"I've decided that I'm going to take Clove up on her deal," Sally said. Gathered around her were Chuck, Rotor, Mina, Ash, and Geoffrey. Nicole stood behind her at attention, and Hamlin and Dylan were standing guard outside of the small room that was to be their makeshift command centre. Ash and Geoffrey seemed uneasy with Sally's decision, while Chuck was deep-in-thought, weighing their options.

"Not that I don't think it's a good deal," Ash began, "But is it really okay to take such a risk now after… all that's happened?"

"Believe me, I've stayed up all night, weighing the pros and cons." Nicole nodded behind her, frowning. "And I intend to take every possible precaution when approaching this. We need my father back. I'm not the leader that he was." She raised her hand, seeing Rotor beginning to object. "It's the truth. I can lead a small army to defend a village, and offer relief to refugees, but I've simply not got what it takes to fight a war. My father, King Max, can do what I can't. Furthermore, his return would surely inspire those who have lost faith in me."

"There's no denyin' that King Max has decades of experience on ya," Geoffrey agreed, "And he's no stranger to conflict, being a war hero himself. That said, do ya really think that's what we need ta turn things around?"

"I don't know. It's all I can offer, though." Sally shook her head. "I'm out of ideas. I have nothing else up my sleeve. I know it looks like I'm running away, but-"

"No, it doesn't look like that at all," Mina argued. "If you think that's what's best, then I'll trust you. Everyone has their limits."

"Right…" Sally sighed. "That being said, I will not endanger Knothole over this. I will be going alone, and if you do not hear back from me, you are to leave me. We're not going to have a repeat of last time."

"To that, I must object," Chuck said.

"Uncle Chuck-"

"No, Princess, I'm afraid I can't let you offer yourself up like that. Even if you've hit your 'limit', the people of Knothole are still looking to you for guidance. Furthermore, I could never look your father in the eye again if I let you go just like that." Chuck rose to his feet. "I'll go. I may be old, but I have experience carrying messages in the field, and an eye for trickery."

"… Okay. Just please be careful."

Chuck nodded, smiling. "So, how do we make contact, exactly?"

"Every day, Clove performs a perimeter check around her base," Geoffrey explained, and Nicole extended her hand, generating a map for everyone to see. Geoffrey pointed to a hill on the map. "At the top of that hill is an abandoned watchtower, with a flagpole. Tie a blue flag to it if we accept the deal, and a red one if we don't. If we accept, instructions will be placed at the base of that tower by noon the followin' day. It'll have the instructions on how ta proceed."

"Got it. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Be careful," Sally said as Chuck turned to leave. Her left her with a reassuring smile, and then he was gone.

Two days passed. Antoine was still out cold, and Bunnie was still stuck in quarantine while Sally tried to convince everybody that she was no threat. Her legs had been cleared and reattached, and Rotor spent his time working on a new arm to replace the one she had lost.

"I'm really, truly sorry-" Bunnie began, but Sally stopped her.

"Bunnie, please, it wasn't your fault. I'm just glad we were able to save you."

Bunnie's ears fell, and she looked away guiltily. "Thanks ta 'Twan…"

"Antoine's alive."

"But asleep. He has been since we got here. And it's all mah fault, 'cause Ah didn't realise what that Eggman had done ta me."

"Eggman's made fools of us all at some point or another," Rotor said. "It's what he does. It's how he's gained major victories this entire war. You're not any more to blame than me, or Sally, or any of the Resistance leaders."

Bunnie brought her knees to her face, curling herself into a ball. "Ah need time."

"Take all the time you need," Sally said, and she quietly left Bunnie to her thinking, and Rotor to his tinkering.

Ash and Mina had taken on more work, and Sally was concerned that they were pushing themselves, but she was thankful for their help in keeping what remained of their Resistance faction up-and-running. Over the last two nights, fourteen soldiers had defected, either during the night or while they were out on missions.

The civilians were talking about maybe trying their luck with another Resistance group, and some whispered about trying to join with Eggman before it was too late for them. Sally had to draw the line there, and enacted a strict curfew that forbid anybody, civilian or soldier, from leaving the hideout without authorisation. This did not help raise her popularity, but she couldn't risk another traitor selling them out.

Sally sighed as she remembered Fiona. A girl she had once considered her friend, but who had stabbed her in the back without a second thought. And before Sally could even ask Fiona why she had done it, Knothole was completely destroyed, with Fiona still inside. Now she was dead, and there would be no closure for her, or for her sister, who had isolated herself from everybody else these past few days.

"Sally, it's time for a break," Nicole said, taking Sally's hand. "And I won't hear any objections."

Sally nodded. She really wanted to keep going, but she had promised Nicole she'd start taking better care of herself, so she didn't argue. The two found a quiet spot to sit together, and Sally finally released a yawn she had been supressing all day.

"You should take a nap," Nicole said. "I can set an alarm for thirty minutes."

"Sounds good," Sally said. She lay down, resting her head on Nicole's lap. "If Uncle Chuck returns, wake me early."

Nicole set the alarm and held Sally's hand, smiling as the Princess drifted to sleep. She closed her own eyes, even though she was physically incapable of sleeping, and the time passed. Before she knew it, thirty minutes had passed, and she opened her eyes. Sally was still sleeping, and at some point had started drooling.

Nicole giggled, wiping the drool away with her thumb. She then shook Sally gently to wake her up. Sally groaned as she opened her eyes, and as Nicole's smiling face entered her groggy vision, she smiled back. "Break's over," Nicole said.

