them. "I'm Whisper. I've heard so much about your group. I'm so excited for us to be working together!" Whisper bowed, her tail wagging behind her.

To Whisper's side, the smaller figure removed his mask, too, revealing himself to be a purple octopus with deep, black eyes, like an abyss. He gave a moderate nod compared to Whisper's enthusiastic bowing. "I'm Mimic. Just so we're clear, we don't need your help. We're only here because our leader insisted it."

"Don't mind him," Whisper said, chuckling. "Mimic acts like that, but he's really nice once you get to know him… Kinda."

"It's nice to meet you both," Sally said, approaching the two with a friendly smile. She shook Whisper's hand, and then Mimic's. "I'm Sally Acorn, Princes of the Kingdom of Acorn and leader of the Knothole Resistance." Sally glanced over her shoulder to Nicole and Fiona. "These are the two that will be joining us today: Nicole and Fiona Fox."

"Hi!" Nicole sang, waving at the two. "I'm just a hologram, but I'll do my best!"

"Hey," Fiona greeted, her attention drawn to the masks they wore. "I feel like I've seen those somewhere before… Hold on, are you two from the Diamond Cutters?!"

Whisper giggled. "Yep! I guess we've built-up a bit of a reputation lately, huh?"

Mimic grinned. "Of course we have. We've destroyed more badniks and covered more ground than the Resistance has, and we've never failed a mission!"

Fiona hummed. "So you're the best of the best, huh?"

"That's right!"

"Then why do you need us?" Fiona asked, delighting in seeing Mimic's grin fall.

"Like I said, we don't. But our boss is worried on account of that new Egg Boss."

"New Egg Boss?"

"Clove the Pronghorn," Sally said. "She took over from Thunderbolt right after our prison break. She's a bit of an enigma, but we've already lost more scouts to her than we ever did with Thunderbolt. She's definitely a bigger threat."

"Smithy, our boss, knew her before the war," Whisper said, her face showing concern, "But he didn't tell us much. Just that she's not to be underestimated. I'd never seen him look so serious."

"You guys are giving this girl too much credit," Mimic argued. "At the end of the day, she'll fold just like all the other traitors. If Smithy's so concerned, he should've just ordered us to take her out."

Whisper frowned. "But she's his old friend! Even if she's a bad guy now… Besides, you know we don't kill people. That would make us no better than Eggman."

"Indeed," Sally said, glancing sideways at Fiona. Fiona simply shrugged.

"Shadow is also in the area," Fiona pointed out. "As good as your group may be, even you'd be in trouble if you crossed paths with that guy. You're really saying you wouldn't kill him, even if it meant he'd kill you?"

"Heh, I'd like to see him try," Whisper said, baring her fangs as she grinned. "But for this mission, our target is neither of them. Smithy wants us to hit a Wisp prison farm."

"A what?" Fiona asked.

"Put simply," Mimic began, "It's a place where Wisps are hooked-up to machines, to have their Hyper-go-on energy forcibly drained."

"Those poor things," Whisper said, tearing-up. An Orange Wisp emerged from the rifle on her back, nuzzling up to her cheek with a look of concern. She smiled and stroked a finger against her friend. "I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you."

"Hyper-go-on is the energy that gives Wisps their weird powers, right?" Fiona asked.

Mimic nodded, and a Blue Wisp emerged from the hammer on his back. It landed on his shoulder and he pet it, smiling. "These guys have lots of energy inside 'em, and it doesn't work like normal energy. I don't really get the science behind it – that's Smithy's field – but long-story-short, Eggman wants it."

"I thought Eggman was using Chaos Drives and Power Cores for his robots," Sally said. "Those are more efficient, since even though Hyper-go-on is more-powerful, it doesn't last for very long."

"Eggman's got farms like this one set-up all over the world," Whisper explained. "He's gathering energy for something. We don't know what, but it must be big."

"Draining all these Wisps also means the Resistance has fewer Wispons to go around," Mimic added. "Freeing these farms will give you guys more weapons, and slow down whatever he's planning. Before we start wreckin' the place though, our boss wants us to find out what all that energy's being gathered for. Hence the need for subterfuge."

"But above all, we have to rescue those poor Wisps!" Whisper said, tears welling in her eyes once more. Her Orange Wisp nuzzled up against her cheek again. "They must be so scared…"

"Hmmm, I wonder if we could also take all the Hyper-go-on Eggman's already extracted," Fiona wondered, but Mimic shook his head.

"It gets sent immediately to his main base through cyberspace."

"That's possible?"

"It is if you use a Cyan Laser Wisp's power. So unless you wanna open up your network to the world's biggest techno geek, that energy's out of reach." Mimic ushered for his Wisp to return to his Wispon. "Anyway, that's the situation. Now let's talk strategy."

Sally nodded. "Your leader forwarded us the data on the Wisp farm yesterday, and I've taken the liberty of going through it."

"When did you manage that?" Fiona asked. "You were practically running around the whole of Knothole for the entire day."

"I did it last night," Sally said. "Don't worry, I got plenty of sleep."

"After I nagged her into giving it a rest for the night," Nicole added.

Sally cleared her throat, and brought up the map of the facility on the large monitor in the room. "We'll split into two teams. Fiona, you and Whisper will infiltrate the security room and disable the cameras and alarm systems. Memorise the path and make sure you get there without being spotted. The farm is important to the Eggman Empire, so if it goes offline for even a second, Clove and Thunderbolt will be alerted right away." Sally handed Fiona a USB. "This is a program Uncle Chuck prepared with Nicole's help. It will send out a dummy signal, making it appear that all is well, but it will only work for six minutes.

"From there, Mimic and I will have reached this position outside of the server room. As soon as the alarms are down, we'll bust-in and download the data we need. During this six-minute window, we can be as loud as we want, but we'll also need to be quick."

"How far is Clove from the farm?" Fiona asked.

"It's a six-minute drive, but if Shadow is still with her, then they can use Chaos Control to reach us instantly. Which is why we'll only assume we have a six-minute window, meaning we can't afford to make any mistakes."

"And we're sure they're not already going to be there?"

"I gathered the data myself and made sure it was good," Mimic said. "She's not scheduled to inspect the place for another four days."

"So after we shut off the alarms, that's when me and Fiona will free the Wisps, right?" Whisper asked.

"'Fiona and I'," Mimic corrected, earning a bop from Whisper's rifle. "Hey!"

"That's right," Sally responded. "You'll need to fight your way from the control room to free all the Wisps. After that, break a hole in the ceiling for them to fly out."

Whispered grinned, gripping the rifle on her back. "Oh, I can do that."

