"A Fate Worse Than Death" A work of Sonic the Hedgehog "Fan-faction" by Ian 
Patterson A few technicalities... I've read enough fanfic to know what title 
17 (the copyright law) does and does not allow; you can't change the text in 
any way or charge anyone money to read this without my expressed written 
permission. All situations and characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog 
Saturday morning cartoon series, as aired on ABC, are copyright SEGA, DiC, 
and/or Archie Comics, and are used (or at least referred to here) without 
permission, except the characters created by yours truly, which are 
copyrighted by me.


A Fate Worse Than Death


	In the heart of the Great Forest, Sonic was sitting by the Power Ring 
Pool, waiting for a ring to come.  
	While they had been fighting Robotnik and Snively, the Power Ring
Pool was a very relaxing place to be.  One could just sit there and watch
the moon reflect on the water.  Now, it was risky to sit here for more than
a few moments at a time.  The Dark Queen had deployed cybers all over the
Great Forest in an attempt to find the Freedom Fighters.  She never thought
that they might actually be hiding far under the ruins of Mobo-Tropolis.
	Sonic looked at his watch.  Only a few more minutes.  After doing
that, he quickly looked around the area for any signs of being watched.
The cybers hadn't discovered the Power Ring Generator yet, and the Freedom
Fighters wanted it kept that way.  There was no telling what the Dark Queen
would do if she got her hands on it.
	"Come on, come on", said Sonic, folding his arms and tapping his 
foot, "I ain't got all day."
	As if the lake heard him, it started to bubble, and flash.  
	"Good", said Sonic, "It's about time."
	A bright, yellow ring rose up from the water, and Sonic snatched it 
out of the air.  He opened his backpack, and tossed it in.
	"Finally", he said, "Now I can go home."
	He started walking towards the foliage, when the leaves on the trees
started to shake.  Stopping suddenly, he looked very cautiously.
	To Sonic's horror, three cybers stepped out from them.
	"Well well well", said the leader, "I knew if we hung around here
long enough, that we'd catch one of you scruffy leaches."
	"Hah!", laughed Sonic, "You three bucket-heads are bigger leaches
than we are."
	"And how do you figure that?", asked the leader, folding his arms.
	"Because you all SUCK!!!", yelled Sonic, revving up.
	Sonic shot forward, and knocked over one of the cybers.  He quickly
did a backflip over a plasma bolt that came from one of the cybers' rifles.
	"Now, that ain't nice!", he said, jumping into the air and drop 
kicking the cyber right in the face, "Now, you just lay there and think 
about what you've done."
	The lead cyber lunged at Sonic, with a fist extended.  Sonic grabbed
the cyber's fist, and used its own momentum to flip it over and into the
Power Ring Pool.
	"Cool off, Pal!", laughed Sonic as the cyber sank.
	Sonic turned around, and was about to leave, when he realized what
he'd just done.  That cyber would see the Power Ring Generator!!!
	"Oh crap!", he said, dropping his backpack, and diving into the
water.
	Under the water, Sonic saw the cyber still sinking to the bottom.
Obviously, the Dark Queen never programmed them how to swim.  Most likely,
it was just waiting to hit the bottom of the lake, and then walk back up.
	Its eyes were glowing yellow, so it could see under the murky water.
It looked back up, and saw Sonic swimming down after it.  Figuring that the
hedgehog was probably going to destroy him and take his secrets, he did what
the Dark Queen had programmed him to do in such a situation.
	Sonic didn't know how much longer he could hold his breath.  As fast
as he was swimming, the cyber was sinking faster.  His ears were beginning
to hurt from the pressure.  Still, he had to keep that cyber from seeing the
Power Ring Generator.
	Suddenly, massive amounts of bubbles began flying out from the cyber.
Sonic watched as it began struggling furiously.  Then, it went totally limp
and hit the bottom of the lake.  It had let all of the air out of its oxygen
tank and drowned.  
	Seeing that the cyber was no longer a threat, Sonic turned upwards,
and propelled himself to the surface.  His ears began to stop hurting as he
neared the top of the water.