Sally rubbed her eyes as she rose, stretched her arms and legs as she stood, and then, she got back to it. Inspecting every corner of the base, making sure everybody was fine, running inventory checks and checking in with their scouts and sentries, paying the injured soldiers a visit to boost their morale, reviewing the day's menu to make sure food was being rationed appropriately… It was a lot of work, and it was all just to make sure they could live to see another day.

When Chuck returned, he brought with him the instructions that had been left by Clove. Sally called for an immediate meeting, though Chuck and Rotor opted to sit this one out, to instead focus on Bunnie's new arm. "She's one of our strongest fighters. We need her ready to fight when we launch our counterattack," Chuck reasoned, and Sally couldn't agree more.

And so, Sally, Geoffrey, Ash, Mina, and Nicole, gathered around to discuss Clove's plan. "Put simply," Sally began, "Cassia will be sent on a routine mission to inspect one of the mining sites within the Kingdom. We have full details of the guard detail and the site's layout. The plan will be for us to assault the mine, rescue the prisoners being forced to work there, and kidnap Cassia as our hostage. It goes without saying that capturing Cassia is the priority here." Sally grinned. "But since we're Knothole, we're gonna accomplish both tasks, anyway."

"Yeah we will!" Mina agreed.

"Is there enough space for more refugees here?" Geoffrey asked. "Or food?"

Ash adjusted his glasses. "We have recently lost a bunch of soldiers."

"And if they wanna fight, that's one thing, but we're not in a position ta be takin' on more freeloaders, forgive the bluntness."

"Any who don't want to enlist, we can point towards another Resistance outpost," Sally said. "Communications are still down, so somebody will have to escort them the whole way there."

"I can do that," Mina offered.

"Leave it to me," Geoffrey countered. "I know this land better than you know the back of your own hand, and I've escorted VIPs before, so civilians'll be no problem. I'll get 'em outta here and somewhere safe."

"This does feel more like Geoffrey's area of expertise," Sally said, "So I'll leave it to him. Now, the main thing to worry about is Thunderbolt. She'll be there too. Apparently, she insisted on it, but Clove doesn't think she's caught on, just that she's… enthusiastic."

"That's not the word she used, is it?" Ash asked.

"Thunderbolt may be weaker than Clove or Shadow, but her lightning is no joke. We had to leave most of our gear back in Knothole, including our Wispons, and we only have one countermeasure against it left. Mina, I think your speed might be our best bet. Focus on keeping Thunderbolt's attention on you until the rest of us are done."

Mina nodded. "You got it."

"Clove has told us that she doesn't want Cassia realising what's happening, so we're to knock her out cold when we capture her. Geoffrey?" Sally turned to the skunk. "Nicole and I will keep Cassia busy while you, Ash, and a handful of soldiers rescue the prisoners. When you're ready, that's when we knock her out, and carry her back here."

Geoffrey nodded. "Got it."

"What about Thunderbolt?" Mina asked.

"Leave her, she's not important," Sally said. "Everyone understand their roles?"

"Yes," Ash said.

"Got it," Mina said.

"Before we go," Sally began, "There's one more piece of news. Doctor Quack visited me this morning, and… it looks like Antoine has fallen into a coma." The room fell gravely silent. "He's in stable condition, but he's not waking up. If possible, I'd like for everyone to try paying him a visit at least once every day. Maybe some familiar voices might help him wake up?"

"You don't need to tell us that," Mina said, taking Ash's hand. "We've already been visiting him."

"I paid him a visit to pay my respects," Geoffrey said. "I got a lotta work on my plate, but I'll do me best to swing by now-and-then."

Sally nodded. "He's still alive, so let's not give up hope. We're going to help Cassia, bring her sister Clove over to this side, and save my family. Then, my father will lead the counterattack to retake this region, and from there, we and the other Resistance factions will win the war!"

"Yeah!" Ash, Mina and Nicole cheered in unison.

"Let's do it to it!"

Cassia frowned as she watched the prisoners work. A single chain connected an entire row of miners, shackling all of them to a single iron ball that weighed too much for any average person to carry, and for good measure, snipers were constantly watching them, along with the SWATbots patrolling the ground.

"Hey, they've been going for hours now. Don't you think they should take a break?" Cassia asked Thunderbolt, who laughed at the notion. "C'mon, TB, they're exhausted."

"Hey, this is what they get for not bowing to Lord Eggman when they had the chance!" Thunderbolt said with a shrug. "Really, they got no one to blame but themselves."

"But if they pass out, how are they gonna do their work?" Cassia tried to persuade Thunderbolt, but it seemed ineffective as the chinchilla shook her head.

"If they can't continue working, then they can always offer to help Lord Eggman with his experiments! Or perhaps we could just give them the robotomy treatment, so they don't need to rest." The workers within earshot suddenly gained a burst of energy, mining faster and showing less signs of fatigue. "See? That's how you motivate them!"

Cassia felt her stomach turn. She wanted to help, but if she did, she'd be wasting everything Clove had done for her. Even if that wasn't a concern, she was severely outnumbered.

"What are they even mining?" Cassia asked. "It's not being used to make more robots."

"Materials for Lord Eggman's new tower," Thunderbolt told her. "His crowning achievement, the thing that will finally end this war! It's nearing completion, but we still need lots more metal."

"And then they can finally rest?" Cassia asked hopefully.

"'Course not! The Eggman Empire isn't gonna build itself; it's gonna take all of us working together!"

