SIDELINES
by Brian Sapinski, Sonic Whammy
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
America, Inc. and Archie Comics. (This is with the exception of my own
characters, which have created and copyrighted by me. These stories may also
contain quotes that are featured in the Street Fighter video games, which are
therefore copyrighted by Capcom, Inc.) Downloading and distribution of this
story is permitted and welcomed under the conditions that (1) you don't pass
this off as your own story, (2) no changes to the story are made without my
expressed written (not e-mailed) permission, and (3) no attempt is made to
profit from this story. If any of these rules are violated, it will be
considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: Welcome to my second fanfiction. And they said it wouldn't last.
:-) I know it's taken me over a year to finish this story, but such is life
when you're always on the run. Here's hoping it was worth the wait.
I'll admit that trying to write these stories is a surreal experience.
I've never had the most creative mind in the world, yet for so long, I had
these ideas of what it would be like if I interacted with the Freedom Fighters.
That was my motivation to start writing. And from the opinions I got from my
first story, I take all your advice to heart, and I hope I get it right for you
in the future, even though I know I can't please everyone.
At the same time, any personal characters that I wrote about in my
first story are all based on the people I know and love in real life. No one is
being stereotyped in any way. You're pretty much seeing them as I do (within
reason, of course).
Well, enough about me, on to the story. That is what you came for,
right? And when you're done, don't hesitate to comment. You know where to find
me: SonicWhammy@aol.com.
Stay Way Past Cool!
It was another quiet spring day in Knothole. Everyone seemed to be
enjoying themselves, as several kids and adults alike were playing in the open
spaces. It was a fun time for all, since Robotnik hadn't shown too many signs
of activity recently.
Others chose to stay inside, like Sally and Bunnie, for instance. Sally
was relaxing on the bed of her hut, Nicole in hand, while Bunnie sat on the
edge. The two engaged in small talk as Sally had Nicole run a few random
readouts. They had a laugh or two, but Sally seemed troubled by something. The
question was: By what?
"So, c'mon, Sally-girl, whatcha thinking about?" Bunnie asked her
friend. "Ah can tell you got your mind on something."
Sally took a deep breath and paused a moment before answering. "Bunnie,
did you ever have a question that weighed on your mind so much? That you would
do anything in order to find out the answer?"
"We all have, Sally. And ah'll bet a lot of us in Knothole are asking
themselves when we'll be rid of Robotnik for good."
"Of course. But that's not what I meant," Sally said, face falling.
"So what's got you down then?"
Before Sally could answer, the two heard a coo coming from outside.
They turned to the window to see one of Uncle Chuck's carrier pigeons landing
on the sill. Sally looked back at Bunnie for a second, and Bunnie cast a glance
that said their conversation wasn't over yet. Sally then got up and walked over
to the pigeon to retrieve the message. As she read it, her eyes started to grow
in concentration over the information.
"What is it, Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked.
"Bunnie, come read this," Sally replied. Bunnie complied and joined her
friend in reading the note.
"Oh mah stars, this is big news," Bunnie said.
"It is, Bunnie. We have to find Sonic."
The two ladies arrived at Sonic's hut a few moments later. Sally
knocked, but no one answered. Slightly upset, she knocked again, and the door
opened by itself. Looking inside, she saw that the hut was empty.
"Looks like no one's here, Sally-girl," Bunnie said.
Sally just stood there, head down. Then, a moment later, she let out a
scream, crying out in anger. Bunnie watched in shock as her friend let out this
frustration. "Ah got a feeling ah know what's been bothering her," she thought.
"Sonic better watch out, wherever he is."
Where Sonic was at that moment, trouble was the furthest thing from his
mind.
"So, Brian, is this cool or is this cool?" Sonic asked.
"Oh yeah, this feels good," Brian moaned as he shifted in the hot
water. It had been a week since Brian had arrived in Knothole in search of his
family. But the mission to Robotropolis was a bust, and Brian injured his back
in the process. For most of the week that followed, he wasn't showing a lot of
improvement. So Sonic decided to give Brian a hand by taking him to the
volcanic hot springs in the Great Unknown.
"I'm sure glad you know about this place, Sonic. I could use one of
these back home. I'll bet you and the others come here a lot."
"Well... not really," Sonic replied. "Me and Tails are the only ones
who come here. This is our secret place, and you're the only other one who
knows about it."
"Really? You don't even take your girlfriend here?"
"Uh... well... you see... well, that is..." Sonic stammered, shocked by
Brian's question.
"I don't believe it," Brian laughed. "You mean to tell me that the
great Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't have someone who can keep up with him?"
"Keep up with this hedgehog? Ha! You gotta be kidding!"
"Nope, I'm serious, Sonic. You're too cool not to have someone in your
life. I bet any girl would love to have you as their boyfriend. And you're
gonna sit here and tell me I'm wrong?"
Sonic started to sweat at this point, but whether it was from the hot
spring or Brian's questioning was uncertain. "Well, there is one girl who
thinks I'm way past cool--"
"Yep, I thought so," Brian interrupted. "And do you like her back?"
"Well... yeah, I guess..." Sonic said, beginning to stutter again.
Brian started to snicker. "Sounds like you've got it for this girl. So
c'mon, spill it! Who is she?"
Suddenly, Sonic quickly jumped out of the spring, sweating profusely.
"Oh, well would you just look at the time. We really should be getting back to
Knothole. Let's juice!"
"No, Sonic, WAAAIIITTT!!!" Brian yelled as he was quickly pulled out of
the water by Sonic. The air around the spring resonated with the sound of a
sonic boom, with Brian's screaming close behind.
