Saving Throw
By Jeremy Cole
Antoine looked down through the entrance of the freedom fighter’s
base and remembered how long it had taken to build. He and his father
had dug this place with their sweat and shovels, vowing to use it as a
base for secret military operations. They hadn’t gotten a chance to use
it together, though. Antoine’s father had dedicated his life to
fighting for his country, and in the end, that was how he lost it. Half
finished, the two-room base was already housing five animals. The base
belonged to Antoine, and he said it could house no more. The cat had to
go.
Antoine descended the ladder into the base. Vaguely questioning
sounds came from the world beyond. Antoine shook his head to snap out
of his reverie, but a new wave of angry thinking stopped him. Of course
his opinion meant next to nothing. Why should it mean anything at all?
When you think about it, he didn’t really contribute much to the team;
he was just an extra sword. Since when does a… The questioning sounds
became more urgent. Antoine felt a slight shaking as he continued his
self-doubting exercise. Since when does…
The slap did the trick of bringing him back around. Antoine fell
flat on his back at the force of the blow to see Sally standing over
him, and a worried looking Rally standing behind her. Antoine sneered
at Rally before getting up, a little embarrassedly. Sally admonished
him for worrying Rally, and walked off to join Sonic at the table.
Rally looked at Antoine, then shook her head and walked off too.
Antoine was left alone in the main room with only his suspicions for
company. Feeling slightly down, Antoine laid down on the couch to rest,
eyes stinging a bit.
Sonic, feet on the table, made his proclamation to the
approaching princess: “Tails has been gone a long time, Sal. We should
go find him.”
Sally was taken aback a little by the directness of the
statement. “I was thinking about that too, but it’s only been one or
two hours… if you’re worried though, then maybe I’ve let it go on for a
bit too long… let’s get the rest of the freedom fighters together, and
spread out for a search. Tails can’t have gone too far.”
Sonic quickly stood up, and went into the other room. He glanced
around at the room – Antoine was snoring uproariously on the couch,
barely disturbing Rotor, who was furiously working away at some gadget
or another. Rally seemed to be avidly tackling a supply of comic books
that she had produced from somewhere, sticking her nose far into the
spines of the books. Sonic vaguely wondered at how she got them as he
turned back to Sally. “Looks like we’re going it alone, Sal. Everyone
looks a lot less bored than I was.” Sally nodded, and got back on her
feet to ascend the ladder. Sonic was really agitated, by the sound of
his voice. If Sonic could muster this much worry, then Tails might be
in some real trouble…
Before Sally had taken another step, Rally had extracted her head
from the book (with a slight popping sound) and come up directly behind
her. “Can I come along Sally? I know I’m not really a freedom fighter
yet, but I don’t want to be useless here…”
Sally raised and lowered an eyebrow, then nodded. “Sure, Rally -
let’s go.” The three left the base after a quick word to Rotor. On the
couch, Antoine tossed angrily in his sleep, settling just before he
rolled off of the couch.
It just wasn’t fair! Sonic always destroyed Swat Bots single-
handedly. He ran at supersonic speeds, evaded Robotnik at every chance,
and did it all with a cocky attitude and a smile. Why couldn’t Tails do
any of that – say, right now?
Tails was flying for his life at top speed. That is, top speed
while laden with a heavy object, which wasn’t really that fast at all.
Tails was flying for his life because he was being pursued by a squad
of Swat Bots, who obviously objected to his stealing from Robotnik’s
junk. It was just one computer – why were they being so stingy?
Tails dodged a tree limb in the thick patch of forest that he was
being pursued through. Glancing back at the missed limb with slight
elation, and ducking the next, Tails failed to see the one directly in
front of him. Twisting too late, he hit it with a resounding crunch,
completely totaling his package. The crunch extended farther than the
casing, though, adding everything from his right arm the computer.
Tails cried out in pain as the Swat Bots circled under him, lasers
poised. Tails collected himself on the branch. This was no time to
panic, it was time to act. Tails dropped from the limb as the first
lasers started to fire, letting his injured arm hang limp at his side.
