Day 210

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

The co-ordinates Liana sent corresponded to a old warehouse in the Oil Ocean Zone, to the north of Emerald Coast. Armed with these co-ordinates, Sonic headed off with Bunnie and Sally to rescue Sgt. Nero. Solstice had insisted on coming along with them, but Sonic had refused. "It's too dangerous," he had said. "The place is probably crawling with SWATbots. You stay here until we get him back." Reluctantly, Solstice agreed, and Sonic set off for Oil Ocean Zone with the others in tow.

Arriving at the industrial complex containing the warehouse, the trio sheltered behind a low wall to avoid detection. Sally peered over the top of the wall with her binoculars, searching for Badniks. "There's a few SWATbots patrolling the area, and two SWATbots guarding the entrance to the warehouse," she said."

"Only two?" sneered Sonic. "It'll take a lot more than that to stop me. C'mon, you two: we're bustin' Nero outta there!" With that, Sonic flipped over the wall and zoomed off into the open. Instead of attacking the SWATbots, however, he merely raced right past them, drawing their attention. "Come on, you tinpots," he yelled, "I'm right here!"

"PRIORITY ONE: HEDGEHOG," droned the SWATbots in unison, turning towards Sonic and opening fire. None of the machines came anywhere close to striking the speedy hedgehog, and while they were all preoccupied with trying to shoot him, Bunnie was able to sneak up on each of them in turn and smash them to pieces with her bionic limbs. Sonic, however, took the liberty of taking out the last one himself, Spin-Dashing straight through it and causing it to explode.

While Sonic and Bunnie took care of the SWATbots, Sally proceeded to the now-unguarded warehouse entrance. Like most of Robotnik's warehouses, the entrance was covered by a heavy steel door, protected by a passcode system. Fortunately, Rotor had developed a device that was able to decipher the codes and bypass the system. Sally slipped the device out of her jacket pocket, placed it on top of the keypad, and waited for it to do its job.

"All clear out here, Sal," said Bunnie, and she and Sonic headed over to join Sally.

"There'll be more SWATbots inside, though," said Sonic. "Maybe Buttnik himself, if we're lucky. Man, wouldn’t that be a treat."

"It certainly would," said Sally, "unless he has one of his robots in there, waiting for us."

"All the better!" said Sonic. "I get to smash Buttnik and his ugly machines! Come on, what are we waiting for?"

At that precise moment, the decipher device beeped as it finished unscrambling the entry codes, and the steel door began to slide upwards. "Nothing," said Sally, retrieving the device. "Let's get in there and rescue that hedgehog."

"You got it, Sal," said Sonic. "Here I come, Nero!" Sonic zoomed inside the half-lit warehouse and quickly came to a stop, confused. "Huh…? There's nothing in here!" he said.

"What?" Sally and Bunnie followed Sonic inside and saw that he was right: the inside of the warehouse, though seemingly pristine, was completely and utterly empty. There were no SWATbots, no Badniks, no machines at all, and certainly no Nero or Robotnik.

"The heck is goin' on here?" asked Bunnie. "Did we get the wrong warehouse?"

Sally double-checked the co-ordinates. "No, this is definitely the right one," she said. "He can't have cleared out already…"

Sonic scowled, an uncomfortable feeling rising in his stomach. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he said.

Sally, confused, activated her radio and called Liana. "Liana, we're at the warehouse," she said. "It's completely empty. Are you sure this is where they're holding Nero?"

"Maybe there's a secret tunnel or somethin'?" Bunnie suggested, though she too was starting to get a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Oh, there's no secret tunnel there," Liana responded, her voice jarringly nonchalant. "There's no Nero there either."

"Liana," said Sally warily, "what's going on here?"

"Well, you see," said Liana, "the thing is… I'm the one who betrayed the Resistance's location to Robotnik." As Sally gasped in shock, dozens of red lights suddenly began to flicker on all around them, indicating the presence of a large number of SWATbots  hidden in the shadows. "Obviously I can't let you find Nero," Liana continued, "and now that you know the truth, I can't let you escape from here either, so…"

One by one, the SWATbots began to emerge from the shadows, closing in on the stunned Freedom Fighters. "Why didn't I see this coming?" asked Sonic.

"Quick!" said Sally. "The warehouse door is still open! We can escape!"

"Oh right, almost forgot about that," said Liana suddenly. "Thanks for leaving your radio on, suckers."

As the warehouse door slowly began to close again, Bunnie snatched the radio from Sally's hand and crushed it in her metallic fist. "Sonic! Get us outta here!" she said.

"That's kinda the plan!" Sonic retorted, grabbing hold of the girls' hands. "Hold on tight, ladies!" As the SWATbots began to open fire, Sonic raced off, sliding underneath the lowering warehouse door a second before it closed behind him, shutting the machines inside. The trio then headed back to Knothole, their betrayal and failure weighing heavily on all of their minds.

Day 195

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

After the rest of the Freedom Fighters had woken up - Sonic had had to be doused with cold water before he would wake - they gathered with Sally and Solstice in the operations room to discuss their course of action.

"Our first course of action is to find out where Nero is being held," said Sally. "Robotnik could be keeping him at any number of locations, and we don't have time to check them all."

"There might be a way to find him," said Solstice. "His watch has several gadgets built in, one of which is an emergency tracking beacon. I'm sure he will have activated it. The only problem is, I don't know which frequency it's broadcasting on, in order to locate the signal."

"So how does that help us?" asked Sonic, still a little irritated after his soaking.

"There is one person who'll know the frequency," said Solstice. "That's our resident technician, Liana. She was busy dealing with a new broadcast station just to the north of us when the attack hit, so she should be safe. I'll call her now." Turning the dial on her watch, Solstice held it up to her mouth. "Liana? Are you there? Can you hear me?"

A sigh of relief floated through the speaker. "Finally, a familiar voice!" said Liana. "I thought I was going to go out of my mind with just these SWATbots for company!"

"SWATbots?" repeated Solstice, alarmed. "Are you in trouble?"

"Oh, no, not at all," said Liana with a chuckle. "I just hacked into the security robots at the broadcast station and now they're friendly. Not a very chatty bunch, though. It's good to hear your voice, especially after…" Liana's voice trailed off sadly.

"You heard about the attack?" said Solstice.

"I could see the flames from here," said Liana. "I could tell that something was seriously wrong, and… now I know. Did anybody else-?"

Solstice shook her head. "I'm afraid not," she said. "I'm the only one who… or, at least, the only one I know of that made it out. They've captured Nero, and I need your help to find out where they're keeping him."

"The tracking beacon?" guessed Liana. "I'm already working on it from here. I've got the frequency narrowed down, I should be able to find him in just a few moments."

