"Dark Mobius" 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.


DARK MOBIUS


Mobius Maximum Prison Facility 
The Great Unknown
9:00 p.m.

	The Mobius Maximum Prison Facility sat silent on the outskirts of the 
Great Unknown.  It was built shortly after the war against Robotnik to 
house all the war criminals and several of Robotnik's toys that survived 
the war.  Most of the systems in the prison were totally automated.  Only 
three Mobians were in the prison at any given time.  The three usally 
consisted of two guards, and the warden.  
	So tight was the security at this place that a radius of twenty miles 
was completely off limits to civilians.  Anyone caught in the area for 
whatever reason was reprimanded.  This was the order of King Acorn, who 
wanted to take no chances that any of the occupants would escape.	
	It was as it always was at the prison, silent.  The two guards were 
doing their usual rounds throught the facility; making sure that everyone 
and everything was where they were supposed to be.  One guard strolled 
passed a cell that contained someone that had been sentenced to spend 
eternity in that single cell.  This person was none other than Snively.  	
	He had taken power after Sonic and Princess Sally had destroyed 
Robotnik's Doomsday Machine.  He stayed in power only a brief period of time 
before he was over-thrown by the Freedom Fighters.  After that, he was 
thrown in the prison, never to be released.  He was presently on his fourth 
year of incarceration.  
	The guard rapped on the door to his cell.
	"Hey, Snively", he said, "You behavin' yourself in there?"
	He peered in through the window, and saw Snively sitting upright in 
his bed.  He was wearing his prison grays, and looked up from his book at 
the guard.
	"Explain to me how I could possibly get into trouble, Guard Falcon?", 
he asked.	
	"Search me", said Falcon, "But just see that you don't."
	Snively just glared at the guard and went back to reading his book.  
Falcon laughed and walked off.  He returned to the control room, where one 
other guard and Warden Boar were.  The warden looked over at him when he 
entered.
	"Everything okay out there?", he said.
	"Fine", said Falcon, "I really don't know why they keep us out here.  
Those traitors aren't going anywhere.  This is the most secure facility on 
the face of Mobius.  Who in their right mind would come near this place 
unless they had a death wish?"
	"Here's your answer, Falcon", said Vorn, "I've got an unauthorized 
arial unit coming in fast from the north."
	Warden Boar got up, and looked at the monitor.
	"Radio them", he said, "I'm going to give them the benefit of the 
doubt and assume they don't know they're in restricted air space."
	Vorn began hailing the vessel.
	"Unidentified vessel", he said into his headset, "This is the Mobian 
Maximum Prison Facility.  You are trespassing in restricted air space.  You 
must change course immediately or you will be shot down.  Do you copy?"
	There was no reply.  The only reaction was that the ship speeded up.
	"They aren't stopping", said Falcon, "Arm the plasma cannon."
	"This is the first time we've ever used this thing", said Boar.
	"Hey", said Falcon, "We warned them."
	"Sir!", said Vorn, "They're opening fire!!"
	"What?", said Boar.
	They looked at the monitor, and saw the ship fire a blast of energy.  
The blast soared through the night sky and hit the plasma cannon, destroying 
it.  The entire installation shook when the cannon exploded.
	"Shit!", yelled Boar, "Vorn, radio Mobo-Tropolis.  Tell them we're 
under attack and we need assistance right now!"
	Vorn dialed Mobo-Tropolis.
	"Calling Mobo-Tropolis", he said, "This is Mobius Prison.  We are 
under attack by an unknown invader and require immediate assistance.  Do 
you copy?"
	There were a few moments of static, but then a familiar voice came 
over the radio.
	"Mobius Prison", said Com. St. John, "This is Mobo-Tropolis.  We copy 
and are sending reinforcements at this time.  Hold tight out there, boys."
	"We copy, Mobo-Tropolis", said Vorn.
	He looked back at Boar.
	"They're on their way", he said, "We just have to hold on until they 
get here."
	"Activate the perimeter", said Boar, "Let's not let them get through.  
They can deal with the Mobian Armada when it gets here."
	"Too late", said Vorn, "They're already past the perimeter field.  
I'm auto-locking the doors."
	He hit a series of controls, and all the outter doors sealed 
themselves with heavy bolts.  They were designed to repell any attack.
	"That should do it", said Vorn.
	"The ship is landing right outside the main entrance", said Falcon, 
looking at the forward monitor.
	Outside, the hover-unit set down, and the hatch opened, releasing a 
short gust of steam.  For a moment, it stood silent, but then a shape 
emerged from it.  The guards and warden sat like statues in the control 
room.  
	"Who the hell is it?", asked Vorn, trying to zoom in on the intruder.
	"Do you think they're renegade SWATbots?", asked Falcon.
	"No", said Boar, "Those things don't have the brains to pull off 
something like this."
	"Hold on", said Vorn, "I'm getting an image."
	The picture cleared up, and the first intruder was visable.  When they 
saw him, they all just looked at each other.  The intruder was some kind of 
a robot, unlike any they had ever seen.  He was a little shorter than the 
average Mobian.  He had an odd shaped head that was full of breathing tubes 
