"Why did you go out there?! I gave you explicit orders to stay behind and guard the base!"

Cassia winced as her sister scolded her. She was sitting in the ward, hooked-up to a machine that measured her vital signs, while a doctor injected some… thing, that was meant to calm her down. Clove had initially been worried sick as she burst into the room, but when she was told that Cassia wasn't in any immediate danger, she let out her full anger.

"You just recovered from the last time you exerted yourself too much, and now you go out and do it again?! If Infinite hadn't shown up when he did, you could've been killed!"

"But Sis, they were getting too close to the base, and TB looked like she needed help-"

"Let Thunderbolt fight her own battles! She signed up for this life because she wanted it, you're only here so you can get better! That should be your only priority!"

Cassia grumbled. "And let you fight all on your own?"

"I'm not the one who's…"

"What?" Cassia asked, glaring. "Not the one who's what?"

"Just… You need to get better. I can't fight if I have to worry about you."

"You should listen to your sister," the doctor advised. "Those cybernetics are holding your body together, but they're not doing much else. It'd be like trying to swing a broken sword held together with duct tape."

Cassia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'not doing much else'? They are healing me, aren't they?"

The doctor glanced at Clove, who swiped a hand over her throat and shook her head. "Er, yes, of course they are. I just mean that, until you're better, your body is in a very fragile state. It's dangerous for you to confront the enemy directly, in other words."

Cassia sighed. "But I hate being a burden. I wanna pull my own weight."

"That's why I'm assigning you tasks that you can do even in your weakened condition," Clove said. "But if you push your body like this and end up off your feet for a few days, I'll have to reassign those duties, and that's a burden. You don't have to fight to pull your weight; supporting roles are just as important, Cass."

"Fortunately, you got off light this time," the doctor said, approaching his patient with a cup of water in one hand, and two pills in the other. "To be safe, I want you to take these and rest here overnight. I'll continue monitoring your vitals in the meantime."

"What about the prisoners?" Cassia asked.

"I'll be taking care of that. Eggman seems to have some plan set up for them and has called me away. You just listen to the doctor and stay right here." Clove sensed further argument about to come from her sister. "And that's an order."

Cassia pouted, but she didn't argue further. "Yes, sir," she muttered, half-sarcastically, and then she took the pills and walked to the vacant bed in the room. "You be careful too, Sis."

Clove approached her sister and hugged her. "I will be. Nothing's gonna separate us, you have my word."

With a nod, Cassia climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over herself, closing her eyes to drift off to sleep. Clove left the room, assigning a few robots to guard the area, and then proceeded through the base, to where Thunderbolt was waiting impatiently by a large ship in the courtyard.

"Took you long enough!"

Clove maintained a neutral expression as she spoke. "Cassia was hurt during that last battle, so I had to make sure she was okay. She got that way because she wanted to help you."

Thunderbolt folded her arms and looked away. "Yeah, well, I told her I had it under control…"

Clove inhaled, clenching her fists, and then nodded. "I take it the preparations are complete?"

"Wouldn't be here if they weren't, would I?" Thunderbolt snapped. "Why do you get to go? At least let me come, too!"

"You heard Eggman's orders. He wants you to remain here and guard the base."

"Knothole's finished! They're not gonna launch another attack right away; it'd be suicide!"

"It wouldn't be the first time the Resistance has staged a reckless assault." Clove hesitated for a moment, before adding, "I would also personally appreciate it. I don't want to leave Cassia here unprotected, not in the state she's in."

"Oh, now I'm your sister's babysitter?!" Thunderbolt's fur bristled, sparks flying out.

"In return, I will return with Doctor Eggman's autograph."

Thunderbolt gasped, her fur going back down. "… Well, I guess guarding the base is important, too! Good luck out there!" With that, Thunderbolt left, much happier now.

Clove simply shook her head as she boarded the ship. 'More flies with honey than vinegar. Guess Cassia's approach has some merit to it.' Inside the ship were three of the top members of the Knothole Resistance: Rotor, Antoine, and Bunnie. They all glared at the pronghorn as she passed them by, taking her seat in the cockpit. She sighed, still able to feel their hatred even if she could no longer see them. "This is going to be a long flight."

"A deal?" Uncle Chuck shook his head in disbelief. "I wouldn't trust what she says so easily, Princess. She's working with Julian, after all."

"Call it a gut feeling, but I don't think she and him are on the same page," Sally said. "Of course, I don't intend to just take Clove's word for it, but if there's any chance that she's being sincere..." Sally turned her attention to Mina and Ash, sitting nearby, with Doctor Quack and two nurses tending to their wounds. "This last operation was a disaster. I'm not the leader my father is. We need his guidance if we're going to take back our home."

"You sell yourself too short. None of us could have predicted that Infinite's power could have turned the tables so easily."

"Even so, many of our friends were captured in that last battle, and some weren't even that lucky." Sally released a heavy sigh as she sat herself down, holding her head. "I'm sorry, everyone."

"Don't," Mina said. "Don't blame yourself for this. We all followed you into battle because we wanted the same thing: freedom from Eggman's rule. It might not have gone the way we'd hoped, but we had to try."

"Bunnie, Rotor, Antoine... Three of our top fighters were captured," Fiona said. "This won't be easy to bounce back from."

"You're not helping," Ash said with a glare.

"What is it that Clove wants, exactly?" Chuck asked, ignoring the tension rising in the room. "Given the results of the battle, I find it hard to believe there's anything we could offer her."

"She wants us to help her sister, Cassia," Sally said. "Her sister suffers from some sort of disease. Ordinarily, she would be bedridden right now, but her cybernetics are keeping her alive. In return, they have to work for Eggman."

"How awful," Mina said, clutching her skirt. "He's using their situation to control them, forcing them to be our enemies."

"Clove wants us to examine Cassia's condition, and confirm if we can offer the same treatment as Eggman. She wants our guarantee that we can keep Cassia alive."

"That will be tricky," Chuck muttered. "Julian's tech is sophisticated, and unconventional. Even examining it up-close, I don't know if I'd be able to replicate it. It would be enough of an achievement just to understand it."

"Then we just tell her we can do it," Fiona suggested. "She doesn't need to know. By the time she realises we lied to her, she'd have already given us her intel."

"And what, leave Cassia to die?" Mina spat.

"Let's say we reject the offer. What's our plan going forward? To defeat Eggman, right?" Everyone nodded. "And if we do that, who'll offer Cassia her treatment?" The room was silent. "Either way, we're condemning that girl to die. We might as well get something out of it. And don't forget, whatever their circumstances, they're still the enemy. There's a good possibility that Clove is the one who captured your mother."

Mina shook her head. "Even so, I just... can't agree with that plan. It sounds like something Eggman would do."

Fiona folded her arms. "Right, and who's currently winning the war?"

"As a Doctor, I have to oppose this plan," Doctor Quack said. "Knowingly deceiving a patient and leaving them to die goes against everything I stand for. So my vote is against it. But if I were a soldier, I would have offered my full support. I feel that now's not the time for bleeding hearts."

"It would mean saving the royal family," Ash said. He saw Mina glaring at him, and quickly added, "I don't mean we should lie to them, but I do think we should take the deal."

"Somehow, I don't think deceiving Clove is even an option," Sally said. "If she's going this far, she must be desperate, but the fact she sided with Eggman at all shows just how much she loves her sister. She wouldn't take such a massive leap without some kind of insurance."

"I'm willing to examine Clove's sister, but not here," Uncle Chuck said. "It's far too dangerous to bring an enemy into Knothole. I have a lab on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Acorn. Not even Julian should know of its existence. I'll need to transport my equipment, but I can examine her there."

Sally nodded. "Then I'll message Clove to let her know we'll take the deal. She told me how to contact her in secret."

"Princess!" Geoffrey ran into the room, saluting. "Princess, I got it! The location where the others have been taken!" Geoffrey plugged a drive into a nearby computer, and a map appeared on a monitor. A little Nicole sprite appeared on the map and highlighted an area just outside of the Kingdom of Acorn's borders.

