Should they, all go in and return the cure later or should Sonic try to escape while the others distract whatever it is?

You Chose This...

"Where are they Snively?" Demanded Robotnick.

"In area three, four, five, five sir."

"What are they doing?"

"Staying put Sir!"

"Dispatch the G.A.Rs now Snively!"

"But sir, we have not tested them in such narrow tunnels, they may not be able to make turns of more than 90 degrees!"

Robotnick gave Snively a familiar look that denoted that he was going to get brained if he didn't do as he was told.

Snively inputted the commands and was about to press the execute button when he was his attention was drawn to the sensor screen. It had been set to notify the user whenever Sonic's individual energy emissions were detected. They was a blue blip that was seen to be steadily moving away from Robotroplis. NICOLE however was still jamming the detectors and Snively could not see the exact location of Sonic, only about ten possible locations. He was about to turn around and explain this to his master but he was spared the trouble.

"Fire seventy percent of the G.A.Rs at all those locations Snively!" Robotnick smiled evilly. "I won't get to torture you to death or Robotocize you Hedgehog but you will be out of my way!"

(G.A.R Gravity assisted Rocket.)

Snively complied.

"Sonic!" NICOLE buzzed. "Weave, incoming projectiles, unknown type!"

Sonic complied and made several tight turns. He was not aware of the Missiles until one of them landed just right of his position. It made a cracking sound like thunder and hurled earth into the air. There was the familiar glow of plasma.

"Oh my..." Sonic narrowly missed another one of the things. They seemed to be traveling just as fast as he was and homing in with incredible accuracy.

NICOLE scanned the objects and quickly realizing they were gravitationally based and could not be jammed directly, instead she increased the strength of the jamming field around them producing more possible locations for Sonic and further confused the things that threatened him.

There were several more loud thumps as hot plasma spouted out from deep pours in the earth, scorching the exposed soil. Eventually the thumps subsided and Sonic raced away.

Inside the once used ventilation shaft the rest of the freedom fighters huddled together and listened to the distant echoes.

"What the who-ha's dat?" Whispered Bunnie.

"I have no idea at all!" Said Rotor, as he pulled out a small portable jammer from his shoulder strap and activated it. He replaced the jammer and took out an energy scanner. "Over there." He pointed down a shaft. "That's where the gravitational source seems to be coming from."

The company followed Rotor down the shaft.

"I am hoping that Sonic iz Ok!" Said Antoine.

"Since when did you care!" Said Bookshire.

"That was cold!" Bunnie snapped at him. "Animals change ya know!"

"Sorry Ant!" Said Bookshire.

"Do stop calling me an ant!" Said Antoine, "Being compared to an insect every minute of your life takes it toll!"

The others were very impressed and it was Rotor who broke the stunned silence.

"Hey, Ant, errr Antoine, did you think of that?" He said.

"Not exactament." He admitted. "Sandra taught me that phrase for emergencies."

"Did you have to ask her?" The surprised Rotor inquired.

"No zhe was juzt coming up to me one day." He paused. "It waz about the only opening to a conversation I have been in that waz not starting with 'get a life Ant!' "

At this the other freedom fighters coughed nervously, they had all said those exact words to Antoine at some point.

"Sorry Antoine hunny!" Bunnie Apologized.

The other Freedom fighters followed suit.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Started Rotor, "Antoine gets to say what he doesn’t like about us with no interruption."

"Fine with me!" Said Bunnie.

"Me too!" Said Bookshire.

Antoine smiled an evil smile. "If you are insisting!" He said.

Antoine was about to say some really personnel, offensive things to each of his comrades. But although he had been teased so much by the others he felt no malice and said this instead.

"No, comment!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NONE OF THEM HIT?!!!" Boomed Robotnick.

"Thhh,hhe Hedggghog was too farrrrr away for the G.A.R's to be effecetive, siiiirrrr!" Snively stuttered sensing approaching pain.

Robotnick banged his metal fist on the console and slapped Snively roughly round the head with his biological hand. Snively backed into a corner. Fortunately for him Robotnick had other things on his mind.

"Fetch me the other freedom fighters, NOW!"

"Yesss sirrr!" Answered Snively and ran out of the room holding his bruised head.

After more crawling through the shafts the freedom fighters eventually emerged out into one of the inner hallways. Rotor pointed in a direction and the party started to walk down it. Treading with practiced feet, all made no sound except for Bunnie who made an occasional wirring.