and heavily armored.  Coming out of the back of his head were black 
dreadlocks.  He wore yellow armor and had blood red eyes.  He seemed to 
scan the area for a moment, then looked back and waved to the ship.
	"Oh no", said Boar, "I was afraid of this."
	Five more robots walked out of the ship.  They all varied in armor 
color, shape, and height.  From what Vorn could tell, the gray and black 
ones were designed to look female in shape and movement.  The largest one 
of all was the blue one.  There was a tall greenish one bringing up the 
rear.  A very muscular-looking one took point.  He was golden in color.
	"I think we're in some serious trouble here", said Falcon, picking up 
his rifle.
	"I think they've spotted us", said Vorn.
	The yellow robot walking right up to the camera and looked at the 
lens.  His red eyes glared right at them.  What happened next shocked them 
all.  He spoke like a living creature!	
	"We're here to visit an old friend", he said, "You wanna open the 
door?"
	The three just sat there, terrified.
	"Okay, then", said the robot, "Let me rephrase that:  If you want to 
live to see morning, I suggest you open up."
	Still, the guards sat like stone statues.  The yellow robot squinted 
his eyes, and stepped back from the camera.
	"Have it your way then", he said.
	The gold one looked over at the huge blue robot.
	"Blizzard", he said, "Do your stuff."
	The robot made a sound, and lumbered towards the door.
	"If I didn't know better", said Vorn, "I'd swear that thing just 
chuckled."
	"That's impossible", said Boar, "Not even sentient robots can have 
emotions.  The memory requirements are too high for them to be programmed 
with them."
	"Uh, Guys", said Falcon.
	They all looked back at the monitor, and saw the blue robot raise his 
arms.  All of sudden, two streams of ice shot from the robot's arms and 
right into the door.  He was freezing the door!
	"Why is he doing that?", asked Boar.
	"The door'll crack from just a kick at that low a temperature", said 
Vorn, "I'm arming the interior defenses."
	"That'll do, Blizzard", said the golden robot, "Vortex, if you would, 
my dear."
	The black robot stepped forward, and threw a sphere against the door.
It exploded, and shattered the frozen door.  
	"They're in", said Falcon, "This is not good.  Where the hell is the 
Armada?"
	"Their ETA is 15 minutes", said Vorn.
	"We won't be alive in 15 minutes!", said Boar, "Radio them again and 
tell them that the installation has been comprimised!"
	Vorn turned on the radio, but all he heard was static.  He took off 
his headset and looked at Boar.
	"They're jamming the signal", he said, "We're on our own, Boys."
	The five robots walked into the main entrance.  There was a computer 
terminal on the wall as they walked in.  The gold robot looked at the 
gray one.
	"Mist", he said, "Locate our targets and the main control room."
	The gray robot strutted over to the terminal, and plugged in.  She 
stood there for a moment, searching the data base.  Then, she disconnected, 
and several locations came up on the monitor.
	"Good", said the golden robot, "Now, Anthrax and Vortex will pay our
friends in the control room a visit, and the four of us shall retrieve the
items we were sent for."
	"Right, Bomb-Blast", said Mist, and ran off with the other two robots.
	Anthrax looked back at Vortex.  She was studying a certain location 
on the screen.  
	"Is that the main control room?", asked Anthrax.
	"Yes", she said, "I think I can open a portal there."
	"Do it", said Anthrax.
	Vortex looked over to her right, and a portal to the Void opened up.  
She grabbed Anthrax by his arm, and jumped in.  There was a moment of 
disorientation, like always, but the other end of the portal came within 
seconds.
	"What the hell!", yelled Boar, seeing the Void open up behind them 
all.
	Anthrax and Vortex fell out of it, and landed on their feet. Vortex 
let go of Anthrax's arm, pulled out a plasma rifle.
	"Hello, Boys", said Anthrax, "Time to die."
	Vorn jumped up from his chair and fired a shot at Anthrax with his 
pistol.  He shot, and hit Anthrax right in the shoulder.  Red blood started 
spewing from the wound.  Vorn just looked in awe.  The robot was bleeding!!
	"What the hell are you?", he said
	"We", said Vortex, "Are cyborgs.  And you, are dead."
	Vortex fired her rifle with robotic accuracy, and hit Vorn right in 
the chest.  
	"Ahhh!", he yelled, falling back onto the floor.
	"That hurt!", yelled Anthrax, "Nobody hurts me."
	He jumped forward and grabbed Boar by his neck, and lifted him off 
the ground.
	"Don't kill me!", said Boar, stuggling to breathe.
	"Sorry", said Anthrax, "No survivors."
	With that, he snapped Boar's neck, and dropped the body on the ground.  
Then, without even missing a beat, he snapped his fist back, and hit Falcon 
right across the face.  Falcon, who had rushed him, flew off his feet.
	"Inferior creatures", he said, walking over to Falcon, "I'm doing you 
a favor by killing you."
	He grabbed Falcon's coat, and lifted him off the ground.  Without 
saying a word, green mist started coming out of the vents on Anthrax's face.  
Falcon tried to keep from breathing it, but Anthrax jabbed his chest, 
causing him to take several reflexive breaths of the mist.  Almost 
instantly, he started gagging and choking.
	"Pitiful", said Anthrax, and dropped Falcon to the ground.
	He looked at his arm comm.
	"Hey, Blizzard!", he said, "Have you got them?"
	"We're entering the cell block now", said the blue cyborg.
	