"Okay, thank you," said Solstice. "In the meantime, I managed to make it to Knothole and alert the resistance fighters there, so I'll be helping them come up with some kind of rescue plan. Let me know when you've found his tracking signal."

"Will do," said Liana. "And say hi to the princess for me, I've always wanted to meet her!"

"The princess can hear you just fine," said Sally, smiling. "Thank you for your help, Miss Liana."

"Aww, you're making me blush," said Liana. "Alright, I'm hanging up now. I'll call you back when I've found Nero. Goodbye~" There was a click, and the line went dead.

"So, once we've found Nero, what's our plan?" asked Solstice.

Before Sally could say anything, Sonic remarked, "We don't need a plan. We'll just bust in there, trash the place, grab Nero, and get out."

Solstice smiled. "You sound just like him," she said.

"Well, then you're both idiots," said Sally. "We can't just go charging in while Robotnik is holding him hostage! We need a stealth approach."

"You're suggesting snipers?" asked Solstice.

This time Sonic and Sally held the same opinion. "No," they said in unison.

"I know Nero likes to fight fire with fire," said Sonic, "but here, we have a strict "no weapons" policy."

"We're not going to stoop to Robotnik's level," Sally continued. "We may be fighters, but we're not killers."

"Killers of whom, exactly?" asked Solstice, looking a little insulted. "We're fighting robots, not people. Besides, this is a war! A war that will decide that fate of our very planet! How could you ever hope to defeat Robotnik's army without weapons?"

"Yeah, 'cuz y'all managed just fine, relyin' on yer weapons," muttered Bunnie sarcastically.

Solstice wheeled round to face Bunnie, outraged. "How dare you-"

A sudden beep interrupted the argument. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Liana, her voice sounding through Solstice's watch once more, "but I've pinpointed Nero's location. I'm sending you the co-ordinates now. Good luck, everyone."

Day 185

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

A heavy storm had blown across Robotropolis and the Great Forest that night, bringing with it torrential rain and thunder. This was not the kind of weather that one would wish to be out in. However, the girl currently sprinting across the rooftops of the outskirts of Robotropolis did not have a choice. She had to get to Knothole, no matter what. Even the two SWATbots chasing after her could not stop her.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, CITIZEN." drawled one of the SWATbots, aiming its laser gun at her. "SURRENDER YOURSELF OR PREPARE TO BE ELIMINATED."

"Not a chance, rustpot," said the girl.

The two SWATbots duly opened fire, but the girl was able to nimbly dodge their fire as she ran, occasionally resorting to acrobatic jumps or flips to get out of the way. Even when faced with gaps between the rooves, or a slight rise or dip, the girl charged onwards without putting a single foot wrong, her parkour skills carrying her gracefully across the skyline.

Finally, however, she appeared to have reached a dead end. At the end of the row of buildings in front of her was a large metal billboard, facing the street below. She could not avoid it, as there was no other path onwards. However, she had a plan. She kept going, running straight at the billboard, and as she reached it, she ran up it for a brief moment before kicking off it and flying into a backflip. The closest of the two SWATbots was unable to pull off such a delicate manoeuvre and slammed straight into the billboard, knocking it over; it came to a rest at a perpendicular angle, perfectly bridging the gap to the next roof. Meanwhile, the girl manoeuvred herself through the air mid-backflip and landed right on top of the second SWATbot, slamming it down hard into the roof and destroying it. With the path ahead now clear, and her pursuers dealt with, she charged onwards through the driving rain in search of her destination.

***

At Knothole that night, Princess Sally Acorn was fast asleep in bed when she was suddenly woken by a series of slow, loud thumps on her door. Staggering bleary-eyed from her bed, she got up and went o the front door to see what was the matter. "This better not be Ant with another one of his nightmares…" she grumbled.

When Sally opened the door, she realized that it was not Antoine, nor indeed was it anyone she knew. It was a teenage fox girl, her dark-blue fur completely soaked by the rain. She was wearing a black midriff-baring tank top, black shorts, and sports shoes that were caked in mud. In spite of her athletic-looking physique, the girl was completely and utterly exhausted, panting and gasping for breath, and before she could say anything coherent, she toppled forwards and passed out.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Sally, quickly moving forwards to catch the girl before she could hit the ground. Sally dragged the unconscious girl inside, water dripping from her fur onto the wooden floor, then closed the door behind her. She made up a bed for the girl out of old sheets, laid her down inside it, then collapsed back onto her own bed. She felt too tired to do anything more for the girl, so she would just have to check on her in the morning.

When Sally woke up the next morning, however, the girl had vanished from her bedroom. The pile of neatly-folded, slightly damp sheets next to Sally's bed was the only indication that she hadn't just dreamt the whole thing. Puzzled as to where the girl could have gone to, Sally changed out of her nightgown and into her daywear - a blue denim vest and shorts, navy-blue boots and white gloves - and headed through into the living room, whereupon she found the girl from the previous night casually doing star jumps , her bushy tail swishing from side to side. "64… 65…" she said to herself.

Sally was positively stunned. "What on Mobius do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed.

"My morning exercises," said the girl.

"You were passed out from exhaustion just a few hours ago!" said Sally. "You should be taking it easy!"

"Perhaps," admitted the girl, and she slowed carefully to a stop. "In any case, my lady, I should move on to the topic at hand. I bring grave news from the Freedom Fighters in Emerald Coast."

Sally was surprised, not least because the Emerald Coast Resistance was one of the strongest remaining pockets of resistance outside of Knothole, but because it was quite some distance from Knothole. "You ran all the way here from Emerald Coast?" she said. "No wonder you passed out… your fitness is truly astonishing. But please, continue. What of the Emerald Coast Resistance?"

"I'm afraid that the Emerald Coast Resistance has fallen," said the girl, a look of sorrow passing across her face. "Somebody betrayed us, and relayed our position to Robotnik. Our leader, Sgt. Nero, has been captured, and all our other members have been Roboticized… or worse." Her expression continued to grow ever darker. "Nero and I are likely the only ones left. Please… I want you and your Freedom Fighters to help find and rescue him."

"What makes you think Robotnik hasn't already Roboticized him?" Sally asked.

"The sergeant has been a thorn in Robotnik's side for years," said the girl. "Perhaps not as big a thorn as Sonic the Hedgehog, but still a powerful enemy. Now that Robotnik has him in his clutches, he'll be taking his time, and enjoying his victory. He won't Roboticize Nero just yet, but even so, we still need to hurry if we want to find him and save him."