"'Working together', huh?" Cassia sighed. "I'm uh, gonna go do my patrol."

"Good! You do that, I'll supervise here!"

Cassia rolled her eyes. 'Supervise' just meant she was going to stand around doing nothing, other than occasionally yell at the prisoners, and yet you could bet your bottom dollar that she would be ready to take all of the credit when the haul is shipped off to Eggman. Well, unless they don't meet their quota, in which case everyone else would share the blame.

Although Cassia was wandering the outskirts of the mine, her heart just wasn't in it. She simply walked as far as she needed, but didn't properly check her surroundings, didn't bother looking for suspicious signs. Instead, her mind was focussed on an image she had of herself, coming back to free the prisoners once her treatment was complete. She could picture her new cyborg body now, kitted-out with cool power-ups like Bunnie Rabbot's. She would come storming in and blow the badniks away, then she'd slash through the chains keeping everybody from escaping, and then cover their retreat. And of course, Clove would have her back the whole time, the two of them forming an unstoppable duo against the Eggman Empire.

It was such a nice thought that Cassia didn't notice the shadows between the ruined houses nearby. Her sensors did finally detect thermal readings, but by the time she broke from her thoughts to check the area, a blade was already to her back. "Don't move."

Cassia raised her hands. "Princess? So you're alive! I was worried."

"Sure you were."

"Really, I was! I heard about what happened to Knothole. You guys really are tough, aren't you?"

"More than you know," Nicole said as she approached. "We're here to free the prisoners. Please don't make things difficult."

Cassia shook her head. "Sorry, but I have to." She turned and grabbed Sally's wrist faster than the Princess could react, pulling her forwards and then thrusting her palm into Sally's face. She turned back to Nicole, who was already running at her, but stopped. "Heh, I know you; you're a hologram. You can't-"

Nicole leapt as she ran, spinning to build momentum and delivering a roundhouse kick. Cassia, to her shock, felt the full force of the kick and was knocked down onto her side.

The SWATbots had by this point been alerted to the danger, but they were unable to reach Cassia as Mina tore through them, drawing their attention as she cleared the main area. The snipers in the surrounding towers attempted to fire on her, but Geoffrey's bolts and Ash's Laser Wispon took them out before they could properly aim.

Thunderbolt saw Sally and charged to confront her, cackling. "Great! A chance to prove my superiority over that upstart Clove!" She unleashed the electricity she had built, but it stopped midway, and something shimmered in the air. "What the?!" She tried again, but the same thing happened. Stomping her foot, Thunderbolt shouted, "What is happening?! Why won't my electricity reach her?!"

"That'd be my doing." Mina waved to Thunderbolt, startling the chinchilla. She was wearing bracelet that cracked with sparks of electricity, and surrounding her was an electrically-charged Power Shield – a Thunder Shield, that rendered all electricity as harmless as a kitten. "Neat, huh?"

Thunderbolt's fur bristled. She fired electricity into the air, and it came roaring down on Mina. She moved swiftly out of the way, allowing it to strike the ground. "Stay still! If you're so confident in that shield of yours, then let me hit you!"

While Mina was sure that she was safe, she kept her distance and avoided whatever attacks weren't aimed at her friends. They only had the one Thunder Shield, and though it could absorb electricity, it was otherwise fragile.

Mina kept Thunderbolt busy, and Sally and Nicole fought with Cassia, allowing Geoffrey and Ash to finish off the remaining SWATbots and approach the prisoners. The prisoners rejoiced upon seeing them, dropping their pickaxes and their drills.

"Everyone, we're gonna get you out," Geoffrey said, sending his Ixis magic into the locks of each prisoner's shackle. There was some tension from the prisoners at first, seeing the shadowy magic slither towards them, but as the first lock clicked open, they quickly discarded that fear, favouring anything over where they were now.

While Geoffrey continued unlocking the shackles to free the prisoners, Ash and a handful of soldiers directed the prisoners out of the base, away from the battles going on against Cassia and Thunderbolt. "Hurry now," Ash said, using his Laser Wispon to cut some of the chains, saving Geoffrey from having to unlock all of them. "Anyone need help moving?"

"My father's exhausted," one raccoon woman said, and beside her was an elderly raccoon using his pickaxe as a cane to lean on.

Geoffrey finished unlocking the last shackle and approached the two, kneeling. "'Ere." He hoisted the elderly man onto his back, then checked to make sure he hadn't missed anyone. "Stay close! It's a long way ta Downunda."

"Downunda?" one of the prisoners asked. "We're not going to Knothole?"

"Knothole's at capacity," Geoffrey said, "And you'll be safer in Downunda, anyway. Unless any of ya wanna enlist?"

There was some reluctance, but then one prisoner stepped forwards, a young lynx boy whose voice was clearly just starting to break. "I want to fight."

"I'll enlist," an older lynx said, his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You go with the others to Downunda."

"But-"

"I'll join," another prisoner said, and more stepped forwards.

"Me too."

"I lost my daughter. I have to make Eggman pay!"

"I-I'll do what I can…"

Geoffrey nodded. "Alright, you folks'll go with Ash then, back ta Knothole. Rest of ya are with me."

"You're not going anywhere!" Thunderbolt roared. "Back to work, all of you!" Before she could unleash her anger on the escaping prisoners, Mina grabbed the raging chinchilla from behind, lifting her off the ground. "Let me go! You'll pay for this!"