A few minutes later, Sonic and Brian landed at the bank of the power
ring pool. Brian immediately stood up and rubbed his back. "Well, I doubt that
helped me out," he groaned. "Mind telling me what that was for, Sonic?"
"What was what for?" Sonic asked.
"C'mon, Sonic, don't play dumb. You know what I'm talking about."
"Oh, well, I just remembered that it was time to get today's power
ring."
Brian shook his head. "No way, Sonic. I may have only been here a week,
but I know that the ring's not due for another two hours. Now why don't you try
the truth?"
Before Brian could get his answer, a call came from the direction of
Knothole, "Sonic!" The hedgehogs turned to see Tails flying towards them.
"Yo, big guy, what's up?" Sonic asked.
"Bunnie asked me to find you," Tails replied. "Aunt Sally's been
looking for you, and Bunnie said she's not feeling too well."
"Whoa, sounds like I'd better juice on over and see what's up. I'll
catch ya later, Brian."
Brian gave a two-finger salute as Sonic sped off.
"Are Sonic and Sally always like this?" Brian asked Tails.
"Yeah, they fight a lot, but they really like each other, so they never
fight for a long time."
"Wait a sec. You mean Sonic and Sally are a couple?"
"Well, sort of. Sonic always gets nervous whenever Sally tries to be
romantic."
Brian started laughing. "Oh wow, Sonic actually nervous? And over a
girl? That's so funny it's cute!"
"Nuh uh, I think all that stuff is yucky," Tails replied, making a
face.
"Nah, trust me, you'll change your tune one day."
"No way! Gross!"
Brian continued to laugh for a moment. "So that's what Sonic was
holding back," he thought to himself. "I get the feeling I'm on to something.
And I might just know how to set that hedgehog straight."
Sally continued to sit on the bed in her hut, breathing deeply. Bunnie
stood by, trying her best to keep Sally calm, but unable to say anything. She
was really perplexed by Sally's mood, and the source of the problem.
In a moment, Sonic screeched to a stop at the front door. Sally shot
her head up instantly to see him. "Yo, Sal, I came as soon as Tails told me.
Are you OK?"
Sally slowly stood and met Sonic at the door. "Sonic, where have you
been?" she asked in a stern tone.
"I was hanging out with Brian," Sonic replied. "I was showing him
around some more, just trying to make him feel better."
"And you went outside of Knothole, too. Sonic, you know that you can't
stay out in the open for too long or else Robotnik may discover Knothole's
location."
"Hey, chill, Sal. You know no SWATbot's gonna get within miles of here
when the hedgehog's on the job."
"He's right, Sally girl," Bunnie chimed in. "Ol' sugarhog would never
do something like that."
Sally took a deep breath and regained her composure. "You're right,
Sonic," she sighed. "I'm sorry. But right now, you'd better take a look at this
note that came from Uncle Chuck."
Sonic walked with Sally to the table where she left the note. Sonic
picked it up and read it aloud.
"More SWATbots are patrolling Robotropolis. Discovered that Robotnik
has ordered an increased production in the factories. Outputs have increased
threefold. Proceed with extreme caution on future missions."
Sonic paused for a moment, then simply crumbled the note. "Ha! No
biggie," he laughed.
"Wrong, Sonic, this is a major biggie!" Sally replied.
"So Buttnik's got a few extra bots running around. They're still not
any smarter. I'll just get a bigger workout, that's all."
"No, that's not all. With three times as many SWATbots, it's going to
be harder for you to create distractions large enough for the rest of us to
sneak around Robotropolis."
"Sugar-Chuck didn't even say why Robotnik went and did this," Bunnie
added. "He's sure mad about something. Who knows what he's got planned."
"Exactly, Bunnie. We have to destroy those factories tonight. We can't
afford to deal with extra SWATbots on every mission."
"Just chill, Sal. The hedgehog's on the job," Sonic said, bowing.
A small smile crept across Sally's face. "Thank you, Sonic," she said.
"Well, the old clock's telling me it's lunchtime, so I'm outta here.
Later, ladies."
"Sonic, wait!" Sally called, but Sonic sped out of the hut before she
could get his attention. She let out a small sigh as she watched him go.
Bunnie walked over to Sally. "You gonna be all right?"
"I'm fine, Bunnie," Sally quickly replied. "What makes you think
something is wrong?"
"You can't fool me, Sally-girl. I know that look. Ol' sugarhog is on
your mind and you can't get him out."
Sally sighed again. "You're right, I could never fool you. I wish that
just once he could think about something other than himself and chili dogs.
It's almost as if there's nothing else that's important to him."
"Even you?" Bunnie asked. Sally just nodded in agreement.
"Just relax, Sally-girl. He'll come around." Bunnie said, offering her
friend a hug to reassure her.
Sonic sat beaming after scarfing down another chili dog. "Keep 'em
coming, Ant," he called across the dining hall.
Antoine let out an angry sigh as continued to mix the chili on the
stove. "How can ze Princess see anything in that fyool hedgehog," he grumbled.
"Zat Sonic iz having no manners about himself. Whereas moi, I would treat ze
Princess with only ze uping and most respect."
"Yo, Ant! I'm getting hungry here!"
Antoine just shook his head as he brought another chili dog to the
impatient hedgehog. Sonic took one look at it and swallowed it in two seconds,
just like all the others.
"Oh, disgusting..." Antoine muttered to himself.
"Mmmph, that was great, Ant. I can go for one more."
"I would like a couple as well" Brian called as he entered the dining
hall. "Antoine, would you be kind enough to make two more, please?"
"Ah, merci, Brian," Antoine smiled. "Eet iz nice to see that someone
around here has some manners." He passed a quick scowl in Sonic's direction as
he walked back to the stove.