Sally still felt rather reluctant. "I can't say I agree with Nero's methods," she said. "He's reckless, violent, and not averse to using deadly weapons." The Freedom Fighters had a strict no-guns policy, with Bunnie's built-in laser cannon being the only exception. "However," Sally continued, "I can't deny that he's a brilliant strategist, and a powerful ally in the fight against Robotnik. I'll have to discuss it with the others, but I'm sure they'll agree to help you rescue him."

"Oh, really?" exclaimed the girl. She quickly stooped into a low bow. "Thank you so much, your highness!"

"Please, there's no need to be so formal," said Sally. "Just call me Sally. And your name is?"

"Solstice," said the girl, straightening up. "Solstice the Fox. "It'll be a huge honour to work alongside you, and the great Sonic the Hedgehog."

Day 166

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

Dr. Robotnik was not happy. He was sat opposite Snively in the cramped escape pod, and if looks could kill, his subordinate would be very dead by now. "So, to recap… we lost the Death Egg…" Snively nodded. "We lost the only copy of the Death Egg's plans…" Snively nodded again. "We lost Mecha Sonic Mk.I…" Snively nodded reluctantly. "…and we lost the power source." Snively nodded once more, shrinking back a little. Robotnik, however, seemed to be trying his best to stay calm. "Please tell me we at least have the data on that plane's flight path?" he asked.

"Err… I'm afraid not, sir," said Snively meekly, "it was lost when the Death Egg's main servers were… destroyed…"

Robotnik let out a howl of rage, and in his anger, the portly dictator seemed to swell and take up even more of the escape pod than before. Snively shrunk back into the wall as though hoping he could disappear inside it, clamping his hands over his ears in anticipation of what was to follow.

"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOOOOOOOG!!!" Robotnik bellowed.

***

A short while later, Sonic and Tails arrived back at Knothole to a hero's welcome. As Rotor helped Tails wheel his plane back into the hanger, the others went over to congratulate Sonic on a job well done. "Good work, Sonic," said Sally. "If you hadn't stopped that thing, we would have all been goners. You too, Tails," she called out to the young fox. "Nice job flying that plane."

"Aww, it was nothing," said Tails.

"There's still one thing bothering me about this, though," said Sally.

"Oui!" said Antoine, nodding in agreement. "What eef Robotnik makes anuzzer of zose dreadful theengs?"

"Well, he can't, Antoine," said Sally. "We stole the only copy of the plans, remember?"

"Oh, yes, of course," said Antoine. "That's a relief."

"No, what I mean is, how did Robotnik manage to power something that big and that heavy?" she asked. "Something like the Death Egg just shouldn't be able to fly. To generate the necessary power would require a-"

"-a tremendous source of energy!" Without warning, Rotor had suddenly flung open the door to his workshop and was now hurrying towards the others, a miniature scanner device clutched in his hand.

"Exactly!" said Sally instinctively, before pausing for a moment and turning to face Rotor. "Wait, what?"

"I'm picking up a tremendous source of energy!" cried Rotor, as he approached the others. "And it coming from Sonic!" he added, consulting his scanner.

"What?" said Sally. She and the other Freedom Fighters all turned to look at Sonic, surprised.

"Oh, right," said Sonic. "I snagged this from the Death Egg's generator room." Holding out his hand, he revealed a glowing, brilliant-cut blue gem, about the size of his fist. "I dunno what it is, but I think it must have been the power source."

"That tiny thing?!" said Bunnie, incredulously. "Ain't no way something that small could power something like the Death Egg!"

"My scanner says otherwise," said Rotor. His scanner was now pointed directly at the jewel, and its readings confirmed Sonic's suspicions. "Whatever that jewel is, its energy levels are off the charts!"

Sally peered forward to inspect the jewel. "So this is how Robotnik got that thing off the ground…" she said. "Hmm… I wonder…"

"Wonder what, Sal?" asked Sonic.

Sally straightened up, looking at Sonic with a concerned expression. "What if this isn't the only one of its kind?" she asked. "What if there are more of these jewels out there, with the same kind of power level? If there are-"

"-Buttnik will be looking for them," completed Sonic. "And if he finds them-"

"-then we're in a whole mess o' trouble," completed Bunnie.

"We just have to hope zat zis ees zee only one, then," said Antoine.

"Indeed," said Sally. "Let's hope so, for all our sakes."

***

Once Robotnik had sufficiently calmed down, Snively consulted his tablet in search of some crumbs of comfort and quickly found one. "There is some good news, sir," he said.

"And what could that be?" asked Robotnik.

"Research and Development Division #92393 has just filed a progress report," said Snively. "The designs for Mecha Sonic Mk.II are nearing completion. Construction could begin as soon as next week."

"Good," said Robotnik, relaxing a little. "I want it ready as soon as possible."

"One more thing, sir," said Snively. "Scouting Division #786 has reported in. Their mission was a success."

This grabbed Robotnik's attention immediately, causing him to sit back up again. "You mean that-"

An evil smirk passed across Snively's face. "Indeed," he said. "They have found the second Chaos Emerald."

Robotnik grinned, the devilish glint returning to his eye. "Excellent," he said. "The Death Egg may have failed, but I'll get those Freedom Fighters next time for sure!" He let out a hearty evil laugh, as the escape pod continued on its way back towards his fortress.

Day 154

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

Tails was still circling the Death Egg in the Tornado, waiting for Sonic to get in touch, and so he was quick to spot the escape pods being launched from the falling station. "Robotnik's got to be in one of those," he noted. "If I can shoot it down…" This train of thought was quickly derailed when Tails noticed a squadron of Buzzbombers approaching at close range. "Never mind that," he said, "I'll have to just concentrate on not getting shot down myself! Sonic needs me!"

Banking the place round, Tails began to engage the Buzzbombers, shooting them down with the plane's machine guns while simultaneously avoiding their hail of laser fire. I need to win this, he thought. I can't let Sonic down. Oh, Sonic… I hope you're okay…

***

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic Mk.I was continuing to chase the real Sonic through the corridors of the falling Death Egg, occasionally firing volleys of lasers in the hedgehog's direction. Every single one missed. Sonic turned to face the machine, taunting it while running backwards. "Man, even when they're based on me, Buttnik's machines are useless!" he quipped. "Ya can't catch me, and ya couldn't hit the broad side of a b- WAAAAAAAAH!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the machine scored an almost direct hit, catching Sonic off-balance and sending him tumbling down the corridor. When he finally came to a stop, sprawled across the metal walkway, Sonic let out a groan and almost immediately started to pick himself up. In the meantime, Metal Sonic Mk.I had come to a halt and was preparing another Spin Dash.

"I had to open my mouth," muttered Sonic as he straightened back up again. "Well, come on then, ya big bag o' bolts," he said, "give it your best shot!"