Thunderbolt unleashed her electricity, but Mina's shield absorbed the attack. When the electricity died down, Mina spun and threw Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt landed and rolled across the ground for a second, before stopping herself and getting back onto her feet. "Sorry, but you did ask me to let you go," Mina said with a smirk.

Thunderbolt's face was red. She bared her fangs and puffed-up her fur. She fired a fast bolt of electricity at Mina, who side-stepped to dodge it. She fired two more, and Mina dodged the first one, then caught the second. She fired eight in rapid succession, but Mina was able to catch all of them, realising that each bolt became weaker whenever Thunderbolt fired multiple at once.

"RAAARRRGH!" Thunderbolt inhaled, and held her breath as she charged her next attack. Static began to crackle around her, the air becoming distorted, and Mina little shocks prickling her skin. The temperature began rising, and an instinct told her to run, but she ignored it and stood her ground.

"LET'S SEE YOU CATCH THIS!"

Thunderbolt unleashed her attack: a green bolt of lightning, accompanied by a loud crashing of thunder. Mina closed her eyes as light filled the area, and the bolt struck her, hurtling her across the mine and into a stack of barrels. After catching her breath, Mina pulled herself up. The shield had absorbed the attack, but the resulting explosion sending her flying had shattered the bracelet, leaving her completely vulnerable.

"Yeah! … Take… that!" Thunderbolt huffed, her hands on her knees as she took long breaths. Thankfully, the attack seemed to have taken its toll on the user, too.

"This way, everyone!"

Thunderbolt glared at Geoffrey as he led the prisoners out. She started to charge another attack, but Mina covered the distance between them in an instant, hitting her with a spindash. "OOF!"

Meanwhile, Cassia was holding her own against Sally and Nicole, even giving them trouble trying to keep up. She noticed the prisoners escaping, and was thankful that she was still busy fighting two opponents, allowing her an excuse to let them get away. However, Sally and Nicole weren't just trying to distract her; she could tell that they meant business, which meant she would have to get serious.

"Sorry, Sis," she muttered, activating her cybernetics to enhance her vision and sharpen her reflexes. However, as she did so, something unexpected happened; Cassia's vision glitched, occasionally blinding her, and obscuring Sally's movements whenever she could see. The weapons built into her arms refused to activate, and her legs wouldn't respond the way she was telling them to. "What's going on?! What did you do?!"

Sally and Nicole exchanged knowing looks. The virus that Clove had slipped into Cassia's cybernetics had taken effect, rendering her unable to fight. "Sorry about that," Nicole said, grinning, "But I uploaded a virus into your system when my first punch landed. Looks like it's finally spread enough to activate."

"That's ridiculous!" Cassia protested, swinging her arms wildly in the hopes of hitting somebody. "How can you upload a virus with a punch?! Besides, Eggman's security is like, super tight! There's no way you could-"

"We found a way," Sally said as she rounded Cassia, grabbing her arms from behind. She cuffed Cassia's hands together and held her still as Nicole approached with a syringe. Despite all the cybernetic enhancements, there were still parts of Cassia that were flesh on the surface, including one side of her neck.

Nicole injected the anaesthetic there, and Cassia slowly drifted off to sleep, wondering how they could have possibly known where to jab her. When they were sure that Cassia was out, Sally lifted her onto Nicole's back.

"GRAAAAAAARGH!"

The sky darkened, and a large bolt of lightning struck down on the ground, creating a blinding flash, and a large crater in the ground. Still, as the light faded, Sally and Nicole could see that the attack had missed Mina by a mile. Thunderbolt seemed to be getting desperate, and was using her hardest-hitting attacks, but in doing so, she wasn't paying any mind to landing them accurately.

"What do we do?" Nicole asked. "In that state, we could capture her, too."

"Thunderbolt isn't our target right now," Sally said. "We're rationing food as it is, and if we take two Egg Bosses, Eggman would get suspicious. Thunderbolt needs to return so she can confirm that Cassia was kidnapped during a standard raid."

"Right." Nicole waved to Mina, signalling that it was time to leave.

Mina saw the signal and skidded to a halt. "Well, it was fun while it lasted, TB, but we gotta juice!"

"You're not… going… anywhere!" Thunderbolt threatened, her eyes red with anger.

"Listen, can you send a message to Clove for us? Tell her we got her sister, and if she doesn't give us back our land, we're gonna… hurt her." It made Mina cringe internally to speak like a villain, but thankfully, she'd heard enough of Eggman's speeches to have a general idea of how to do so.

Thunderbolt laughed. "Yeah, right! You guys're too good for that!"

Mina put on her best glare. "Try us. We've lost almost everything. Don't underestimate an enemy that's cornered."

Thunderbolt gritted her teeth. "You… You…"

"Right, well, while you're thinking of a retort…" Mina started running before Thunderbolt could respond. Thunderbolt tried striking her with several bolts of electricity, but Mina easily dodged them all and met with Sally and Nicole. The three started running, Thunderbolt raging behind them. "Mission accomplished, but I feel kinda bad about it."

"Geoffrey, the prisoners?" Sally asked through her comm device.

"All accounted for! I'm gonna lead the refugees ta Downunda now, so I'll catch-up with everyone later!"

"Hey, didn't we make that look too easy?" Ash asked.

"Don't worry, I doubt she'd put two-and-two together," Sally said.

"No, but what about Eggman?"