	Bomb-Blast and Hurricane walked into what looked like a laboratory
in the ultra-security wing of the complex.  Bomb-Blast walked over to one
of the computers.  He typed in a few commands, and a huge cylinder that was
in the center of the room began to rumble.
	"What did you do?", asked Hurricane.
	"Our friend here hasn't moved in quite a while", said Bomb-Blast,
"I thought we'd take him out for a stroll."
	The cylinder opened, and Mecha-Sonic hung inside, connected to all
sorts of devices designed to keep him at .01% operating power.  At that
level, he was a threat to no-one.
	If Bomb-Blast had a mouth, he would have had an ear-to-ear grin.

	Blizzard and Mist walked up to Snively's cell door.  Blizzard kicked 
it, and it flew open.  Snively fell out of his bed when he heard the noise.  
He looked in terror at the two creatures walking into his cell.
	"W-W-W-Who are you?", he stuttered.
	"I am Blizzard", said the blue cyborg, "This is Mist.  We have been 
ordered to free you and return you to our headquarters."
	"If I refuse?", he said.
	"Then you die", said Mist.
	"Well", said Snively, "You leave me very little choice in the 
matter."
	Blizzard grabbed Snively and tossed him on his back.
	"Hold on", he said.
	Snively grasped on to the massive cyborg's shoulders, and held on for 
dear life.
	They headed back towards the main entrance, and met Bomb-Blast and 
Hurricane.  Hurricane was carrying Mecha-Sonic over his shoulders.
	"What are you doing with him?", asked Snively.
	"Quiet", said Blizzard, "All will be revealed soon enough."
	They all stepped outside, and headed towards the ship.  The Void 
opened up, and Anthrax and Vortex emerged.  
	"Good", said Bomb-Blast, "Mission complete.  Let's return to HQ before 
anything else happens."
	They all boarded the ship, it rose into the night sky, and vanished.

The Royal Palace
Mobo-Tropolis
10:00 a.m.

	Sonic shot through the halls of the palace.  He was late to a meeting 
that Sally said was of utmost importance.  Sally was going to be mad at him, 
but what did she expect?  He rarely got up before noon anymore.  He 
screeched to a halt in front of the doors to King Acorn's throne room.  He 
then casually walked in.
	Everyone was already there.  The king, Sally, Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor,
Uncle Chuck, Commander St. John, and several of the king's advisors.
	"Nice of you to join us, Sonic", said Sally, folding her arms.
	"Sorry", he said, "So, what's up?"
	"Commander St. John", said King Acorn.
	"Thank you, Sire", said Geoffery, standing up, "The Mobian Maximum 
Prison Facility was hit last night.  Two of the personnel are confirmed 
dead, and the third isn't expected to last for more than a few hours at 
best."
	"What were the attackers after?", asked Rotor.
	"We did a head-count, and found Snively missing", said Geoffery, 
"Mecha-Sonic is gone as well."
	"Oh no", said Sally, "Was it squad of renegade SWATbots?"
	"No", he said, "Look at the screen."
	They all looked at the view screen, and a picture of the six cyborgs 
came up.
	"What are they?", asked Sonic, "Besides way ugly?"
	"We have no idea", said Geoffery, "I've never seen anything like them 
in my life."
	"Are they some kind of new robotic soldier?", asked Sally, studying 
the picture.
	"That's what we thought at first", said Geoffery, "Until we talked to 
the surviving guard.  He said that they shot one in the shoulder and it 
started bleeding."
	"That could've just been its system fluids", said Sally.
	"That's what we thought too", said Uncle Chuck, "I analyzed it, and 
it was organic blood."
	"Bots can't bleed", said Sonic, "Can they?"
	"No", said Uncle Chuck, "But cyborgs can."
	Everyone in the throne room fell silent when Uncle Chuck suggested 
that.  After the fall of Robotnik, several scientists had petitioned the 
king to let them create cybernetic life-forms out of people who had lost or 
damaged limbs.  The king had forbidden it, after seeing what the 
roboticizer did to Bunnie.  The king had made it a crime to even draw up 
blue-prints to construct a cyborg.
	"Who built them?", asked the king, clenching his hands into fists.
	"Your guess is as good as mine, Sire", said Uncle Chuck, "But whoever 
did really knew their stuff.  The black one seems to have been built with 
Robotnik's Void technology.  That gives her the power to open portals."
	"Hey", said Sonic, "Who else could be behind it but Snively?"
	"Perhaps", said King Acorn, "But he's been in that prison for the 
past four years.  If he constructed those machines before you defeated him, 
why would he wait until now to use them?"
	"He has a point", said Rotor, "What if it's....Robotnik?"
	"No chance", said Sonic, "Sal and I watched his escape pod get 
swallowed up by the Doomsday Machine when it exploded five years ago."
	"It doesn't matter where they came from", said King Acorn, "All that 
does matter is apprehending Snively and destroying Mecha-Sonic and those 
cyborgs.  Sonic, you've had the most experience dealing with Snively and 
Mecha-Sonic.  I'm assigning the task to you."
	The king looked over at Tails.
	"Miles", he said, "You can assist him."
	"Cool", said Tails, "I won't disappoint you, Your Highness."
	"See that you don't", he said.
	Tails sunk back in his seat.  He knew that the king and he still
weren't on the best of terms.  Tails had hoped that three years of trying
to make up for his greatest mistake would make a difference, but it hadn't.
The king may have forgiven him, but he would probably never forget.
	"Dumb question", said Sonic, "Where exactly do we start looking for 
him?  Mobius is a pretty big place and I kinda doubt he's stupid enough to 
stick around Mobo-Tropolis for long."
	"I have an idea as to where he might be heading", said Geoffery, "My 
intelligence has informed me that there has been activity up at old Castle 
Acorn on Mt. Mobius."
	"Grrrrrr", said King Acorn, "Does no one obey the law anymore!  That 
place is off-limits to all citizens because what happened there all those 
years ago.  My father didn't seal it off for his own amusement!"
	Sonic nudged Sally.  She looked over at him.
	"What's he talking about?", he whispered.
	"Shhh", she said.
	"Castle Acorn sounds like a good place to start looking for Snively", 
said King Acorn, "Commander St. John, you will accompany Sonic and Miles 
there.  You know the layout of the place better than they do."
	"Hey, Highness", said Sonic, standing up, "I'm perfectly capable of 
taking care of myself."
	He looked over at Geoffery.
	"I don't need a babysitter!"
	"That castle is a death-trap, Sonic", said the king, "Commander St. 
John is only going to make sure you aren't in danger.  You are my best 
warrior, Sonic.  I can't replace you.  Besides, I'm making it a royal order 
that he accompany you at least that far.  After that, he'll report back 
here and you two are on your own."
	"Fine", said Sonic, "C'mon, Skunk-Head.  Let's get this over with."
	Geoffery grumbled, bowed to the king, and headed off after Sonic and 
Tails.