The robotic duplicate unleashed its Spin Dash, tearing down the corridor towards Sonic at frightening speed, its metallic spikes gleaming dangerously. Sonic merely dodged to one side at the last second, shouting, "Olé!" The machine attempted to turn around in mid-spin, to try and get another shot at Sonic, but in the tight confines of the corridor this simply proved impossible and instead the machine toppled over, skidding sideways along the corridor in a shower of sparks. Sonic winced and covered his ears as the scraping of metal against metal created a horrific screeching sound.

As the machine finally skidded to a halt, Sally's voice sounded once more in Sonic's ear. "Sonic, you need to get out of there now!" she insisted. "You're running out of time before the Death Egg hits the lake's surface!"

"Yeah, I know!" said Sonic impatiently. "This darn robot keeps getting in my way!"

"Then destroy it!" said Sally.

"I don't think it's gonna be that easy," said Sonic, as the machine started to climb back to its feet.

"Well, you'll have to find a way, somehow," said Sally. "By Rotor's calculations, you have less than two minutes left."

"That's plenty of time," said Sonic. "Take a chill pill, Sal, I got this."

Metal Sonic Mk.I began to rev up yet another Spin Dash attack, and this time Sonic had an idea. As the machine launched itself at him, Sonic dodged to the side as he had before, and then raced off down the corridor at full speed. By the time Metal Sonic Mk.I had come out of its Spin Dash to try and relocate the hedgehog, it was far too late; Sonic was halfway to the exit and far out of the machine's visual range. Even if it knew how to follow him, it would never be able to catch him now. Finally, Sonic had managed to escape.

"Tails, I'm on my way to the exit," Sonic said, speaking into his microphone. "You'll be there to pick me up, right?"

"Sorry, Sonic," came the reply. "I'm still fending off these Buzzbombers. How long until the station hits the water?"

"Not very long at all, l'il bro," said Sonic. "I need you to pick me up ASAP, got it?"

"Okay," said Tails. "I'll try my best."

"Thanks, buddy," said Sonic. "I'll be at the exit in about… three seconds."

Sure enough, mere seconds later Sonic emerged onto the unfinished platform on the very edge of the Death Egg. Tails was still some distance away, engaging the squadron of Buzzbombers, and the water below was getting uncomfortably close. Sonic could see the reflection of the Death Egg looming large in the sparkling waters below. "Why did it have to be water…?" he lamented.

Still, Tails' dogfight continued. He wouldn't be able to land amidst such hostilities, and the waters below continued to get closer and closer. There was nothing else for it. Sonic would have to jump from the platform, and hope that Tails would be there to catch him before he hit the bottom. "Here goes nothing," he muttered to himself, and with that, he jumped.

Tails spotted Sonic's jump and, ignoring the few Buzzbombers that were left, focused his attention solely on saving his friend. "Don't worry, Sonic, I've got you!" he shouted. Pulling into a steep banked dive, Tails swooped down in pursuit of Sonic, leaving his tormentors in the dust. He caught Sonic with just metres to spare, the hedgehog landing neatly on the plane's wings as it skimmed over the surface of the lake.

"Nice catch, bro," said Sonic, high-fiving the young fox.

"Thanks, Sonic," said Tails, smiling. "You did great too."

"Well, duh," said Sonic. "When do I ever no-"

Sonic's bragging was cut off in mid-sentence by an almighty crash from behind them. Turning round, Sonic and Tails saw that the Death Egg had finally struck the water's surface, forming an immense circular tidal wave at the point of impact. The shock ripped the flying fortress' metal plating apart like rice paper, torrents of salt-water pouring through the corridors and obliterating everything in their wake. Metal Sonic Mk.I was helpless to resist as the torrent carried it away, the water frying its circuits.

Had the Death Egg still had power, its electrics would have met the same fate. Instead, the station was simply ripped apart at the seams, slowly disintegrating from the bottom up into millions of pieces of scrap metal, all the while continuing to sink lower and lower into the depths. Sonic and Tails watched the fortress' gradual destruction, and both felt immensely relieved, for they knew that Knothole was safe from annihilation for another day.

"Sal, you there?" asked Sonic.

"Yeah," said Sally, her voice overflowing with relief. "I'm here. Good job, Sonic. You saved us all."

"I know," said Sonic. "All in a day's work. Glad I made it outta there in one piece."

"And that robotic copy of you?" asked Sally. "What happened to that?"

"Went down with the ship," said Sonic. "We won't be seeing him again."

Day 132

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

With the Death Egg's main generator disabled, its propulsion systems were now offline. Momentum kept it moving forwards for the moment, but without anything keeping it in the air, it slowly began to plummet towards the lake below. Alarms began to blare in Robotnik's control room, warning him of the impending disaster.

"What's going on?!" the dictator bellowed, pounding a fist on the control panel. "Don't tell me that hedgehog managed to shut down the generator!"

"It looks like he removed the power source," said Snively.

Robotnik growled. "What is that prototype doing?! There's no way it should have let Sonic through!" He quickly jabbed a button on the control panel. "Attention, Metal Sonic Mk.I! Destroy that hedgehog and retrieve the power source!"

***

As Sonic rushed out of the generator room, Sally contacted him once again. "Looks like the generator's down," she said. "Nice job, Sonic."

"Piece of cake," said Sonic. "Now to haul haunch outta here before- UGH!"

Metal Sonic Mk.I slammed into Sonic just as he passed through the doorway back into the corridors, knocking him backwards. A strange object tumbled out of Sonic's hand: a bright green gem that he had found inside the generator room. It appeared to have been the power source. No doubt the machine had come to put it back, just as soon as it had disposed of him.

"What now?" asked Sally, in a tone of resignation.

"Looks like that copy of me has come back for the power source," said Sonic. "I'm gonna hafta fight my way past it this time."

"I see," said Sally. "Well, good luck, Sonic. I'm sure you can defeat it."

"Oh, don't you worry, Sal," said Sonic, focusing his attention on the machine. "I got this."

The spines on the robot's back opened up, revealing thrusters that suddenly propelled it towards the fallen power source. Sonic quickly darted forward and just managed to snatch it up before the robot could reach it, racing round it and heading off on his way. Unfazed, the machine promptly turned round and dashed off through the corridors in pursuit.

"I see Robotnik managed to capture my best feature, at least," Sonic remarked, glancing back at the robot as it pursued him. "Alright then! Catch me if you can, ya heap o' junk!"

SWATbots and Badniks began to block Sonic's path, trying to pen him in. Sonic effortlessly dodged a volley of laser fire from a group of SWATbots ahead of him and barrelled straight through them with a Spin Dash, obliterating them. Metal Sonic Mk.I continued onwards, straight through the smoke and debris thrown up by the explosion, and kept going.