"Where will they go from there, though?" Mimic asked. "The entire area will have badnik patrols, and those Wisps will be pretty weak."

"Rotor will be waiting nearby in a liberated Eggman dropship. As soon as Whisper blows a hole through the ceiling, he'll fly over the base and open the hatch. There are seventy Wisps in the facility, so by my calculations, it should take roughly two minutes for you guys to liberate the Wisps and for all of them to get aboard."

"Cutting it close," Fiona said. "Looking at the map, it'll take some time just to get from the control room to the farming area."

"Since the alarms will be offline, you can treat the walls as more a suggestion," Sally said.

Whisper laughed. "I like this group."

Mimic handed Sally a USB. "Copy the data you download onto this, and I'll deliver it to Smithy."

"So that's the plan," Sally concluded. "Any questions?"

"I've got one," Fiona said. "How are we going to get inside? For that matter, how are we even going to get near the place without being spotted?"

"We brought a van we stole from the Eggman Empire," Mimic told her. "Eggman tried erasing it from the Eggnet, but we're one step ahead of him and stole another vehicle's credentials. Simple badniks will just scan the exterior and see us as allies. As for how we get inside once we're there…" Mimic's body began to twist and contort, transforming into an Egg Pawn before Fiona's very eyes. "So long as I don't act abnormally, I'll be able to slip right on it."

"Are we there yeeeeeeeet?"

"Almost," Clove answered, glancing sideways to find her sister hanging her head out of the van's window, pouting. "Don't do that. You're an easy target for the Resistance."

Cassia's robotic eyes flickered momentarily. "No signs of life anywhere. 'Cept for all the Flickies, that is." She huffed. "It's a Saturday! Where are we even going, all the way out here?"

"A facility," Clove answered simply.

"Duh! It's always a 'facility' or a 'factory' with Eggman! What kind of facility?"

"It… harvests the energy out of Wisps… until there's none left to extract."

Cassia huffed again. "Sorry I asked. So why are we going somewhere like that?"

"There was a minor breach detected in the Eggnet. Well, it could have just been a glitch, but if there's even the slightest hint of an intrusion, I should go and investigate right away."

Cassia pulled her head back into the van, laughing. "You're really taking this job seriously, aren't you? You don't have to try so hard, Sis! Once my treatment's finished, we're-"

Clove held up a hand, cutting Cassia off, and motioned to the badniks in the front of the car. She then replied in a whisper, "I know, but until then, we can't take risks. If Eggman thinks I'm slacking off, he'll end your treatment. I have to play my part, and so do you."

"But… I feel so bad for all those Wisps…"

"So do I…" Clove reached out and took Cassia's hand in her own. It was cold and hard, and she wondered if Cassia could even feel anything with it. "But you're my number one concern. Those Wisps are… Well, they just got unlucky. We have to put our feelings away and just accept things as they are, for now."

Cassia nodded, before she started coughing. Clove shot out of her seat and was about to tell the driver to stop the van, but Cassia stopped her. "It's okay," she said, taking deep breaths. "I'm alright, just something stuck in my throat."

Clove reluctantly accepted Cassia's assurances and settled back into her seat, gripping her sister's hand tighter.

Mimic approached the base, disguised an Egg Pawn. He walked stiff and straight, moving his limbs mechanically, just like the robots around him. He stayed in formation, never drifting even one inch out of place, and kept his eyes forwards, even when the badnik drones hovered overhead.

Under normal circumstances, simply looking like an Egg Pawn wouldn't be enough; they have ways of detecting imposters in their ranks. For Mimic, though, the art of disguise went beyond simply changing his shape. He could change everything about himself, both inside and out, making himself virtually identical to whoever or whatever he was pretending to be. Of course, he also had to act the part, but where most people would probably slip up for even just one second, Mimic was a professional. For the entire twenty minutes that he was in line with the other Egg Pawns, he never made a single mistake, never mistimed his movements, and flawlessly answered the questions of the SWATbots at the door, gaining entry to the facility undetected.

Once inside, Mimic followed the directions the badniks had given him until he reached a particular three-way intersection. At this point, all of the other Egg Pawns were turning right, but Mimic wanted to keep going straight. He activated a miniature jamming device that he held in his hand, and then ran. For three seconds, the other Egg Pawns would be unable to register any movement, and by the time they got their senses back, they would simply fill the vacant space he had left behind without raising any alarms.

Mimic ran as fast as he could in those three seconds, rounding a corner and ducking into the shadows of an empty corridor as he unmorphed. "First step, complete," he muttered to himself, donning his mask. A map appeared on his display and he followed it, sticking to the shadows and climbing along the pipes along the ceiling to get by unnoticed. He arrived at his destination: a large room where water was being stored for cooling. Each tank was connected to a large drainage pipe, which led to a reservoir outside. Mimic unfastened the bolts on the grate of the pipe and entered.

After several minutes, he reached the end. There, he could see Whisper, Sally and Fiona standing outside. "You didn't get spotted?" Sally asked as Mimic approached.

"Of course I didn't!" Mimic drew his Wispon, and Whisper ushered the others back. Winding up his arm, Mimic slammed the hammer into the grate, blowing it off the pipe. He stood proudly as Sally and Fiona stared at the discarded grate in shock. "Well? You want an invitation?"

Whisper laughed, fist bumping her friend as she jumped into the pipe. She checked her mask as Sally and Fiona climbed in behind her. "Looks like all's good, and we're right on schedule."

"That was the easy part," Mimic said. "Don't forget, if you guys slip up, we can't bail you out."

"Don't worry about us," Sally said. "We know what we're doing. If anything goes wrong, we'll handle it somehow. Of course, as long as we stick to the plan, nothing will going wrong."

The four travelled down the pipe, entering the facility, and then split into two teams. Sally and Mimic made use of Nicole's data to know when and where the patrols would pass, making it easy for them to sneak through the base undetected. They reached the server room, and now all they had to do was wait.

Fiona watched as the patrol passed by, and then signalled to Whisper. Whisper hurried across the hall to catch up to Fiona, following the map displayed on her mask to lead the way. The two approached a three-way intersection and ducked behind some nearby crates. Fiona raised her head to peer out, and when she found that it was clear, they continued on their way.

"So far, so good," Fiona said as they reached the security room.

Whisper's Wisp flew into a vent above them, and returned several moments later, saying something to Whisper. "Six robots," Whisper translated, and her Wisp re-entered its Wispon. She cocked her rifle and aimed it at the door. "Two on the left, watching the cameras. Three on standby, to the right. One by an alarm, within arm's reach."

"It'll get rough if they pull it."