	His head exploded from under the water, and he took a huge breath
of life-giving oxygen.  
	"Whew!", he said, "I think I need a shower now."
	Suddenly, something cold and metal grabbed his shoulder and yanked
him out of the water.  He was thrown quite a ways and landed on his back.
	"Taking a little dip, Hedgehog?", asked a robotic voice.
	Sonic looked up, and saw Vortex standing there, with about six more
cybers.  
	"Aw, geez!", he said, "It never stops, does it?"
	"Get him!", said Vortex, pointing at Sonic.
	Sonic jumped to his feet, and got ready to fight.  Unfortunately,
the cybers all tackled him at once, and knocked him right back on the ground.
	"Well", said Vortex, watching the cybers restrain Sonic, "You're in
some real pretty shit now, aren't you, Hedgehog?"
	This was bad.  Sonic had two cybers holding his neck, two of them 
holding his arms, and the last two had his feet.  He wasn't going anywhere.
	Vortex walked up to him, and put her hand on his chin.  
	"It's a shame to have to dismember such a handsome face", she said, 
"But, orders are orders."
	She held up a plasma pistol, and aimed it right at Sonic.  Vortex 
squinted her eyes, which was her equivlent to smiling, and chuckled.
	"Adios, Hedgehog", she said.
	Just as she was about to pull the trigger, a long wooden staff came
flying through the air and hit her arm, causing Vortex to shoot one of her
cybers in the head.  She looked in the direction the staff had come from, her
eyes glowing bright red.
	"Who dares?", she said.
	A purple cat walked out of the forest.  She was wearing some type of
feathery cloak around her.  She was wearing a gold ear-ring in each of her
ears.  There was a crescent moon tattoo on her cheek.  The most disturbing
thing about her was the stare in her green eyes.
	"Release him", she said, "Or suffer the consequences."
	"Hmph", said Vortex, "Take her!"
	The cyber that had been shot in the head got up, and lunged at the
cat.  She simply side-stepped, and the cyber ran right into a tree, leaving
a huge dent in it.
	"Stupid", said the cat, grinning.
	The cyber turned around, and threw a punch at the cat.  She caught
its arm, and delivered a devistating blow to its side.  The cyber then
collapsed from the shock.
	"Now", she said, turning around to face Vortex, "How about doing what
I told you?"
	"I've had about enough of this crap!", she said, and started running
at the cat.
	In a move that shocked them all, the cat's feathery cloak expanded.
They weren't a cloak, but wings!
	The cat jumped, and soared straight up into the air.  She hung there
for a few minutes as Vortex stared up at her.
	"Oh", mocked the cyber, "That's very clever.  Come down here and 
fight me, you coward."
	"You asked for it", said the cat.
	The cat angled herself downward, and shot right at Vortex.  Vortex
stood unmoving, just waiting.  When the cat was about three feet from her,
she jumped backwards, and into a small portal that opened up just long 
enough for her to disappear into it.
	The cat flew right by, and then landed.  She looked around, confused.
	"What in the hell?", she said.
	The portal re-opened right above her, and Vortex flew out of it, 
and on top of her.
	"Neat trick, huh?", laughed Vortex, as she rammed her fist into the
cat's spine.
	"Ahhh!", screeched the cat, in obvious pain.
	"Maybe next time, you'll just mind your own freakin' business!", 
sneered Vortex.
	The cat brought her foot up, and knocked Vortex off of her.  She then
stood up, and clenched her hands into fists.
	"Now", she said, "I'm really pissed off!"
	She held her hands out in front of her, and clenched her teeth 
together.
	"Is that supposed to scare me?", laughed Vortex.
	"No", said the cat, "This is!  Beh-Naydah!!"
	There was a flash of light, and a huge ball of energy came flying
right at Vortex.
	"Holy shiiiiii.....!!", yelled the cyber.
	The energy ball hit Vortex right in the chest, and threw her back
into the woods, knocking several trees over as she went.  
	The cat looked over at the five cybers still holding onto Sonic.
She squinted her eyes, and gritted her teeth.
	"Who's next?", she said.