"Knowing Thunderbolt, she'd likely exaggerate about how epic the battle really was, and how many of us were actually there." Sally paused for a moment. "I suppose there is still some risk, which is why we need to pray this works. So that we can get Clove out of there, before Eggman catches on."

Clove checked her watch anxiously as she performed her daily tasks, as well as Thunderbolt's and Cassia's. It had been six hours now since she had sent them on their way, which means two hours ago, the operation should have begun. The operation to kidnap her sister. Thunderbolt hadn't reported back yet, which was concerning. Was there nothing to report? Had Thunderbolt been taken, too? Was the battle perhaps still somehow ongoing?

Finally, a ship arrived, pulling Clove away from her thoughts. It was the same ship that Thunderbolt and Cassia had taken earlier, but it was not scheduled back so soon. She hurried to the landing site, waving off the SWATbots that had come to investigate the unscheduled arrival. When the door opened, Thunderbolt exited the ship by herself.

"You're back early," Clove said, trying to sound annoyed rather than relieved. She looked past Thunderbolt, confirming that no one else was there. "Where are Cassia, and the prisoners you took with you?" Thunderbolt grumbled her reply. "Sorry?"

Thunderbolt shot a glare that could petrify a basilisk. "I said they were taken! Cassia, the prisoners, everyone!"

"Taken?!" Now it was time to look concerned. "By who?!"

"Who d'ya think?! It was the Princess and her friends! They're still out there!"

"When did this happen?"

Thunderbolt shrugged. "I dunno, a few hours ago?"

"And you didn't report back?!"

Thunderbolt grit her teeth. "I had to finish the job by myself! You know Lord Eggman wants all this metal!"

Clove gave a look of genuine surprise. So Thunderbolt had spent the time before returning mining for ore. "They have my sister! How could you not report that?!"

"Hey! Maybe if you'd given me more robots to work with, or let me take one of Lord Eggman's mechs, this wouldn't have happened! This is all 'cause of your bad leadership!"

Now time for anger, though that need not be staged. "I assigned you to look out for her because I trusted you!"

Thunderbolt huffed, turning away. "Well maybe you should've gone yourself…"

"You don't think I wanted to?! Cassia is ill, she shouldn't even be on active duty, but she insists, and I have to stay here, to keep this base afloat on limited resources!"

"What an excuse! You just wanted to pass the grunt work off on me, that's all it is!"

Clove took a deep breath, calming herself. "I sent Cassia to guard a mine that was so under the radar, it likely wouldn't be attacked. That was my mistake, but you were there, and you should have been able to protect her. Instead, you let her get captured, and now you refuse to take any responsibility."

Thunderbolt fell silent, her face turning a shade of red as she looked away. "I-"

"Failed, again. Only this time, it was my sister who took the fall. You'd best believe I'll do everything in my power to get her back, and as for you… just stay put and wait for orders. You're on standby until further notice."

"You can't-"

Clove stopped Thunderbolt with an icy stare. "That will be all, Chinchilla."

Thunderbolt's fur stood up, and she could only offer a silent nod in return.

Turning to leave, Clove wondered if perhaps she had gone a bit too far. She shrugged it off, though, because she had more-important things to worry about.

Thunderbolt stomped through the base, grumbling under her breath and discharging electricity into the badniks around her. It harmed them, but didn't deactivate them.

She thought about what she should've said to Clove to stick it to her. Maybe, "You shouldn't have sent us to such an exposed location!"

No, that mine was rich in ore, and Eggman had been very insistent on getting a hefty supply daily for his newest project.

"They knew we were there! We must have a leak!" is what she should have said. Except, she didn't really have any proof of that. Besides, who even could have leaked that info? She sure hadn't, and it would make no sense for Clove herself to do so.

Then how about, "Get over it, Cassia was more a burden anyway. At least it's one less mouth to feed!" It wasn't exactly untrue; Cassia's frequent spells of sickness left her unable to finish her tasks often, and meant that they needed a steady supply of food and medicine, which was becoming increasingly scarce as the war went on. But, even if it were true, that didn't mean it was right. Thunderbolt was an only-child, but even she could tell how deeply the two sisters cared for each other. It was… kind of nice to see, she had to admit.

She sighed. Now that she had time to cooldown, she could see that it really was her bad, after all. She was there, but as usual, she let her temper get the better of her, when she was taunted by that mongoose. She kept focussing on one target, while the others made a fool out of her. Should could have saved Cassia, had she just turned her attention to Sally and that lynx girl.

Thunderbolt stopped, repeating Clove's last words in her mind, over-and-over.

"Failed, again . Only this time, it was my sister who took the fall."

With the door locked behind her, Clove approached the computer in her room and waited. She waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, a request for a call came through, and Clove accepted it without missing a beat. "How's Cassia?"

Princess Sally was on the screen. "She's fine," Sally told her. "We're keeping her under while Uncle Chuck examines her, and we should have the results soon. I just figured you'd want to know she's safe."

Clove nodded. She was thankful, but she was also eager to hear the news, of whether or not the Resistance would be able to help. All she could do was continue waiting. Ten minutes passed, then thirty, then a full hour. Then, she received another incoming call request from the Princess. She answered it, and found Chuck standing next to Sally. Chuck spoke first.

"I've finished my examination," Chuck told her. "It's as Julian says; the cybernetics do nothing to cure her condition, but they do ease the pain, and slow the rate of her body's degradation. According to Doctor Quack, what your sister has cannot be cured, which means this is the only option you have. But with the right treatment, Cassia can live well into adulthood, perhaps even into her fifties or sixties."