"I'll blow open the door. You run in and disable that robot, and leave the others to me."

"Five by yourself?"

"It's not a problem."

Fiona cracked her knuckles. "If you say so. Show me what a Diamond Cutter can do."

Whisper waited for Fiona to be ready, and then she fired, blowing the door off its hinges with a single rocket. Fiona was already sprinting as the rocket sailed through the air, and entered the room moments after the blast, emerging from the smoke. The Egg Pawn standing by the alarm turned to activate it, but Fiona made it to the robot first and pulled it away, throwing it to the floor and stomping on its head.

The other Egg Pawns turned to face her, all armed with guns, but before even one could fire a shot, multiple rounds from Whisper's rifle, fired in quick succession, took them down. Whisper smiled and gave her teammate a thumbs up. "Area secure."

"How long until the next patrol arrives?"

Whisper checked the clock inside of her mask. "Fifteen minutes."

Fiona took out the USB and plugged it into a nearby console. "I'll hack into the system. You keep an eye out."

"You can count on me." Whisper watched Fiona as she worked, seeing how effectively she was able to circumvent Eggman's security protocols to gain access to the system. She then hurried to the door, watching outside for any unwelcome visitors.

"Hey, Mimic, can I ask your opinion on a matter?" Sally asked while the two waited for Fiona's signal.

"As long as it doesn't distract us," Mimic answered.

"Well, on our last mission, a member of my team killed a former Resistance member, one who had turned traitor. I don't think that's the way we should be, but some members of the Resistance see her as a hero, and others think she should be praised rather than reprimanded. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"What's the big deal? We're at war. She killed an enemy and you wanna scold her?" Mimic scoffed. "What next, you're gonna demote her when she reclaims lost land?"

"I've already decided not to punish her, but one of my friends thinks I'm being too lenient."

"Yeah? And between the two, who gets better results?"

"Results aren't everything. The methods we use matter."

"Princess, with all due respect, Eggman has ninety-nine percent of the world under his control. Results are everything at this stage."

"Ninety-seven," Sally corrected.

"Right, you guys got back Downunda. But how long's that gonna last?" Mimic shook his head. "Honestly, I totally get why some people would wanna jump ship and side with Eggman at this point." Mimic saw the look Sally gave him, and added, "But at the end of the day, an enemy's an enemy and has to be dealt with. Those who side with Eggman have no problem helping him kill our own, and the longer this war drags, the more people are gonna feel safer taking Eggman's side."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying it goes beyond just taking out an enemy; we should be making examples out of traitors by showing them no mercy. That way, folks'll think twice before switching sides."

"That's tyranny."

"Sometime you gotta do evil to beat evil."

"No, we can be better than that."

"That's what we all thought before the war started, and look that got us. Everyone wanted to take defensive measures against Eggman. Reacting to attacks instead of preventing them. And in his first attack, he decimated our major cities and left us scattered. Mercia knew he where he was, but didn't wanna be the ones who started a war, and then they lost eighty percent of their military overnight."

"And what about after the war ends? When we start to rebuild our fallen cities. Do you really think the people will feel safe with such authoritarian leaders after the larger threat has passed?"

Mimic shrugged. "I'm more of an 'in-the-now' kinda guy. No point worrying about the future when every day is a struggle for survival."

"Sally, we're all set," Fiona reported. "Let me know when you're ready, and I'll send out the dummy signal."

Sally activated her energy blades. "I see your point, but I still think that no matter what, we should always hold onto our ethics. I don't know if my family are even still alive, so when all this is over, I may be the one inheriting the throne. I can't do that with unclean hands."

Mimic readied his hammer. "Suit yourself. I'll do things my way and you do 'em yours."

"Fiona, now!" Sally and Mimic rushed the robots standing guard, slashing and smashing them before breaking into the server room. Sally rushed to the nearest console and plugged Nicole into it.

"Whisper, how're things on your end?" Mimic asked, standing by the door and peering outside.

"We're on our way to the farm now, but something isn't right. The patrols feel lighter than expected."

"… Yeah, come to think of it, there should've been more badniks on our way here."

"Maybe you should forget the data and rendezvous with us?"

"This data could be the key to winning the war," Sally said, combing through the data quickly as Nicole downloaded it. "There's something here about a 'Phantom Ruby'. Ring any bells?"

"It's something that freak Infinite uses," Mimic said. "It's the source of his powers, but we don't know more than that."

"And now there's something about the Death Egg, 'Phantom Ruby Replicas', 'Imperial Tower'-"

"Mimic, it's a trap! Clove is here!"

Mimic jumped back just as something smashed through the wall behind him, smashing a hole through it that revealed a green, robotic-looking pronghorn on the other side. "Hey there! You guys aren't supposed to be here, so like, I'm gonna have to show you the way out."

"Nicole, finish the download!" Sally rushed to Mimic's side. "Who's that?" she asked, activating her energy blades.

"Cassia, Clove's sister," Mimic replied. "But Smithy said she was too sick to fight!"

"I got better," Cassia said, flexing one of her robotic arms, "But thanks for the concern. Look, I really don't want to hurt a friend of a friend, or the Princess. If you guys leave, I'll pretend like nothing ever happened."

Sally glanced at her handheld, seeing that the data transfer was almost halfway there. "Not gonna happen," she said.

Cassia sighed. "Oh well, I tried…" Cassia leapt forwards, her fist raised. She swung a punch at Sally, who blocked it with her blades, whilst scattering small pallets around the room that sprayed smoke.

"Gah! I can't see!" Mimic cried, stepping back slowly with his hammer raised. "Princess, where are you?!"

"I'm here! Keep your cool! She'll be just as blind as us!"

"You think so?" Cassia asked, striking Sally from behind and knocking her to the floor. "My eyes can see you just fine, by tracking your body's temperature." She heard the sounds of footsteps and saw Mimic running towards the exit. She ran to intercept him, kicking him back into the room before he could escape the field of smoke. "These legs make me pretty fast, too!" Mimic swung his hammer towards the voice, but Cassia caught it with just one hand, seeming unphased. "And these arms? Well, you saw that they did to that wall just now."

Mimic roared as he put more force into his swing, causing Cassia to use her second hand to push back against the hammer. "CUBE!" A large, blue cube appeared above Cassia, and she leapt back quickly as it fell down, nearly crushing her. Mimic swung again, but Cassia caught this blow, too.

Cassia saw Sally running around the room, approaching her from the side. "I just said I can see you guys!" Cassia waited until Sally was about to strike, and then she ducked, letting Mimic's hammer fly overhead and right into Sally, knocking the wind out of the Princess and sending her flying.