The fox swooped low over the heads of the Swat Bots, and made his
escape into the forest. The lasers swung wide of him as he pulled full
throttle through the trees, not really knowing which way he was going,
only that there was more pain back the way he came.
Tails’ flight did not go unnoticed. Neither did the remains of
the computer hanging, crushed, from the limb of the tree. The plan that
was forming began with that limb, and ended with total control for the
one blacker than space, and far, far colder. A soft laugh mingled with
the faint noises of the woods. The little fox may not have known, but
he had aided him quite well that day.
The fox in question awoke to a few gentle shakes from Sally. He
found himself comfortably positioned on a tree limb, with Sonic and
Sally looking down on him. Sally’s worried expression was replaced
instantly by one of intense relief and open pleasure at his return.
Sonic’s look was kind and relieved as well. Tails smiled up at Sonic,
and then closed his eyes once more. Sally immediately reverted back to
the worried look and shook Tails a few more times. The fox shook limply
in her grasp, completely out for the moment. Sally hugged him to her,
just glad that he was alive. Letting him fall back in her grasp, Sally
looked at Tails, really looked, for the first time in a while. The
golden yellow of Tails’ coat had a white furry spot covering his
stomach. He had a look of complete innocence on his face. Sally was
reminded of just how young he was. Carrying him, Sally headed back in
the direction they had come from with Sonic and Rally in tow. Sonic
kept stealing anxious glances at the small form, and Rally wiped his
brow with a cloth from time to time as well. They were all glad that he
was safe.
But was he ever going to catch it when he woke up!
“Shouldn’t he be awake by now?”
“He’s never had this kind of pain before! I mean, he broke an
arm. Give him a little bit of time, Sonic. He’s got to recover. He has
to…”
“He will, Sally. He cares too much about all of you to just die
like this.”
Tails’ eyes opened slowly to the voices. He was in the forest,
far away from the source of the danger that had caused him his pain.
His pain… The realization struck him just as the pain from his arm hit
him full force. Gritting his teeth, he tried to open his eyes again,
slowly managing it through the fire in his arm.
Fully awake, and laid carefully on a patch of grass, Tails stared
up at the worried faces of the Sally, Sonic, and Rally. Despite the
pain, he managed a grin. “Hi guys!”
Sally hugged him close. Tails was all right. The anxiety was
over.
Antoine slowly boiled. The cat was getting more and more favor,
and it was cutting him up more than he could believed. Leaving him on
the couch when there was real work to be done, and taking that menace
instead… it was unthinkable! Antoine paced. There certainly wasn’t
enough room in the base for its current occupants. That meant logically
that someone would be sent back to Knothole in short order. Rally had
already proven herself capable and willing to help. Antoine couldn’t
help but wonder if Sally might not think to disrupt the current team.
If that were true… then might not he be the one replaced? Antoine
stopped pacing. The only way to ensure his staying a freedom fighter
was to make himself useful, right away. What needed doing about now?
Was it time for a raid on Robotnik, or perhaps a little reconnaissance?
Or maybe… Antoine continued his line of thought feverishly,
unconsciously solving his problem in another way with the continued
expansion of the base with his boots. Abruptly, he abandoned his
paranoia and went over to Sally at the main table.
“Princess, I have a proposal to make.”
Sally glanced up from the maps she was perusing. “Mmm? What’s up,
Antoine?”
“Princess, perhaps someone should bring Tails to see a doctor as
soon a possible. His injury looks quite serious, and perhaps will not
heal correctly, if it doesn’t have the correct attention put to it.”
“I’ve already planned a trip. In fact, Sonic is getting ready
right now.”
Antoine winced. “Then perhaps I could go on a reconnaissance
mission?”
“I’ve just come back from one, actually. I’ve got the next attack
route mapped out now, too.”
“Er… is there anything else that I can do? I feel a bit bored
right now…”
“Well, there is the matter of retrieving the thing that Tails was
trying to recover when he was injured…”
Antoine sighed, relieved. “I would be happy and willing,
Princess. I will leave immediately.”