"I see," Clove said. She had prepared herself for the news, but that didn't lessen the impact when she learned that Cassia's condition was incurable. Chuck's estimate of her lifespan wasn't entirely reassuring, either, though it was higher than she was dreading. "And? Is Eggman's treatment the only way?"

Chuck shook his head. "The technology is sophisticated for sure, but not complex. It is something I can replicate with enough time and resources."

"Time and resources… Do you have that?"

Chuck adjusted his glasses, and he hesitated when answering. "Right now? Just barely. Depending on what direction this war takes, I might be able to replace Cassia's cybernetics with my own, that will be just as effective as Julian's, without the 'contingencies' he has installed."

"Contingencies?"

"You didn't know? The way it's set-up, Julian can completely disable her with the push of a button. She would be conscious, but fully-paralysed. And if that's not enough, he can trigger an intentional malfunction, stopping Cassia's heart."

Clove clenched her fists, her blood boiling. "He never told me that…" She gasped. "He can't trigger it now, can he?!"

"No, we've disabled the function. One of our first priorities was ensuring nothing in Cassia's cybernetics could lead Julian here, and as a plus, that led to our discovery of the failsafe, and its deactivation."

"Clove," Sally began, "As Uncle Chuck says, we can only help if we win this war. If the war doesn't turn in our favour, we won't be able to help Cassia. And if that does happen, the two of you would be locked into serving Eggman for the rest of your lives. You'll never be free, and Cassia's life will be in constant danger. Having said all that, it's now up to you. We need a decision now, before it's too late, and Eggman chooses for you."

Clove was perfectly silent as she thought. She meditated in her chair for several minutes, her eyes closed, and muttering under her breath. Sally and Chuck waited patiently for her answer. Finally, she opened her eyes, and she told them, "Do it. Save my sister."

"Are you certain?" Chuck asked.

"Give her the life she deserves. She'll never have that on this side. Even if Eggman wins, Cassia would never be happy. This is… the only chance she has now."

" In that case, leave it to me. I promise to do all that I can. I can keep her condition stable for a little while, but if she's to receive long-term treatment, then we need to turn this war around."

"And to do that , we need my father," Sally said.

"Right, King Max. I promised you information on his whereabouts." Clove plugged a drive into her computer. "I'll forward that to you now, and I'll continue working on this side a bit longer as your informant."

Sally nodded. "Thank you, Clove. We appreciate it."

"Don't thank me. Everything I've done has been for Cassia's sake, but that doesn't change the fact that I've helped Eggman commit atrocities. When all this is over, I fully intend to take accountability for my crimes."

"Clove, one last thing," Chuck began, before Clove could end the call, "Does Cassia know? That the treatment isn't helping her get any better."

"… She doesn't."

"Should we tell her?"

"She doesn't need to know-"

"I think that she has a right to know, and if you're truly looking out for what's in her best interest, then-"

"Thank you, Sir Charles, for all your help. I'll contact you again, at the same time next week."

"Clove!"

Clove ended the call as Chuck tried to say more, cutting him off. She sighed, slumping in her seat. "Of course I know that, just… how am I supposed to tell her? That despite all we've done, she's still going to…"

Clove's face was grim. She had made her choice, and there was no going back now. Climbing out of her chair, Clove left her room, only to find Thunderbolt on the other side. Had she heard? No, her room was soundproof. Then, why was she there?

"Hey," Thunderbolt said, scuffing a foot across the floor and shifting her eyes about. "Listen, I uh, I wanted to… to say I'm… sorry…" Clove blinked. She simply stared at Thunderbolt in silence, not sure how to respond. "Your sister… Cassia… You really care about her, huh?"

"What? Uh, yes, I do…"

"Yeah, I figured. I know what that's like."

"You do?"

Thunderbolt nodded. "My love for Lord Eggman is like that, too. I would do anything for him, and if anything ever happened to him, I'd…"

' Not… quite the same.'

"Anyway, I messed up, okay? I know I'm usually more bark than bite, but I do try. I don't really like ya much, but I respect how much you love your sis, and the lengths you go to ta protect her. So… I'll do what I can to help you save her."

"Oh… Well, I'm glad to hear you uh, really thought about this."

Thunderbolt's face turned a shade redder, and she extended one of her hands. "So like, maybe let's start over. Whatever our differences, we're both Lord Eggman's henchmen, and Cassia's one of us, too. I'll bury the hatchet if you do."

Clove was taken aback. She didn't know what to say, so she simply took Thunderbolt's hand and shook it. Thunderbolt's face brightened. "You know, you're not as bad as I thought!" Thunderbolt said. "Maybe we can even be friends!"

"That… would certainly be better than always being at each other's throats."

"Right, it's decided then! You're my new bestie, and anyone who messes with you messes with me! So watch out, Knothole, 'cause I'm comin' for ya!"

Before Clove could say anything further, Thunderbolt was already off. As she watched her leave, Clove couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Without a word, she turned and left in the opposite direction.

Fiona awoke with a start. She thought she had been trapped underground, suffocating, with the walls closing in around her. She tried calling out for help, but her voice wasn't coming out. Thankfully, it had turned out to only be a nightmare. Only, it wasn't so far from reality after all, as Fiona remembered her current situation.

Sally Acorn had left her tied-up in the base, and then went off to fight Eggman and evacuate the rest of Knothole. She had been foolish enough to leave her be, and with plenty of time at her disposal, Fiona was able to break through her bonds and begin her escape.