"You're sure they're there?" Chuck asked. "That's a rather small prisone for such important prisoners."

"There's no doubt about it. It might be small, but it's defensible. A direct assault would do no good, 'specially not so soon after our loss, but a covert operation should be possible."

"What about patrols along the way?" Sally asked.

"Already accounted for," Geoffrey said.

"I've run thousands of simulations, and have determined the optimal time and route to take to avoid patrols, and reach the prison without raising any alarms," Nicole said, her sprite smiling and cheering.

"Even if it's only a small prison, it'll be heavily guarded," Sally said. "I don't think we could break through without making a lot of noise."

"Actually," Geoffrey began, and Nicole brought up a report, detailing the guard detail of the prison, "Right now, the prion's lightly-guarded. Looks like Clove is focussin' on retaking all the places we captured in the last battle, so her forces are spread thin right now. Maybe she thinks we wouldn't dare launch another attack so soon, and she'd be right, but we can use that hubris against her. If we act now, we can bust out our pals before she finishes gettin' everythin' under control!"

Sally thought about it at length, staring intently at the screen. "And what about Infinite? Last battle, he single-handedly turned the tides."

"Infinite's already left the region," Geoffrey told her. "I got a report from the Chaotix that he's pushin' back fighters on South Island."

"This is our chance," Fiona said. "We lost a lot in this battle, but Clove's let her guard down. If we wait, she'll finish retaking the Kingdom of Acorn and then increase security to the prison. If we go now, we can get back our soldiers that were captured, including our friends."

"Right. We have to rescue all that we can, then we can regroup and plan our counterattack," Sally said, a determined look on her face.

"Then I suggest just the three of us go. You, me and St. John," Fiona said. "Mina's speed would be useful, but she's hurt-"

"It's just a few bruises," Mina said, rising to her feet - much to Doctor Quack's dismay – and proving that she could move just fine. "I'm not going to stay here and sleep while you guys are risking your lives. They're my friends too, you know."

"If Mina's going, I am, too," Ash said, also standing - and also annoying Doctor Quack, who threw his arms up and walked away in resignation. "I regretted not going with Mina when she went scouting before the battle, and she got hurt by Shadow. I'm gonna make up for that now."

Fiona was about to argue, but Sally said, "Thank you, both of you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate-"

"Stop," Mina said, cutting off the Princess. "That's too formal. Just say, 'thanks, guys'." She smiled, and Sally smiled back.

"Thanks."

Ash adjusted his glasses. "She is still the Princess, Mina," he muttered.

"No, she's right," Sally said. "I want you to treat me as your friend, not your Princess, so I have to do the same, too. You guys aren't just my soldiers or my protection; you're all my good, dear friends."

Mina brightened and Nicole clapped, whilst Fiona sighed. "Alright, if you're gonna go that far," Fiona said. "When do we leave?"

"Four hours," Doctor Quack said before Sally could answer, pulling Ash and Mina back into their seats. "And you'll spend that time resting. Your injuries aren't that serious, but you're still exhausted. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be going anywhere."

"If your mates are goin', Princess, then I'll stay behind and watch the base," Geoffrey said, glancing at Fiona. "I appreciate your faith in me, but right now, I'd be better used keepin' everyone together."

"Your abilities could really help us," Fiona said.

"I'm sure you'll do fine. 'Sides, my Ixis powers are strong, but I was still only an apprentice when I left my Master, so ya really can't rely on 'em too well."

"Alright, I'll leave you behind to watch over things," Sally said. "Fiona, Mina, Ash, and Nicole, I'm counting on you. Let's go save our friends!"

Retiring to her room to prepare herself for the coming mission, Sally threw herself onto her bed, burying her face into the covers. Nicole watched with worry. "Sally?"

"I let them down," Sally said, shifting her head to the side so that her voice wasn't muffled. "Antoine, Rotor and Bunnie, and everyone else who was captured."

Nicole shook her head. "I'm sure they don't think that."

"I knew that there would be risks to fighting Robotnik. I even thought I'd prepared myself for the possibility that not all of us would make it out alive, but I guess I wasn't really ready, after all."

Nicole frowned. She approached the bed and sat down beside the Princess. "You're doing the best you can. Sure, some of our friends got captured, but just think of how many made it out of there! And now we have a chance to save everyone."

Sally nodded. "I won't fail again. I'm going to save everyone, and we'll continue the fight. Next time, things will be different. We'll be ready for whatever Infinite tries to throw at us."

"I've analysed his abilities, so just give the word when you want to see the data I've collected."

"Thanks. For now, I just need to focus on this mission. I have to be ready."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Sally smiled. "Don't worry about it. You just being here is plenty," she said. "I just don't want to be alone right now."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. And not just 'cause I can't," she added with a laugh.

Sally fixed her gaze on Nicole's eyes, and Nicole stared back. In the silence, Sally's hand shifted, passing over Nicole's. When she lowered it, though, her hand passed right through the lynx's, and Nicole pulled her own hand away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay. I wouldn't have minded…" Nicole sighed, her image flickering as she stared down at her hand. "I hate this body. I'm here, but I can't interact with you or the others in any meaningful way."

"There's plenty of meaning in the talks we have."

"I know, but I mean, I can't eat or drink with you, I can't take part in group hugs or high-fives, I can't sleep at night like the rest of you, and I can't fight alongside you…" Nicole reached out her hand, passing it through Sally's. "And I can't hold your hand, either. I wonder what it would feel like? Maybe it would help fight off the loneliness I sometimes feel."

"Nicole…"

"I wonder… if I'll ever get my body back…"

"Of course you will," Sally said, in a sure voice. "And when you do, you can experience all those things. And you don't ever have to feel lonely, because you're one of us. Whatever happens, you'll always have a home here."

Nicole smiled, her image flickering again. "I'm so happy I met you. Not just because you rescued me from that computer… I'm happy that it was you specifically who found me."

Sally blushed, clearing her throat. "Yeah?"

"Yeah… Sorry, is that weird?"

"Not at all. I'm happy you feel that way."

A silence followed between the two, lasting for several seconds before Nicole said, "You should sleep. I'll set an alarm for when it's time to head out."

"Right." Sally lay back on her bed, pulling the covers over herself. "Nicole?"

"Yeah?"

"… Good night."

Nicole retreated into her handheld. "Good night, Princess."

"The current Shadow is unable to use Chaos Control, and is having a difficult time pushing back the enemy advancement," Orbot said, reciting Infinite's report to Eggman.

"That confirms it, then," Eggman grumbled. "The more times we recreate our clones, the less powerful they become."

"But haven't we recreated Metal Sonic and Chaos a number of times, Boss?" Orbot asked.

"Yes, and for a while, we weren't seeing any noticeable decline in power, but the more-recent versions have definitely been weaker."

"Does that mean that the Phantom Ruby is losing its power?" Orbot asked. "If so, that would be bad news for your grand plan."

"The Phantom Ruby isn't losing any power; Infinite is. Repeated use of the Phantom Ruby's power seems to have an adverse effect on the user. That helmet he wears is meant to protect him from that and help him to focus, but even with that protection, his mind is finally starting to collapse. It won't be long now before his body follows."

"Infinite's dyin'?" Cubot asked. "That's too bad. You want I should break the news to his family?"

"I do not believe he has any family left to speak of," Orbot said.

"Oh. Then his buddies?"

"Shadow wiped-out Jackal Squad. There's nobody left to relay the message to."

Cubot wiped his forehead. "Phew! That saves us a job, then."

"Infinite's served his purpose well. I wouldn't have minded keeping him around, truly, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. He was the first living test subject of my Phantom Ruby prototype, and the fact that he's made it this long is nothing short of impressive."

"And you have no intention of telling him," Orbot said.

"Why bother? It would only make him stressed. Let's let him go in peace, and continue serving us loyally until the end." Eggman grinned as he studied the Phantom Ruby's data on his monitor. "And besides, the experiment's not over yet! I'm curious to see how a broken mind influences the Phantom Ruby's power, and telling him would skew the results."