"And thank you, Antoine." Brian replied, an odd stare on his face from
Antoine's comment as he sat at the table across from Sonic. "What the heck was
that about?" he asked Sonic.
"Ah, Ant's always blowing off steam like that," Sonic said back. "He
gets all bent out of shape when we don't act with 'ze dignity, honor and
respect that is becoming of a Freedom Fighter,'" he continued, mocking
Antoine's accent.
Brian poked Sonic with a giggle. "Hey, lay off of Antoine. There's
nothing wrong with that. But that's another story. Meantime, is everything OK
with Sally?"
"Yeah, she just found out that Robuttnik is making a million SWATbots
to try and stop us," Sonic replied.
"Ugh, that's not good. What about Sally? Tails said she wasn't feeling
well."
"I think she's OK. She sure was stressin' about this one."
"Hmm... I can understand if she's a little nervous. But it's nothing
you can't handle, right?"
"You got it, Brian! Hey, Sal said it best, I'm Knothole's greatest
champion."
"I'm glad to hear that, Sonic," Brian replied. Then, his tone became
quiet. "But let me ask you this. Have you ever--"
Brian's question was interrupted by a scream from the other room.
"AAA!!!"
"Uh oh, sounds like Antoine's having trouble," Brian said. "I'll go see
what happened."
Brian walked to the kitchen to find Antoine blowing off his finger.
"You OK, Antoine?"
"Ow! Is eet looking like I am all right?" Antoine fired back. "I am
burning my fingers on Sonic's extra hot chili."
"Ouch. Well here, put your finger in the ice water. I'll go give this
to Sonic," Brian said, taking the chili dog from the counter into the dining
hall.
"Um, Sonic, I gotta help Antoine out for a minute. We'll pick up our
conversation later, OK?" he asked.
"You got it, Brian," Sonic said, swiping the chili dog from the plate.
"Heh... well, no one said Antoine wasn't justified in what he mumbles
about sometimes," Brian though to himself as he went back to the kitchen. "Just
wait, Sonic. You've got a reality check coming."
Smokestacks were pumping noxious fumes into the dark Robotropolis skies
at a heavier rate than usual. Indeed, the factories were bustling with
activity, as SWATbots were being produced at a mass rate.
Robotnik watched all this on the monitors before him. He scowled as he
watched, which wasn't different from any other day. His demeanor, however,
seemed to express something other than sheer anger.
"Status report on the factories, Snively," he said calmly to his
nephew.
"Sir, factories have been operating at triple pace for the last three
days now. Nine hundred SWATbots have been outputted over that time."
"Excellent, Snively. Continue the current production speed until we
reach our desired target. What of our new project?"
"The AI in the new device is not fully perfected, sir," Snively said,
starting to shake. "We are anticipating a finished model within three weeks."
Robotnik grabbed Snively by his collar. "Three weeks, Snively? This had
better be good."
Snively began to talk fast. "Sir, all our energies have been devoted to
the SWATbot production. We have very few worker bots left to program the
system."
Robotnik cursed under his breath. "This news does not sit well with me,
Snively, be so be it. Continue the production as planned," he said, throwing
Snively down.
"Yes, sir..." Snively replied, groaning as he picked himself up off the
floor.
"Whew! I thought for a moment I wasn't going to make it," Uncle Chuck
said to himself as he went down the stairs of his secret base. It had been
difficult for him to keep up his spying, as the extra SWATbots had made it
doubly hard for him to get to his hideout undetected.
Uncle Chuck took another sigh of relief as he sat down at the radio
transmitter. "Now let's hope I can find out more about this SWATbot
production." He put on his headphones and adjusted the frequency to pick up the
bug in Robotnik's main chamber.
"Those Freedom Fighters are becoming a bigger nuisance to me, Snively,"
Robotnik's voice said over the wire. "More seem to join their ranks everyday.
This new hedgehog has me especially annoyed."
Uncle Chuck quickly realized that Robotnik was referring to Brian. He
continued to listen.
"Well, if they can build their ranks, so can I. Just think, Snively. In
a matter of days, we will have an army of thousands, ready to reduce the Great
Forest to a wasteland. Then, Knothole and its Freedom Fighters... even that
miserable hedgehog Sonic..." Robotnik let out a cruel chuckle, "will all meet
their end at my hands."
Uncle Chuck gasped. "So that's Robotnik's plan," he said. He sprang
from his seat to locate his carrier pigeon.
Back in Knothole, Brian sat on the log that rested over the power ring
pool. He stared at the center of the lake, deep in thought.
While he sat, Bunnie walked up from the path amidst the bushes that
surrounded the pool. She saw Brian sitting there, and took a seat beside him.
"Lot on your mind, sugah?" she asked.
"Huh?" Brian said, turning around. "Oh, hi, Bunnie. What brings you
here?"
"Nothin' much. Just checking if the ring's here yet. It pops up early
once in a while. What about you, Brian?"
"Me? I have some questions I've been asking myself, since I can't do
much of anything else right now. I thought maybe I'd find my answers here."
"What kind of questions?"
"Well, I've been wondering where my parents are, and if I'll ever see
them again. That's always been on my mind. I also wonder about this place,"
Brian said, pointing to the pool. "I can't help but wonder what that power ring
did to me, or what it's capable of making me do. But today, I've got a new
question burning a hole in my head. Maybe you can help me."
"Oh?"
"It's about Sonic. We were talking earlier and I think I found out that
he's in love with Sally, but he's too afraid to admit it."
"Ah coulda told you that, sugah," Bunnie replied with a smirk. "Ol'
sugarhog's been like that for a long time."
"So why does he hold back his feelings?"
"Well, you've seen how Sonic is, all brash and stuff, that whole
attitude he has about him. He feels silly any other way. Ah find it amazing
that Sally's able to put up with him."