There was a sound from behind them and they whirled to face it. Facing them were three SWATBots.

"Lord!" Exclaimed Rotor. They looked around for escape but they were four on the other side of them with a variety of weapons, aimed at them with computer precision.

The company was speechless, why had nobody heard them come?

"Greetings!" Snively appeared round a corner and spoke with his usual 'I don't give a damn' voice.

"Snively!" Exclaimed Bunnie.

"Yes, now if you don't mind you must come this way, Robotnick is expecting you."

Antoine whimpered, and the company walked along in-between SWATBots, the ones in front were walking backwards so they could keep their weapons pointed at them.

They were taken into a large hanger like building with a high ceiling, apart from the occasional piece of debris it was bare. At regular intervals along the wall there were holes obviously leading to somewhere else. A door opened on an adjoining wall, and Robotnick stepped out.

"Hello Buttnick!" Bunnie said that automatically.

Snively giggled slightly and then immediately regretted it because Robotnick gave him a murderous look.

Robotnick walked up to the freedom fighters.

"There is much to discuss but first I must greet you all personally."

He walked up to Rotor, "Rotor, still not lost that weight I see, ha ha!"

The made a sudden turn and loomed over Antoine who cringed.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the French fox!" He grabbed Antoine's hair causing him to yelp. Bookshire made instinctive movements to try to help him but as he moved he heard the sound of the SWATbot weapons powering up. He remained where he was. "I suppose you like Sally, pity she's already dead!"

"Not so Buttnick!" Broke in Bunnie, "Sonic's escaped with da cure, she's fit and well!"

"Lire!" Shouted Robotnick turning to face her still holding on to Antoine's hair.

"Do I look like I’m a joking sugah-butt!"

At this Robotnick slammed Antoine to the floor and pulled him up again. Bunnie felt and inner hatred flow through her.

"Any more cheek and I'll do a lot more just bruise your little fox friend!" He dropped Antoine who landed by the doctors feet, Antoine sat up and rubbed his head. As the doctor moved forward Antoine swore at him from behind his back.

"Bookshire, the hacker!" Robotnick grabbed Bookshire's tail and held him up. Bookshire squirmed. "It is a shame I will not have to worry about you for much longer!"

He dropped the raccoon on his head and Bookshire flopped over, barely conscious.

"Last of all, Bunnie." He loomed over the cybernetic rabbit. Robotnick placed a hand under her muzzle and forced her gaze up into his eyes. "Still as beautiful as ever, the only thing that would make you perfect is if you were completely mechanical." Bunnie squirmed trying to get away from Robotnicks grasp.

Robotnick put his robotic hand around the back of her body suit and lifted her off the ground. He held her face level to his. Robotnick licked the side of Bunnie's muzzle causing her to squirm furiously. After he started tying to prize her mouth open with his other hand she could bare it no longer. As the others watched in horror she lashed out with her robotic hand. Had it made contact it would have probably killed him. However it hit some invisible surface and bounced off.

"Bunnie my dear, you have just proved a valuable point." Said Robotnick dropping Bunnie.

"Before I Robotosize you all, I must show you my latest invention."

Suddenly a ball of light appeared out of one of the holes in the wall. It traveled towards Robotnick and stopped just infront of him. It now had lost it's glow and resembled a solid metal sphere.

"Big deal!" Broke in Bookshire, "You probably took that grav-unit from a hover ship!"

("Grav-unit" Mechanism that produces and traps anti-particles to counter the effects of gravity and allow flight.) "Ahhhh, but there is something different about this one!" Insisted Robotnick. "How do you think I survived that attack from that pesky rabbit, gravitational projection!"

"That's impossible!" Protested Bookshire, realizing the implications. But when he looked over Robotnick he realized he was not wearing a shield belt. Of course force fields had been used on Mobius for decades but they could never be projected onto something as complex as a human.

"But you just saw it my dear Raccoon!" Robotnick smiled. "One sphere could cover an entire legion of SWATBots!"

"Graviton projection, Right?" Asked Rotor Angrily.

"Correct!" Replied Robotnick.

"Now I think you have heard enough!" Robotnick started. "Of course you could save yourself all this approaching pain by telling me where Knothole is."

"Never Buttnick!" Cried Bunnie.

"You know torturing all of you would never make you tell me it's location." Robotnick smiled. "However there are other ways to make you talk."

Robotnick swiped at Antoine picked him up and held his arm up behind his back in an uncomfortable position. Antoine screamed.