Several Miles From Castle Acorn
3:00 p.m.

	The hover transport shot through the clear blue sky of the summer 
afternoon.
	"Did we really have to bring this thing?", whined Sonic.
	"Well, Mate", said Geoffery, "I really didn't feel too much like 
holding onto your back for an hour while we went out there."
	"Yeah, Sonic", said Tails, "Besides, this thing is way cool."
	"Whatever", said Sonic, leaning back in his chair, "Hey, Geoffery.  
What's the deal with Castle Acorn anyway.  I know it's been closed off for 
a real long time.  When I was a kid, my parents would get on me for looking 
in its general direction."
	"Castle Acorn is where the Royal House of Acorn lived for several 
generations", he said, "King Acorn's great grandfather decided the castle 
was too isolated from the rest of his subjects, and had the Royal Palace 
built right in Mobo-Tropolis.  He didn't feel very safe on Mt. Mobius, 
since it is a volcano and all.  The castle then stood empty for several 
years.  During the king's father's reign, a young girl wandered into the 
castle.  It had grown old and worn down from years of neglect.  She fell 
through the floor and disappeared into the volcano's interior.  Her body 
was never found, and the king forbade anyone to go there."
	"That's spooky", said Tails.
	"There it is", said Geoffery.
	They looked, and saw Mt. Mobius coming into view.  Perched on the 
very tip of it was an old black castle.  It was a pretty good size.  A 
pillar of steam from the lava in the volcano below rose into sky around the 
castle.  From what they could tell, it seemed as desolate as ever.  
	"Looks abandoned to me", said Tails.
	"Appearances can be deceiving, my little friend", said Geoffery, "I'm 
going to set down in front of the main gate."
	Geoffery sat the transport down outside the castle.  He lowered the 
hatch, and the three of them exited the ship.  They stood and looked at the 
old castle that towered before them.
	"Definately a fixer-upper", said Sonic, folding his arms and glaring 
at Geoffery.
	"Let's get this over with", said Geoffery, "Hopefully, Snively isn't 
within a hundred miles of this place and I can go back to Mobo-Tropolis and 
get back to my post."
	"Yeah", said Sonic, "Hopefully."
	Geoffery used his plasma rifle to blow open the front gate, and they 
all strolled in like they owned the place, unsure as to what they were 
going to find.
	"I hate this already", said Tails, sticking close to Sonic and 
Geoffery.
	"Uh, Geoffery?", said Sonic, "The volcano down below, is it still 
active?"
	"Yes", he said, "But it hasn't erupted in thousands of years.  Every 
ten years or so it heats up, and pops and cracks a little.  Nothing really 
serious."
	They wandered throughout the empty halls of the castle.  Tails used 
his flash-light to light up the spots where they couldn't see.  There were 
several old portraits of the Family of Acorn at that time.  Most of them 
had decayed from years of neglect.
	"Do you hear that?", asked Geoffery.
	"Yeah", said Sonic, "Sounds like pumping."
	They walked towards the sound of the pumping, only to see a huge 
engine constructed where the castle's old heating system used to be.  
Geoffery's jaw dropped when he saw what it was.
	"I can't believe it",  he said, "This engine is powered by the 
pressure that builds up from the volcano below!  It provides an infinate 
source of power for this old place.  Whoever constructed this thing really 
knew their stuff."
	"Snively is the only one I can think of who could have built this 
thing", said Sonic, "He must have had this thing constructed before we 
defeated him four years ago."
	"The question still remains, though", said Geoffery, "Why would he 
sit for four years in prison before he decided to break out?  He could have 
used those cyborgs to break him out at any given time."
	"Yeesh", shuddered Tails, "Those cyborgs give me the creeps.  
Especially that Mecha-Sonic.  Man, he is ugly."
	A cold hand grabbed Tails on the shoulder.  He shined his flash-light 
right into the red eyes of Mecha-Sonic.
	"Ahhhh!!!!", he screamed.
	Mecha-Sonic lifted him off the ground by his neck, and glared right 
at him.
	"That's not a very nice thing to say", he snarled.
	With that, he threw Tails back into Geoffery, who was getting ready 
to fire his cross-bow.
	"Ooof!", yelled Geoffery when Tails slammed into him.
	"Mecha-Sonic", growled Sonic, "I should have torn you to pieces when 
I had the chance."
	"You are a fool for failing to do it, you organic weakling!!", he 
yelled back.
	Sonic wasted no words jumping onto his robotic doppleganger.  
Unfortunately, Mecha-Sonic's strength had been enhanced, and he easily 
over-powered Sonic.  He threw him off and into the wall, leaving a huge 
crack in it.
	"Ahhh!", moaned Sonic, sliding down to the ground.
	Mecha-Sonic lifted Sonic up by his neck, and pulled him only inches
from his own face.
	"Do you have any idea what it's like to be a prisoner inside your
own body for four long years, Hedgehog?", growled the robot, "I couldn't
move!"
	He slammed Sonic against the wall, and pulled him back to himself.
	"I couldn't see!", he yelled.
	Mecha-Sonic sucker-punched Sonic in the gut.
	"I couldn't hear!", roared the robot.
	A head-butt followed the out-burst.  Sonic felt his blood trickle
down his face.  He also saw a patch of it on Mecha-Sonic's face-plate.
	"But I could think!", he yelled, "I had four years to think of how
I'm going to kill you!"
	"Then do it", said Sonic, softly, "You've been threatening me with
that since we met, and you haven't lived up to it.  So, come on, do it!"
	Mecha-Sonic looked as though he was going to break Sonic's neck,
instead, he dropped him on the floor.
	"You're out of practice, Hedgehog", said a familiar voice from the 
shadows.
	Sonic looked, and saw Snively walk out, dressed in his old green 
uniform that he wore during Robotnik's reign.  He had his arms folded and 
was wearing a huge smirk on his face.
	"Snively", snarled Geoffery, "I should have known you were behind all 
of this."
	"Wrong, Commander", said Snively, "Much to my own dismay, I'm just a 
lackey again.  However, my new employer treats me better than my uncle did, 
so I don't have a problem playing the part."
	"You aren't in charge?", said Geoffery, horrified.
	"No", said Snively, "And I've been instructed to wait until the fleet 
returns before I hand out anymore information about my new master."
	"What fleet!?", said Geoffery.
	"Why", said Snively, "The one that's one its way towards 
Mobo-Tropolis.  This time, there won't be any coup, only total annihilation, 
ha ha ha ha!!!"
	The three only looked at each other, dreading what was coming to pass.