	The cybers all looked at each other, then over at Vortex, who was
still trying to gather the strength to get up.  Then, they let go of Sonic,
and ran into the woods.
	"That's what I thought", said the cat.
	Vortex finally stood up, and looked back at the purple cat.
	"Wanna go some more?", asked the cat, folding her arms.
	"This is far from over, you winged freak!!", yelled Vortex, jumping
into a portal and vanishing.
	The cat shook her head, and started to walk over to get her staff.
Suddenly, she tripped over something.  She found herself laying on top of
Sonic, who was on the ground.
	"Face it, Hedgehog", she said, smiling, "I've fallen for you."
	"Cute", said Sonic, "Could you get off of me, please?"
	The cat stood up, and then helped Sonic to his feet.  He brushed 
himself off, and looked at her.
	"Thanks for the assist", he said.
	"No problem", she said, "You reminded me of someone I used to be
close to, and besides, I couldn't just let them tear you to pieces.  You're
way too cute for that."
	The cat pinched Sonic's cheek, and smiled.
	"Uh, right", said Sonic, pushing her hand away, "My name's Sonic."
	"Oh", said the cat, "That's right, we haven't been properly 
introduced.  My name is Ayden Spirit Cat, but you can just call me Ayden."
	Sonic looked at the huge wings behind her back.  She must have seen
that he was staring, because she folded them around her again.
	"I've never seen a cat like you, before", he said, "And what was the
deal with that funky ball you hit Vortex with?"
	"Oh, that", laughed Ayden, "It's just a little trick I know, that's
all.  As for seeing another cat like me, you won't.  I'm a unique character."
	Miles away, an attack cruiser sat on the grass of Green Meadow.  
Hurricane was laying on the windshield of the craft, letting the sun hit
him.  
	A ways away, Mist was over by some wildflowers.  She was sitting on
the ground, and taking time to smell each flower.  
	Hurricane lifted his head up, and saw what his sister was doing.
He just shook his head.
	"What are you doing, Mist?", he said.
	"I'm admiring the beauty of these flowers", she said, "Why, what are
YOU doing?"
	"Trying to get a few rays", said Hurricane, looking at his hands,
"But this body of mine isn't cooperating too well."
	"Hurricane?", said Mist, leaning back on her hands, "Do you think
we did the right thing?"
	"What do you mean?", asked Hurricane, sitting up, and looked at
Mist.
	"I mean by becoming what we are now, cybers", she asked, "Did we
gain more than we lost?"
	"What are you talking about, Mist?", said Hurricane, "Before, we
were measly fleshbags.  Now, we are gods compared to the rest of them."
	"Maybe", said Mist, standing up, "Maybe."
	"Ah", said Hurricane, hopping off of the windshield, "The boys are
back."
	Mist stood up, and looked at the five cybers running out of the 
forest.  She looked over at Hurricane, who was just as confused.
	"What the hell happened to you?", asked Hurricane, "And where's the
sixth one?"
	"Yeah", said Mist, coming up behind him, "And where's Vortex?"
	Mist's question was answered, as the Void opened, and an injured 
Vortex fell out of it.  Her sister quickly ran to her side, and held her
head up.
	"Vortex!", said Mist, "What happened?"
	"Ugh", coughed Vortex, "We ambushed that stupid hedgehog!"
	"The hedgehog did that?", said Hurricane, pointing at Vortex's
chest plate.
	Mist looked, and saw a huge dent and burn mark on the black chest
plate.  She laid her hand down on it, and calculated the exact temperature.
	"This thing is still hot", said Mist, looking down at the plate,
"Scanning for foreign particles."
	Mist's eyes grew bright red as she scanned Vortex's dent.  After a 
few seconds of moving her head back and forth, her eyes returned to normal,
and she looked over at Hurricane.
	"The hedgehog didn't blast her with a plasma pistol", said Mist, 
"There's neutron particles in here that are only magically spawned."
	"I didn't know that the hedgehog knew any magic", said Hurricane.