Sally smiled slightly. “Wait up, Antoine. You’ve got to wait for
Rally. She wanted to go after it too.”
Antoine slapped his forehead. HER again. “Princess, I…”
Sally looked down at the maps again. “Thanks for volunteering,
Ant. You’re a real help, especially when the rest of us are busy.”
Antoine winced again. Why wasn’t he busy with them then? “… I’m
always happy to help, Princess.”
The cat was happy. Sickeningly happy. Antoine gave up his glaring
and just focused on the forest ahead. Rally had been smiling this whole
time, spilling over with energy and bouncing her backpack up and down
the whole way. What did she have to be so happy about? The way that she
kept turning her darkly tan eyes towards him was vaguely unsettling.
But the least he could do for the encroaching feline was to be civil.
So Antoine walked along in his state of general discomfort, and said
nothing.
Winter! The thought ran back and forth through Rally’s mind,
causing her to skip up and down the path with anticipation. The clean
smell of fresh snowfall, and the cold freshness shivering through the
air… Rally knew it was a bit silly to get so worked up over a bit of
snow, but she couldn’t help herself. It was too fresh and cool for
that! Winter was the time where she could feel the snow melt on her fur
once again, and the world began with a new canvas! Rally looked at
Antoine again. How could Antoine be so grumpy looking when it was
winter around him? Maybe a little bit of smiling could cheer him up!
Besides, the way that he kept flinching when she did that was really
fun!
Farther along the path, Antoine finally broke down and started a
conversation to take off the heat of her eyes. “Where is it that we are
going, Miss Rally?”
Antoine felt the warmth on his neck slacken. Business. “We’re
going pretty close to Dad’s territory, but not quite. I’ve got the way
memorized.”
“You’re not going to get us lost, are you?” said Antoine, with a
slight edge.
“Not me! I’ve got it all stored back there, and it’s not getting
out without my say-so.”
Antoine felt himself grin, despite his mind’s protestations.
“Then I am in good hands.”
Rally’s smiled warmed again, and Antoine felt that warmness
within him. Shaking his head, and about to say something to reaffirm
his annoyance with her, Rally called a halt to their party. The limb
that Tails had crashed into was evident in that it carried the weight
of a full computer and monitor, and in that it was almost entirely
cleaved in two. The monitor was crushed in enough to attach itself
precariously to the branch, but little damage was evident on the other
side of it. But the branch itself seemed a bit worse for wear – It was
hanging from the barest of threads, 20 or 30 feet above the ground. It
was a minor miracle that it hadn’t fallen already. Antoine immediately
moved to spot the pale box. Rally moved to climb the computer’s tree
with equal speed. Removing his admiring gaze from the form effortlessly
scaling the tree, Antoine gauged the distance. If the limb decided to
fall, he would have a good chance of slowing the momentum enough to
avoid any further damage to the computer. If he could avoid damage to
himself, it was just another bonus.
Rally climbed carefully out onto what was left of the limb on all
fours, gauging the degree of the bending with every step. Reaching the
end of the safety zone, she sat back on her legs. The limb was hanging
from fewer twigs than when she had started up the tree and was going
fast. Moreover, the computer was hanging on the limb just out of reach.
Whatever she did, it would have to be fast – the branch wasn’t going to
survive for much longer. Rally carefully leaned forward to grasp at the
limb. But the slight extra pressure in the wrong place released the
branch to begin its descent to the forest floor, taking Rally with it.
Rally clutched at the computer in the air, twisting her body to
get it off of its doomed branch. The stubborn hardware refused to
budge. Desperate, Rally lashed out at the computer with her fist, and
managed to knock it into the skeletal surrounding shrubs. Twisting,
Rally got her feet under her just in time - to plow full force into
Antoine with a squeal. Both of them crashed hard to the forest floor.
Rally had hit him in a completely unexpected way. The difference
in what he was trying to catch was enough that Antoine totally
misjudged where she was going to land. That had cost him.