"NO!" Yelled Bookshire.

"It would be tragic if your little foxy friend was to lose a few arms!" Robotnick said.

Antoine said something very brave.

"If you tell him zer will be zuffering greater than my own."

Antoine groaned as Robotnick put more pressure on his arm. Antoine panted furiously.

Snively watched all this with cool collected eyes. But inside he felt a deep hatred. Why should he? This fox was a freedom fighter. But the pain Antoine felt was also felt by him. The memory of the horrors Robotnick had put Snively through kept coming back in flashbacks and dreams. Haunting his waking and sleeping moments perpetually. Every time Antoine screamed as Robotnick put on more pressure Snively sensed how much it turned this twisted uncle of his on. Snively was no angle but he knew instinctively that what Robotnick did to him was wrong, what he did to Antoine was also wrong.

With a cry of rage Snively quickly pressed a few buttons on a device he held in his hand. Robotnick's body was surrounded in a very brief glow as the gravitational field released trapped energy. Snively then pulled out a small stun gun and fired it. With no shield to protect him Robotnik's system was overloaded and he collapsed unconscious.

Antoine fell onto the ground and whimpered, clutching his arm.

The other freedom fighters looked at Snively with disbelief.

"NO MORE!" Snively shouted. "NO MORE PAIN, NOT EVER!" He said this to no-one in particular.

The others were even more surprised when Robotnick’s body floated up into the air and zoomed off. This was followed by Snively tapping furiously on the device he had touched earlier.

"Damn, fail safe." He muttered.

Antoine turned and looked Snively in the eye.

"For what, Snively?"

"For me!" Answered Snively. "And for the pain I have suffered."

Bunnie stepped closer to him but as she did so the SWATBots surrounding them became alert. She stepped back.

"I'll never forgive myself for this!" Snively said to himself. He turned to face the SWATBots. "Resume patrol, order to all defense, ignore freedom fighters, all prisoners are to be escorted to the great unknown."

The SWATBots turned and walked off.

"My god Snively." Said Bookshire.

"If there is to be more pain it shall not start with me!" Said Snively. "Robotnick shall soon be conscious again, I suggest you leave now."

"What about you?" Asked Antoine.

"Is it any concern of yours?"

"Come back with us Snively." Said Bookshire.

"If I go back with you I will die for my crimes, if I stay I will be killed by Robotnick, does it matter?"

"Not with a royal pardon, Sally could....."

"That hair ball would never pardon me!" Snively corrected himself a moment later. "The princess knows all to well of the times I would have left her to die."

"We have a concept called mercy sugah!" Broke in Bunnie. "You could help us win this war, stop the pain."

"Live with animals!"

Bunnie walked up to him.

"Hey, sugah, let me tell ya somethin' I ain't no animal. Thanks to Robotnick I am stuck half way between robotic and organic. "

"I'm not going!" Snively stated.

"Oh well!" Bunnie knocked him over the head and Snively fell into her arms unconscious. "This is for ya own good, but ya will have a hell of a headache!"

"Cm'on lets go!" Said Rotor.

The party ran through the city as quickly as they could, the Robotroplian defenses paid no heed to them, infact, the worker bots and SWATBots parted in their wake allowing them to get to the great unknown very quickly. Bunnie carried Snively in her arms.

"So where are all these prisoners Snively is supposed to have released?" Asked Rotor.

"Thats funny, I thought they were supposed to be escourted." Answered Bookshire.

"Maybe Robotnick has Robotocized them already." Suggested Bunnie.

"Ztrange izn't it," Started Antoine. "I had always been thinking of Znively az another Buttnick. But in zee end he waz not all zat bad."

"Antoine, how's your arm?" Asked Bookshire.

"Zore, but I think it is not broken." He then added. "Snively waz zaving me alot of pain!"

Bunnie looked down at the unconscious human she was carrying. She found something about him so intriguing. She soon realized it was the texture of his skin. Smooth, and white, not like the soft fur on her own body. Probably why humans wore clothing in excess. Despite the incredible differences in their proportions and textures Bunnie did not find the human unattractive. Just different. It was like looking at a piece of abstract art that you really liked. It did not make sense but it was still pleasing to look at.

After many hours of traveling they arrived back at Knothole. After a big hullabaloo over the fact they seemed to have taken Snively prisoner, Bunnie managed, with difficulty, to convince them he had made a right turn in his life. Sonic however was nowhere to be seen.