	"Grrrrr", growled Vortex, sitting up, "You morons!  Didn't it ever
occur to you to ask me?  It wasn't the hedgehog that did this to me, it was
some stupid cat with wings!  She said some weirdo words that made a ball of
energy that blew me through six trees.  And I'm not talking about little
saplings, either."
	Hurricane stood up, and smacked on fist into his open hand.
	"That tears it!", he said, "We're going back, and we're gonna bust 
some heads open."
	"Um, Hurricane?", said Mist, "Shouldn't we contact the Dark Queen 
before we do anything rash?"
	"No!", said Hurricane, "Because she'll wanna send down a huge sqaud
of those idiot drones, and that'll take forever.  By the time she gets done
with all that crap, those two'll be gone!"
	"Besides, Mist", said Vortex, staning up, "I want another shot at
that cat freak."
	"Alright", said Mist, reluctantly, "But we're not going without a
plan, okay?"
	Back at the Power Ring Pool, Sonic and Ayden were sitting by the
water, and just talking for a bit.  Ayden had said she'd been out in the
Great Unknown for the past few months, and didn't know much about the
Dark Queen.
	"Well", said Sonic, "After she destroyed Mobo-Tropolis, she took
us all prisoner aboard this mondo ship of hers.  I mean, this thing was
HUGE!!!"
	"I'll bet", said Ayden, dipping her foot into the water, "I've never
seen robots like those ones we just fought.  I don't know, they just moved
differently than the robots I'm used to seeing."
	"That's the freakiest part", said Sonic, "They aren't robots, they're
cyborgs, or cybers as we like to call them."
	"Cyborgs?", said Ayden, "You mean they have living tissue?"
	"Yup", said Sonic, "Or so Sally tells me.  To be honest, Sal and my
Uncle Chuck are the real brains behind the Freedom Fighters."
	Ayden smiled, and looked up at the sky.
	"I used to know someone named Chuck", said Ayden, "A long time ago.
He was the sweetest man I've ever met.  I'll never find one like him again."
	"Well", said Sonic, "I'm sure it isn't my Uncle Chuck, since he's
way too old for you."
	Ayden looked over at Sonic, and smiled again.
	"You don't even know how old I am", she said, "And you'd never guess
right, either."
	"Why?", said Sonic, "Are you older than you look, or something?"
	"You have no idea, Sonic", said Ayden, kicking the water with her
foot.
	"SONIC HEDGEHOG!!!!", yelled a female voice behind Sonic.
	"Yikes!", yipped Sonic, jumping to his feet.
	Princess Sally Acorn appeared from behind the trees, and walked up
to Sonic.
	"Hiya, Sal!", said Sonic, putting his hands behind his back.
	"Sonic!", she said, "You've been gone for over two hours!  Do you
have any idea how worried I've been about you?"
	"A lot", said Sonic, "From the looks of it."
	"And who's this?", asked Sally, looking at Ayden, who was still 
sitting on the ground.
	"Oh!", said Sonic, "I'm a dope.  Ayden, this is my girlfrind, Sally."
	Ayden stood up, and wrapped her wings around her.  She extended her
hand to Sally, who promptly took it.
	"Pleased to meet you, Princess Sally", said Ayden, "I never thought
that I would shake hands with royalty."
	"How did you know?", asked Sally, "Sonic never said.."
	"It'd take too long to explain", said Ayden, "And I doubt you have
the time to hear it all."
	"I've never seen a winged cat before", said Sally, looking at Ayden's
feathered wings."
	"And you probably won't ever again", said Ayden, "I've been like 
this all my life.  I guess it was a birth defect, but it's something I've
turned to my advantage more than once."
	"Sally!", said a gruff voice from the trees, "Where'd you run off
to?"
	"Over here!", said Sally.
	Uncle Chuck came through the trees, and saw Sonic.
	"Get over here, you!", he said, pointing at Sonic, "You're in big
trouble, Mister!"
	Sonic slowly came over, and looked at his uncle, who was not pleased.
	"What's up, Unc?", he said.
	"Don't even start, Sonic!", said Uncle Chuck, "You know better than
to stay out here by the Power Ring Pool for this long!  What do you think
would happen if the Dark Queen got ahold of the generator??"