Antoine moaned. The pounding in his ribcage was horrible, and his
body felt lightly bruised. Antoine slowly opened his eyes to assess the
situation. Rally, directly against him, was staring down at him with a
blank expression on her face. Antoine felt her warmth all over his
body. The feeling mixed one thought into the next. Though he tried,
Antoine couldn’t say a thing.
Before he managed to fix his thought processes, Rally seemed to
break out of a trance. “Are you OK, Antoine?” she asked, pushing
herself away with questioning eyes.
Suddenly Antoine’s thoughts focused. He could think again. “I’m
fine. Just a bit… confused.”
Rally moved over to the snowy bushes, and emerged a moment later
with a snowy, but largely unhurt computer. “That was exciting! Tails is
so lucky that he can do things like that all the time.”
Antoine frowned. How could she possibly fall 30 feet, almost die,
and then think about how exciting it was? “We had better get back.
Rotor may not be able to fix the circuitry, but it looks like the
casing was the only thing cracked. He might be able to fix this.”
Rally nodded. The pair set off toward the base with their prize.
Rotor rotated the last screw into place. The new casing was
finished. An insertion of a cord, a flick of the switch, and the
computer silently flickered on. Rotor patiently sat back in his chair.
A surprisingly short time later, the computer displayed the blue start
up menu. Rotor leaned forward into his keyboard. It was high time to do
a bit of research on a new invention that he had been thinking about.
Time to get down to business…
Rotor blinked. The gurgle from his stomach had wakened him from
his trance. Rotor checked the computer clock. 12 noon. That was a
little strange – it hadn’t seemed like a long time to him. Rotor
stretched a bit, then got up. Was there any fruit left in their food
stores?
It didn’t take long for the next one to sit at the computer.
Leaning back in her chair after a long run of planning, Sally noticed
the free computer for the first time. Yawning softly, she walked over
to it, and sat down in the chair. Booting it up, Sally leaned casually
back in the chair, not displaying the true interest that she felt in
the machine. But Sally leaned into the keys too when finally the pages
displaying pre-war Mobotropolis came up. The images brought an intense
feeling of nostalgia to Sally for the vague memories of her days as a
child…
Sally shivered violently, and awoke from a small trance of her
own. Someone had opened the entrance to the base, and the cool night
air had swirled in. Sally blinked at the realization that it was night.
She hadn’t even noticed the time pass at the screen. Sally stretched,
and got up to go investigate the culprit.
The guilty one was Sonic. Sally gave him a questioning look as
she moved into the room next to him.
In answer to her unspoken query, Sonic replied, "Just stepped out
to run a little, Sal."
Sally raised an eyebrow at him, prompting him to go on. "Yeah,
I'm ok, just that I've felt restless for a while now. Ever since this
business computer started, there's just been something nagging me at
the back of my mind, something that's just not right..."
Sally laid a hand on his back. "Don't worry so much, Sonic.
You're just a little worried about Tails, that's all." Taking his
shoulders, she steered him into the planning room. "C'mon, I have to
show you a few things that this computer can do." Sonic shrugged and
pulled up a chair. Putting his arm around her shoulder, he leaned into
the computer screen with her. They didn't stop playing together until
far into the night.
Late in the morning air, the pair finally set off to their beds.
As he exhaustedly stumbled into his pallet, Sonic tried to make his
tired mind focus on the night before. But no amount of trying would
make it come. The two drifted off to sleep peacefully, but were
replaced at the computer screen by the next victims of the computer.
Slowly, the computer was taking over.
The change had been gradual, and quite subtle. Every one of the
freedom fighters, including Tails on his return from Knothole, had
visited the computer, one by one. And each in his turn had been hooked.
Now Rally stared worriedly at the backs of the Freedom Fighters.
They had been far gone in their playing for a long time, and none of
them showed the slightest motion, besides the occasional clicking of
Sonic, or the resettling of a few tails on hard wood chairs. This was
too much. Rally marched over to the huddled assembly and tapped Antoine
forcefully on the shoulder. It took a few taps to make him turn to her
voice. "Antoine."