"What do you mean?"
"She's been getting really upset with Sonic all of a sudden. Darn sure
blew up at him earlier about tonight's mission, and Sally-girl never does that.
Ah think she's getting tired of waiting for him to make up his little ol' mind."
"I'm with you, Bunnie," Brian replied. "I think it's time somebody
pinned his back to the wall made him realize what he's doing."
"Sounds like a plan to me, sugah," Bunnie said. "Ah like how you think."
"You're not so bad yourself, Bunnie," Brian smiled.
At that moment, a yell resonated through the forest, getting Brian and
Bunnie's attention. "What the hoo-ha? That sounded like Sally-girl," Bunnie
said.
"I'll bet we know what it's about," Brian replied. "Let's go." The two
got up from the log and rushed back to the village.
When they got there, they found Sonic and Sally in a face to face
argument in the open, an argument that Sally was clearly dictating.
"What do you mean I'm not taking this mission seriously?" Sonic asked.
"I mean that until now, we've had it easy with Robotnik. But this is
far from our standard mission, so we can't afford any mistakes or carelessness
or..." Sally said as she paused. Taking a deep breath, her angry look changing
to one of concern. "If Robotnik succeeds this time, there will be no hope for
us."
Bunnie and Brian stepped in. "What's going on, Sally-girl?" Bunnie
asked.
"We just got another note from Uncle Chuck," Sally replied. "Robotnik
thinks that we're building an army against him ever since Brian showed up. Now
he wants to build an army of thousands of SWATbots to destroy us and the Great
Forest once and for all."
Bunnie and Brian gasped at the news. "You can't be serious," Bunnie
said.
"Yeah, I'm not even a Freedom Fighter," Brian said. "He really thinks
I'm part of an army you're making to take him out?"
"I'm afraid so. And Sonic here is thinking this whole thing is going to
be a piece of cake." She turned back to Sonic. "Well, Sonic, you're wrong. It's
obvious that Robotnik's serious about this, so we need to be serious as well.
And that especially includes you, Sonic."
"I already told you I'll be ready, Sal," Sonic replied, his own tone a
bit raised. "You have my word."
"Fine then. As soon as Bunnie gets the power ring, we'll go. Wait back
at your hut until then," Sally said finally as she left for her hut.
Sonic nodded and left for his hut. "Remember, Sonic, I'm counting on
you." Sally called to him. He paused, looking back at her, then sighed as
continued walking.
Brian and Bunnie stood there stunned after witnessing the exchange. "I
can't believe it!" Brian said.
"Can't believe what?" Bunnie asked.
"Did you hear what Sally just said? This is all my fault. If I hadn't
come to Knothole, you guys wouldn't be in this mess."
"Don't go thinkin' that, sugah. Robotnik's crazy. Who knows what goes
on in that egghead of his."
Brian sighed. "I guess you're right. But now I wish there was something
I could do to make up for this."
"Well ah don't about you, but ah'm gonna go talk to Sally-girl and get
us ready. Maybe you should talk to sugarhog about a little something."
"Good idea, but I think I'm gonna wait. After hearing this, I need to
be alone for a little while."
An hour and a half later, Brian walked up to Sonic's hut. Knocking on
Sonic's door, he was surprised to see it open right away. Looking in, he found
Sonic in the middle of the hut pacing.
"Looks like the wait wasn't long enough," Brian thought to himself as
he stepped inside. "Sonic, are you all right?"
Sonic was slightly startled by Brian's voice. "Brian, how'd you get
here?" he asked.
"The door opened when I knocked. Is everything OK?"
"No. All this stuff with Sally and the mission has got me on edge. I
can't wait any more!"
"Yeah, what exactly happened earlier?"
"I don't know. One minute, Sal's telling me how Robotnik is gonna
attack Knothole with all these SWATbots, and the next minute she's yelling at
me for not taking this mission seriously."
"Well, it is a serious mission from my viewpoint." Brian paused. "And I
still think I'm the cause of it. Look at the mess I've created for you guys
now."
"It's not your fault, Brian."
Brian shrugged. "I guess. Bunnie said the same thing. But I still want
to make it up to you, and I know how."
"How?"
"By finishing what I started to tell you at lunch. There's something
you need to realize, and what Sally said before she walked away convinced me.
So I'm just going to tell you the truth."
"What's that?"
"I think... that Sally wants you to be more than Knothole's hero. She
wants you to be HER hero."
"Say what?"
"You heard me, Sonic. Tails was telling me that you really like her,
and she really likes you. Bunnie told me so, too. Is this true?"
Sonic began to fidget. "Well?" Brian asked.
"Well... all right, you got me," Sonic sighed in defeat.
"So you finally admit it, good. Have you ever actually told her that
you... love her?"
The look on Sonic's face answered Brian's question, as he was still
fidgeting too much to speak.
"I figured as much," Brian said. "Sonic, I think I realize what's
happening here. Can I level with you for a minute?"
"Sure."
"In the time that I've been in Knothole, I've always noticed that
you're a hedgehog of action. And I can bet that part of why Sally likes you so
much is because of that heart that drives you to take down Robotnik. However,
that's only half the battle."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, do you remember when you joked about Antoine's code of respect
at lunch today?"
Sonic went to laugh for a moment, but surprisingly held back. "Yeah,
everyone does that to him. He's such a stick in the mud that no one ever takes
him seriously," he replied.
"So I've seen. But Antoine brings up a good point, Sonic. Part of
liking someone means treating that person with some dignity and respect. We may
make fun of Antoine's being a coward, but he still cares, and he's still given
us respect. And you may not think so, but someone will see that in him and want
to be with him for a long time."
"You're kidding, right? Ant's been throwing himself at Sally since we
were kids."