She moved quickly but cautiously. It had seemed that the base was now deserted, but she didn't want to take any chances. It was when she was passing through an armoury that she heard something. She didn't have time to register what it was before the ground began shaking. The lights flickered above her, and the ceiling collapsed. She tried to escape, but her path was blocked by falling rubble. Then, the path behind was blocked, too. Before she knew it, she had become trapped in that room, and could only stand there as she awaited the end… By some miracle, the rumbling stopped, and the ceiling of the room she was in had not collapsed. She was alive… but she was buried.

Searching around the room didn't inspire much hope. There were Wispons, but they were devoid of any inhabitants, rendering them useless. There was a minifridge, stocked with snacks and drinks, but it wasn't much. If she rationed it, maybe she could survive a couple of weeks. Thankfully, there was a vent that led directly to the surface. It was too small to crawl through, but it meant she had air, at least.

Fiona concluded there was nothing she could do but wait. This was Knothole's former base, surely they would send a party to excavate it, right? Or maybe Eggman would come back to see what he could salvage. Or maybe Fiona had a fairy godmother that would come to save her; it had as good a chance of happening, she felt. Even so, waiting was all she could do. So she sat and she waited… There was a clock in the room that measured the passage of time, and by day four, Fiona was still waiting.

Her stomach grumbled, and she decided to eat one of the snacks in the minifridge. She had to limp over there, as her leg had been hurt during the quake. She had to use some of the water she had to clean out the wound, but her leg was still bruised and it hurt to walk. As she ate one of the snack bars, she wondered why nobody was coming. What was happening on the surface? Had Eggman won? Was Knothole still fighting? She wondered if Sally and the others had made it out. Or the people from her village. Was Zooey alright?

She shook the thoughts away, reminding herself that she didn't care. She didn't care so much that she even used her sister as a shield, and helped Eggman capture Bunnie and Nicole to turn them to his side. ' Of course,' she thought, ' Even if they do find me here, they're not gonna help.' She also doubted that Eggman would care one way or another what happened to her. She was just a useful pawn to him, and her use had expired. If anything, he'd likely just throw her back into the mines, or use her for one of his experiments. Or just outright kill her.

It was now late afternoon of the sixth day. Fiona was tired, but she was trying not to sleep too much. On the off-chance that somebody did come, she didn't want to miss them. She had to keep her ears sharp and be ready to call out. Oh, but her throat was dry. Maybe she should drink? But she was down to one bottle of water, and one can of Chaos Cola. The Chaos Cola was a flavour she couldn't stand, so she was trying to save that for last. She decided to drink just a little water. It was so tempting to down the whole thing at once, but she resisted.

The room was spinning around her as she watched the clock tick over to midnight of the eighth day. She had officially been under here for one full week. Nobody was coming. She closed her eyes and accepted that fact, and as she did, images of her life flashed through her mind. The village where she and Zooey grew-up, where they would play with the twins, Staci and Perci. That dorky kid who had a crush on her, Dave the something. Her parents, who passed away just two years ago.

Mayor Fink, who tried to banish her when she started her life-of-crime, but whose tone quickly shifted when the money she stole found its way into the village's coffers. It was thanks to his support that she could use the village as a place to rest and lay low when the heat got too high.

Oh, that's right. Lady Walrus had a kid just months before the war began. Everyone in the village helped her reach the main Resistance headquarters with her son when the village first came under attack. Fiona wondered if they were doing alright.

That crazy badger girl, Sticks, was always good for a laugh. She was captured pretty easily, though, when she tried to bite one of the robots to death. Probably nothing to worry about there, though; she was tougher than the best of them.

"Chao Chao, Cha-Chao Chao! Chao Chao, Chao Cha-Chao!"

Fiona furrowed her brow. Here she was trying to drown in nostalgia, and some pesky Chao were pulling her out of it with their singing!

… Wait, singing Chao? Fiona bolted upright, looking around. Nothing else was in the room with her. Was she finally losing it? She heard the singing again, and turned to the vent. She crawled over, placing her ear to the grate, and the singing became clearer. There were Chao outside. Of course! Chao often visited the Lake of Rings to play and to bathe! They must have run away after all the commotion, but returned when everything settled down. Or maybe…

"Hey!" Fiona yelled into the grate. "Is anyone there?!" Maybe the Chao weren't wild. Maybe somebody was with them. This may be her chance! "If you can hear me, I'm trapped underground! I need help!"

She waited, and waited, and waited. The singing stopped, and nobody answered her. Her heart sank when, finally, she received a response, but all she heard was, "Cha-Cha Chao, Chao-Cha Chao?"

Fiona hung her head and gripped the vent. Her body shook as she fought the urge to… to… she didn't even know. She didn't know if she wanted to shout, or cry, or throw a punch or a kick, to curse into the vent, or simply fall back and give up.

"Chao Chao Chao?"

Sighing, Fiona weakly said, "Please. Help me."

There was no further response. Of course there wasn't. The Chao couldn't understand her, and who would help, anyway? She had burned every bridge she ever had. Even if it was someone she didn't know, who was going to risk their neck excavating Knothole at a time like this, all for the sake of just one person?

Fiona moved away from the vent and returned to her favourite spot on the floor, where she could stare at the ceiling, and see the clock in the corner of her eye. And then she waited.

It was the eleventh day. Finding her strength, Fiona cracked open the can of Chaos Cola, her last drink. She cringed as she downed it. Even if she was desperate, her tastebuds wanted her to throw the stuff away, but she still drank it all.