As Mimic wondered who he had just hit, Cassia took advantage of the opening to deliver an uppercut that knocked him back, making him drop his Wispon. Cassia collected it, holding it in one hand as she smiled proudly. "My sister is dealing with your friends, and then she'll join us here. Don't worry, she treats prisoners well. Compared to the rest of Eggman's Bosses, at least."

"That's nice," Sally said, grunting as she picked herself up, "But I'd sooner see Naugus take the throne, than ever allow myself to be captured by Eggman!"

Cassia felt the Wispon in her hand suddenly get lighter, and as she turned, the Blue Cube Wisp that was inside it started attacking her face. "GAH!" Startled, she stepped back and dropped the hammer. "Why you!" She attempted to the grab the Wisp, only for it to fly out of her reach, taunting her by dancing and laughing in the air. "Oh, you wanna play, do ya?!" Cassia's arm stretched out, grabbing the Wisp before it could fly away. "Gotcha!"

"And I've got you!" Mimic said as he swung his hammer, driving it into Cassia's side and sending her flying across the room. She crashed into a pile of containers and released the Blue Cube Wisp, who promptly returned to Mimic's Wispon.

The pronghorn climbed to her feet, groaning and clutching her side. "W-Wow. Guess that's the power of a Wispon, huh? Too bad we don't have stuff like that." She laughed. "But I do have some other neat little surprises hidden in this body of mine. For example…" Cassia took in a deep breath, and then sprayed fire across the room.

Sally and Mimic both dodged the flames, and waited for Cassia to stop. "Cool, right? And for my next trick!" Cassia wound her arm back, grinning. Suddenly, she felt a shock through her body and fell to her knees, covering her mouth as she coughed. 'Not now!'

Sally watched with confusion and concern, but also considered the possibility that this was some sort of trap. She saw Mimic across the room, and he took notice of Cassia's condition, too, readying his hammer with a predatory crouch. Sally raced across the room, bringing her energy blades together just in time to block Mimic's attack. "You'll kill her!"

"That's the idea!"

"She's unwell! Don't you feel any shame in trying to take out an opponent who can't fight?!"

Cassia collapsed to the floor, groaning. "She shouldn't have tried to do us in, then! Move it!"

"And what about your leader, Smithy?! How are you planning to tell him you killed one of his friends?!"

Mimic gritted his teeth, but ultimately drew back his hammer. "One of these days, you're gonna regret putting your back to the enemy."

"I'll take my chances. If Cassia's here, then her sister-"

"Must be with Whisper and Fiona. Fine, I get your point. What about the download?"

"I still need one more minute," Nicole reported.

Sally sighed. "We don't have that much time. We'll just have to take what we have." She unplugged Nicole, and she and Mimic ran out of the room. Behind them, Cassia struggled to reach out her arm towards them.

"Wait! I can't let you-" She stopped as her coughing fit returned, covering her mouth. As she drew her hand away, she could see little specks of red. Her eyes trembling, Cassia lay down her head and slipped into sleep.

After activating the dummy signal, Fiona and Whisper hurried through the base, tearing through badniks and blasting through walls using Whisper's Wispon. They reached the farming area, where the imprisoned Wisps were being drained of their Hyper-go-on, and Fiona's ears fell as she saw just how many there were. Too many to count, but she estimated at least a hundred. "That's more than the data said there'd be!"

"More must've been captured since Mimic infiltrated the Eggnet," Whisper suggested.

"How do we free 'em?" Fiona asked, but rather than answering, Whisper simply began breaking the Wisps out of their capsules one-by-one. Fiona looked over the vast sea of Wisps again. "Seriously? That's gonna take forever."

"Then hop to it," Whisper retorted, and Fiona, despite her grumbling, joined her in smashing open the capsules. "We have five minutes left to get them all out."

"We're cutting it close."

"… If it looks like we won't have enough time, leave me here. I'll free the rest of them while you get out, and then I'll escape on my own."

"I'd love to, but I know the Princess would shout my ears out if I did that. I'd rather take my chances with Clove or Shadow."

"I'll take you up on that offer," Clove said as she stepped into the room, carrying a staff. A blade made of red energy emerged from the tip, revealing it to be a scythe. Whisper took aim, but Fiona jumped in front of her.

"I'll handle it! You focus on freeing all the Wisps!"

Whisper nodded, returning to her task. "Mimic, it's a trap! Clove is here!"

"Fiona Fox. Turning over a new leaf, are you?" Clove asked. "I was surprised when I heard you were with the Resistance. With your record, I figured you would have sided with Eggman."

Fiona felt Whisper's eyes on the back of her head, but the wolf quickly returned to her task. "Well, maybe if Eggman hadn't put me in one of his prisons. Sonic and Tails risked their lives breaking us out, and I gotta admit, it left an impression on me. Made me think the hero gig might not be so bad." Fiona stepped closer, reaching for the Jade Ghost Wispon at her hip. "But I don't recognise you. Did we know each other?"

"Not mutually. I was an international officer before the war, and the case I was assigned to was your capture. But no matter how I tried, you always slipped away. Maybe this is fate giving me one last chance."

"An officer?" Fiona laughed. "So the copper and the criminal have traded places, then? Why the change of heart?"

"I won't explain my reasons to you. Just know that I won't hold anything back!" Clove rushed forwards, swinging her scythe.

"GHOST!" Fiona turned incorporeal just as the blade came down on her, going through her transparent body. She ran through Clove, and then undid the transformation, swinging a roundhouse kick from behind Clove's back.

Clove leapt forwards, rolling along the ground so that she could turn as she put some distance between herself and Fiona, but the fox continued on her and delivered a series of kicks that Clove was forced to dodge.

"Amateur." Clove tossed her scythe into the air, then used both of her hands to grab Fiona's leg, and delivered a sweeping kick to trip her up. As Fiona fell, Clove grabbed her scythe that was coming back down.

"GHOST!" Fiona turned ghostly just as she hit the floor, and scrambled to her feet quickly before the effect could wear off. The second she turned solid again, Clove swung her scythe, slicing the Wispon in half. The Jade Ghost Wisp inside jumped out as the Wispon exploded, and Fiona jumped back in a panic. She bumped into something behind her, and as she looked over her shoulder, Fiona found Shadow the Hedgehog standing there, glaring into her eyes.

"Take her alive," Clove said, turning her attention to Whisper, who by this point had noticed what was happening and was aiming her Wispon at the pronghorn. "We'll interrogate her later."

Shadow grabbed Fiona's arms, and Fiona struggled to break free. "Sorry, you're not my type!" Fiona kicked herself off the ground, performing a flip to bring her feet down on Shadow's head, knocking him back. As she landed, she delivered a roundhouse kick, but Shadow caught it with just one hand. In his other hand, he summoned a Chaos Spear.