Eggman's monitor pinged as he received an incoming call from Clove. "Sir, we've just received word that the Princess is on her way," she reported.

"Excellent news! I'll be down momentarily, make sure you're in position, and don't raise any alarms just yet."

"Yes, sir."

Eggman ended the call and jumped out of his chair. "Orbot, I'm leaving you here in case any of my Egg Bosses report in. Let me know immediately if there's an emergency situation in any region."

Orbot saluted. "Of course, Boss. Happy hunting."

Four hours later, the team left Knothole to carry out their rescue operation. They travelled discreetly, avoiding patrols rather than engaging them, and as they neared the prison, they hid their car and walked the rest of the way.

They watched as the patrols shifted, giving them an opening to slip past the first line of security, and then they reached a backdoor that was lightly-guarded. Sally hooked her handheld into a panel and waited, while Mina, Ash and Fiona kept watch for coming robots.

A smiling face appeared on the handheld and the door opened. Sally ushered everyone inside and then followed after them. "So far, so good," she said, keeping her voice low. "Nicole, do you have a map of this place?"

"Yes. Keep following this corridor then turn left at the breaker. Then follow the steampipes until you reach a sealed door."

The group moved swiftly-but-quietly, staying out of sight of patrols and cameras as they followed Nicole's directions. When they reached the door, Sally plugged Nicole into another panel and waited. Nicole hacked the door, opening it, and they entered the room.

"Okay, where to next?" Sally asked.

"To the nearest available cell, if you please."

Sally drew her weapons immediately, her blood freezing at the familiar voice that had responded to her. At the far end of the room, a large, rotund man stepped out from the shadows, grinning gleefully at the startled Princess. "Eggman?!"

Mina grabbed her microphone and prepared to move, but a hand at her throat forced her to stop. She glared at Fiona, who stared back with a shake of her head. "Don't try anything."

Mina turned to Ash for support, but found that he had been surrounded by SWATbots being led by Clove, and was forced to surrender. The robots grabbed the Wispon in his hands, and seized the remaining ones in his bag, and as Mina watched, Fiona coldly told her, "You should've stayed at Knothole."

"Fiona!" Sally spat, shocked and furious. "What are you doing?!"

"You have to ask? I'm selling you out, Princess. That last battle made it pretty clear who the winner of this war is going to be."

"Hmmm, I thought you were bringing the skunk boy along, too," Eggman said, eyeing Fiona suspiciously.

"I tried, but he insisted we bring these two along, instead."

"Oh well. I suppose a consolation prize is fine, too."

Sally felt her stomach turning as she stared at Fiona. "Please tell me this is some sick joke."

"No joke. I really gave you every chance I could, but the way the Resistance operates, it was always dicey whether or not you'd stand any chance against the Eggman Empire. You got a few victories that made me feel like maybe you could do it... but you saw Infinite's power. We've been deluding ourselves, thinking we could win."

Eggman laughed as he approached, prompting Sally to raise her guard. This caused Clove to close the distance between them, and place the tip of her inactive scythe against Sally's back. Sally gritted her teeth and remained motionless.

"Come now, Fiona, why not be honest for a change?" Eggman said. "You've been working with me for longer than that!"

Fiona grinned. "Well, that's somewhat true. I've been in talks with Eggman for some time now, playing things by ear as I tried to figure out who the winner of this war would be. In short, I've been playing both sides, and keeping my options open."

"You rat!" Ash yelled.

"I can't believe it, after all we've been through!" Mina shouted, but as she attempted to move, Fiona pressed her hand against her throat as a warning. Ash growled, taking a step closer, which prompted a SWATbot to deliver a chop to his back, knocking him to the ground. "ASH!"

"Now, now. Everybody settle down," Eggman said, and then he looked down at Sally and cupped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "The fact is, this would have happened even if Fiona hadn't betrayed you. It was never a matter of 'if', but 'when'."

"Even if you kill us, the Resistance will still fight on," Sally said, glaring at Eggman without showing an ounce of fear.

"Yes, they certainly will. Too bad it will amount to nothing." Eggman turned his attention to the handheld attached to Sally's hip. "Is that it?"

"Yeah," Fiona confirmed. "The handheld with the digitized mobian inside."

Eggman took the handheld, and Sally attempted to strike him, only for Clove to push her to the floor. She glared up at the pronghorn, who simply looked back with a neutral expression.

"Why don't you come on out and greet us?" Eggman asked, but he received no response. "Feeling shy? Maybe you don't like crowds. Very well, let's cull a few of our numbers, shall we?" He turned to Ash and Mina, and was about to speak.

"Wait!" Nicole shouted. She activated her hologram and appeared before Eggman, clutching her arm and staring off to the side.

"Fascinating," Eggman said, circling Nicole to study her. "A digitised mobian, is it? This certainly warrants further examination." Eggman shut the handheld, deactivating the hologram. "Put the prisoners with the rest. I'll figure out what to do with them later."

As Eggman left with the handheld, Clove pulled Sally to her feet. "I thought you wanted to cut a deal," Sally grumbled.

"Sorry," Clove whispered. "I didn't really plan for this. It's too late now." She then pushed the Princess, urging her to start moving. The SWATbots led Mina and Ash behind them, leaving Fiona behind as she watched her former teammates be escorted away.

The three were taken to a cell where Rotor and Antoine sat, the latter now sporting a blackeye. Their faces fell as they saw their comrades. Clove ushered the three into the cell and locked the door. "Dinner will be in four hours." She told them. "It won't be much, I'm afraid."

Sally stared dead into Clove's eyes. "I'm sure you're real sorry about that." She approached the bars of the cell, leaning closer to whisper, "We can help you and your sister. Let us out and we'll-"

Clove shook her head. "Even I can't get away with that, and there's no guarantee you can help. It's too risky to work with you now…" She glanced to the side, and then added, "I didn't want things to turn out this way, but now… now Eggman really is my only chance."

"You don't know that."

"I know well enough what he does to those who try to defect, and I also know that his intelligence in unrivalled. I thought that maybe the famous Charles Hedgehog could be my way out, but now, it's only a matter of time before the Resistance falls."

Sally watched as Clove left the room without any further words. "Clove, Mimic, and Fiona… I can't believe they would give up so easily."

"Fiona?" Rotor asked. "What about her? Did she make it out?"

"No," Ash said, his tone cold. "She betrayed us. She set this whole thing up."

"Mon dieu!" Antoine exclaimed. "Surely this must be some sort of joke!" Nobody responded to that. "I simply cannot believe eet. Our friend is... a traitor?"

"Did you say Fiona?" The voice came from a neighbouring cell, and Sally looked over to find a purple-furred bandicoot addressing them. She was standing alongside another bandicoot that looked so similar, Sally assumed they were twins. "Fiona Fox?"

"You know her?" Sally asked.

"Know her?" The bandicoot scoffed. "She's the reason we're here!"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Perci," one of them said.

"And I'm Staci," the other said. Staci looked behind herself, and Sally now saw that there were many prisoners inside that one cell. "Fiona was a member of our village – Hedgehog Village – before the war began. When the Eggman started his attacks, she's the one that banded us all together. The Resistance couldn't reach us, so we formed our own faction, and we beat back Eggman's armies again-and-again."

"Until one day, she betrayed us," Perci said. "We got intel that a big attack was coming, bigger than any we'd ever seen. Most of us thought it would be best to just abandon the village and save ourselves, but Fiona convinced us that we could fight. That we were strong enough to drive Eggman's forces away."

"So, what happened?" Rotor asked.

"On the day of the attack, Fiona told us there was a change of plan. She said we'd be abandoning the village after all, and moving somewhere more-defensible. She led us into a forest, and then..."

"We were ambushed," a yellow fox said, huddled in the corner of the cell, her face buried into her knees. "It was a trap. Fiona sold us out to Eggman, and we were all taken prisoner…"

"How awful," Antoine said, distraught. "To think zat we trusted such a vile person… Called her our friend…"

Sally clutched the bars of her cell, staring wordlessly at the floor.