"And you took no offense to that?"
"Of course not."
"Has there been anyone else that's tried to win Sally's heart?"
"Well... there was this one time where we went to a place called Lower
Mobius. We met this guy named Griff there, and he started pretending he liked
Sally. But it was all an act so that he could steal the power stone and keep
his city running."
"OK. How did you feel when you saw this Griff flirting with her?"
"I don't know. I went crazy. Both Antoine and I tried to impress her,
but it only made Sally upset. She said I was being rude to Griff."
"There's your problem," Brian replied. "You're so afraid to tell Sally
how you feel, and yet you get all bent out of shape when you're not getting her
attention. And I think that her outbursts at you today may not be her trying to
reprimand you. I think that she's waiting for you to tell her what she's been
waiting to hear. You really haven't been fair to her by holding back your
feelings."
Sonic was visibly shaken at this point. "So how do I tell Sal how I
feel? It's not easy for me."
"I understand, Sonic, and it's OK. You just gotta try to put your image
aside and prove to Sally that you love her."
"And how do I do that?"
"You do two things. First, think about all the times that the two of
you have been together. Then ask yourself this question: With all you've been
through with Sally, could you possibly picture your life without her?"
Sonic froze in awe at Brian's question. "Think about it," Brian said
finally as he left the hut. But Sonic stood frozen, not even noticing him leave.
A few moments later, a knock came on Sonic's door. Sonic turned to see
Sally standing there. "We've got the ring, Sonic. We're ready to..."
Sally paused, noticing Sonic's blank stare. "Uh, Sonic?" she called,
waving a hand in his face.
"Huh?" Sonic blurted out, snapping to full awareness.
"Are you OK?"
"Oh, yeah, everything's cool. I was just doing some thinking."
"Careful. You might hurt yourself," Sally replied with a chuckle.
"Very funny, Sal."
"I'm sorry, Sonic. C'mon, we're ready for the mission."
Sonic nodded and left with Sally for the War Room, his mind still
racing from what Brian had asked him only minutes before.
Sonic ran towards the outskirts of Robotropolis with the rest of the
Freedom Fighters in tow. "Sonic, stop here," Sally called. Sonic screeched to a
halt and awaited Sally's next instructions.
"Now, remember, based on Uncle Chuck's reports, we'll have less room to
operate. There is a very good chance we'll run into plenty of SWATbots trying
to get to that factory."
"No prob. I'm ready and steady to take them out," Sonic replied.
"But try to avoid it where you can, Sonic," Sally cautioned. "The less
attention we attract on the way, the better."
"Gotcha, Sal."
"And Dulcy, don't forget to get as close as you can to the factory so
you can cover us from the outside."
"You got it, Sally," Dulcy replied.
"OK, equipment check. Does everyone have their charges?"
"We're ready, Sally-girl," Bunnie replied as Rotor held up his backpack
full of explosives.
"Right here," Dulcy nodded, pointing to the charges in her pouch.
"And I've got ours, Sal," Sonic said as pointed to his backpack.
"Good, then we're all set," Sally replied. "OK, everyone, this is it.
Let's do it to it!"
The five of them exchanged the Freedom Fighter handshake and headed
into the city. Rotor and Bunnie headed west for the junk piles. Dulcy took to
the sky to find her perch. Sonic and Sally headed straight ahead for the
nearest alleys on their way to the factory.
Bunnie and Rotor's route was usually straightforward, as few SWATbots
had ever passed by the junk piles. This time, however, they encountered a small
group patrolling the area. Seeing the approaching troop, they ducked behind a
building wall.
"Looks like this is gonna be a little more difficult than we had
figured," Bunnie said, looking from around the wall.
"You're right, look over there at the junk piles," Rotor replied,
pointing to their destination. "It looks like they've gotten a little smaller.
Robotnik's probably been recycling some of the metal to make the extra
SWATbots."
"Well there's two words ah nevah thought we'd hear in the same breath.
Guess it looks like we're gonna have to take out some trash."
Rotor nodded, taking a smoke bomb from his tool belt. Leaning back
behind the wall, he threw it as the SWATbots passed by. It landed right in
front of them, trapping them in a growing cloud of smoke. "Bulls-eye!" Rotor
whispered.
"And here comes another one," Bunnie said. She charged into the
smokescreen. Sounds of clanging metal and plasma blasts emerged as they
attacked the blinded SWATbots. When the smoke subsided a minute later, Bunnie
stood amidst a mass of robotic parts.
"All right, Bunnie!" Rotor said.
"Was nothin', sugah," Bunnie smiled back. "Now we'd better get these
cans picked up before anyone sees them."
"There's gotta be a place to hide around here somewhere," Dulcy said to
herself as she looked through her binoculars. SWATbots were everywhere, which
made things doubly hard.
After several minutes of circling, she spotted a building about 100
feet from the factory that several SWATbots were walking away from. There was a
space between sections of the building that she could hide in. "Bingo!" Dulcy
thought. She quickly flew down towards the crevice, checking to make sure no
SWATbots saw her. Satisfied, she looked up and saw the wall of the building
rushing toward her. She let out a short scream before crashing face first into
the wall, sliding down into the crevice.
"Oh... 5 more minutes, ma..." Dulcy groaned before passing out.
A SWATbot patrol heard the disturbance. They broke from their march and
stomped toward the sound of the crash. Searching around, they found nothing,
and ultimately resumed their march. Fortunately for Dulcy, she had keeled over
into the corner of the crevice when she crashed, putting her just out of view.
Meanwhile, Sonic and Sally were ducked in the corner of an alley,
watching as the SWATbots patrolled the path leading straight to the factory.
"Man, look at 'em all, Sal," Sonic whispered.