After the commotion had died down they found out that Sonic was in the workshop with Sally, Snively was still unconscious. Bookshire brought him into his hut and put him down on his bed.

Antoine, Rotor, and Bunnie rushed in to the workshop.

"Sally-girl!" Cried Bunnie, "We're back!"

"BUNNIE! SALLY! ANTOINE!" Sally was ecstatic.

She ran up to Bunnie who embraced her warmly with her biological arm. Sonic was nowhere to be seen.

"Iz it zat you are all better Zally?" Asked Antoine.

"You called me Sally!" Replied the squirrel.

"Oh, excuse me my prinzess."

"No, Antoine, it's Ok!" Insisted Sally.

"Really? Merci!"

"Where's Sonic?" Asked Rotor.

"Doing something!" Said Sally mysteriously.

Sally and Bunnie ceased their embrace and Bunnie spoke to her.

"There is someone you have to see!"

"Who?"

"Znively!" Stated Antoine.

"What?! Did you capture him?"

"Not exactly!"

Snively became aware of his surroundings before his brain fully kicked back into gear. He looked up above him and saw, like an angle of death, Sally, standing above him. Snively suddenly felt very frightened. He pulled his arms into his chest and cried out.

"Dont' hurt me!"

"Don't worry 'she' wont hurt you!" Said Sandra and Snively turned to face her. "But I might!"

Snively wailed again.

"Nice one Sandra." Said Sally.

"Snively, look, nobody is going to hurt you, you did a very brave thing, we'd like to have you on our side." Said Sally.

Snively uncurled himself and looked up at the squirrel. He sat up and then found he had to look down at her. Snively felt a sudden attack of conscience. She did not mean any harm but he would have killed her so many times before.

"I deserve to die!" He truthfully stated.

"I know!" Said Sandra. "But, I won't kill you, and I'll make sure nobody touches you, you aren't going to be very popular!"

"Will you help us Snively?" Asked Sally.

"Yes." He said. "May I make a request."

"Sure!" Replied Sally.

"May I pet you?" Asked Snively.

Sally burst out laughing and fell on the floor in a fit of giggles. Sandra went wild and thumped her fists against the wall.

Snively looked bewildered.

Eventually both females calmed down sufficiently in order to look into Snively's eyes without breaking down again.

"Of course you can, but first of all, why?"

"Touch links humans with the world around them in a special way. I have never touched an animal."

"You know you are quite intelligent!" Stated Sandra. "For a human!"

"Go ahead Snively!" Said Sally.

Snively put one tentative hand on Sally's head fur. It was soft to the touch. He felt the side of her muzzle and noted how the fur became thinner as it went into her lips. He felt her ears and noticed how firm they were. Not at all floppy. He put a hand on her shoulder and felt how the fur was thicker there. It thinned out just slightly towards the end of her arm.

Sally felt strange all the time Snively was doing this. He did it with an air of fascination. At that point she was no longer a sentient being. Just an animal. And Snively was playing with her the way humans play with pets..

Snively put his hand under Sally's neck and tickled it gently. Sally liked this and sighed.

Sandra broke the equilibrium.

"Excuse me, you two, don't get too involved!"

Snively withdrew his arm.

"I understand now!" Said Snively. He looked at Sandra.

"Hey, don't look at me like that!" Said Sandra angrily. "You ain't gonna pet me."

"Oh, c'mon Sandra!" Said Sally. "He's not going to kill you!"

"Ok, here!" Sandra literally shoved her tail in Snively's face.

Snively ran his hand down it. It was soft and surprisingly warm.

"That's enough!" Sandra pulled her tail out of Snively's grasp.

"Sally I have a question?"

"What Snively?"

"Do you find wearing." He looked her over. "Absolutely nothing embarrassing."

"No, Mobians don't find it embarrassing." Replied Sally.

"I fail to comprehend!" Said Snively.

"Well, we have lot's of fur to keep us warm." Said Sally. "We have no need of clothes for warmth, over the years we have become accustomed to wearing nothing."

"I suppose so!" Admitted Snively. "Do you have to groom yourself every day?"

"Huh!" Sally exclaimed. "You really have not seen many animals. Yes I do, once every few days."

"Do you have claws Sally err your majesty?"

"Please, call me Sally, yes I do." Sally extended her claws and showed them to Snively who flinched momentarily. He touched the end and found it quite sharp. "See."

"D'ya wanna see my claws Sniv!" Sandra asked.

"No thankyou!"