"By the way, where's Bunnie?" Ash asked, noticing that she wasn't with them in the cell.

"She's somewhere else, but we're not sure where," Rotor said. "Eggman took her away to some other cell, where her limbs wouldn't post a threat. Antoine tried to stop him, but..."

"Unhand her, you brute!" Antoine charged at Eggman, gritting his teeth, and raised his fist. He threw a punch, but the Doctor dodged the attack and countered with a backhand slap, knocking Antoine to the ground.

"'Twan!" Bunnie cried, and then she turned a fierce glare onto Eggman. "Y'all lay one more finger on ma friends, and I'll-" Bunnie was stopped as a SWATbot zapped her, causing her to fall limp.

Eggman grabbed Bunnie by her organic arm and pulled her up. "Relax, I'm just putting her somewhere special. A cell like this wouldn't be safe with this arm of hers. Of course, I could just take it off, if you prefer." Eggman laughed at his own joke, and then dragged Bunnie out of the cell, handing her over to a couple of SWATbots. "Take her away."

"BUNNIE!" Antoine tried to chase after them, only to have the door to their cell slammed shut in his face. "Bunnie, stay strong! I am coming to your rescue, as soon as I am free!"

Antoine held a hand over his bruised eye. "If only I 'ad had my sabre."

"You're that Princess, aren't you?" one of the bandicoot twins asked. "Princess Acorn?" Sally nodded. "Can I ask a favour? If you've got a plan to get out of here, take us with you. We can't offer much, but-"

"Don't worry, that was my intention this whole time." Sally thought for a second. "Are you the only prisoners here? No more were brought over with our friends?"

Staci shook her head. "We don't know. We don't get much news of what's going on outside."

"It was just us brought here, Sal," Rotor said. "Sorry. We were used as bait to lure you here."

"I see…" Sally approached the door of the cell, and asked, "Are you all good to fight?"

Rotor climbed to his feet, wincing. "I'm hurt, but I can fight."

"I'm good to go," Mina said, picking herself up. Ash and Antoine also stood, looking ready.

"I'll need a Wispon," Ash said.

"And I my sabre," Antoine said.

"Thankfully, Eggman overlooked something. Didn't he, Mina?"

Mina grinned. "Yep!" She pulled out her microphone Wispon and held it to her lips. "Everyone cover your ears!" Her cellmates followed her instructions immediately. It took a little longer for the villagers in the neighbouring cell to comply, but when they did, she sang into the microphone, assault the cell's door with explosive music notes.

As the door flew off of its hinges, four SWATbots and two Egg Pawns entered the room. Mina boosted past them, grabbing the weapons piled on the table on the other side of the room, and then boosted back to the cell before the robots could start attacking.

"I am back!" Antoine declared as he took his sabre, and then he slashed two of the SWATbots to pieces.

"Nice one," Ash said as he took his Burst Wispon from Mina, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and then he roasted the two Egg Pawns until they exploded.

Rotor used a Cube Wispon to drop blocks on the remaining two SWATbots, and then all five of them left the cell, ready to fight more robots. However, no more arrived, and the alarms hadn't yet activated.

"What's going on?" Mina asked. Just then, a figure cloaked in shadows entered the room. The shadows dissipated, and Geoffrey approached his friends, kneeling as he reached Sally. "Sorry I'm late, Princess, but I see ya got yourselves out just fine."

"Geoffrey? Why are you here?" Sally asked. "I thought you were watching over things back at Knothole."

"That's what I said, yeah. Pardon the deception, but I had a bad feelin' about this mission, and it all stemmed from that vixen."

"You mean you knew she was gonna betray us?" Ash asked, but Geoffrey shook his head.

"Naw, mate, not knew. Just a gut feelin', maybe on account of my own past treacheries. I didn't wanna start a fuss over somethin' I couldn't prove, though, so I decided I'd come along in secret, just in case."

"Well I'm glad you did," Sally said. "Have you scouted the base? We need to find where they're keeping Nicole and Bunnie."

"I did a little recon, yeah. Bunnie's in an isolated cell. Looks like she's been sedated, but she's otherwise fine. Nicole's with Eggman. Looked like he was messin' with yer handheld, but I couldn't see much from my vantage point."

As Sally handed everybody their respective gear, she issued her commands. "Rotor, Mina, I want you to go with the rest of the prisoners and get them to the garage. There should be transport there we can use to make a getaway. Antoine and Ash, go get Bunnie and then meet up with the others. Geoffrey and I will rescue Nicole."

"Just the two of you?" Rotor asked.

"We're not going to fight Eggman, not today. We're simply going to get our friend, and then leave."

"Should be a simple enough task, if you can distract 'im," Geoffrey said. "I'll sneak on in and snatch that handheld from the shadows."

"I will rescue Bunnie," Antoine said, holding his sabre in front of his face. "On my and my family's honour, I will not fail 'er again!"

"What if we happen to find Fiona on the way?" Ash asked, practically spitting the fox's name.

"Fight her if you have to, but don't go looking for a fight," Sally said. "Trust me, I know how you're feeling, but now is not the time."

Ash grumbled, but nodded. "Fine. I'll save the beating for another day."

Geoffrey picked the lock to the other cell, freeing the villagers trapped inside. "You lot with Mina and Rotor," he said, directing them. "This all of ya?"

"Yeah," Perci confirmed. "Thanks for this. We won't forget it."

"Okay, listen up, everyone," Mina said as the villagers gathered around, "We still have to rescue our friends, but we're shorthanded here, so I hate to ask this of you, but-"

"We'll help," one of the villagers said. "You want us to cause a distraction while we're escaping, right? We were already fighting badniks before being captured, so we're not exactly amateurs."

"Eggman's gonna find he messed with the wrong village!"

"You freed us, so we don't exactly have any right to complain. Just lead the way and we'll follow!"

Mina nodded, smiling. "Thanks! Okay, everyone, let's do it to it!"

The villagers cheered, even if they didn't understand what they were doing to what.

As Mina and Rotor led the prisoners outside, Sally noticed that one of them was still in the cell. It was the yellow fox in a red dress, and she was still huddled up to her knees. As Sally entered the cell and walked towards her, she saw that the fox appeared to be a child, maybe around Tails' age. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, crouching down and keeping her voice low. "Are you hurt?"

"... I'll stay," she said.

"Zooey, you can't stay!" Perci shouted, she and her sister running to Sally's side. "C'mon, we gotta move!"

"No."

"Girl, we understand how you feel," Staci said, "But if you're the only one here after we all escape, Eggman's gonna hurt you far worse!" Zooey simply turned her head away without responding.

"Is something wrong?" Sally asked. She sensed there was something she was missing.

The twins appeared uneasy. Perci answered, "Y'see, she's... Fiona's sister."

"Oh..." Sally turned back to Zooey. "Zooey? Are you afraid we'll be mad at you?" Zooey shook her head. "Then, what is it?"

"I... I want to stay. Fiona's here, so I'll stay and... talk to her."

"I understand where you're coming from, but-"

"Something must be wrong. She was bad before, but not… She would never have… I have to find out why she's doing this, and convince her to stop."

Sally wasn't sure what to say to that, but as she racked her brain, somebody moved past her. Geoffrey entered the cell, and stood over Zooey, who raised her head to meet his eyes. "Sorry, love," he said, and then he struck Zooey, delivering a swift chop to her neck. As she lost consciousness, he picked her up and handed her to Perci. The twins glared daggers at him, but they didn't say anything as they took Zooey and left the cell.

"Was that really necessary?" Sally asked, watching Geoffrey with a disapproving stare.

"We're short on time," Geoffrey answered. "She can complain when we're back in Knothole. At least she'll be alive to complain."

With that, the villagers followed Mina and Rotor out of the room. Geoffrey gave a rough rundown of where Bunnie was located and how to get there, and then Antoine and Ash were off, too. "That just leaves us to rescue Nicole," Sally said. "Geoffrey, I'm sorry. I took another great risk, and now we're in this situation. I'm not the leader my father was, after all."