***

 "Sir, our auxiliary power supply is almost depleted," said Snively. "We have to leave now, otherwise the escape pods will lose power. I hate to admit it, but… it looks like the Death Egg is lost."

"Impossible!" roared Robotnik, slamming his fists against the controller. "There's no way that hedgehog could have-"

Robotnik cut himself off as the lights in the control room suddenly flickered and died. There was no longer enough power left to run everything, and the lights had the lowest priority. It was no use. Snively was right. He had to abandon the station, for now at least. There was still the chance that Metal Sonic Mk.I could retrieve the power source and put it back, but time was running short. In only a few minutes, the station would strike the lake's surface, and even if the impact didn't tear it apart, it would still sink straight to the bottom and be lost. For now, he had no choice.

"Alright, fine!" said Robotnik. "Activate the escape pods, and order all SWATbots to fire on Tails' plane! Even if he somehow manages to defeat Metal Sonic Mk.I, there's no way he can make it off this station without that plane!" Robotnik let out an evil laugh as he and Snively made their way to the Death Egg's escape pods, hoping that Metal Sonic would fulfil its design purpose and rid them of the real Sonic once and for all.

Day 120

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

"Alright, Sal, I'm inside the Death Egg," said Sonic. "Told ya I wouldn't get blown off~"

Sally sighed. Even during a crucial mission he couldn't stop with the wisecracks. "Okay, good. Now for the hard part: you'll need to stay still for a minute so Rotor can synchronize your position data with the Death Egg schematics, and work out the fastest route to the generator room."

"And how long will that take?" asked Sonic, who was already starting to get a little impatient.

"I don't know," said Sally, "but it's shouldn't take more than a minute. I'll let you know as soon as we have the route ready."

"Alright," said Sonic, "but if any SWATbots show up, I'm taking off."

Sally opened up NICOLE, placing her gently on the floor. "What do you require, Princess Sally?" asked the holographic lynx.

"I need you to project the Death Egg's schematics again for me," said Sally. "This time, highlight the generator room in red. We're going to feed you Sonic's positional data; highlight that in blue for me. Then, give me the fastest route to the generator room from Sonic's current position."

"Affirmative." The lynx projection disappeared, to be replaced with the Death Egg's three-dimensional schematics. A small room in the exact centre glowed bright red. This, it seemed, was their goal. Rotor wirelessly beamed Sonic's positional co-ordinates to NICOLE, and by cross-referencing them with the Death Egg's co-ordinates, she was able to mark him on the map with extreme precision. As expected, he was currently at the very edge of the Death Egg, and his blue positional dot seemed to be jittering slightly. This was either because the Death Egg's relentless march towards the Great Forest was complicating the calculations, or simply because Sonic was already so bored that he was running round in circles to relieve himself. Sally, having known Sonic for most of her life, figured it was probably the latter.

After a further moment, a green trail began to snake its way through the Death Egg in the direction of the generator room. It certainly wasn't as-the-Buzzbomber-flies, but since Sonic would be the one traversing it, it probably wouldn't take him any time at all. Sally zoomed in on the schematics with a wave of her hand, focusing them on Sonic's location. "Okay, we've got the path ready," she said.

"Took you long enough," said Sonic. "So, which way do I go?"

"Head straight forwards, then take the third right," said Sally.

"Got it." Glad to finally be able to get going, Sonic zoomed off down the corridor in front of him. He counted the right-hand pathways under his breath, then quickly turned down the third one he encountered. "Okay, now what?"

"Take the next left," said Sally.

"Right," said Sonic, as he took the left.

"No, left," said Sally. "Then right."

"Right," said Sonic, as he took the right.

"Now there should be a staircase coming up-"

"Already halfway down it," said Sonic.

"Of course you are," said Sally wearily. It wasn't easy directing someone who could move faster than you could speak. "Now just go straight on for a while."

"You got it, Sal," said Sonic. A couple of Badniks noticed Sonic approaching, but Sonic simply tore straight through them with a Spin Dash and kept going without missing a beat.

***

A short time later, Sonic found himself brought to a halt by a closed door. "This doesn’t look like the generator room," Sonic remarked.

"That's because it isn't," said Sally. "You have to go through this room to get to it. Be careful, Sonic: Robotnik's not going to let you into the generator room that easily. I don't know what kind of dastardly traps might be lurking on the other side of that door, but you'll need to-"

Sally was cut off by a deafening clang as Sonic impatiently Spin Dashed straight through the steel door, knocking it off its hinges. "Or you could just barge straight in like an idiot," muttered Sally sardonically, "that works too."

The room beyond seemed to be almost entirely empty, save for a lone figure located at the opposite end, guarding the only exit. Sonic took one look at the figure and immediately did a double-take. "What the-"

The figure standing before him was a large metallic facsimile of himself, at least a foot taller and constructed entirely of thick silvery steel. Its eyes glowed a menacing orange as it locked its gaze on the real Sonic stood before it.

"Well, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Sonic remarked.

"HEDGEHOG DETECTED." said the machine, in a harsh robotic voice. "ELIMINATE."

"What was that?" asked Sally warily. "Sonic, what's going on?"

"We've got a bit of a problem," said Sonic, as the machine started to rev up a version of Sonic's own Spin Dash. As the curled-up machine launched itself at him, its metallic spikes gleaming dangerously, Sonic leapt out of the way just in time and the robot was sent hurtling straight through the open doorway and into the corridors. Sonic watched on with some amusement. "Looks like Buttnik forgot to install the brakes on that thing," he quipped.

"What just happened?" asked Sally. "Are you alright, Sonic?"

"Looks like Buttnik's built some kind of metal version of me to guard the generator," said Sonic. "I think I lost it, though."

"A robotic version of you?" Sally made a noise over the radio that rather sounded like a suppressed giggle. "I dare say it must be an improvement over the original."

"Hey!" said Sonic, feeling rather insulting. "Who's the one bustin' his rear end to try and save you guys?"

"You're right, I'm sorry," said Sally, suppressing another giggle. "It makes a change from robotic versions of himself, at any rate. Well then, if it's safe, head towards the generator and shut it down."

"You got it, Sal," said Sonic. "Let's do this!" Spin Dashing through the door at the other end, Sonic suddenly found himself on a set of narrow walkways spanning an enormous chasm. This was the central ventilation chamber of the Death Egg, with the generator room suspended in the centre. The ceiling had to have been at least a hundred metres above him, and the floor at least a hundred metres below. All that separated him from a gruesome demise was a metre-high railing made of rather flimsy-looking metal. "This can't be safe," said Sonic.

"That's probably the idea," said Sally. "Be careful, Sonic."