	While Uncle Chuck was over there chewing his nephew out, Ayden was
watching him.
	"Who's that?", she asked Sally.
	"Oh", she said, with a laugh, "That's Uncle Chuck.  He just worries
about Sonic a little bit too much sometimes.  I do the same thing."
	Back over by Uncle Chuck, and Sonic, the poor boy was still being
chewed out by his uncle.
	"Why were you just sitting out here, anyway?", he said, folding his
arms.
	"Well", said Sonic, "My new friend, Ayden and I, we were just sitting
here, relaxing."
	"I know that this place used to be somewhere that you could relax,
Sonic", said Uncle Chuck, "But you know that you can't do that anymore,
and another thing....."
	Uncle Chuck suddenly stopped, and looked right at Sonic.
	"What...", he said, "What did you say her name was?"
	"Ayden", said Sonic, "Why?"
	"Because", said Ayden, walking up behind them, "I'm quite aquainted
with your uncle, Sonic."
	"It is you", said Uncle Chuck, scowling, "You've got some nerve coming
back here, Ayden, after what you did."
	"I didn't expect to find you here", said Ayden, folding her arms, 
"Speaking of you, you look different.  Did you get a haircut or something?"
	"Funny", said Uncle Chuck, "For your information, I've been
roboticized."
	"I'd ask what that is", said Ayden, "But I'm sure you'd find some
way to to go into a long and complicated lecture just for the purpose of
making yourself look smarter than everyone else here."
	"Uh, excuse me?", said Sonic, "Winged cats, robots, I think we'd 
better get out from the open like this.  Like Sal said, it's not safe."
	"Fine", said Uncle Chuck, turning, and starting to walk away.
	"I had my reasons for what I did, Chuckie", said Ayden.
	"I'm sure you did", said Uncle Chuck, not even looking back, "And 
they obviously were more important than me!"
	"Hey, Sal", said Sonic, "What's up with this?"
	Sally looked around, and saw that a dense fog had moved in around
them.  Then, it started rising.
	"That's weird", said Sonic, "I've never seen fog do that before."
	"I don't think that's fog, Sonic", said Sally, getting worried.
	Sally was right, too.  The fog all came together into one blob, and
then transformed into Mist!
	"Peek-a-boo", she said, "I see you!"
	Mist back-handed Ayden in the face.  The blow knocked her on the 
ground.
	"Ayden!", yelled Sonic.
	Uncle Chuck turned around, and saw Ayden laying on the ground, and
Mist standing over her.  He started to move towards them.
	"Detain him!", said a voice.
	Three cybers came through the bushes, and grabbed ahold of Uncle 
Chuck.
	"Not so fast, Old Man!", said one of the cybers.
	Mist walked up to Ayden, and kicked her in the stomach.
	"Nobody hurts my sister and lives!", she hissed.
	All of a sudden, Vortex appeared out of her portal, and stood right
in between Mist and Ayden.
	"Hold it right there, Sis", said Vortex, "This freak hurt me, and I'm
gonna be the one to dismantle her."
	"Go for it, Vortex", chuckled Mist, stepping back.
	"Why that little....", started Sonic.
	He was about to run forward, when Hurricane flew out of the bushes,
and tackled him.  The two rolled around on the ground.
	"Not so fast, Hedgehog!", growled Hurricane, "I think you'd better 
just leave the ladies alone!"
	Sonic responded by doing a buzz-saw attack, and escaping from the
green cyber's grip, but scratching his armor quite badly.  Hurricane looked
at his damaged arms for a second.  Smoke was still rising from them.
	"Oh...", said Hurricane, shaking his head, "It's on, now, Hedgehog!!"
	"Bring it on, Buckethead!", said Sonic, motioning Hurricane towards
him.
	Meanwhile, Ayden and Vortex were just walking in circles, one staying
on the other side of the other.  
	"Are you going to try something?", asked Ayden, squinting her green
eyes, "Or are you just going to walk in circles all day?"
	"Actually", said Vortex, "I was just trying to distract you."