The Royal Palace
Mobo-Tropolis
4:30 p.m.

	"This isn't like Sonic", said Sally, pacing the control room of the 
palace, "He should have checked in by now."
	"I'm sure he's fine, Sally", said King Acorn, "The three of them 
probably got sucked into exploring the old castle."
	"Are you sure that's safe?", asked Sally, "I just worry about Tails.  
You remember what happened to that girl that disappeared in there.  She 
wasn't more than Tails' age."
	"Commander St. John will see to it that they both stay out of 
trouble", said King Acorn, "He's very reliable, you know."
	"I suppose", said Sally, trying to keep from worrying, "I just have 
a horrible feeling, that's all."
	"Come on, Sally", said Rotor, sitting at his post at the computer 
console, "Sonic can take care of himself.  Besides, you know he wouldn't 
let anything happen to Tails.  They'll be fine."
	Just as Rotor finished saying that, the alarm went off and almost 
knocked him out of his chair.  He looked up, and saw that it was the 
proximity alarms that were going nuts.
	"Rotor!", yelled the king, "What's going on?"
	"I don't know", he said, dancing his fingers across the console pad, 
"Wait, here it comes."
	Rotor's jaw dropped and his eyes got as big as saucers.
	"Aw shit!", he yelled, "There's about forty ships flying right at the 
palace!!!"
	"How far are they?", said the king.
	"Half a mile!!", said Rotor.
	"Why didn't the alarms detect them before they got so close?", asked 
Sally.
	"I don't know", said Rotor, "They must be operating on the same 
frequency as our sensors."
	"How is that possible?", asked Sally.
	"Search me", said Rotor.
	"What kind of ships are they?", asked the king, "And how many of 
each?"
	"Thirty five of them are attack cruisers", said Rotor, "Four are 
cargo ships, and the last one is huge.  It must be the flagship, because 
it's hanging in the back."
	A huge explosion rocked the palace.  Everyone in the control room was 
knocked off their feet.  Sally lifted her head up, and saw Antoine run into 
the room with Uncle Chuck.
	"Your Highneezes!!", yelled Antoine, "We must be getteens you both to 
safety!!"
	"Where's Sasha?", said Sally.
	"She's in her room", said Uncle Chuck, "I'll go get her!"
	"I'm coming with you!", yelled Sally.
	"No, Sally!", yelled King Acorn, "It's too dangerous!"
	"That is my sister up there!", she yelled back, "I'm not leaving 
her!"
	With that, she and Uncle Chuck ran out, and headed down the halls of 
the palace that were already in chaos.  
	Outside, the largest ship positioned itself just outside the palace.  
Several attack cruisers began firing at the towers, shredding them under a 
heavy barrage of plasma blasts.  The other two dozen cruisers opened fire 
on the city itself.  They were all bent on Mobo-Tropolis' total decimation.

	Sasha had fallen out of her bed when the first explosion hit the
palace.  She had run to her window, and saw the giant vessle outside of
it.
	"Holy....", she said.
	Suddenly, her wall exploded, and two creatures walked into meet her.
Bomb-Blast and Mist stood in the dust that was settling.
	"Who are you!?", yelled Sasha, backing up.
	"Take a good look, Princess", said Bomb-Blast, "And you may just
remember."
	Sasha stared at the two cyborgs for a moment, and then her eyes got
extremely wide.  
	"No", she said, stepping back a few feet, "It's not possible.  You
can't be them!"
	"Oh, but we are", said Mist, "And there's someone who wants to have
a word with you."
	"NO!!!", screamed Sasha, running for her door.
	Bomb-Blast flipped over her, and landed right between Sasha and the
door.  He grabbed her right shoulder, and held her tight.
	"You ain't going anywhere, Girlie!", he said, "You can't keep your
old friend waiting, now can you?"
	"I'd die first!", screamed Sasha, grabbing her jewelry box, and 
slamming it against Bomb-Blast's face.
	The cyborg smacked it out of her hands, and then back-handed Sasha
across the face.  She flew through the air, bounced off her bed, and then
slammed into the wall.
	"THAT CAN BE ARRANGED!!!", he yelled, "Orders or no orders, NO-ONE
HITS ME AND LIVES!!!"
	Bomb-Blast fired three concussion grenades from his arm-cannon, and
they landed right near the corners of the room.
	"Ta-ta, now", he said jumping out of the hole he had come in through.
	Mist was about to follow, when she stopped and looked at Sasha.  A
second or two passed, and then Mist flicked the frightened girl something.
Sasha caught it, and then watched Mist turn into a cloud of smoke, and 
float out into the air.  
	Sasha looked down at what Mist had given her.  Suddenly, she realized
what it was.  She clutched it to her chest, and then looked at the grenades.