Sonic nodded, and made his way across the walkways as fast as he dared. If he went too fast, the resulting vibrations would rip the thin metal sheets beneath his feet to pieces. Ultimately, however, he made it to the door of the generator room, which seemed surprisingly small, and forced his way inside.

As he entered the generator room, Sonic approached the apparatus and was suddenly taken aback. He had been expecting a large tangle of complex machinery, and generators as large as houses. What he saw instead was like nothing he had ever seen before, and it completely stumped him. "This is the Death Egg's power source…?" he exclaimed.

Day 96

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

Back at Knothole, Rotor was tracking Tails' retreat. His brow furrowed slightly. "This isn't good," he said.

"Is the Death Egg still pursuing him?" asked Sally.

"Yeah," said Rotor, nodding. "He's travelling at several times the Death Egg's speed, so it's not going to catch him, but it's matching his course exactly. At this rate, Tails will end up leading him straight here."

 Once again Sonic reached in and grabbed the microphone. "Change your course, l'il bro!" he yelled into it. "You're leaving a trail for Buttnik to follow straight to Knothole!"

"Sorry, Sonic!" Tails replied, shouting over the rushing wind. "I didn't think he'd still be following me."

"He's probably tracking you somehow," said Sonic.

"That would make sense," agreed Sally.

"So what should I do, Sonic?" asked Tails. "Wherever I land, the Death Egg will still be heading for me, right?"

"Yeah, good point…" Sonic thought for a moment. Then, he had an idea. It was a crazy idea, but it had to work. "Head northwest, towards the Emerald Hill Zone. Try and find a safe landing strip. I'll meet you there, and then with that flying fortress diverted away from here, we'll fly up there and take it down."

"And just how are you planning on doing that?" asked Sally warily. "That plane only has one seat, you know."

"Then I'll just hold on to the wings," said Sonic. "Simple!"

To Sally, this was a remarkably stupid plan even by Sonic's standards. "You can't be serious," she said flatly.

"I'm deadly serious," Sonic retorted. "It's the only way we can get up there in order to shut it down."

"But… you… you ca…" Sally forced herself to calm down and swallow her frustrations. She had to make Sonic see sense. This plan was never going to work. "Okay. Let's say you somehow make it to the Death Egg without falling off the Tornado. Let's say you somehow evade its defences and manage to get in close to it. How do you then plan on getting inside?"

This was where Rotor chimed in. "Here," he said, pointing at his surveillance footage. "There's a gap in its armour plating, near the back. I guess Robotnik must have launched it before it was finished.

"When will he ever learn?" smirked Sonic, amused.

"Let's hope he never does, for all our sakes," Rotor replied.

Sally was flabbergasted at first, but eventually, realizing there was nothing she could do to stop him, she heaved a weary sigh. "Okay, fine," she said. "You can go. Here: take this headset." She tossed Sonic a thin pair of headphones with a small microphone attached, which the hedgehog promptly put on. "If you actually do make it inside in one piece, I'll have NICOLE project the schematics back up so I can guide you to the Death Egg's engine room."

"You'll be needing this as well, then," said Rotor, handing Sonic a metallic bracelet. "That bracelet contains a tracking signal. Once you're inside the Death Egg, we'll be able to use that signal to track your position inside it, so we know where you are and where to guide you."

"Alright, thanks, Rotor," said Sonic, slipping the bracelet onto his wrist. "I'll probably make it to Emerald Hill before Tails does, so I'll scout out a good landing site for him. You can guide him to my location after that, right?"

"Of course I can," said Rotor. "Good luck, Sonic. We're all counting on you."

All Sally had to say was, "Please try not to fall off the plane."

"Thanks, guys," said Sonic, revving himself up. "Alright, I'm outta here: I got a plane to catch!" And with that, Sonic zoomed straight out of the building, racing out of Knothole and through the trees of the Great Forest in the direction of Emerald Hill Zone. As she watched him go, Sally let out another exasperated sigh.

"You're worried about him, aren't you, Sally?" asked Rotor.

"Of course I am!" retorted Sally, her face turning pink. "He's the Freedom Fighter's greatest hope in the battle against Robotnik, but he takes such stupid great risks! If he falls off that plane and breaks his neck, it's his own stupid fault."

Day 82

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

Dr. Julius Robotnik had a villainous grin on his face as he entered the Death Egg's control room. So far, everything had gone precisely according to plan. He'd deliberately leaked the information about the top-secret plans as bait for the Freedom Fighters. Had they failed to steal it, no harm done. Had Snively defeated them, he would have been free of them once and for all. As it happened, they'd escaped with the plans, but even that was no big deal. Now they knew what was coming for them, and they knew there was no way they could stop it. With their morale supposedly crushed, now was the time to strike.

Snively was already in the control room, poring over the monitors. As Robotnik entered, he turned round to face him. "Good afternoon, your excellency," he said. "The Death Egg's completion is on schedule; we should be ready to lift off in a matter of days."

"We're moving the schedule forward," said Robotnik. "Are the Death Egg's propulsion and weapons systems online?"

"Yes," said Snively, "but-"

"Good," interrupted Robotnik, not caring for the objections of his subordinate. He swept an arm dramatically, pointing at the controls. "Launch the Death Egg! Set a course for the Great Forest!"

"But your rotundness," objected Snively, "the Death Egg's outer shell isn't quite complete yet! The Freedom Fighters could-"

"Could what?" snarled Robotnik. "Fly up forty thousand feet in the air, through an army of Buzz Bombers, get inside, defeat our prototype guarding the engine room, and shut it down? Hah! There's no way they'll ever even get up here! Now launch the Death Egg! We're going to wipe the Great Forest off the face of Mobius, and those pesky Freedom Fighters with it!"

Snively knew there was no point in objecting further. There was nothing he could do to stop Robotnik from launching the Death Egg, even if doing so seemed like a big mistake to them. "As you wish, your majesty," he said. "Preparing launch sequence."

As Snively set about preparing for launch, Robotnik settled down in his command chair, steepling his fingers and peering expectantly at the monitors. "Let's see what this new power source is capable of."

***

Meanwhile, Tails was piloting his plane high above the factories of Robotropolis, trying to look for any trace of the Death Egg. This city had formerly been known as Mobotropolis, and had been the capital of the Kingdom of Acorn that had peacefully ruled over the planet. Then Robotnik had taken over, and everything had changed. The beautiful green city had been replaced by a haze of smog and pollution, with SWATbot factories on every street corner, mobile vans that roboticized anyone they encountered, and fifty-foot statues of Robotnik adorning almost every open space. It was truly a grotesque sight to behold, though to Tails, who had never seen the splendour of the old capital, the city had simply always been this way.

Sally's voice came through the headset once more. "Any sign of the Death Egg yet, Tails?" she asked.