Antoine groggily replied with a moan, attempting to turn back to
the computer. But Rally gripped his shoulders powerfully and shook him.
"You haven't eaten for the last day, and you haven't slept in
two! Just leave the computer long enough to get something to eat!"
Antoine's head rolled on his neck, and began breathing heavily. Rally
shook him again. "Antoine! Snap out of it!"
Antoine's eyes slowly cleared, gradually focusing on the
frightened cat. Releasing himself, Antoine sank into his knees and held
his head in his hands. He barely noticed Rally's supportive weight on
his shoulders. Standing from his chair, as the final mists of the
computer drifted away from him, he noticed the intense hunger and
weariness for the first time. Antoine immediately collapsed into
Rally's arms again, and half stumbled, half dragged himself to the
couch. Accepting the proffered fruit, he wolfed it down as best as he
could.
Rally helped him sit up. If there was any doubt before, it was
far gone now. Supporting him, Rally glanced over at the others. None of
the others had so much as glanced back at Antoine, and now that Rally
looked, their eyes seemed to have glazed over completely. Rally looked
at Antoine, then back at the freedom fighters, a little unsure of what
to do. Antoine didn’t look entirely steady, but the others needed her
help as well. She had almost decided to go to the next freedom fighter
when the decision was made for her.
Tails stood up, back still to Rally, with his head down. It was
an odd, jerky motion, not at all like the spry movements a normal child
would have. Slowly, Rotor, then Sally, then Sonic, stood with eerie
synchronicity to join Tails in his stiff stance. Then each of them
turned at once.
Sally’s mouth twitched a bit, then formed itself into a smile.
“Rally,” the mouth said, “Why did you drag Antoine away from the
computer? What harm can a simple thing like this do?” The voice was
halting, and sorely lacking normal emotion. Rally just shook her head,
mouth too dry for words. They were all acting reeeally weird right now.
The forms of the freedom fighters moved a little closer, with Sally’s
reaching out its hands.
“Why do this Rally? That computer can help us… to fight
Robotnik.” The outstretched hands took on a pleading quality as the
four moved closer to Rally. Rally drew back even farther, not trusting
her new friend’s sudden change in mood. Perhaps that small shift saved
the world.
Rally let out a short gasp, which was cut off by the immediate
adrenaline rush that Sally’s lunge had given her. Rally pulled Antoine
bodily off the couch with the strength of fear, and dragged him behind
her to the base’s entrance. Behind her, the four puppets still made
their slow way towards them, even as Rally somehow managed to get
Antoine across the room, up the ladder, and out of the portal. A nearby
rock was all it took to close the passageway to the loud bangings of
Robotnik’s newest minions.
Robotnik was ecstatic. It was enough to make his want to dance!
Yes, that damn hedgehog was finally in his power, and he had only to
give the order, and the computer would finally hand over the
coordinates to the freedom fighter’s base. But that could come later –
right after he finished celebrating that wonderful computer! Ah, the
computer… the idea had started when that little fox had tried to loot a
computer from his scrap heap the other day. Looking back to that,
having an entire computer sitting there was an oversight on his part.
But the little shrimp hadn’t been able to escape with it, and so the
plan was born.
Robotnik found it quite impossible to stop laughing at the
moment. The giggles kept coming, every time he thought about the
hedgehog. The hedgehog that was his now! That thought brought on
another burst of laughter. The power that he now held… it was
magnificent! Robotnik let the chuckles die down on their own, then
started walking lightly through his base. The thought of mind control,
and the technology to do it had come straight from the Roboticizer. A
few modifications, and a little repair set the trap. From there all it
took was a little strategic placement, and then… In just a few minutes,
Sonic would be his forever! Robotnik’s laughter filled the base to the
rafters with noise. The sound of an evil genius’ malicious joy.
Trying to blink away the reality only brought the images back.
Rally had to shudder, and turn away from the lip of the tree stump
entrance.