	The entire palace was rocked by another explosion.  Sally and Uncle 
Chuck both got knocked off their feet and slapped into the wall.  Sally 
felt huge bruises on her shoulder, but got right back up, and kept on 
running to get her sister.
	She saw the door to Sasha's room, and the smoke that was coming out 
from under it.  Her guard had betrayed his position and fled to save 
himself.  Not only was he to keep an eye on Sasha, he was also supposed to 
protect her.  
	"SASHA!!!", yelled Sally as she kicked the door open.
	She saw that the entire support that Sasha's room was sitting on was 
crumbling and about to fall away from the palace.  Sasha was sitting against
the wall on the opposite side of the room.	
	"Sally!", she yelled, "Get out of here!!"
	"What?", said Sally, confused.
	"There's grenades in here!", she said, "They're going to explode!"
	"Then get the hell over here, NOW!!", screamed Sally.
	Sasha shook her head, and looked down at the floor.
	"It's too late for me, Sis", she said, "Maybe, it's what I deserve."
	Sally began to run towards her sister, but the grenades detonated and 
the entire bedroom exploded, knocking Sally clear back to the other side of 
the hallway.  She opened her eyes, and when the smoke cleared, she managed 
to get back to her feet.  She staggered back to the doorway, only to find 
the entire room gone.
	"Sasha!", she yelled, tears filling her eyes, "No!!
	Uncle Chuck ran up behind her and gasped.
	"She's gone", he said, "We have to go!"
	"No!!", screamed Sally, pulling, "I won't leave her!"
	"It's too late, Sally", he said, "Come on!"
	Sally reluctantly went with him, her eyes watering like a fountain.  
Her baby sister was dead!  Whoever was behind this treachery would pay 
dearly.  Sally promised that.
	They hadn't run more than a few dozen yards before the wall exploded, 
and Anthrax walked through it, followed by several silver robots that were 
all identical.  Sally didn't even think, she just lunged at him.
	"You murdering scum!!", she screamed as she lunged at him.
	She punched Anthrax in the face, only to hear her fist clank against 
his metal face.  Her hand went numb from the pain, and she stepped back.  
Anthrax grabbed her by her shoulders, and pulled her right up to his face.
	"Nighty-night, Princess", he said.
	A redish gas came out of his face, and right into Sally's.  She 
coughed as it filled her lungs, and then passed out in his arms.  Anthrax 
squinted his eyes, and then looked over at Uncle Chuck.
	"Take the old man!", he ordered the Drones.
	They were instantly on Uncle Chuck, and wrestled him to the ground.  
Anthrax lifted Sally up ever so gentley.  He didn't want to damage her.  
His master would ring his neck if he did.  He waited until the Drones had 
over-powered Uncle Chuck, and then spoke into his arm comm.
	"Blizzard", he said, "Do you have the king?"
	"Yes", said Blizzard, "The rest of the targets have been taken as 
well."
	"Good", said Anthrax, "Then get back to the Dreadnaught.  Our mission 
is complete.  The Drones will finish here."
	"Understood", said Blizzard.
	Anthrax motioned for the Drones to take Uncle Chuck back to the 
Dreadnaught.  They obeyed, and he followed, carrying the sleeping princess.  
Before he got onto the platform that was extended from the Dreadnaught, he 
looked out, and saw that attack cruisers had already reduced more than 75% 
of Mobo-Tropolis to a smoldering waste-land.  Hopefully, the Drones 
wouldn't kill all of the citizens.  The more prisoners, the merrier.  He 
laughed a hearty laugh, and headed across the platform.
	Once inside the Dreadnaught, Sally awoke.  She found herself on the 
bridge, bound to a chair along side her father, Bunnie, Rotor, Antoine, 
Hershey, Dulcy and Uncle Chuck.  There were cyborgs piloting and operating 
the giant vessel.  She was still a little drowsy from being sprayed by 
Anthrax's sleeping gas.  She had to contain her amazement, though.  She was 
facinated by the cyborgs.  Not even Robotnik ever built such advanced 
machines.
	She looked up, and saw a huge black command chair in the center of 
the reddishly lit room.  It was turned, so she couldn't see who was sitting 
in it.  Sally looked towards the front of the bridge, and saw a huge view 
screen showing an image of Mobo-Tropolis, or rather, what remained of 
Mobo-Tropolis.  Within a matter of hours, the invading fleet had completely 
demolished the beautiful city.  She saw that the Royal Palace was only 
smoldering mountain of steel and rock.  Her home was gone, as was her baby 
sister.
	She looked over at the person occupying the command chair.  	
	"Who are you!", she yelled, "How dare you invade our peaceful city!"
	The chair slowly turned, and in it, sat a female.  She wore a black 
mask that looked like the cyborgs' heads, had skin-tight black body armor 
on, two plasma blasters on the back of her gloves, and a long blonde pony 
tail coming out of the back of her mask.  Her eyes glew red when she looked 
at Sally.
	"Were you addressing I?", she said.
	"Yeah, you!", snarled Sally, "Who are you?"
	"Allow me to introduce myself", she said, "My name is the Dark Queen.  
As for why I attacked your pitiful little city, the answer should be 
obvious, my dear.  My goals are not all that dissimilar from Dr. Robotnik's 
and Snively's.  However, I do not plan to slowly turn Mobius into a barren 
waste-land as they did.  I'm here to help all Mobians."
	"You call this helping?", asked Sally, "Who knows how many innocent 
people you've killed?"
	"Very few, I hope", said the Dark Queen, "The more prisoners, the 
better.  Everything will soon be revealed to you."
	The door to the bridge opened, and all six cyborgs walked in.  The
Dark Queen turned her chair to look at them.
	"Bomb-Blast?", she said, "We seem to be missing someone from the
party.  Where is Princess Sasha?"
	Bomb-Blast looked over at Mist, who just folded her arms.
	"She resisted me, Highness", he said.
	"Well of course she was going to resist you, you moron!", yelled the
Dark Queen, "I'd expect no less from her!  What did you do with her?"
	"I deployed several grenades in her room, and blew her to pieces",
said Bomb-Blast, folding his arms, and looking rather pleased with himself.
	Without warning, the Dark Queen jolted out of her chair, and extended
her right arm.  A beam of white light exploded from it, and hit Bomb-Blast.
When the light sub-sided, all that remained of Bomb-Blast was a pile of
ash on the floor.
	The Dark Queen looked at the remaining five cybers.
	"Anyone have anything else they'd like to tell me?", she asked.
	None of them said anything.  The Dark Queen sat back down in her
chair, and looked at Anthrax.
	"Anthrax", she said, "You are now my head general.  Do not disappoint
me like your predecessor did."
	With that, the Dark Queen turned around and continued to observe the 
carnage.  
	About an hour later, the once glorious and fabled city of 
Mobo-Tropolis had been reduced to nothing.  All of the attacking ships 
hovered about aimlessly, searching for either prisoners or a structure that 
they may have missed.  All of the surviving citizens had been taken aboard 
the cargo ships by the Drones.  Sally couldn't bare to watch.  The king 
cringed in his seat.  It was the coup all over again.  
	Anthrax entered the bridge, and bowed before the Dark Queen.  Sally 
had no trouble figuring out that Snively probably had very little to do 
with any of this and that the Dark Queen was obviously running the show.
	"My Queen", said Anthrax, "The city has been secured.  All surviving 
citizens have been captured and are awaiting your order to depart for 
Castle Acorn."
	"Tell them to proceed, Anthrax", she said, "I'm tired, and I'd like 
to get home as soon as possible."
	"Castle Acorn does not belong to you, you treacherous fiend!", yelled
the king, "It is my family's!"
	"I suggest you shut your mouth, Your Majesty", said the Dark Queen, 
"Or I'll have Anthrax cut your tongue out and eat it.  Cyborgs need 
nourishment too, you know."
	King Acorn just sat back in his chair.  If they were going to Castle
Acorn, he only hoped that Sonic and the others hadn't been captured, or 
worse.
	