"Run!" Whisper shouted, not taking her eyes off of Clove.

"Fiona, get down!" Sally cried, and upon hearing the Princess' voice, Fiona crouched. Shadow turned to face the Princess, who was charging him with her energy blades drawn. As she struck, he caught the blades with his hands, grunting as they cut into his flesh.

Fiona saw her opening, and sprang forwards from her crouched position, delivering a strike with both palms that knocked Shadow back.

Meanwhile, Cassia ran over to Clove, panting. "Sorry, Sis! I tried to stop her…"

Clove shook her head. "Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"

"I can still fight."

"Don't push yourself. Just leave them to me and-" As Clove turned to look her sister in the eyes, she gasped. "Who are you?! You're not Cassia!"

'Cassia' grinned, her deep, black eyes glinting as she casually approached Clove. "Why would you say that? That's so mean. Hey, Sis? I'm not feeling so well after all. I think I'm about to faint."

Clove raised her scythe, but found herself unable to strike. "You… What did you do to my sister?!"

"She's alive," Sally said. She heard Shadow climbing to his feet and quickly assumed a defensive position with Fiona. "But she wasn't doing too great. She might need your help."

"If you don't hurry, she might die," 'Cassia' said, her face morphing into one stained with blood.

"You… vile!" Clove retracted her blade and slammed the end of her staff into the imposter, knocking the wind out of them and causing them to drop the concealed knife they were carrying.

"Yowch… That really hurt!" Mimic undid his disguise, revealing his true form to Clove. "Striking your own sister? You're pretty heartless."

"I don't want to hear that from someone like you!" Clove re-activated her scythe. "For your sake, Cassia better be okay-"

"That depends," Mimic said, "On whether you get to her sooner or later."

Clove glared into Mimic's eyes silently for a few seconds. She was about to lower her scythe, when Shadow's voice pierced the silence. "Remember your mission," he said. "Any insubordination, and your sister's treatment will end."

Clove tried to argue. "But if she dies now-"

"If you're concerned about that, then finish them off quickly."

Mimic drew his Wispon and motioned to Whisper. "What're you waiting for? Free the rest of the Wisps!"

Whisper nodded, putting away her rifle. Her Wisp flew out, and regarded her with a concerned look. "Don't worry, I trust Mimic. He'll be fine, especially with the Knothole fighters there."

Sally charged at Shadow, swinging her blades. He dodged her first two blows then parried her third, and threw a punch to counter, but Fiona came in from behind Sally to block the attack, grabbing Shadow's arm and twisting it behind his back.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow warped a short distance away and threw some Chaos Spears at the two, forcing them to run in opposite directions. Shadow decided to focus on Sally, and the Princess took full advantage of this by planting herself and bringing her blades together to form a shield. While she kept Shadow busy, Fiona attacked him from behind.

Shadow felt the attack coming and turned to throw a Chaos Spear at Fiona, but when he turned around, something struck him in the face. It was a piece of the broken Wispon Fiona had used earlier. Though it didn't do much harm, it did give Fiona enough of an opening to plant her boot in the hedgehog's face, and then follow it up with an uppercut that knocked him onto his back.

While the Knothole fighters were busy dealing Shadow, Mimic and Clove bounded across the room, each taking turns to swing their weapon at the other, and each with the intent to kill. As Clove moved, she tried to push Mimic closer to Whisper, to stop the wolf from freeing the Wisps, whilst Mimic's movements were made to steer the pronghorn away from his teammate.

"We've almost freed all your little prisoners," Mimic taunted as he slammed his hammer into the ground, creating a tremor. "Why don't you just give it up?"

"I'll never surrender! I have too much at stake!"

"Your sister? Lemme guess: Eggman promised to treat whatever sickness she's got, so long as you both work for him."

"… I will not make excuses. I've chosen my side."

"I can respect that, but just so you know, even if you are Smithy's friend…" Mimic parried a strike from Clove's scythe and then swung his hammer with enough force to disarm her, "I'm not going easy on ya." Clove clenched her fists and retreated backwards as Mimic attacked. "Any last words for your old pal?"

"No. You wouldn't be able to deliver them, anyway." Clove swung her arm in an arc, and suddenly, her scythe lifted from the ground and began flying towards Mimic. Whisper caught this and fired her Wispon, blasting the scythe out of the air before it could reach her friend.

"What was that?!" Mimic asked, turning to where the explosion had occurred. With the brief opening he offered, Clove rushed him and pinned him against one of the prison capsules, his Wispon dropping to the floor. Her scythe returned and she caught it, pressing the blade to Mimic's throat.

"Surrender yourself now, or I'm turning your friend into calamari," Clove threatened, glancing over to Whisper.

Whisper gritted her teeth, wondering if there was some way she could reach them before Clove could kill Mimic. Her mask ran simulations, but no matter what approach she took, Clove was faster every time. However, when she focussed on Mimic's face, she saw that he was smiling. "Okay, just please don't kill him," she finally said, putting away her Wispon and raising her arms.

"Clove, you wouldn't hurt me, would you?" Mimic asked, though his voice was different. He had changed his shape, taking on the appearance of Smithy, the Diamond Cutters' leader, and just as he predicted, Clove's grip loosened ever-so-slightly. He grabbed her scythe and the two wrestled over the weapon as Mimic pushed Clove back.

Meanwhile, Sally and Fiona took turns fighting Shadow. Whenever it seemed like Shadow was about to hit through an opening, the other would step out and block the attack, and then launch a counterattack whilst the other waited.

This strategy seemed to be working, as Shadow was having difficulty keeping up with their coordinated attacks. Irritated, the hedgehog smashed open a nearby prison capsule and grabbed the Red Burst Wisp inside, crushing it in his hand. "BURST!"

Shadow's hands became engulfed in flames as the Wisp in his grasp fell limp, and when he finally let it go, the Wisp fell weakly to the floor. "You… You'll pay for that!" Sally shouted.

Shadow swiped his hand, sending a wave of fire out. He sent out more waves that the girls continuously dodged, keeping them at a distance and separating the two of them. "Playtime's over!" Shadow held out both hands and fired a concentrated blast of fire at Fiona, knocking her back. While she was down, he rushed Sally, batting away her energy blades with flaming fists. One hand grabbed Sally's hair, whilst the other reared back for a punch.

Something flew past them then, moving so fast that Shadow couldn't tell what it was until he looked to the side, and found a knife sticking out of a prison capsule. He realised that he was no longer holding the Princess, as the knife had cut through her hair and freed her. Sally delivered a kick to Shadow's head before he could take on a defensive stance.