	"Distract me from what?", asked Ayden, not impressed.
	"So I could do THIS!!!", hissed Vortex.
	She thrust her fist forward, and a small opening to the Void appeared
right in front of it, and it entered.  The exit portal opened up right 
behind Ayden's head, and Vortex's fist flew through it, and smashed against
Ayden's skull.
	"Ahhhh!!", yelled Ayden, falling forward.
	Vortex quickly pulled her arm out of the portal, and lunged forward
with a kick.  Her black boot smashed against Ayden's face, snapping it to
the side.
	"Damn", said Vortex, "I love my job!"
	Ayden staggered to the side, trying to keep herself on her feet.
Vortex, however, pressed on with her attack.  She spun around, and clocked
Ayden in the side of her head with her metal elbow.  Ayden finally gave into
the beating, and fell to the ground.  She tried to lift herself back up, 
but Vortex appeared, and kicked her right in the jaw.  She flew onto her
back, and held her injured face.
	Over on the side-line, Sally was watching the carnage, unsure as to
how to stop it.  Then, she looked over, and saw Mist standing by as well.
She quickly moved up to her, and grabbed her shoulders.
	"Mist!", she said, "Bunnie told me about what you did for her out
in the Great Unknown.  She says that you're the most decent of all the
Dark Queen's cybers.  Isn't there anything you can do to stop this?"
	Mist's eyes flashed red, and she knocked Sally's hands away from
her.  Then, she head-butted Sally right in the forhead, causing her to 
topple backwards.  Sally felt her bleeding head, and looked up at Mist,
who was standing over her.
	"Know this, Princess", hissed the cyber, "My toleration for Ms. 
Rabbot in no way translates to you or any of your pathetic friends.  Is
that clear enough for you?"
	"Crystal clear", said Sally, squinting her eyes.
	Sally did a roll, and leaped right at Mist.  Mist saw this coming,
and shifted to gas form.  Sally passed right through her, and landed face
first on the ground.  She looked back at Mist, who was laughing.
	"Nice try, Princess", said Mist, "But there isn't anyway you can
touch me unless I alow it."
	Sally just glared at Mist.
	Ayden, on the other hand, was having a time with Vortex.  The cyber
was putting up a considerable more resistance than the last time she had
fought her.  Ayden hadn't had enough time to rebuild her strength enough
to try her energy ball again.  
	"Come on, Cat!", laughed Vortex, "Where's that strength you displayed
last time?"
	Vortex threw another punch at Ayden, but Ayden ducked, and rolled 
away from Vortex, and right into her staff.  She picked it up, and then
stood up straight.  She spun it in her hand once, and then put it right
beside her.
	"Alright", she said, "Let's try this again."
	Vortex lunged at Ayden.  She threw a fist right at the winged cat,
but Ayden blocked it with the staff, and then turned the staff to the
left, causing Vortex's arms to fly off in that direction.  
	Ayden then brought the end of the staff back up, and then slammed it
right against Vortex's face.  She staggered back, and then looked back
at Ayden, who was standing there with her staff in her hands.
	"Oh", said Vortex, shaking her head, "You're good.  But not good
enough!!"
	Vortex spun around, slashing at Ayden wildly.  Ayden managed to block
and dodge most of the attacks, but one caught her right in the face.
	"Ahhhh!!", she screamed, dropping her staff and falling back on the
ground.
	"Gotcha!", said Vortex, cracking her finger-joints.
	She stepped over to Ayden, and kicked her in the stomach.
	"Ooof!", grunted Ayden when Vortex's metal boot smashed into her.
	Vortex then grabbed Ayden by her neck, and slammed her against a 
tree.  She glared right at the injured cat, and then looked over at Uncle
Chuck, who was still being held by the cybers.
	"You!", she said to all but one of the cybers, "Come over here and
hold her!"
	The cybers did as they were told, and came over to take hold of Ayden.
Vortex then walked back over to Uncle Chuck, and put her hand on his 
shoudler.
	"Are you up to this, Old Man?", she asked.
	After saying that, she hit Uncle Chuck in the face with her elbow.