When she first looked at the brainwashed Sally’s face, something
about it had impressed her as being wrong. Now that she had the time,
she could see in her mind’s eye that all of Sally’s movements seemed a
little off. But the worst things… were the eyes. The eyes that seemed
to be glazed over, but still moved wildly, belying the calm face that
they resided in. Maybe that meant that Sally was still in there, just
trapped by the computer’s work. Or maybe those eyes were just her
father’s, taking in every nuance of the freedom fighter base… Rally
shuddered again. It didn’t bear thinking about. She glanced over to
check on Antoine. He seemed to have recovered, and was thinking. Good.
She would need him for what she had in mind. But best to check to make
sure he was ok. “Hey Antoine? Are you ok?”
Antoine nodded. “Feed me a little, and I’ll be in top shape in no
time.”
Rally pulled an apple from her vest, and tossed it over to him.
Antoine accepted the extra food gratefully. He ate slowly now though,
deep in bleary thought.
Antoine was thinking about his experience with the computer, and
holding his bleary head. All he could remember from his ordeal was a
feeling of being intensely mentally assaulted, and the symbol of
Robotnik burnt hard onto his mind. Antoine shook his head and tried to
remember more than that, to envision the computer itself. But it was no
use; the fog was too thick all about him. The best he could do was to
imagine the computer’s outline, and the wires that were running from it
into the wall. Those wires hadn’t been there the night before.
Antoine felt Rally’s hand on his shoulder. “Are you ready?”
Antoine grinned weakly. “Ready when you are, Rally.”
“Then here’s the plan…”
He was trapped. A puppet, powerless to do any more than think at
what he was doing. Stuck in his mind, he was prisoner to whatever the
computer told him to do. And if you had to describe it in one word,
that word could only be boring.
Tails sat at rapt attention, staring at the door and listening
to the brainwashing computer voice in the other room. He had been doing
this for a little over half an hour now, and his neck was starting to
cramp up. But the worst part about it was that he couldn’t even play
those computer games anymore. If his body was going to be taken over by
some stupid computer, the least that the computer could do was give him
something to do in here.
Tails tried to sigh. It didn’t work. The computer was spouting
more stuff about being loyal and faithful to Robotnik. Sheesh. It
already had total control, what else was there to it? Tails knew that
he should try to be just a little bit more worried, but try as he
might, he couldn’t keep the emotion up. It just seemed so ridiculous to
him that anyone could be controlled by a computer game. It was just too
hard to take it seriously. So, since the computer didn’t have the
decency to leave him some entertainment, the only thing left for him to
do was to just be bored. Tails tried to sigh again. It didn’t work this
time either. His body rubbed his broken arm. Tails wondered if he’d
ever use that arm again…
Tails felt his ears prick up, and felt his head turn. There was a
faint sound at the door. Sighing a real sigh now, Tails got up, and
went over to the ladder to investigate. The door was open (rock gone,
he guessed), and the air was spilling in. Tails was just mounting the
ladder when a weighted impact reached out and swatted him down to the
ground. Thanks Antoine! he thought as he hit the floor and the world
went black.
Oops. His foot had just collided with something. He hoped that he
hadn’t done too much damage to whatever it was. Antoine descended the
rest of he stairs cautiously, remembering Rally’s words about stealth.
At the bottom, he peered at Tails for the extent of the damage.
Wincing, he pushed Tails’ arm back into the splint, then looked up at
Rally as she descended. He gave her the thumbs up. The others had
managed not to notice Tails’ fall. So far, so good.
Antoine took a branch from her, thinking it a more suitable
weapon than his sword. Creeping up behind the three puppet forms, he
raised the branch to swing. Thinking back on how the computer had taken
control of his mind for that time, Antoine felt anger in place of the
emptiness that he had felt before. All he could see in his mind right
then was the computer, and the stick that was spelling its doom.
Unfortunately, the computer could also see him.