"I know Sonic," Sally whispered back. "Robotnik's got a tight grip on
things tonight."
"What I wouldn't give to trash some these bots blind as they pass by."
"Wait, that's it, Sonic. You just gave me an idea."
Sonic scratched his head. "What'd I say?"
"Blind as they pass by. Maybe there IS a spot where they can't see us,"
Sally replied, reaching down for NICOLE. "NICOLE, observe marching patterns of
the nearby SWATbot patrols. See if you can detect an opening in the
formations," she said, setting NICOLE down at the entrance of the alley.
"SCANNING, SALLY," Nicole said.
"Sal, duck! Orb-head at ten o'clock!" Sonic whispered. Sally quickly
looked up to see a surveillance orb floating by. She quickly crawled back into
the shadows just before it reached the alley.
"Whew, thanks, Sonic," Sally said. "That was close."
"Too close if you ask me. If that thing comes by here again, all bets
are off."
After several minutes passed, Nicole blinked to attention. "SCAN
COMPLETE, SALLY," she said.
Sally reached out for her computer. "Good work, Nicole. Provide visual
signals on your screen for when it is safe to move."
"YES, SALLY." A few moments later, her screen flashed red.
"That's the cue, Sonic. Let's move," Sally said. Sonic nodded as the
two ran toward the next alley.
Bunnie continued her own outlook from the junk piles. Behind her, Rotor
studied the map he had with him.
"According to NICOLE's readout, we should be heading... that way,"
Rotor said, pointing in a northeastern direction from where they were facing.
"Well ah sure hope you got them bombs ready. We'll need them for all
those bots over yonder," Bunnie replied.
"I'm ready when you are."
"Then let's do it, sugah."
Bunnie and Rotor came from around the junk piles and charged up the
city streets. They came across a SWATbot patrol a short distance up, and ducked
behind the nearest building. As they passed, they two emerged from the shadows
as Rotor activated a charge, tossing it at the droids. The SWATbots could only
look down at the object before being blown to pieces.
"Good shot as always, sugah," Bunnie said, looking back at the scene.
"Let's hope the rest of this run goes just as good. Nine more charges
left."
"Either way, so long as we don't get ol' Robotnik's attention."
Unfortunately, both of them failed to notice a gleaming lens lurking in
the shadows. A moment after they left, a red light blinked on the lens.
"Sir, I'm receiving a signal from a surveillance orb in Sector 7."
Robotnik swiveled around to face Snively. "Yes, what is it, Snively?"
"I'm bringing the image on screen now, sir." The monitor flickered on,
showing a small object bouncing in front of a group of SWATbots, then exploding.
"I think the Freedom Fighters have arrived."
Robotnik groaned. "Your sense of observation astounds me sometimes.
Very well, have all SWATbots in adjacent sectors begin to converge on the
factory."
"At once, sir." Snively replied, returning to his console.
"So they've decided to come out and play after all," Robotnik thought
to himself. "Just what I was hoping for. Now I won't even have to set foot in
the Great Forest."
While Robotnik continued looking, Sonic and Sally had made it about
halfway towards the factory from where they started.
"So far so good, Sal," Sonic commented.
"I know, but I think we're reaching a problem point. Look up ahead,"
Sally replied as Sonic peered down the street. Sure enough, the alleys were
seemingly fewer and further apart.
"Bummer, and that's not all. Look what else is going on." As they
looked ahead, more SWATbots began to appear in the area right in front of the
factory.
"Robuttnik's up to something. I gotta juice now!" Sonic said.
"Are you crazy, Sonic? There's too many of them, and Bunnie and Rotor
aren't here yet," Sally replied.
"There's no time to wait, Sal. If I can distract them and take a few of
them out, you can get that factory open for me to throw those bombs in."
Sally nodded. "All right, Sonic. I guess we have to try. But first,
we'll need Nicole to set your charges now. We need to do this fast or we'll be
in the open for too long."
"I'm with ya, Sal."
Sally nodded. "I only hope Bunnie and Rotor can make it here in time,"
she said as she started programming Nicole.
Unfortunately for Sally, Bunnie and Rotor were faring no better than
she was. They were tucked in an alley struggling to catch their breath.
"This is too weird," Rotor said between breaths. "Where are they all
coming from?"
"I get the feeling ol' Botnik is on to us, hun, and now he's bringing
out the big guns," Bunnie replied.
"And there's still a lot of them left, too, Bunnie." Rotor reached into
his backpack. "We've only got two charges left and still a little farther to
go."
Bunnie's attempt to reply was interrupted by a beeping noise. She
checked her watch to see that a 10-minute clock had lit on the display and was
starting to count down.
"Oh no, looks like Sally-girl's getting the party started without us. I
hope you've been working out, sugah, cuz this last run is gonna take everything
you've got."
Rotor looked around the corner and saw another group of SWATbots
marching past. He took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing," he said as he
bolted out of the alley with Bunnie close behind.
"Ready..."
"Set..."
Sonic and Sally took a deep breath and gave each other a thumbs up.
"Let's do it to it!"
Sonic charged straight for the nearest line of SWATbots. He took 3 out
instantly, sending parts flying. Several others were knocked down, but were
soon up and starting to fire beams at the hedgehog. Sonic doubled back and ran
through the line of bots to the other side. The bots followed him as he crossed
and fired, but shot each other instead. Sonic stopped there and zipped back the
other way towards the factory as more SWATbots detected his presence.
"Good job, Sonic. Keep it up," Sally said to herself. She came up from
the alley and ran up the street, follow behind on the path that Sonic cleared.
Meanwhile, Robotnik and Snively watched closely at the events that were
now unfolding.
"It worked, Snively! He's out in the open," Robotnik grinned.