His head snapped back, and he let out a groan of pain.  Ayden's head tried
to rise up, but she couldn't find the strength.  Instead, it slumped back
down.
	"Aw", laughed Vortex, "Not getting mad enough yet?  Well, let's try
again."
	She punched Uncle Chuck in the chest, denting his chest plate, and
then slammed both of her fists down on his shoulders.  The cybers let go
of him, and he fell onto his knees.  Without missing a beat, Vortex kicked
him in the face.  Uncle Chuck flew backwards and onto the ground.
	"NOOOOOO!!!", yelled Sonic, who had been retaken by Hurricane.
	"Uncle Chuck!!!", screeched Sally, who was also being restrained.
	Vortex strutted over to Uncle Chuck, and then kicked him in the face
again.
	"Come on, Chuckster!!", she laughed, "Can't ya take it?"
	She kicked him again, and laughed.
	Ayden's head slowly rose up, and she looked at what was happening 
to her darling Chuckie.  Slowly, her eyes narrowed to form a furious look,
and her lips curled back to show razor sharp teeth.  Her limp hands balled
into fists, and she let out a roar that few knew she was capable of.
	"What the?", said Vortex, turing around.
	Ayden slammed her head back into the cyber that was behind her, and
crushed its face-plate.  She then pulled her right arm away from the
cyber who had her arm, and then back-handed it.  After it had fallen, she
grabbed ahold of the last cyber, and threw it across the clearing, and into
the cyber that had been holding Uncle Chuck.
	Ayden looked at what she had done, and then she looked over at Vortex.
Her green eyes flashed in the light, and then put her hands out in front of
her.
	"Uh", said Vortex, backing up, "Perhaps it would be best if we all
made tracks?  I saw her do this before."
	"Beh-Nayda!!!", screamed Ayden.
	A ball of energy three times the size as the last one exploded towards
Vortex.
	Vortex jumped into a portal, and the ball shot by her, destroying
several trees in its path.  She re-emerged, and looked at Ayden.
	"Get her!!", she yelled.
	The cyber whose face plate Ayden had smashed, wrapped its arms around
her waist, and tried to pull her down.  Ayden merely smashed her fist 
against it once, and it fell to the ground.  Then, a portal opened up
beneath it, and it fell in.
	"I know when I'm beaten", said Vortex, "But don't think that this is
something that happens often!"
	After saying that, Vortex backed up and into a portal, and vanished.
Ayden looked over at Mist, who shifted into gas form, and floated away with
the breeze.  
	Hurricane let go of Sonic, and pushed him to the ground.  By the time
that Sonic had jumped to his feet, Hurricane had disappeared into the 
forest.
	Ayden wasted no words.  She ran over to Uncle Chuck, and lifted him
up to her.  She cradled him in her arms for several moments.
	"Oh, Chuckie!", she cried, "Are you alright?"
	"Ugh", he groaned, "I'll be fine.  Just don't ask me to do that
again."
	Ayden smiled, and then helped him to his feet.
	"Are you sure you're alright?", she asked.
	"I said I'm fine", said Uncle Chuck pulling away from her.
	Ayden stood up, as did Uncle Chuck.  Sonic and Sally ran up to him, 
and looked him over, to be certain that he was alright.
	"That was some wicked fighting, Ayden!", said Sonic, giving her a 
thumbs up, "You are way past cool in this hedgehog's book."
	"Thanks, Sonic", said Ayden, "That really means a lot to me."
	"Ayden", said Sally, "How did you make that energy ball?"
	"Simple", she said, reaching into her pouch, and pulling out a shard
of gray crystal, "This is a piece of the Widsom Chaos Emerald.  This is why
I left, Chuckie.  It called to me, and I could not resist.
	"Well", said Uncle Chuck, "I hope it was worth it."
	"Acutally", said Ayden, looking at the shard, "It wasn't.  I spent
the last forty years chasing this thing when I could have spent them with
you."
	"You're immortal, Ayden", said Uncle Chuck, "I realize now that I was
just something to pass away the decades.  After I was gone, you would have
just moved on to something or someone else."