Castle Acorn
Mt. Mobius
7:00 p.m

	The Dreadnaught sat down in the hidden hangar underneath the castle.  
All of its prisoners were taken from the bridge to the throne room of the 
ancient castle.  Sally and all the others, with the exception of Bunnie and 
Dulcy, who had special restraints on,  had their hands binded and placed 
behind thier backs.  
	Once they were in the throne room, Sally saw Sonic, Geoffery, and 
Tails in  separate containment cylinders.  There were several others next 
to them.
	"Sal!", yelled Sonic, when he saw them coming.
	"Put them in the cylinders", said the Dark Queen, "And put the two 
love-birds in together."
	Two Drones unbinded Sally's hands and shoved her in with Sonic.  She 
fell into his arms crying.
	"What happened, Sal?", asked Sonic.
	"Sasha's dead!", she cried.
	"What?", said Sonic, not believing what Sally was saying.
	"Sasha", whimpered Tails, falling to his knees, crying.
	"Not to worry", said the Dark Queen, folding her arms, "I didn't want
her dead.  The one responsible is no more."
	"And that makes it alright!?", yelled Sonic, "I swear, when I get
out of here...."
	"Zip your lip, Hedgehog", said the Dark Queen, "You WON'T get out
of there. Trust me."
	"YOU!!!", screamed Sally, pounding on the cylinder, "I swear by the 
Crown of Acorn, I will kill you!"
	The Dark Queen paid Sally's threat no mind.  She ordered the Drones 
to throw everyone but King Acorn into similar containment cylinders.  She 
walked right up to him, and stared right into his eyes through the visors 
in her helmet.
	"I give you and your daughter a chance for survival, King Acorn", she 
said.
	"I won't bargain with an evil wretch like you!", snapped the king.
	"Not even to save the life of your only surviving daughter?", asked 
the Dark Queen.
	The king paused for a moment to let the fact that Sally was his only 
living daughter now sink in.  He glared at the Dark Queen.
	"What is your proposal?", he said.
	"Surrender your crown to me", she said, "And you and your daughter 
can go free.  Without your title, you won't be a threat to me."	
	"Never", hissed the king, "Sally would gladly give up her life rather 
than surrender her title and right to the throne, as would I."
	The Dark Queen growled, and snapped her fingers.  Anthrax and 
Hurricane appeared behind the king, and grabbed his arms.  They pulled him 
back to a one-person cylinder, and threw him in, but not before taking his 
crown from his head.
	"Fortunately for you", said the Dark Queen, "Whether you surrender 
your title doesn't really matter to me.  Have a nice nap, King Acorn."
	Anthrax hit a button on the cylinder, and the King was frozen in 
suspended animation.  
	"DADDY!!!", screamed Sally.
	"Bring Princess Sally to me", said the Dark Queen, "Well, Princess, 
how does it feel to be the last Acorn on Mobius again?"
	Sally's eyes were filled with tears, but she still glared right at 
the Dark Queen with hatred she had not even had for Robotnik.
	"Get to the point, you monster!", she said.
	"Here", said the Dark Queen, shoving the king's crown into Sally's 
chest.
	Sally took the crown, but didn't put it on.  She just held it to her 
chest, and still glared at the Dark Queen.
	"Surrender the crown to me", she said, "Or you die right here in 
front of all your friends."
	She aimed the barrel of her right blaster at Sally's head.  Sally 
didn't flinch.
	"My patients grow weary, Princess", she said, "You have to the count 
of three.  One."
	Sonic watched all this from the cylinder.  He didn't know what to do.  
Sally couldn't surrender the crown.  All her life she had been trained to 
choose death rather than surrender the Crown of Acorn.  However, Sonic 
didn't want Sally to die.  He always told himself that if her life was in 
danger, he would gladly throw himself into the line of fire to to save her, 
but right now, he was helpless.  
	"Two", said the Dark Queen.
	Sally still stared right down the barrel, not moving.
	"Three", said the Dark Queen, "Very well, Princess.  If death is your 
destiny, then so be it!"
	Sonic closed his eyes, as did Sally.  She heard a blast, but not at 
her.  
	"AAaaahhhh!!!", screamed the Dark Queen.
	Both Sally and Sonic opened their eyes, and saw the Dark Queen on her 
knees, holding her right arm, which was smoking.
	"What the?", said Sally, backing up.