"You're doin' yer best. That counts for somethin'." Geoffrey loaded his crossbow, grinning. "Lead the way, Princess, an' I'll follow. If ya make a mistake, I'll help ya set things right."

Sally followed Geoffrey's directions as they left.

Fiona sat back on the large couch in the makeshift office, watching as Clove worked on some report. The pronghorn had prepared a cup of tea for her, but she had left it untouched. From the nearby monitors showing camera feeds throughout the base, the two heard a ruckus, and Fiona turned to find Mina smashing apart badniks.

"Sounds like the prisoners are free," Fiona said as she leaned back into a more-relaxed position. "Gonna go take care of that?"

"And what about you? You seem free."

Fiona waved off the notion. "Not my job. I'm an informant, not a soldier. Eggman's counting on you to keep the peace around here."

Clove studied Fiona's face, and then looked down to the untouched cup of tea, sweating. "You should drink that before it gets cold."

"My folks always told me not to take food or drink from strangers," Fiona said, grinning. "Though I guess we're not really 'strangers', are we? You were trying to capture me for years, and now here we are on the same side. On the surface, at least."

"What are you implying?"

"That maybe the reason you're not acting right away is because you want the Princess to get away?" Fiona picked up the cup and poured the contents onto the floor. "That maybe you're hoping you can still work out that deal you offered the Princess."

Clove clenched her hands into fists, glaring at the fox. "So, are you going to report me?"

Fiona hummed in thought. "If I did that, he'd have you taken away, and then I would be made to fill in for you." Fiona laughed. "No, you don't have to worry. I'm no snitch."

"Just a traitor," Clove spat.

"Hello Pot, I'm Kettle."

"Somehow, I have a hard time believing that that's all there is to it."

"Well then, maybe I just wanted to hold it over your head a bit longer."

"You have a sister too, don't you? I think you sympathise with my position."

"... I think you're reaching. Zooey betrayed me. I couldn't care less about her anymore."

"Betrayed you?" Clove raised an eyebrow. "Your sister?"

"Not just her. Everyone."

Clove was curious, now. "You mean they betrayed you to Eggman?"

Fiona was silent for a moment, looking off to the side. "Yep. Hedgehog Village was my home. Even as an international thief, I always returned there when I needed a place to crash or stash my loot." Fiona turned back to Clove with a grin. "Betcha never thought to check there, huh?"

"We did, but the villagers were… less-then-helpful."

"After Eggman started his attacks, the village fell into chaos. The mayor was useless, and the police were cowards. So, I decided to step in and take charge. We formed the Mercian Resistance, and we stood our ground for several months."

"I see. It really sounds like you and the rest of your village formed a tight community."

"We were united in our goal, and everyone became stronger for it. Even that wimp Dave the Intern was holding his own against SWATbots. And I admit, it felt nice being respected for once. I was even beginning to think that, after the war, I'd leave my criminal life behind and go straight. But then, I got a wake-up call…

"A big battle was coming, bigger than any we'd ever fought. But I knew that we could win. We had the numbers, we had the Wispons, and we had the attitude. We'd converted our village into an impenetrable fortress and made use of the terrain to bottleneck Eggman's forces. There was no doubt in my mind that we could've easily won, so I asked everyone to stand with me and fight. They all unanimously said 'yes', swearing that they'd have my back. But when the day came, I found myself alone in that village. Everybody else had left during the night, and before I had realised what was going on, the invading force arrived, led by Infinite. I couldn't fight them on my own... so I surrendered."

Clove narrowed her eyes. Fiona's story was the exact opposite from what the villagers had told her. Someone had to be lying... but she didn't believe it was Fiona. "I have a hard time believing the villagers would do that to you. Maybe a few of them, but all of them, together?"

"As I was being taken away by airship, I saw them out of the window. The villagers were travelling through the forest outside of the village, Zooey included. Of course, if I saw them, you can bet that Infinite did, too. He sent his robots out to capture them, but they must've been sent somewhere else, because I never saw them after that."

"You never saw them after that?" Clove glanced over to the monitors, seeing the villagers assisting Mina and Rotor in fighting badniks throughout the base.

"In a way, I guess I should thank them. They showed me that you really can't trust anyone in this world. Neither the Resistance or Eggman."

"You really believe that?"

Fiona grinned. "You do, too. You went to Doctor Eggman for help because you didn't trust the Resistance, but now that your allegiance to him hasn't worked out, you're thinking of switching sides. You and Cassia are just looking out for yourselves, same as me."

"When I fought you before, it really didn't look to me like you were just using them. It seemed like you really fancied yourself a part of the group."

Fiona waved off the notion. "Yeah, right. I'm not that good a person. Maybe I had a little fun with them, but at the end of the day, being bad suits me best."

Clove sighed. "I see. If that's the path you've chosen…" Clove turned off the monitors and climbed to her feet. "I guess I'd better go protect the Doctor. That is my job, after all."

"And let the prisoners get away?"

"His fault for not giving more-clear instructions."

Fiona laughed. "Well, you have fun with that. A word of warning, though: pick a side now. This war's coming to a close, and it's time to choose where you stand."

After Clove left the room, Fiona lay down on the couch, hoping to get some sleep. This was denied her, however, when she received a call from Eggman. Sighing, she answered. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Be ready to move out in ten minutes," Eggman told her.

"What for?" she asked, but she received no answer. Grumbling, Fiona climbed off of the couch and stretched her arms and legs. "Whatever. Just gotta see this through, and then I'll be free."

Sally and Geoffrey took out a couple of badniks guarding a room and approached the door. "This's where I saw 'em. Eggman should be in here, with Nicole," Geoffrey said, and the two of them readied their weapons. "Y'ready?"

"I'll lead, you cover me." Sally slashed through the door and kicked it down, charging into the room. Inside, she saw Eggman sitting at the other end, grinning as though he was expecting her. "Where's Nicole?!"

"'Nicole'? Oh, that's right. That's what it was calling itself, isn't it?" Eggman laughed. "I really must thank you, Princess. I'd abandoned that program a long time ago, but clearly, I was too hasty."

"'Program'? Nicole's not a program! She's a living person, another one of your victims!"

"It did believe that, didn't it? It was amusing, if nothing else." Eggman snapped his fingers, and Nicole materialised in the centre of the room.

"Nicole! Are you okay?!" Sally ran to Nicole, keeping her eyes on Eggman the whole time. She looked into Nicole's eyes, and saw that they were vacant, like there was nobody home. "What's wrong? What have you done to her?!"

"I restored her to what she was always meant to be! An artificial intelligence designed to help me conquer the world. Nothing more, and nothing less." Eggman snapped his fingers again, and Nicole grabbed Sally by the neck, choking her.

"N-Ni... cole..." Sally kicked Nicole, pushing her away, and gasped for air as she was released. "Y-You... touched me?"

"I took the liberty of making a few upgrades. Let's see... I'll let it keep the name it likes so much. Princess, meet Iron Nicole, my newest enforcer! Perfect timing, since the old one is on his way out. With Iron Nicole here, I'll be able to hack into the Resistance's networks much easier, and with the Phantom Ruby Replica I've installed, it can even join the fighting directly. I've created a soldier that cannot be harmed or destroyed!"

As Eggman monologued, Nicole rushed Sally, throwing punches. Sally dodged and parried them as she backed away. "Nicole, stop! It's me! Don't you recognise me?!"

Nicole landed a hit on Sally's face, causing her to stumble, and then she swept her legs to trip the Princess. Before Sally could climb back to her feet, Nicole raised her foot, but hesitated as it hung in the air. For just a moment, her eyes displayed fear, rather than malice.

A shadow crashed into Nicole from the side, pushing her away, and Geoffrey appeared by Sally's side, pointing his crossbow at Eggman. Nicole quickly moved to place herself between the two. "Hmph. So the Ixis punk came here, after all," Eggman said, grimacing. "Nicole, make sure you kill that one. I really don't care for that sorcery."