	"You really can't forgive me, can you?", asked Ayden.
	"No", said Uncle Chuck, "I loved you, and you just abandoned me like
I didn't matter a bit.  That isn't something I can forgive, Ayden."
	With that, Uncle Chuck, turned, and walked away.  Ayden stuffed the
shard back into her pouch, and picked up her staff.  She looked at Sonic and
Sally.
	"Take care of him", she said, "He still means everything to me.  He
always did, and he always will."
	"We will, Ayden", said Sally, "Take care of yourself."
	"I will", she said, "And don't say good-bye, because I have a feeling
that our paths will cross again."
	Ayden spread her wings, and lifted into the air.  She then vanished
over the trees.  Sonic wrapped his arm around Sally, and they walked toward
the entrance to Lower Mobius.
	A little ways ahead of them, Uncle Chuck watched Ayden fly off into
the distance.  He opened a compartment on his arm that nobody knew existed,
and pulled a tiny locket out of it.  He opened it up, and looked at the
picture of Ayden and him, when he was forty years younger.  She hadn't
aged a day since that picture.  A single tear ran down his face, and then
he put it back into his compartment.  That was in the past, and it could
never be that way again, not after what she had done to him.

	It was dry and hot.  That's what the Dark Queen thought as her huge
flag-ship flew over the barren waste-land that was known as the Great 
Unknown.  
	"Snively", she said, not moving her head to look at him, "Tell me 
again why we are wasting time flying over this worthless area?"
	"Because, My Queen", he said, bowing his head to her, "This was the
last place I ever saw him.  If anyone can help you crush those miserable
Freedom Fighters, he can."
	"I don't care much about the Freedom Fighters", said the Dark Queen,
"I only want the princess and that worthless hedgehog.  Without them, the 
Freedom Fighters won't last long."
	"Highness!", called a voice from the front of the ship, "We have 
arrived!"
	The Dark Queen rose from her command chair, and walked to the front
of the bridge.  Snively came up beside her, and they both looked out at the
sight before them.
	All around the ship, lay rusted and shattered pieces of metal.  Most
of them were half buried in the sand, and others were just laying there,
collecting rust.
	"So", said the Dark Queen, looking around, "This is what's left of
Project Omega.  Very sloppy, Snively."
	Snively didn't say anything.  He just looked at what remained of his
precious machine.  It had been the pinacle of his genius.  However, that
miserable hedgehog and his friends had destroyed everything.  Now, all that
remained was a field of destroyed metal and wires.  
	"We're here", said the Dark Queen, "Now, where is he?"
	"I don't know", said Snively, "I was hoping that he might be waiting
for me to return here.  He vanished right during the destruction of Project
Omega.  I....I guess he didn't survive.  I'm sorry to have wasted your time,
My Queen."
	The Dark Queen shook her head, and looked down at the pilots.
	"Set course for Castle Acorn", she said, "Take us out of this hole."
	Suddenly, there was a flash of light that filled the entire bridge.
Snively, the Dark Queen, and all of the cybers covered their eyes.
	"What was that?", said the Dark Queen, removing her hands from her
eyes.
	"Leaving so soon?", asked a deep and raspy voice from behind her.
	Both she and Snively turned around, and saw a large figure standing
next to the Dark Queen's command chair.  He wore a brown robe with a hood
over his head, and a white respirator mask over his face.
	"Century", said Snively.
	Century's red eyes flashed behind his black visor.  He stood up 
straight, and walked up to the two of them.
	"Well, Snively", he said, "You look just like you did four years 
ago."
	Century didn't give Snivley a chance to say anything.  He turned his
attention towards the Dark Queen, who was standing there with her arms
folded.
	"Ah", he said, "You must be the Dark Queen.  I've seen much of you
around Mobius in the last couple of months."
	"Oh, really?", she said, "And how did you see all this?"
	"That is not your concern", said Century, "What is, is that you 
listen to what I have to say."
	"Fine", said the Dark Queen, sitting down in her chair, "I'm 
listening."
	Century squinted his eyes, and they flashed red.


THE END