"I've freed all the Wisps!" Whisper declared, and then she fired a shot straight up to create a hole in the ceiling.

"Then it's time to leave!" Sally said. She and Fiona began running to Whisper's location. Mimic attempted to join them, but he was still wrestling with Clove.

Whisper fired a shot that struck the ground behind Clove, creating an explosion that startled her enough for Mimic to break free. "Mimic, our escape!"

"On it!" Mimic swung his hammer at Clove to knock her aside, and kicked her scythe away, and then made his way over to join the others.

"Thanks for the save," Sally said as Mimic joined them. She reached up and felt her hair, frowning. "I hope you didn't give me a bald spot, though."

"Hey, I was aiming for Shadow's arm, but it wasn't exactly easy to aim and fight Clove at the same time," Mimic said. "Just be thankful I didn't get you."

"How about we save the chatter for after we get out of here?" Fiona said.

Mimic drew his Wispon and raised it up. "CUBE!" Blue cubes began appearing, creating a staircase that led up. It only went so far, but Fiona wasted no time in climbing it, Sally and Mimic following, and then Whisper climbing the platforms last.

As they reached the top, Mimic held his Wispon up again. "CUBE!" The cubes below them vanished, save for the one they were on, and more appeared leading further up. Mimic took a moment to collect his breath before following everyone else up, and when they reached the top, he called on his Wisp one more time. "CUBE!"

Mimic wiped the sweat from his brow, panting now. "Are you okay?" Sally asked.

"It just takes a lot to make this many platforms all at once," Whisper assured her. "Let's hurry."

"I'm… right behind-" Mimic began.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

Shadow appeared before Mimic, startling the group, and with one powerful kick, he knocked Mimic down to the warehouse below. He jumped down before any of the others could attack, and approached the downed octopus, who was still processing what had just happened.

"You won't get away. If I kill you, those stairs will vanish, and then all of your friends will be trapped here!" Shadow grabbed Mimic by his collar and stared into his eyes. "Any last words?"

"Hey, do something!" Fiona shouted to Whisper, who was aiming down the scope of her rifle.

"I-I can't! They're too close! My shot will hurt Mimic, too!"

"He'll die if you don't do something!"

It was then that something raced down towards Shadow and Mimic. It was something small and green. Fiona recognised it as the Jade Ghost Wisp that was in her Wispon, and she wondered what it was trying to do.

"Die!" Shadow threw his fist at Mimic.

Mimic felt something else hit him first, though, and some instinct prompted him to yell, "GHOST!"

Shadow's fist passed through Mimic's face, and Whisper took the shot. It was a direct hit from an Orange Rocket Wispon, striking Shadow from behind. The hedgehog fell through the ghostly Mimic, tumbling and rolling across the floor.

Mimic simply sat there, gasping for air as his transformation wore off. His body trembled, a chill descending over him as his hand hovered over his throat. "T-That was close… I almost… I almost died!"

"Mimic, hurry!" Whisper shouted. She threw down her Wispon, and Mimic realised what she was thinking.

Shadow climbed to his feet, his body flickering as red-and-black particles leaked from his back, and he began racing to Mimic. Clove was also on her feet now, and was coming from the opposite direction. Mimic caught the Wispon. "ROCKET!"

As Shadow threw his punch, and Clove swung her scythe, Mimic transformed into a small, orange rocket, and flew directly upwards. The rocket exploded as it reached the same elevation as Whisper and the others, and Mimic grabbed his teammate's hand upon transforming back.

After pulling Mimic up, the four the of them continued ascending the staircase, eventually making it to the hole in the ceiling, where blinding daylight awaited them. That wasn't all that awaited them, though; Rotor was there, in the commandeered Eggman airship, and a rope ladder had been dropped for the four of them to climb up. Badniks fired on them from down below, but the ship's shields, powered from a Chaos Drive, protected them for the time being.

"All Wisps are onboard!" Chuck shouted. "Hurry on up and we can get out of here!"

The four of them climbed the ladder, and the ship began to raise, but something then launched out of the warehouse beneath them. It was Cassia, jets from her feet allowing her to fly. She boarded the ship, prompting Chuck to scramble backwards, but her focus was on the four climbing the ladder. "Leaving so soon? You should stay a little longer! My sister and I love good company!" She crouched, reaching for the ladder.

"Like I'd let you!" Chuck shouted, grabbing Cassia from behind and pulling her back. "Hurry! Climb up while I have her distracted!"

"I hate hitting an elder, but-" Cassia drove her elbow into Chuck, winding him, and slipped out of his grasp. She made for the ladder again, but a number of Wisps that had been freed stopped her, hovering together to form a wall.

The four managed to climb into the ship in the time that had been bought, and Cassia was now backing away cautiously. "What now?" Fiona asked.

"We'll take her prisoner," Sally said.

"Sorry, I'll have to take a raincheck on that." With a wink, Cassia opened the door on the other side and jumped out, activating her jets to fly back to the facility.

"That was too close," Rotor said from the pilot's seat.

"At least we're all okay," Sally said, looking over the group to verify her own claim. Her eyes stopped on Mimic, who seemed to be zoning out as he stared at the floor. "Are you hurt? I can arrange Doctor Quack to check up on you after we return-"

"No," Mimic said with a huff. "Drop us off just outside Knothole. We have to return right away."

"Are you sure? I think we've earned a little victory celebration."

Whisper seemed excited at the idea, but she agreed with Mimic. "Eggman will be bringing all his forces here soon enough. We have to return to our base now while we can, and you guys should prepare to lay low for a bit."

"Have you got the data download?" Mimic asked.

Sally handed him a USB drive. "The download was stopped before it could finish," she told him, "So I can't guarantee how much is there."

"I'll have a look," Mimic said, plugging it into his mask. He was silent for a few minutes as he combed through the data, and then, with a sigh, he removed the drive. "Well, it'll have to do. Hopefully Claire can make something out of this." Mimic's hand clenched as he turned away. 'That's Eggman's plan? How are we supposed to stop that?!'

Cassia descended back down to the facility, the alarms now blaring, and grasped her chest as she landed, taking deep, steady breaths. She heard footsteps and saw Clove and Shadow running towards her. With a smile, she tried to wave, but then she felt a shock through her back and fell forwards.

Clove caught her sister, laying her down gently. "What were you thinking, going after them in your condition?!" she scolded, but Cassia didn't respond. Her eyes were closed and she was struggling to breathe. "Shadow, warp us back to the base, now!"

"You failed here, Clove," Shadow said simply.