"You're free ta try!" Geoffrey fired three bolts, creating a smokescreen, and helped Sally to her feet. "What now, Princess?"

"We're not leaving her."

"I figured as much. Guess if I drag ya with me, you'll just come runnin' back first chance ye get."

"If you know that, then help me think. Her handheld must be nearby."

"I saw it. It's at Eggman's side."

Sally groaned. "Of course it is. Which means even if we get past Nicole, all he has to do is threaten to destroy it."

Nicole emerged from the smoke, reaching for Geoffrey. He slipped into the shadows on the floor and reappeared behind her, driving his foot into her back and pinning her down. "Sorry Princess, but I'm not gonna hold back just 'cause she's a friend."

"That's fine, but I need you to get the handheld. You're the only one who can get close enough without alerting Eggman."

"So we're stickin' to the original plan. Jus' get 'is attention for me, an' I'll do the rest."

Nicole pushed Geoffrey's foot off, freeing herself, and she threw a punch at the skunk. Sally grabbed Nicole's wrist and threw her to the side. "Sorry Nicole, but this is for your own good!"

Nicole saved herself from falling over, and leapt back as Sally swung at her with her blades. Eggman watched as Nicole kept retreating back, tapping his fingers impatiently. "Hmmm, seems she's operating under the delusion that she can be hurt. Then again, maybe she can be. Anyone's guess when it comes to the Phantom Ruby."

Nicole caught one of Sally's blades with her hands and delivered a crescent kick to Sally's chin, dizzying the Princess. "Run." She then threw a punch at Sally's face, and then another, and another. "Just go." Sally could only stumble backwards as Nicole begged her to run, whilst simultaneously pummelling her.

Eggman delighted at the spectacle, leaning forwards in his seat to focus on the fight. Distracted, he didn't notice his shadow stretching and distorting, creating a portal through which Geoffrey could emerge. As Geoffrey sprang out from Eggman's shadow, he grabbed the handheld on the armrest and pointed his crossbow at the Doctor.

"Egads!" Eggman ducked, dodging the shot that was aimed for his head, and drew his sidearm. He fired at Geoffrey, but the skunk had already sunk back into the shadow. Not taking any chances, Eggman pushed a button that dropped a protective dome around himself. "Nicole, wipe them out now!"

"Sorry, love," Geoffrey said as he emerged, holding Nicole's handheld. He switched it off, causing Nicole's hologram to vanish. "Gotta keep you offline 'til you're cured."

Geoffrey gave the handheld back to Sally, who looked at it sombrely. "Please bear with it. I promise we'll bring you back, just give us a little time."

"You're wasting your time!" Eggman shouted, pressing a button on his chair. SWATbots stormed into the room, surrounding the two. "Iron Nicole has already been moved onto one of my servers! That handheld is merely an access point for her to enter our world, and switching it off will only halt her temporarily!"

The SWATbots raised their fists, ready to fire. Geoffrey used his magic to create a protective wall around himself and Sally, and then fired bolts to down the robots one-by-one. When the last robot fell, Sally leapt out of the shadows and ran towards Eggman, slashing his dome with her blades.

Eggman gritted his teeth as the dome shook. As strong as it was, it wouldn't protect him for long. He ran behind his chair, reaching for a button, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Sorry I'm late, sir!" It was Clove. She had rushed into the room and was now deflecting Sally's attacks, and with a forceful shove, she pushed the Princess back. "I forgot to re-engage the alarm and-"

"I don't want your excuses, just get rid of them!"

Clove stared into Sally's eyes, subtly shaking her head. Sally stared back, not giving any sort of response. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to Geoffrey.

"Princess, let's go," he said. "Our objective was t' rescue Nicole. Let's leave well enough alone, a'ight?"

Sally nodded. "You're right. The others will be waiting for us."

Geoffrey dropped a smoke bomb and two of them fled. Clove cleared the smoke with a swing of her scythe. "Should I pursue them?"

Eggman huffed, raising the dome and stepping outside. "Yes, go! And be sure to kill them both! I have no further need for them! I'll go after the others."

"By yourself?"

"Even I like to get in on the action from time-to-time," Eggman said, guffawing as he passed her. Clove simply watched as he left the room, and then she also left moments later.

Sally and Geoffrey watched as the badniks stormed through the hall beneath them, heading in the direction of the garage. As the last of them passed, the two dropped down to the floor. "What's our next move, Princess?" Geoffrey asked. Sally was staring at her handheld, and seemingly had not heard the question. "Princess?"

Sally snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh. Well, we have to hurry and meet with everyone, but…"

"If what Eggman said is true, gettin' the handheld back wasn't enough. Nicole's still 'is prisoner."

"If she's really on Eggman's server, like he said, then we'd need Rotor or Uncle Chuck to get to her. Or maybe Tails."

"There's no sense in standin' around 'ere then. We gotta retreat for now, and worry about rescuin' Nicole later."

Sally instinctively reached for her handheld, hoping to ask Nicole for her opinion, and flinched when she remembered it was currently off. "If we wait that long, there's no telling what damage Nicole could do in the meantime! She has access to sensitive information about the Resistance!"

"Then the obvious answer is to erase her, while you still can." Sally and Geoffrey jumped at the sound of Clove's voice. Geoffrey readied his crossbow as she approached, but she kept her hands in the air. "Easy there. I'm not here to fight."

"How did you find us?" Sally asked.

"Check your neck."

Sally reached behind herself and felt her neck. She felt something in her fur, and pulled out a small device with a blinking light. "A tracker? Like the one you put on our ship." Sally crushed the device and glared at Clove. "So which is it? Are you on our side, or not?"

"Right now, I'm still on Eggman's side. Whether I help you or not depends on whether or not you can help me. That hasn't changed, but before any of that, you need to actually escape from here."

"Princess, we can't trust her," Geoffrey said. "If we take her out now, that'll be one less pain-in-the-neck down the road."

"She said she has vital information about my family's whereabouts," Sally whispered.

"Likely a trap," Geoffrey said.

"Maybe, but… I don't think she was lying."

"If you two are done whispering," Clove began, "Maybe we should take this somewhere else, before more badniks show up."

"Lead the way," Geoffrey said, keeping his crossbow trained on Clove. "Just no funny moves, y'hear?"

Clove led the two through the base, to a large room filled with servers. "Why did you bring us here?" Sally asked.

"Your friend, Nicole, is currently on Eggman's server." She patted one of the machines. "This server. She hasn't been uploaded to the cloud yet. Which means now's your only chance to stop that from happening."

"You're suggesting we destroy the server, and Nicole along with it?"

"She's been compromised. If you leave her be, she'll be a huge threat to the Resistance. Not to mention, she might tell Eggman about my attempts to make a deal with you."

Sally shook her head. "I'm not going to kill my friend."

"She's already lost-"

"Not yet, she isn't! I saw it. For just a moment, Nicole took control. She also begged me to run. Even if she's not in complete control, she's still in there somewhere, fighting to get out."

"That's commendable, but it doesn't change the risk she poses to both of us, or the risk you would take trying to rescue her. Thinking about it logically, wouldn't it be smarter to let her go, than to endanger others-"

"Like your sister, Cassia?" Geoffrey asked, and Clove stopped, looking distraught.

"… Fine, I see your point. But what do you even intend to do?"

"If she's in there, then all I have to do is pull her out. You should be able to get me onto Eggman's servers, yes?"

"Not onto these ones. They're protected, and I don't have the right credentials."

"Then just get me onto the Eggnet, and I'll do the rest." Sally approached a large machine in the centre of the room. A platform with a bright, orange glow, and a pillar hanging from the ceiling above it. "I might not be a hacker, but if I can enter cyberspace through this, I can find her."

"What about the others?" Clove asked. "They're all waiting for you, aren't they?"

"… We can get back on our own," Sally told him, and then she turned to Geoffrey. "If you want to go now, I won't hold it against you."

"Yeah, right. I'm stayin' right where I can keep an eye on this one," Geoffrey said, not shifting his focus off of Clove. "Do it."