"Indeed, sir," Snively chimed in. "Shall we try to capture him?"
"No, Snively. Now that the hedgehog has shown himself, his friends will
soon follow. We wait for them to appear. Then, once the hedgehog is distracted,
we'll take them all at once."
"Brilliant, sir, but how are we going to keep the hedgehog away from
the factory?"
"The answer to that, Snively, is right before your eyes," Robotnik
replied as he pointed to the monitors. "Have the orb trace back the way Sonic
came."
Snively turned and punched in the instructions for the surveillance
orb. Moments after it began travelling backwards, an image appeared of Sally
running up the empty street.
"Have all SWATbots coming from Sector 9 ready, Snively. When Sonic is
vulnerable, we strike."
Sonic clenched his teeth as he launched a spin attack at another
SWATbot. The guard disintegrated as several more turned to fire at Sonic. "Man,
these guys just keep on coming," Sonic thought to himself. "C'mon, botheads,
haven't you learned that you'll never get me?"
Sonic circled back and forth to dismantle the other SWATbots that were
in pursuit. As the number of bots grew smaller, he turned up the street to find
another batch waiting for him.
"They can keep trying, but I can do this all day." Sonic then looked
down at his watch, which read 6 minutes. "Unfortuantely, I don't have that
long."
He continued to push toward the factory, making it to the sealed
entrance about a minute later. Sally, who had been keeping a distance until
now, arrived moments afterward.
"Good job, Sonic," Sally smiled. "Keep the rest of those SWATbots
distracted and I'll open these doors."
"Got it," Sonic answered, turning around to see the next troop
approaching. He gave them little time to react as he launched himself at full
force toward them. Sally looked on as she focused on the panel in front of her.
After a few moments of observing, she punched in a series of buttons. The panel
lit up, and the front doors of the factory slid open. Unfortunately, waiting on
the other side was a line of four SWATbots. They immediately tried to grab
Sally.
"Oh no, you don't," Sonic said, having witnessed the scene. He darted
back toward the factory and plowed one the bots, which took the others out like
a set of dominoes. Satisfied with the results, Sonic went back and dispatched
the rest of the troop he abandoned moments earlier.
"That should do it," Sonic said. "Now it's time to blow up this
popsicle stand. Are you gonna be OK out here, Sal?"
"I'll be fine, Sonic," Sally replied. "You just make sure you set all
those charges. Don't stop for anything."
"You can count on me. It's time for me to juice!" With that, Sonic
revved up and headed into the factory.
Sally smiled as she watched him go, letting out a sigh as well. He was
right in what he told her. She could always depend on him. He'd proven it
countless times before. But deep in the back of her mind, she wished for just a
little bit more behind his commitment.
Sally was now so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the
shadows that were emerging behind her....
Sonic set another charge against a control panel. Speeding toward the
walls, he threw down a couple more my assembly line machines that he passed.
Along the way, an errant plasma beam drew his attention to another SWATbot. He
quickly dodged another blast and rammed the bot into the wall. "Looks like
Buttnik has plenty left for me," Sonic said to himself. "But he's gonna need
something bigger than that if he wants to take me out."
Suddenly, he heard a scream. Sonic's eye darted outside the factory to
see Sally being dragged away by a SWATbot patrol.
"Sal! Oh no, I gotta save her!" Sonic said aloud. He started to rev up,
and then stopped. "But wait, what about the factory?" He looked down at his
watch. The clock read 2:45, and he still had about half of the charges left in
his backpack. "Oh man, this is not cool."
SWATbot fire broke Sonic's train of thought as two more lined up in
front of him. "This isn't over yet, Robuttnik," Sonic muttered as he sped
between the two bots, knocking them over. He ran outside the factory, quickly
looking for where the SWATbots went. He spotted them heading left towards
Robotnik's complex.
"I'm coming, Sal!" Sonic yelled, running full steam for the troop. The
bots turned, hearing Sonic's cry, and fired at him. Sonic dodged back and
forth, then lunged forward into a spin attack towards the bot carrying Sally.
Sonic spun past the SWATbots firing at him and destroyed the three
SWATbots behind them, including the one holding Sally. The explosion sent Sally
flying through the air. Sonic turned and chased after the falling squirrel. In
an instant, he jumped up and caught her in his arms. "Gotcha," Sonic said,
landing gently on the ground.
"Sally?" Sonic said softly.
With a groan, Sally slowly stirred awake in his arms. "Sonic?"
"Yeah, Sal, I'm right here. Are you OK?"
Sally shook herself off as Sonic set her back on her feet. "I am. Thank
you, Sonic," she smiled.
Sonic returned the smile. Then at that moment, his mind raced back to
what Brian had asked him earlier that day. "With all you've been through with
Sally, could you possibly picture your life without her?" Sonic let out a deep
breath, realizing that without even thinking about it, he had proven Brian's
theory.
"Sonic, we've got company," Sally said. Sonic snapped back to reality
and saw the remaining SWATbots closing in around them. "This doesn't look good."
"Don't worry. I know what to do," Sonic replied as he began to make a
high-pitched whistling noise. A second passed and nothing happened. Sonic
repeated the whistle a few more times with the same results. By now, the
SWATbots were trying to grab at him and Sally.
"Do something, Sonic!" Sally called.
"I am. C'mon, Dulce, front and center!" With a deep breath, he whistled
as high as he possibly could.
In an instant, a twin blast of ice came from out of nowhere, freezing
two of the SWATbots. The other bots halted and searched for where the blast
came from.
"About time," Sonic said. "And now the rest are on me." Sonic broke
into a spin while the bots were distracted, making short work of them.
As Sonic dusted himself off after a job well done, Dulcy flew in.