Sonic’s form whirled in his seat, and blocked the branch’s swing
with one arm. Sonic didn’t even wince as the branch cracked, and fell
to the ground. Letting the injured arm hang at his side, Sonic made a
grab at Antoine. Getting over his surprise and quickly ducking, Antoine
began grappling with Sonic, trusting to his superior and uninjured arm
strength to subdue the hedgehog. But as soon as Antoine grabbed him,
Sonic began to smile. That smile didn’t ebb, even when Antoine had
almost bent him back to his chair and out of the fight. The smile was
just beginning to unnerve him when Sonic stopped giving ground.
Antoine’s mouth opened in shock as Sonic began to push him back, and
reversed the hold. With one swift move, Sonic twisted him into the
vacant seat that they kept for him. But by then, Antoine had realized
what had happened. Sonic hadn’t gotten stronger – the computer had just
made Antoine stop resisting him.
While Antoine battled Sonic, Rally quietly slunk along the wall
to the computer. Ok, the direct approach had failed. So now it was her
turn. Sliding with grace usually reserved for fluids, Rally made her
black form as unobtrusive as possible in the shadows as she made her
way past the brawl, and to the spider-like form of the computer. Wait –
spider-like? Rally drew back from it in surprise and mild disgust. The
computer had shot wires out of itself somehow, cracking its casing in
an effort to draw more power from its surroundings. The effect gave it
the look of a dropped egg, just after impact, frozen in the act of
sending out its tendrils of ooze. Rally breathed out and stepped back.
Neither of the two prisoners in front of their forced teacher had paid
her movements the slightest heed. That left Rally free to fade back
into the wall to make her move.
Antoine was trapped again, just like he had been before. Trapped
with the burning assault on his mind, and with the knowledge that he
had utterly failed his friends… that he had failed Rally. He was
vaguely aware of Sonic leering at him nastily from his position
directly facing him, and was vaguely resentful of the hedgehog for it,
but the resentment was drowned in the face of his own shame, and his
pain, as he was slowly converted into the very puppet that he had
fought against. His eye picked up a sudden movement to his right.
Rally!
Then, in an instant, it happened. Rally was at the computer,
somehow covering all that distance in a flash, trying with all of her
strength to wrest it from its wire cradle. The computer was resisting
with every wire of its being, struggling to survive. His self-pity
shattered in a sudden burst of elated hope, maybe, just maybe Rally
could finish what he started - but then he saw the others jump to stop
her. To his horror, Antoine saw the others had reached her, were about
to strike the beeping and whirring computer from her grasp, were about
to – A sudden flash lit the dim room. Antoine held up his hands to
block the blinding light.
Robotnik had finally managed to contain his merriment. He had had
to leave the room several times to finish off a fresh burst of the
giggles, but he could contain himself this time. Robotnik walked over
to the computer monitor that was receiving the signal from the bugged
computer. An evil smile showed on his face as he approached it, in
anticipation of the pains he could inflict with his new power in the
freedom fighter base, starting with its location. But what he saw on
the screen made his smile freeze on his face, and twist instead into a
horrible grimace. The evil mastermind began banging his fist over and
over again into his main computer monitor, crying out in true rage. The
words that the cracking monitor displayed were its last: connection
lost.
“Is it really a good idea to put this thing back in commission,
Rotor?” Rally asked. “What if it goes haywire on us again?”
“Don’t worry about it,” answered the walrus, holding up a disk
with Robotnik’s symbol on it. “This little guy was the problem. Seems
Robotnik set us up from the very beginning, and was pulling the strings
from up at his base. But it was a rush job – he didn’t even hardwire it
in. He just stuck in the disk, and let it work.”
“Do you think he found out where we are?” asked Antoine.
“We’re still here, aren’t we.” replied Rotor.
That was good enough for him. Walking away, Antoine back turned
to Rally, smiling inwardly. “Congratulations on your induction, Rally.
To tell you the truth, I never did want you on this team. I realize
just how wrong I was now. Heh. I told myself that it was because of
floor space.”
Rally kept her face straight. “Well, what are you going to do
about it now?”
Antoine cracked a real grin this time. “Get a shovel, I suppose.”
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