The Chao were back. They had been back every day, speaking to her through the vent. Perhaps they thought she was a new friend. Maybe they were asking her to come out and play with them. She had ignored them for the most part, only snapping at them once on day ten, telling them to shut up. She didn't even have the strength to do that, now. She simply dropped the can, letting it rattle and roll across the floor. The Chao seemed extra-energetic today, cheering and singing. Good for them; at least somebody was having a good day.

Fiona's eyes were heavy. She'd stopped caring about staying awake by now. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. Only, it suddenly became much brighter, and there was a new voice in her ear. Not through the vent, but actually right beside her. Opening her eyes, Fiona saw a shining, yellow creature floating in front of her, its one eye blinking. It seemed to be singing when she looked at it, and circled around her head.

"A… Wisp?" It took Fiona a few seconds to appreciate what she was seeing. When she did, she jumped to her feet, daring to crack a smile. "A Wisp! Where did- How are you-" She heard the Chao singing, and it all made sense to her: the Wisp had come through the vent, and it must have been the Chao that had gone and found it. But a lone Wisp, not working for the Resistance or captured by Eggman? That was rare. What were the chances of those little guys pulling that off?

Fiona's stomach growled, and she deflated. Even if she now had a Wisp, it meant nothing. She didn't have the energy to transform, not without a- "Wispon!" Fiona limped to the Wispons, searching through them. There was a Drill Wispon among the pile, and the Wisp wasted no time in entering it. With this, she could transform. She could escape. She was going to make it!

"DRILL!"

Fiona transformed, becoming a large drill, and she dug through the rubble blocking her path. She continued to drill through the earth until she emerged on the other side, and remained transformed as she travelled through the base, eventually reaching the entrance. It was blocked by more rubble, but she dug through that, too, and as the sunlight greeted her, she ended the transformation and fell face-first to the ground.

She didn't even care that her face was filthy, or that she got dirt in her mouth. Fiona laughed. She sat up and looked up at the sky through the canopy, laughing. Eventually she stopped, when she saw a group of Chao approaching her, looking concerned. She reached out and pet one of them, and they smiled up at her, jumping and chanting.

Two more Chao stepped forwards, placing Chao Fruit on the ground. It was a type of fruit meant for Chao, that wasn't very filling for Mobians, but her stomach didn't care. She took the fruit and gobbled it down. The fruits were also filled with juice, so they had the extra benefit of quenching her thirst, as well.

When she was finished, she looked around at her surroundings. The clearing was barely recognisable to her; the earth was charred, and there were fewer trees than she remembered. There was a huge crater in the ground, as well as shrapnel from badniks, and presumably a bomb. No bodies, though, which meant that Sally and the others must have gotten away.

The Yellow Wisp approached her, saying something that she couldn't understand. It seemed be asking if she was okay, so she answered, "I'll be fine." She climbed to her feet, stretching. "… Both the Resistance and Eggman must think I'm dead by now. Guess I'll let them keep thinking that, and enjoy my freedom. Thanks for the help, but I'm on my own from here."

She waved goodbye to the Chao, who still looked concerned, but they waved back as she began limping away. Her foot was going to be a problem, but there was nothing she could do about it. She would have to find a disguise, and a doctor with the Resistance, outside of the ones at Knothole.

Hearing some chattering behind her, Fiona turned to find the Yellow Wisp following her. She waved her arm, as if swatting a fly. "I appreciate the help, but don't bother me anymore. Go find you friends or something." She kept walking, but felt that she was still being followed. "I mean it! I operate alone now, which means I don't want you following me!"

The Yellow Wisp simply hovered there, watching her. Sighing, Fiona limped to the trunk of a fallen tree, and picked up a long stick from the ground. It was about the right size, and sturdy enough to be used as a cane. She used it to support her foot and kept moving. "Fine, whatever. Don't expect me to pay any attention to you, though."

Fiona walked for hours. When she left the forest, she kept off-road and kept away from any ruined settlements or Eggman bases, any trenches or Resistance outposts. She kept low, and just headed west, not sure where she was going just yet. She just needed to get out of the Acorn Kingdom. If she could reach the Dragon Kingdom, she could meet up with the Resistance group headed by Monkey Khan. Act like a refugee, let them treat her injuries and feed her, and then be on her way before Conquering Storm came bearing down them.

It should have been just a bit farther now. She was sure she had crossed the border, but she'd never been out here, so she was travelling blind. It didn't help that she had a fever, and her leg felt like it was going to drop off at any moment. And that annoying Wisp was still following her, bothering her every few minutes with a worried look, as if asking her to stop and rest. As if she could. Nowhere was safe these days. Fiona knew that she just had to keep moving a little longer. Just… a little…

The world rolled around her as she fell. She was at her limit. She knew she had to keep going, but she couldn't muster the strength to even stand anymore. The first drop of rain landed on her face, and in just a few seconds, it began to pour. And the last thing that Fiona saw as her consciousness slipped away, was the red-and-black hedgehog standing over her.

Author's Note:

This will be the last fic I upload to my FFN account. All my fics from this point on will be uploaded solely to my AO3 account, so for the three of you out there following me, please consider following me on there to see my future works (Username Xelda)

I will continue to update this fic on both sites (assuming FFN will let me - part of my decision was a period where I was literally unable to upload any documents for a while), but after this fic is finished, that'll be it. My account will stay and all my fics will still be here, I don't intend to delete any of them.