"There you are, Dulce. What took you so long?"
"I hit my head on a wall when I was trying to land," Dulcy replied,
blushing in her embarrassment. "I was out cold until your whistling woke me up."
Sonic and Sally shook their heads. "That's our Dulcy," he sighed.
"Wait," Sally said. "Where's Bunnie and Rotor?"
The sound of heavy breathing a few moments later answered Sally's
question. Bunnie and Rotor were running up from a side alley. They nearly
collapsed when they reached the rest of the group.
"What happened to you guys?"
"The SWATbots..." Rotor panted. "We ran out of charges... there were
too many..."
"Yeah..." Bunnie chimed in, also breathing heavily. "We had to bust
past a lot of them to get here."
"Well, you made it, that's good. But we're in trouble. We haven't got
all the charges set in the factory and they're set to go off in a minute."
"Then that means I'd better haul some serious haunch," Sonic said,
revving up.
"No, Sonic! You'll never make it out in time!"
"Not if my idea works. You guys get going, now!" With that, Sonic ran
back into the factory.
"Good luck, Sonic!" Sally called, nervous as she watched him speed off.
"Please hurry..." she thought to herself.
"Everyone aboard," Dulcy called. Sally, Bunnie and Rotor all climbed on
Dulcy's saddle as she geared for takeoff. "OK, here we go!" With a quick leap,
she took off. A moment later, she "cracked the whip" to get them away from the
impending explosion as quickly as possible.
Down below, Sonic stopped at a small open area in the center of the
factory. "Man, only one way to do this now," he said, reaching into his
backpack. "I sure hope this works."
Sonic pulled out a power ring and held in high. Instantly, its golden
light enveloped him, disappearing after a few seconds.
"All right, spin and win time!" He began to spin around in place,
turning himself into a virtual tornado. As he spun, he reached for the charges
in his backpack and began throwing them. The charges scattered in all
directions, and with the increased speed from Sonic's tornado, they were
launched all the way to the walls and corners of the factory. In a matter of a
few moments, Sonic had thrown all the charges, successfully landing them
throughout the factory.
"That should do it," Sonic said. "And now, time for me to bail out."
With a quick boom, Sonic raced for the door.
"I still don't see him," Dulcy called as she watched through her
binoculars from high above.
"How much time left, Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked.
"Only 10 seconds!" Sally gasped as she checked her watch. "C'mon Sonic,
get out of there!" All four of them fell silent as Sally kept one eye on the
factory and the other one on the countdown.
5....
4....
3....
Suddenly, Dulcy spotted Sonic on her scope as he stormed out the door.
"Wait, Sally, I see him! Here he comes!" she called. The very next second, the
factory erupted from the foundations, slowly crumbling to the ground. The
Freedom Fighters cheered in celebration.
Sonic stopped and watched the explosion as Dulcy came back down to the
ground. "You did it, Sonic! Great job!" Rotor said.
"Thanks, Rote," Sonic replied. "I think that should put a dent in
Robuttnik's system for a while. Now let's juice on out of here. Meet you guys
home."
With that, Sonic sped off as Dulcy and the rest flew towards Knothole.
"Aargh! I don't believe it!" Robotnik yelled, pounding his throne.
"SNIVELY!"
Snively slowly approached his now enraged uncle. "Y-y-yes sir?" Snively
stammered, followed by a shriek as Robotnik grabbed him and brought him to his
face.
"I am very displeased right now. If you value your life, leave now."
"At once, sir." Robotnik dropped him and he fled immediately from the
control room.
"I hate that hedgehog," Robotnik grumbled to himself. "He is going to
pay for this if it's the last thing I do. Just you wait, Sonic. Next time, you
won't be so lucky."
Later that night, Sonic sat back in his hut as he was telling Brian
about the mission.
"So you guys took the factory out?" Brian asked.
"It's toast, gone, adios, and bye-bye!" Sonic replied, giving Brian a
high five.
"All right, Sonic, way to go! Wish I could've been there to see it."
"I'll get 'em again for you next time. As long as this hedgehog is
around, those SWATbutts don't stand a chance."
"And Sally will always be safe, too. That was one heck of a save you
made."
Sonic paused for a moment. Just as he was about to reply, a knock came
on the door. "Sonic?"
The hedgehog's turned to find Sally standing there. "Yeah, Sal?"
"Good, you're here. Brian, would you excuse us for a moment?"
"As you wish, Princess," Brian replied. As he stood up to leave, he
passed a glance at Sonic, then to Sally. He took another look at them as he
closed the door on his way out. "Make me proud, Sonic," he said to himself.
"So what up, Sal?"
Sally took a deep breath. "I... I just came by to thank you for the
great job you did tonight," she said slowly.
"Hey, no biggie. You know I'll always be there to kick some bot butt."
"Well, not only that, Sonic. I really wanted to thank you for saving
me. What you did was very brave."
"It's cool, Sal. That's what heroes are for. And as a hero, I promise
that no one will ever hurt you."
Sally took another breath. "Serious?"
"Serious," Sonic replied with a thumbs-up.
Sally felt a tear coming on. "Thank you, Sonic," she replied. Almost on
instinct, she threw her arms around Sonic so that he wouldn't see her tears of
joy. Sonic was taken aback by this, not knowing what to do. After a few
moments, he slowly put his arms around Sally, returning the gesture.
Meanwhile, his mind was deep in thought. "Maybe Brian was right. I
really can't see my life without her! But now, how can I tell her that I feel
this way? I've never done anything like this before in my life." While he
thought, Sally stirred a little, shaking Sonic from his train of thought. He
could feel a tear falling on his shoulder.
Sonic just stood there and smiled, holding the embrace. For now, this
was all he needed. The rest would fall into place.
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