Clove shot to her feet, grabbing Shadow by the fur on his chest, and glared dead into his eyes. "There'll be time for that later. I'll grovel at Eggman's feet if that's what you want, but for now, Cassia comes first! Do you understand?! Warp us back this instant, or I'll sever my ties with Eggman right now!"

Shadow glared back, but said nothing further. Instead, he simply walked past Clove and gathered Cassia into his arms. Clove held onto his arm. "Chaos Control!"

Just outside of Knothole, Rotor landed the airship to allow Whisper and Mimic to disembark. Sally joined them, wanting to see to it that they got to their vehicle safely. Her concern lay mostly with Mimic, who was slouching as he walked and had been acting withdrawn since they escaped from the factory. She didn't say anything, though, worried that voicing her concerns might hurt his pride.

Whisper, however, had no such reservations. "Are you okay? I can support you if you're in pain."

Mimic fixed his teammate with a glare. "I'm fine!" He stood up straight, wincing as he did so. "I'm just… not as young as the rest of you."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "I thought the two of you were the same age."

Whisper crossed her arms. "You're either paying Mimic a compliment, or me an insult."

"N-No, that's not what I-"

Whisper laughed as she saw Sally get flustered. "I'm kidding! Mimic's a shapeshifter, remember? He just makes himself look young, but he's actually-"

"Don't-"

"-Thirty-two." Whisper quickly covered her mouth with her hands, and then turned to Mimic, laughing sheepishly. "Uh, sorry…"

"That's not really anything to be embarrassed about," Sally said. "It just means you've got more experience and wisdom, that's all."

"And more aches and pains," Mimic said, slouching again as his back started to throb. "Look, I'll be good after a rest, and maybe a visit to my chiropractor. Let's just hurry and get back before the badniks see us."

The three eventually reached the van that had been hidden inside of a cave. As Whisper drove the van out, Sally asked Mimic, "What exactly was on that data we downloaded?"

"Eggman's building a huge tower, and he plans to use the Phantom Ruby to create… something that he thinks will win him the war. That's all I could see."

"It's not a lot to go off… Still, every little helps, and we did a good thing by saving all those Wisps. On behalf of the Knothole Resistance, I want to thank both of you for helping us on this mission."

Whisper climbed out of the van and shook Sally's hand. "No, thank you. And please, promise you'll take good care of those Wisps. Every last one of them said they want to help you in any way they can, to save the rest of their comrades that are still being held prisoner by Eggman."

Sally nodded. "Of course. With their help, we might just have enough firepower to liberate the Kingdom of Acorn completely!"

Mimic climbed into the van. "Well, good luck with that. Jut be careful with that Clove; she's tougher than she looks. I can see why Smithy was so worried now."

"You two, as well. Be careful out there."

"I hope we get to work together again soon," Whisper said.

With that, Sally watched the two drive away. Once they were out of sight, she began her trek back.

Meanwhile, back on the airship, Fiona grumbled as many of the freed Wisps crowded around her, cuddling up close to her and seeking comfort in her tail. "When exactly did I become a Wisp-sitter?" She tried shaking them off, but they simply hovered back to her.

Chuck laughed. "It must be nice to have so many fans looking up to you! Just like my nephew."

"I'd prefer it if they just looked," Fiona said, attempting to shake them off again, fruitlessly. With a huff, she asked, "What's taking her so long?"

"Hey, Fiona?" Rotor stepped out of the cockpit and approached the fox, his eyes cast down. He took a moment to find the right words. "Look, about what happened back in Downunda… I don't think the two of us will ever see eye-to-eye on it, but, I get that you were just trying to help, in your own way. I've been thinking about it on the way here, and I realised, you've done a lot for us. You've stuck your neck out for us plenty of times, and you're a real part of our team now, so…"

Fiona blushed, and turned her head aside in an attempt to hide it. "It's okay. We're good, Rotor. And uh, sorry I acted so childish before."

Rotor breathed a heavy sigh. "Alright, then uh, I guess I'll head back to the cockpit now, if we're all good…"

"Yeah…"

Chuck sat in silence as he watched, though he couldn't help but chuckle as the two awkwardly made amends. "Well, I'm glad to see we're ready to move past it. Remember, we're a team, which means we need to be looking out for each other, no matter what."

"You got it!" Rotor confirmed from the cockpit.

Fiona simply nodded, and then before she could say anything, Sally suddenly appeared, climbing aboard the ship with a hearty, "I'm back! I miss anything?"

"Nope! Nothing at all!" Fiona said, turning away so that her back was to the Princess.

"Yeah, nothing special," Rotor agreed. Chuck simply laughed, confusing Sally.

Eggman tapped his fingers against his desk, looking very displeased as he listened to Clove's report. "So in short, you didn't manage to protect even a single one of my Wisps?"

"My apologies, Doctor. I was not expecting the Diamond Cutters of all people to be in this region."

"That group has been a real thorn in my side as of late, but I expected more from one of my top enforcers. Let's just hope the Hyper-go-on I harvested is enough." Leaning back in his seat, Eggman sighed. "… Very well. I'll be generous. After the recent loss of my Downunda chapter, I can't afford to lose another one of my Egg Bosses. Just continue supressing the region, and double your efforts finding the Princess!"

Clove nodded. "Yes, sir." Clove stared at the screen for several more seconds.

"Is there something else?"

"Well… It's my sister. I fear her condition isn't getting any better. In fact, it looks like it's gotten worse."

Eggman waved his hand. "I'm not surprised. Fighting in her condition wasn't exactly the brightest move."

Clove clenched her fists. "How much longer will it take? Before Cassia is well again, I mean."

At that, Eggman grinned. "How much longer? Why, whatever do you mean?"

Clove was taken aback by this, but still she pressed the issue. "I mean, when will the cybernetics finally take effect?"

"They already have! The fact that she's still up-and-running should be proof of that. After all, she was on her deathbed when you first contacted me, and now look at her!"

"Yes, they've made her better, but they haven't cured her. I want to know when-"

"Oh dear, it appears there's been a miscommunication," Eggman said, bringing his hands together to barely mask his glee. "You thought that the treatment was supposed to cure your sister? I'm afraid that's impossible. Her condition is beyond my understanding, and there's nothing modern science can do I'm afraid. Nothing beyond simply making it easier on her, at least."

Clove stared at the screen, dumbfounded. Her hands trembled, and the rage she had been holding back threatened to spill out. Then, when she heard the faintest of laughs from Eggman, she snapped. Slamming her hands and jumping out of her seat, she shouted, "You liar!"

"I'm no liar; you simply mistook my words!"