"Not yet, Miss Sally," said Tails. "I'll keep looki- wait, what's that sound?"

A low rumbling sound was audible in the distance, and the ground beneath the plane seemed to be shaking a little. Tails followed the sound, looking to the right, and saw the one thing he had not wanted to see: the Death Egg's spherical form slowly rising from the ground in the distance, the steel behemoth suddenly dominating the skyline. Its profile had been obscured by a plethora of tall buildings and cranes, some of which promptly toppled over and crumbled as the machine rose higher and higher.

"Tails, what's going on?" asked Sally. "What's happening?"

In his shock, it took the young fox a moment or two to find his voice. "Uhh… well, the good news is, I found the Death Egg," he said nervously.

"And the bad news?" said Sally warily.

"It's launching…" said Tails, the fear evident in his voice.

***

Sonic, Sally and Rotor were gathered round a monitor, tracking Tails' progress via radar, as well as the plane's diagnostics. With those two words, the mood in the room changed dramatically. Sally and Rotor both looked fearful and shocked, while Sonic leapt forward and grabbed the microphone, his expression suddenly serious. "Tails, get outta there now!" he said.

"Will do," came the reply.

"Rotor, bring up your aerial recon satellites and start tracking it," said Sally. "If that thing gets too close to Knothole, we'll have to evacuate."

"Not gonna happen, Sal," said Sonic confidently. "We're gonna knock that thing out of the sky before it reaches the Great Forest."

"How?" asked Sally. "How will you even get up there to shut it down?"

"Do I even have to say it?" asked Sonic, as though the answer was obvious. "I'll use-"

***

"A plane?!" said Robotnik incredulously, as the craft appeared on the Death Egg's surveillance monitors. "Since when did those blasted Freedom Fighters have a plane?!"

"Shall we open fire on it, sir?" asked Snively.

"No, Snively," said Robotnik sarcastically, "I want you to invite it inside for tea and muffins." He angrily slammed his fist down on the control panel. "BLAST IT OUT OF THE SKY!"

"At once, your sphericalness," said Snively.

The Death Egg, and the Buzz Bombers escorting it, opened fire, and Tails was left frantically trying to dodge a hail of laser fire. Almost losing control, the plane was pitched into several barrel rolls before Tails managed to recover control, shaking his head to clear his dizziness before opening the throttle as far as it would go, accelerating away.

Robotnik was undaunted. "Ready… fire the Egg Cannon!" he declared.

Snively pressed a large red button on the control panel, and the Death Egg's giant metallic eyes began to light up with a powerful green glow as the laser charged up. Tails noticed the glow and started to panic. "Uh-oh."

Tails banked hard to the left, and a second later the Egg Cannon fired, an enormous green laser pulse blasting from between its eyes. It barely missed the plane, instead evaporating a good several blocks of Robotropolis. Firepower that immense could wipe out the Great Forest in no time at all. Immensely relieved to have dodged the beam, Tails continued to make his escape.

***

"He's out of weapon range now, sir," said Snively, "and it'll take a while for the cannon to charge back up again. Shall we pursue him?"

"Certainly," said Robotnik. "After all, I can only imagine that he's headed back to Knothole now. All we have to do is follow him, and he'll lead us straight to the Freedom Fighters."

"Very good, sir," said Snively. "The plane's travelling too fast for us to catch up with it, but I'm going to track it using our satellites. We'll be able to follow the path it takes, straight to Knothole."

"Excellent," said Robotnik, settling back in his chair. "How long until we arrive?"

"At our current speed, we should be at the Great Forest in about three hours," said Snively. "The Egg Cannon will be charged by then, and ready to destroy Knothole once and for all.

"Excellent," said Robotnik. "I've waited long enough to destroy those Freedom Fighters; I can wait a few more hours." And so he steepled his fingers, and waited.

Day 68

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

Sally retrieved a small clamshell computer device from her jacket pocket. This was NICOLE, a powerful sentient computer that she had been received shortly after her arrival at Knothole. She knew not who had sent it to her, or even who had built it; it had just arrived out of the blue one day, in a parcel addressed to her, and with a sticky label attached that read simply, "ROBOTNIK WILL FALL. THIS WILL HELP". In a dark time, those words had helped encourage her, and sure enough, NICOLE had proved to be an invaluable tool in the fight against Robotnik.

Sally opened up the device, holding it in the palm of one hand. The holographic projector in the bottom half of the shell activated with a soft whirr, projecting a six-inch hologram of NICOLE's AI interface from the base. This AI took the form of a female lynx, with tan fur streaked with black, wearing a purple, black and white sleeveless bodysuit. At first NICOLE had been simply an emotionless computer program, but in the ten years Sally had owned her, she seemed to have developed a full personality of her own.

"Good afternoon, Miss Sally," she said, bowing slightly in greeting. "How may I be of assistance?"

"I'd like you to analyze the plans that are on this flash drive," said Sally. "If you can, project a 3D hologram of them for us."

"Sounds simple enough," said NICOLE. Sally inserted the flash drive into a slot in the side of NICOLE's base, and waited a moment.

"That's odd," remarked NICOLE. "These files appear to be from Robotnik's servers, yet they are not encrypted."

"That's what we were just talking about as well," said Sally. "It's very strange."

"Yeah, yeah, we've established that," said Sonic impatiently, tapping his foot. "Let's just see what it is already!"

Sally sighed, rolling her eyes. Sonic may have been the most capable of all the Freedom Fighters, but his arrogance and impatience still drove the young princess to distraction. "Gosh, you can never even wait just five seconds, can you?" she said.

"Yeah, Sonic," said NICOLE, her demeanour changing markedly. "You need to learn to chillax." Sally sighed once more. For some reason, in spite of her usually perfect diction, NICOLE seemed to lapse into using Sonic's slang whenever she addressed him. Perhaps she had worked out that it was the best way to get through to him, or that he didn’t understand her usual technobabble. Or perhaps he had just shaken her in frustration one too many times.

Whatever the reason, it worked. Sonic managed to calm himself down. "Alright, sorry," he said. "Now, whenever you're ready…"

NICOLE nodded, and a moment later her holographic form fizzled away. Replacing it was a slowly-rotating hologram of a giant spherical object, the likes of which none of the Freedom Fighters had ever seen before. The front of it was decorated with a stylized facsimile of Robotnik's face, complete with moustache, and it was criss-crossed with numerous panel lines. Sally, curious, put NICOLE down on the ground so the other Freedom Fighters could get a better look at the large projected sphere.

"What is it?" asked Tails curiously.

"It's ugly, that's what it is," remarked Sonic, grimacing at the sight of Robotnik's metallic visage.

"Eez eet a bomb of some kind?" asked Antoine, tilting his head slightly.