Clove sighed, approaching the computer by the digitizer. "You are wasting time."

"Even so, I have to do this. We're not abandoning Knothole; everyone there is a capable fighter. They can hold out until we return."

"… It's ready to go. I can only get you to the Eggnet hub. You'll have to find your way to the server Nicole is on through there."

"Thank you." Sally activated her comm device. "Rotor, it's me. There's been a delay on our end, so go on ahead without us."

"Princess, are you okay?"

"Yes, we're just taking a detour to rescue Nicole."

"Understood. Please be careful, and come back safe. We'll take care of Knothole."

"Are you ready?" Clove asked, and Sally nodded. Clove activated the machine, and Sally was transported into cyberspace.

As Sally materialised in the digital space, she found herself at the base of a large, red tower, facing a vast sea of free data, with small islands and three more towers connected by a web of Light Speed Circuits. Badniks roamed the space, and Sally hid to avoid their gazes. Of the four towers, the yellow one seemed to be drawing the most energy, and had far more security than the others.

Sneaking past the badniks around her, Sally entered the Light Speed Circuit and surfed along the sea of data, avoiding the firewalls along the way. Upon arriving at the yellow tower, the badniks there turned to face her, but she managed to take cover before she was spotted.

Sally infiltrated the tower, keeping low and taking out only the badniks that were in her way, ensuring that none of them saw her whenever she attacked. Upon reaching the core of the tower, Sally accessed a console there to find out where the energy was being directed.

"Nicole!" She brought up a feed of another server, where she found Nicole running from a creature that was seemingly made entirely of shadows; its body was nothing more than a black mass that slithered and twisted as it gave chase, the only other notable feature being the white mask in the shape of a cat's face that it wore, complete with two large, glowing eyes.

This creature seemed to enjoy hounding Nicole; laughing, and taunting her to run faster. It struck the ground around Nicole with tendrils that extended from its body, creating holes and summoning spinning sawblades and spikes for Nicole to dodge, but it never actually struck Nicole herself. Beneath the mask, Sally could just barely see the corners of a wide, toothy grin.

Sally found the server's address and attempted to open a pathway there, but this triggered an alarm that summoned several Buzz Bombers to her location. The badniks attacked, and Sally deflected their shots with her energy blades, and then leapt up to cut them down. More badniks were on the way, and Sally hurriedly returned the console, activating a firewall to slow them down. "Come on! I've gotta get in there before Nicole..." Sally slammed the console, and to her surprise, that seemed to work, creating a warp hole to the other server.

The badniks broke through the firewall and raced towards her, and Sally sprinted towards the warp hole. There was a large gap that she was forced to jump across, and she just barely cleared it, her feet meeting the edge of the other side and her arms waving as she balanced herself. Taking a few extra steps forwards, Sally broke back into a sprint as she heard the Buzz Bombers on her tail. She jumped, reaching for the warp hole. The Buzz Bombers aimed their stingers at the intruder and fired, but their attacks missed as Sally was whisked away to another server, leaving the badniks confused.

Nicole ran for dear life as the creature chasing her continued to create hazards for her to avoid, mocking her with a laugh that echoed across the otherwise empty server. "Keep running! How long can you go before you surrender all hope?" it asked as another tendril slithered past Nicole, nicking her cheek, and then struck the ground ahead of her. Nicole jumped over the hole that was created, and continued running. "Heh-heh-heh-heh! You're resilient! I wonder how durable you are, though?"

Nicole felt a chill down her spine as the shadowy creature sank into the ground and swam past her, emerging to cut her off. Nicole screeched to a halt, falling onto her behind as the creature bore down on her from above. It extended several large tendrils, cracking them like whips, and Nicole braced herself, shielding her face with her arms.

As the creature lashed its whips, Sally jumped onto the scene, slicing through them all. The tendrils disintegrated as they were cut, and what remained of them retracted back into the creature's body. Sally landed in front of Nicole, standing over her in defiance before the towering creature.

"Sally?"

"Oh? You're that girl! The one she's always thinking about!" The creature laughed. "Come to rescue your friend? It's pointless! She's already been trapped in Doctor Eggman's server, and once I'm finished experimenting with her, she'll be assimilated into my body!"

Sally glared at the creature. "What are you?"

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Phage. The Doctor created me to deal with rogue AIs like this one. I… recondition them, to make them more in-line with what the Doctor had originally intended. In return, I get to play with them, to see how durable they really are. How much they can take before they finally break."

"Sally, you have to leave! You're in danger here!" Nicole shouted, tears welling in her eyes. "Please, just forget about me and save yoursel-"

"What are you talking about?! Of course I won't forget about you! You're part of the team!"

"I… I can't be…" Nicole's ears drooped, and her colour began to fade. "Sally, I can't be a member of the Resistance! I've been deceiving you this whole time, and I... I..."

Phage laughed. "Yes, that's right! She's a naughty little program that's been lying to you from day one. This punishment is what she deserves."

"A program?" Sally glanced over her shoulder at Nicole, who looked away in shame.

"I have no interest in intruders," Phage said, regrowing her tendrils. "If you won't leave, then I'll eliminate you!" As she lashed the tendrils, Sally braced herself.

Before Sally could move, though, several firewalls formed around her, creating a dome that completely surrounded both herself and Nicole. She heard the tendrils crashing against the firewalls, and saw them shaking. They would hold, but not for long. Sally turned to the one who had created the firewalls: Nicole.

"You have to leave while you can," Nicole said, creating a warp hole. "I still have limited functionality here, but it's not much. This will give you some distance from Phage, and then you should be able to find your own way out. When you get out, destroy this server completely. That'll stop Eggman from gaining any information on the Resistance and-"

SLAP!

Nicole blinked, falling silent. She moved her hand to her cheek, feeling where Sally had just slapped her, and turned to face the Princess, who looked furious, but who was also beginning to cry.

"Don't give me that!" Sally shouted. "I didn't come here to say goodbye, and I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself! I'll get out of here, but I'm bringing you with me, understand?!"

"But… But I…"

Sally took a breath, calming herself down. "What is it? Whatever it is, you can tell me." Sally saw that Nicole was still hesitating. "Is it true? That you're not a real person, after all?"

Nicole flinched, and then nodded. "I really didn't mean to deceive you."

"Then please, tell me." Sally reached out a hand, taking Nicole's. The trembling of the firewalls fell silent as the two stared into each other's eyes, and Sally waited patiently for Nicole to start.

Nicole squeezed Sally's hand, and said, "Many years ago, before Julian began to call himself Eggman, he kidnapped a girl named Nikki, to use in his experiment. Her mind was digitized, but in the process, her body died, and her mental data was fragmented. The experiment was a failure, and he abandoned the concept of separating a person's mind from their body."

Sally nodded. So far, Nicole was repeating the same story that she had told everyone when they had first met, only this time, she was referring to Nikki in the third person.

"Years later, Eggman began a new experiment. He wanted to create an AI, one that could run his systems and infiltrate his enemies' networks. One that could act independently and learn from trial-and-error. This, too, was a failure, and he abandoned the project, leaving what he had created all alone on an empty network. Little did he know, I was conscious. I was aware of my surroundings, but I had no idea who or what I was."

"That must have been awful." Sally couldn't even imagine what it must have been like, but she could see the fear in Nicole's eyes, and she squeezed Nicole's hand tighter.

"All I had around me was scattered data, most of it meaningless… But then one day, I found it. The remnants of Nikki's mind, or at least part of it. I learned of her name, her age, her appearance. I don't know if I meant to or not, but I had assumed those characteristics were my own and began looking around for more. I gradually began to piece together Nikki's mind, and I took her life as my own template. By the time I finished, I was calling myself 'Nicole'. Perhaps I knew on some level that I wasn't really Nikki at all, but I had convinced myself that I was, because if I wasn't Nikki, then who or what was I?"

"You're Nicole, that's who you are," Sally said. "It doesn't matter where you came from, or that your memories might be fake; who you are now, and the things you've done since waking up, those are all you."