"You said that you would treat my sister's illness! You said that as soon as she's cured, we're free to leave! That was the agreement!"

"Yes, I did say that, and I stand by my word. If you ever do find a way to cure your sister's disease, you're both free to go." Eggman leaned forwards, shadows masking all but his wide, toothy grin. "But good luck finding it. All my treatment can do is prolong her life, but it's better than nothing, don't you think? Leave now, and you'll lose even that!"

Clove gritted her teeth. She wanted to chew Eggman out right then-and-there. She wanted to reach through the screen and pull Eggman over to her side, so that she could beat the living daylights out of him. But… she took a breath, and then another, and calmed herself down. She took her seat, and after a long moment of silence, she responded, "Yes, Doctor."

Eggman clapped his hands together. "Well, I'm glad we settled that little matter! Keep up the good work, and who knows? Maybe your sister will even outlive you! Ta ta for now!"

With that, the call ended. The sound of static was the only thing filling the room as Clove sat there alone in the dark.

Clove entered the infirmary, where medical badniks were tending to Cassia. The only other living being in that room – a pronghorn like them – was reading data on a screen when he noticed Clove's presence. Immediately, the pronghorn doctor stood and saluted.

"Please, at ease," Clove said, and the doctor returned to his seat. "How is she?"

Before the doctor could answer, Cassia responded, "I'm feeling better, now." Cassia gave her sister a reassuring smile, sitting up despite the badniks' attempts to keep her laying down.

"The worst is over, for now," the doctor told her. "Her vitals are stable, and the medicine I've given her has taken effect. Her cybernetics are operating normally-"

"Then why did they fail?" Clove asked suddenly.

The doctor winced. "Well, um, they didn't… really 'fail'. If anything, they're the reason she's even alive right now…"

"Sis, stop it," Cassia said, frowning. "Your face is gonna freeze like that."

Clove closed her eyes and took a breath. She didn't even realise she had been glaring. She took a moment to compose herself, and then approached the bed, pressing a finger to Cassia's forehead and gently pushing her down. "You should be resting."

Cassia pouted. "Yeah, yeah…"

Turning back to the doctor, Clove asked, "Will she need surgery?"

"I would recommend it," the doctor said, "But then, I would need to consult Doctor Eggman first."

"Then do it. And give us a moment, please."

The doctor nodded. "Yes, sir." The doctor ushered the badniks to follow him out of the room.

As the door closed, Clove released a sigh. "Don't scare me like that, stupid." Cassia laughed. "I shouldn't have brought you with me."

"What, you think I'd have been better staying here with Thunderbolt?"

"I knew it was too soon. I just, I wanted so badly to believe that your cybernetics were doing their thing. That the treatment was a success."

Cassia placed her hand over Clove's. "They are, just… slower than we hoped, that's all."

Clove bit her lip. She just couldn't bring herself to tell Cassia the truth, so she simply nodded.

"And hey, it wasn't a total loss." Cassia reached under the covers, and pulled out a small, handheld device, which she gave to her sister. "I planted a tracker on their ship. Now we can find out where their base is." Cassia smiled. "So it was worth it, right?"

Clove shook her head. "Nothing is worth you making yourself more sick. But… thank you. This is a big help."

"But hopefully, we won't need it. Once I'm better, we can ditch this place and join the Resistance." Clove held her breath, and again simply nodded. "But if worst-comes-to-worst, we have that to keep Eggman happy."

"Don't you worry about any of that. You only have one job right now: rest and get better."

"That's two jobs."

"Quiet, you." The two laughed, and Clove pulled the covers up over Cassia, tucking her in. "Now get plenty of rest. I'll bring you some soup later, and if you need anything-"

"I'm fine," Cassia protested, rolling her eyes. "Just go do what you gotta. I bet Eggman was pretty mad we failed to stop the Resistance from freeing those Wisps, but y'know what? I'm glad we failed."

Clove nodded. "Yeah… I know what you mean."

"Just a little longer, right? When I'm better, we can make up for all the bad stuff we've done."

Clove turned to leave, hesitating before answering, "Yes, just a little longer."

"… What will we tell Smithy?" Whisper asked. "There's no way we can convince Clove to leave Eggman, not while her sister's life is on the line. If he knew the reason, he might feel better, but it might also make it harder to fight them…"

Mimic shook his head. "It doesn't matter what her reasons are. A target's a target."

"You don't feel sad for them?"

"Everyone's got circumstances. Just look out for yourself and don't worry about other peoples' problems. You'll live longer that way."

Whisper leaned against her window, watching the world outside pass them by. "How can I only look out for myself, when I have you and Smithy and the others? I can't bear the thought of losing any one of you, that's why I… I can understand what Clove must be going through right now."

Nothing else was said for the remainder of the trip. Mimic waited until he could hear Whisper's loud snoring, and then he gently pulled the jeep over to the side. His Wisp opened its eyes and looked at him curiously. "Just gonna scout ahead," he told him, pulling up his hood. "Wait here. Come find me if you're attacked, and if Whisper wakes up, tell her I'll be back soon."

The Wisp nodded, saluting with one of its legs, and then Mimic left the vehicle. He walked a good distance away, hiding behind some nearby trees, and then pulled out a phone. He dialled a number and waited. "Yes?" the voice on the other end asked.

"We just hit one of your facilities," Mimic said.

"So I heard. Did quite a number. You do realise my offer is only available for a limited time, don't you?"

"Yeah. I'm in." Mimic peered around the tree, grimacing. "Crazy plan almost got me killed, and now they're sympathising with the enemy! This is gettin' too hot for me. I help you with this, and we're square, right?"

"But of course! I'm so glad you've finally come to your senses!"

"Yeah, well, I saw what was in that data the Princess downloaded. I've seen what your grand plan is."

"And?"

"It's brilliant, and there's no way the Resistance will be able to stop it. I have no intention of goin' down with them."

The voice on the other end laughed. "You know, out of all you Diamond Cutters, I always felt that you were the one with the most sense. Are you sure you don't want to join my army?"

"Like hell. Today made me realise this is a young fry's game. After this, I'm retiring."

"Too bad, but oh well! Then as we agreed, deliver me the rest of your team. I have a weapon that I've been dying to test, but I need the perfect subjects! I'll send you the details later. Oh, and about that data…"

"The download was cut short, so it wouldn't be odd if the data is "corrupted" by the time our boss has a chance to see it."

"Very good. I'll leave it to you, then. Don't disappoint me."

"You got it, Eggman…" Mimic ended the call, grinning as he saw the photograph of him and his team on the screen. "Sorry guys, nothing personal. There's just nothing left to gain from sticking with you."