NICOLE's voice issued forth from the hologram. "Judging by its specifications, it appears to be a heavily-armoured, and heavily-armed, aerial battle fortress," it said. "Its designated codename is "The Death Egg"."

"Aerial fortress?" repeated Sonic skeptically. "So this massive heap of junk can fly?"

"Apparently," said NICOLE. "However, I've crunched some numbers and I just don't see how I possibly could."

"Why?" asked Sally. "How big is it?"

"Its dry weight is estimated at some 450,000 tonnes," said NICOLE. "Its diameter is precisely two thousand, four hundred and thirty-six metres, and twenty-seven centimetres, or precisely-"

"Yeah, we get it, it's big," said Sonic. "So how's Buttnik gonna make it fly?"

"I don't know," admitted NICOLE. "The power source isn't specified."

"Really?" asked Sally, surprised. "That's strange."

"Indeed," said NICOLE. "There is, however, one other function of this fortress that should be taken into consideration. Observe."

The concave dishes that formed Robotnik's eyes suddenly began to light up, glowing with a powerful green energy. Then, two large holographic laser beams shot out of its eyes with a loud "pew", flying right over the sleeping Bunnie, who woke with a start. "Huh? What in tarnation-?" she cried, startled.

The rest of the Freedom Fighters were in awe of this kind of firepower. "My gosh…" breathed Sally. "Those lasers would be enough to destroy the entire Great Forest, let alone Knothole." She quickly composed herself. "We can't allow this thing to launch. We have to make sure it never gets off the ground. NICOLE, do the schematics say where the Death Egg is being constructed?"

"No," said NICOLE, "but its estimated completion date is one week from now."

"That's no time at all," said Sally. "We've got to find this thing, and fast. The quickest way will be from the air, and considering how big this thing is, its construction site shouldn't be too hard to spot." She turned to Rotor. "Rotor, is that new plane you and Tails were working on finished yet?"

"It is," said Rotor. "I suggest having Tails pilot it, since he's already familiar with the inner workings. I'd do it myself, but…" Rotor glanced down at his rotund figure. "…I can't exactly fit in the cockpit."

"Tails, can you fly this plane?" asked Sally.

"I'll do my best!" said Tails enthusiastically.

"Good," said Sally. "Go out there, and check all Robotnik's known manufacturing facilities. Report back here once you've found the Death Egg's construction site; don't try and shut it down yourself. We'll send in Sonic to take it down.

"Aye-aye, Princess Sally!" said Tails, saluting.

Day 47

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

It did not take Sonic long at all to reach Knothole, with the other Freedom Fighters in tow. Antoine had calmed down by the time they arrived back, his flashbacks swiftly fading away. As Sonic and the others skidded to a halt inside the main square, they were greeted by the village's two other main residents. Rotor Walrus, the group's main technical expert, headed straight for Sally. "Did you get the plans?" he asked.

Sally held up the flash drive containing the plans. "They're in here," she said. "I'm going to analyze them with NICOLE shortly, but first I'd like you to scan it, and make sure it doesn't include any nasty surprises from Robotnik." NICOLE was a sentient computer that Sally had received in a mysterious package one day. Though small, it was powerful enough to crack even the toughest of Robotnik's encryptions. Recently Robotnik had taken to bundling viruses in with his plans to try and shut NICOLE down from the inside, and while it hadn't worked so far, Sally wasn't taking any chances.

Rotor took the drive from Sally and headed off to his workshop, with his young assistant Tails in tow. "I'm gonna hit the hay," said Bunnie, stifling a yawn, "I need a power-nap. No pun intended." Bunnie's arm cannon may have been powerful enough to wreck Snively's robot, but it used a lot of energy, and firing it always exhausted her. For this reason, she usually restricted herself to firing it once per day, and only in dire emergencies, as had been the case back at Scrap Brain Zone.

"And I shall start preparing supper!" declared Antoine, before heading off towards the kitchens. Antoine's shell-shock may have reduced his effectiveness as a soldier, but he was still an excellent chef. Most of the time.

"It better not be escargot again, Ant!" Sonic called after him.

Sally remained in the square, with Sonic. She had something important to discuss. "So," she said, "Charles believes these plans are for some kind of powerful super-weapon. What do you suppose it could be?" "Charles" was Sonic's uncle, one of Mobius' top scientific minds prior to Robotnik's coup d'etat. He, like almost all of Mobius' other citizens, had been "Roboticized" - turned into a mindless robotic servant. Except Charles had not become mindless. By a stroke of good luck, he had retained his free will, and now worked for the Freedom Fighters as a double agent, passing them information about Robotnik's schemes. It was he who had alerted them to this new super-weapon, whatever it may be, and told them where the plans were being kept.

Sonic merely shrugged. "I dunno, but he seemed pretty rattled when I talked to him. He reckons it's gotta be both new and big. Really big."

"That’s not really very helpful," said Sally.

"Well, that's all he knew," said Sonic. "Apparently there's been a lot of activity lately in Buttnik's research centres, so he reckons maybe it uses some fancy new tech Buttnik's invented, and there's some kinks that need working out."

"That would make sense," said Sally, looking pensive. "But then, if it's something we've never seen before-"

"Sally!"

Looking up, Sally saw Rotor running towards her, the flash drive in his hand. It had only been a couple of minutes, and his hurried pace and concerned expression told Sally that something was very wrong. "What it is, Rotor?" she asked.

Rotor came to a halt a few feet away, resting his hands on his knees for a moment while he recovered his breath. "I checked the flash drive," he said eventually. "Not only were there no viruses on it… it's not even encrypted."

"Not encrypted?" repeated Sally, surprised. "I don't think Robotnik's ever not encrypted something…"

"Well, maybe ol' Blubber Boy just forgot this time," suggested Sonic crudely.

"Or maybe… maybe he wants us to see what's on this drive," pondered Sally, as she took the flash drive from Rotor. "He wants us to see what he's got in store for us."

"Then let's take a look already!" said Sonic. "The sooner we know what it is, the sooner I can wreck it!"

"I think we should gather everyone else here," suggested Sally. "If this really is as game-changing as your uncle suggests, then it might be best if we all knew about it."

"I'm on it!" said Sonic, before whizzing off through the village. A moment later, he returned with Bunnie, Antoine and Tails in tow. Bunnie was still half-asleep, one long ear flopped over her face.

"Wha-wha's goin' on?" slurred Bunnie.

"We're going to analyze the plans, see what Robotnik has in store for us, and then figure out a way to stop whatever it is before it does whatever it's supposed to do," said Sally.

Bunnie clearly did not comprehend this in her tired state, but nodded anyway. "Sure, sure, just lemme-" With that, she toppled over sideways and was asleep before she hit the ground.