"We have to go somewhere soon Snively, before we do any more questions?"

"Do you malt?"

Sally laughed lightly.

"No, I don't!"

"Where are you going to take me!"

"Into the briefing room, everybody wants to see you!"

"What!" Snively exclaimed. "I'm gonna die!"

"Please trust me!"

"Errr, alright!" Answered Snively. "If I die then I won't be too disappointed."

Sally led Snively out of Bookshire’s hut. All the villages were crowded round and exchanged nervous glances with one another. Snively despite being slightly taller than Sally seemed to shrink. Suddenly there was a load yell and Sally and Snively turned around and saw a male mink running at Snively with an axe raised over his head. He was yelling something unintelligible.

He reached the startled pair and swung his axe on a wide arc that would have hit Sally too. But it didn't. It struck some kind of invisible surface and bounced off.

Sally looked at Snively. He held up a small device.

"Didn't even search me!" He mocked.

The mink recovered from the blow and pulled out a small plasma gun from his belt. He fired and the super heated hydrogen flew from the barrel, but it dispersed at a point slightly beyond Sally's skin. Sally then noticed that Snively had held her hand the whole time.

("Plasma Gun" Weapon that fires super heated particles contained within a strong magnetic field.) The mink made one final desperate attempt to get Snively and ran at him. He struck the field and fell unconscious. Snively picked up the gun and looked it over.

"You manufactured this?!" He asked.

Sally was too stunned to even speak.

Later after every resident had listened to Snively Antoine came over to say hello to him.

"Hello Snively." He said. "Feel rejected?"

"Yes, Antony." Replied Snively. "Nobody really trusts me."

"I understand how you feel." Said Antoine.

"Nobody really pays attention to you do they!" Stated Snively.

"Nobody likes nerds!" Replied Antoine.

"I do!" Replied Snively. "Especially you, weirdo!"

"Merci!" Answered Antoine.

"How did you lose your tail?"

"SWATbot blew it off!"

Snively was about to say something else but he looked up into the sky and was shocked. Antoine looked up into the sky and was shocked to see the words "Happy Birthday Antoine" projected onto a cloud. The projection was coming from over some hills and there was only one animal who could get that far.

"Lord" He thought. "I forgot about my own birthday!"

"Thank you Sonic!" Said Antoine.

THE END

Well done. You have completed this story successfully. Sally is cured. Snively is a freedom fighter. Antoine is happy and can get along with Sonic. This however is only one of 5 possible endings.

In another ending, look out for some romance between Antoine and a certain black fox! Bunnie might just also get her greatest wish!

THE END

You Chose This...

"I really think dat we should all go in togetha, Sonic." Replied Bunnie.

"Uggghhhh!" Sonic sighed,

"Zhe iz right!" Said Antoine.

"Listen, Sally is dying out there, ya wanna save her don't ya?"

"Sonic if you take NICOLE with you then we lose our jamming field, there is no-way we could get out!" Said Bookshire.

Sonic swore, cursing the situation with as many words as he could think of with negative connotations.

"That was rather extreme Sonic!" Said Rotor.

"C'mon let's get it over with," Sonic crawled off down one of the tunnels mumbling to himself.

"That iz the wrong way Sonic!" Said Antoine.

"It is?" The others replied in unison.

"Yez, it iz going over, one of the Robotocizer chambers, is it not?"

"Of course!" Exclaimed Bookshire.

"What, sugar-bookie?" (You know who said that reader!)

"The kind of magnetic fields on them, even when non-operational are enough to disrupt NICOLE's systems." Replied Bookshire.

"I thought you were supposed to be bad at these Ant." Replied Sonic.

"I waz not thinking zat vay!" Replied Antoine looking a little bit embarassed. "It always find it so hot, above zem thingz, zis uniform, it is just tres chaud!"

"Huh!" Rotor giggled.

"Well Antoine, either way you have saved us a lot of trouble!"

"D'ya really need dat thing sugah?" Said Bunnie looking at the robe Antoine wore.

Antoine did not reply!

Suddenly a blaze of light swept round the corner of one of the shafts. Turning impossibly quick to be identifiable. It zoomed through, narrowly avoiding the edge of the tunnel. Sonic turned round just in time for his subconscious to register the arrival of the blaze of light. He immediately called upon the same powers he used for running to dampen the shock of this projectile. He never found out what it was. Nor did the other freedom fighters. Sally is dead and you are responsible! Click here to start part three again.