"But where does 'Nikki' end and 'Nicole' begin? Would I even be who I am today if not for Nikki's memories?"

"Those memories are just a starting point. You decided where to go from there, and you're the one who became our friend and helped us in our fights."

Nicole turned away, closing her eyes. "I'm just data. Just a program, with no physical presence in the real world. I have nothing. No past, no home, no future."

"That's up to you," Sally said. "You can have a future. Everyone in Knothole accepted you once, and they'll accept you again. There are… so many things that I want us to do together, when this ware is over. I want you to meet my family, I want to show you my favourite movies, I want to show you my favourite places in the Kingdom. More than anything, I just want the two of us to hang out and do fun things together." Sally said the last part with a laugh, and the smile Nicole gave didn't go unnoticed. "The future's yours, Nicole. You just have to want it."

The two stood in silence as Nicole gazed into Sally's eyes, gripping the Princess' hand. New tears formed in her eyes, but this time, they weren't born of sadness or fear. Sally pulled her in and the two hugged, Nicole closing her eyes as she accepted the warm embrace. "Thank you…"

"Don't thank me just yet," Sally said, as the sounds of Phage pummelling the firewalls surrounding them returned. The firewalls had begun to crack, and likely wouldn't last much longer. "We still have a problem we have to deal with."

"Oh, I can deal with that," Nicole said. "I just need you to buy me enough time."

Sally nodded. "Sounds simple enough. Then?"

"Let's do it to it!" they cried in unison as they entered the warp hole hand-in-hand, emerging some distance away. They watched as Phage finally broke through the firewalls, only to find nobody inside. As Phage looked around in confusion, Sally and Nicole split-up.

"Hey!" Sally cried as she approached Phage, drawing its attention. Phage summoned lasers that fired at Sally, but she nimbly dodged between them and closed the distance. Phage next attacked by lashing her tendrils, but Sally used this to her advantage, jumping from tendril-to-tendril to reach Phage's face.

She slashed, creating a crack along Phage's mask. As she descended back to the ground, the world around her shimmered and turned to a shade of red. Phage's eyes also turned red, and its tendrils turned to scythes that it used to attack Sally relentlessly. "I have no interest in the living! You made a mistake coming here, and now you'll reap what you've sown!"

Sally dodged each attack with ease, grinning as she watched Phage growing increasingly annoyed. "Are you even trying to hit me? I've had to deal with Shadow in the real world. Compared to him, you're practically moving in slow-motion."

Phage roared, and the world around her tremored, causing Sally to lose her footing and trip over herself. "I've got you now, you pest!"

Sally deflected the coming attack with her energy blades, and then rolled out of the way of the second and third attacks, using the momentum of her roll to bring herself back onto her feet. "You were saying?"

"I was saying, that you are beginning to annoy me! I am going to purge you from this system, once-and-for-all!"

"Get in line, because there's a long list of Eggman's stooges who've sworn that!" Sally slashed the tendril-scythes as Phage attacked her wildly. The attacks almost seemed random now, and it was easy for Sally to predict and react to each one.

Phage reared back, combining all of her tendrils into a single, large hammer, big enough to crush Sally and leave a sizeable crater around her. Phage chuckled, and brought the hammer down, but a firewall appeared in its path. The shockwave created by the impact knocked Sally back, but at least she wasn't crushed.

A purple light flew above Sally's head, striking Phage's face through her mask. The light faded, and Sally could see what appeared to be a large tuning fork, that had been thrown like a spear at Phage. Where Sally's attack had practically no effect, this one had Phage wailing in agony, grasping the fork and trying desperately to pull it out.

"Sally, our exit's clear!" Nicole cried, calling to Sally from a distance.

Sally started running, and heard Phage roaring and giving chase behind her. Phage crashed through the server, shaking the ground, and Sally found it hard to see as darkness filled her vision. "Nicole?! Where are you?!"

A hand grabbed Sally's wrist, and Nicole led Sally through the dark server. "I've created a gate that leads directly to my handheld, bypassing Eggman's hub!"

"I will not allow you to leave!" Phage declared, firing several tendrils at the two. Nicole stopped, positioning herself in front of Sally, and held out her hands. Large firewalls appeared that blocked the attack, but she wasn't done yet; as soon as the rampaging Phage crashed into the walls, Nicole detonated them, illuminating the server with a brilliant, white light and evaporating Phage's shadowy body, reducing her to a much smaller size.

"Let's go, before she regenerates!" Nicole shouted, grabbing Sally's wrist and leading her to a shining, blue light up ahead.

"Wow," Sally said, wide-eyed. "You're… impressive."

Nicole blushed. "Only on this server, and… only because you gave me the confidence boost I needed."

"No!" Phage cried as she resumed her chase, slowly growing back to her regular size. She lashed out again to stop the two, but they reached the portal first. Gritting her teeth, Phage followed them through the portal. "I won't let you!"

"Too bad!" Nicole shouted as Phage appeared on the other side, and was immediately greeted to her and Sally's fists. The impact knocked Phage back through the portal, into Eggman's server. "I'm cutting you off! Have fun explaining your failure to the Doctor!"

"NOOOOOOOO-"

The portal closed, and Sally and Nicole watched with bated breathes for several seconds, as if expecting the portal to re-open, or for Phage to somehow rip a new hole through cyberspace to reach them. When nothing happened, they both released heavy sighs.

"Looks like we're clear," Sally said.

"We will be, as soon as I cut off all connection with the Eggnet," Nicole said, bringing up several keyboards in the air before her. "I'm afraid that means no more inside information."

"Don't sweat it. The risk is too great." Sally gave Nicole a reassuring smile, and Nicole smiled back. "What about Phage?"

"Still alive, but without me or a similar program, there's nothing to worry about. Phage is a parasitic virus, who only poses any real danger inside of cyberspace." Nicole finished tapping on her keyboards, and then whisked them away. "And, done."

"… I'm glad you're safe, Nicole," Sally said. "I was so worried. I thought I might've lost you."

Nicole turned away, clutching her arm. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

There was a silence that passed between the two for a few moments, before Sally finally broke it. "We should probably return now. Geoffrey's waiting outside."

"'We'? You're the only one who can leave, Sally. This is my home, remember?"

"Right…"

Nicole smiled, assuring Sally that she didn't have to feel sad. "I'll see you on the other side, though."

Sally nodded. "Right!" Nicole extended her hand, and a blue light enveloped Sally.

"Sal!" Geoffrey cried as Sally rematerialized into the world. "You're back! How'd it go?"

Sally took out her handheld and switched it on. "See for yourself."

Nicole's hologram formed before them, looking sheepish as she regarded Geoffrey. "Hey. Sorry for earlier, but I'm all better now."

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it, mate," Geoffrey said, lightly tapping Nicole's shoulder with his fist. "Gave me a right scare, though! … Hm?" Geoffrey placed his hand on Nicole's shoulder, and both Sally and Nicole gasped.

"That's right! The Phantom Ruby!" Sally said, and she and Nicole faced each other with stunned looks. "Nicole, you…"

"I'm solid," Nicole finished, reaching out to take Sally's hand. "I can touch. Feel. I can… I'm…" She reached out and hugged Sally, taking the Princess by surprise, but Sally soon returned the gesture.

"Hate ta spoil the moment," Geoffrey said, "But we'd best get on outta here. Clove 'ad to leave, an' we gotta get back to Knothole t'make sure the others are all okay."

Nicole gasped, pulling away from Sally. She had a horrified look on her face as she looked between the two. "Wait, where's Bunnie?" she asked.

"She should be at Knothole right now," Sally answered, suddenly feeling very uneasy. "The others rescued her, and went on ahead to-"

"No!" Nicole shouted, grabbing Sally's shoulders. "We have to get back right away! It's a trap!"

"A trap?" Sally felt a chill down her spine.

"The reason your escape was so easy, is because Eggman wanted you to escape, so you'd take Bunnie back to Knothole! She… She's been compromised!"