	She looked in the direction the blast had come from, and saw a red 
cyborg standing there.  He had a blaster rifle in his arms, and was still 
aiming at the Dark Queen.
	"You will not harm that girl, Dark Queen", said the cyborg, "I won't 
let you."
	"Khaos!", growled the Dark Queen, "I thought I'd dealt with you!"
	"That's what you get for thinking", said Khaos, "If you think your
grunts can stop me, then you've got your helmet on too tight."
	"Well, then", said the Dark Queen, getting to her feet, but still 
holding her injured arm, "It appears I have a chance to correct that 
mistake!  Hurricane, Anthrax, destroy him!"
	The two cyborgs obeyed their queen and attacked Khaos.  He swung the 
rifle and hit Hurricane right in the face, knocking him over.  He dropped 
it, and kicked Anthrax right in the chest.  The blow sent the yellow cyborg 
flying backwards.  Hurricane got to his feet, and let loose a blast of 
lightning at the red cyborg.
	"Aw, hell", said Khaos, jumping over it.
	The blast flew under Khaos, and struck Anthrax, who had just risen 
back up.
	"YAHHHH!!!", screamed Anthrax, flying backwards again.
	"Oops", said Hurricane, "Sorry about that."
	"Hurricane!", screamed the Dark Queen, "You idiot!"
	The main entrance opened up, and Blizzard ran in, only to be struck 
by Anthrax, who was still flying through the air.  The two cyborgs crashed 
to the ground, and were momentarily stunned.  Anthrax was still shaking 
from being struck by Hurricane's lightning.
	Khaos used the confusion to run over to the control panel for the 
containment cylinders.  He tapped in several commands, and the cylinders 
deactivated.  Bunnie was the first one out of her prison.  He grabbed the 
nearest Drone, and upper-cutted him in the jaw.  He flew back, and crashed 
to the floor.
	"Take that, yah ugly varmint!", yelled Bunnie.
	Khaos came up behind her.
	"We have to get out of here", he said, "Blizzard and Anthrax won't be 
down for long.  Blizzard's too big for me to handle."
	"Right", said Bunnie, "Sally-girl!  We've gotta go!"
	Sally nodded, and motioned for them all to follow her.  She looked 
over, and saw her father still frozen in the cylinder.  Uncle Chuck ran up 
beside her.
	"Don't worry about him", he said, "If she wanted to kill him, she 
would have."
	"I guess you're right", she said, "Hold on, Daddy.  I'll be back."
	Sally looked, and saw Sonic running up with Tails over his shoulder.  
	"He wouldn't move", said Sonic, "I think he's in shock."
	"Could we go, please?", asked Rotor.
	"This way", said Khaos, "I've got a ride waiting."
	"Why should we trust you?", asked Sally, "You're one of them."
	"That I may be, Princess, but you really don't have a choice in the 
matter, Princess", said Khaos, "Now come on."
	Sally knew that the cyborg was right.  She motioned for the others to 
follow her, and ran after Khaos.  
	The Dark Queen stepped out from behind the smoking machinary and 
surveyed the damage.  She looked over at Blizzard and Anthrax, who were 
still laying on the ground.	
	"AFTER THEM, YOU FOOLS!!", she screamed.
	The two cyborgs got to their feet, and ran down the cooridor.  The 
Dark Queen looked back at Snively and Mecha-Sonic.
	"What are you standing there for?", she said, "Go after them!"
	Snively and Mecha-Sonic ran after Blizzard and Hurricane.
	The entire group had to come to a halt when they ran to a dead end in 
the hallway.
	"Apparently I have miscalculated", said Khaos, folding his arms.
	"You idiot!", yelled Sonic, "You've led us right into a dead-end!"
	Khaos ignored the rantings of the hedgehog and spoke into his 
arm-comm.
	"Hey, Kylie", he said, "Can you get a trace on my position?"
	"Yup", said the female voice over his arm-comm.
	"Get over here, right now", he said.
	"Copy", she said.
	Khaos turned and looked at the frightened group.
	"You guys might wanna step back", he said.
	Before anyone had a chance to say anything, the wall behind Khaos 
exploded, creating a huge hole.  They all uncovered their eyes, and saw an 
attack cruiser hovering out there.  It moved as close as it could, and 
opened the hatch.
	"Our ride's here", said Khaos.
	"Let's go", said Sally, and jumped in.
	Khaos stood there, helping each animal get into the cruiser.  Sonic 
was the last to go.  He still had Tails over his shoulder.
	"You got him?", asked Khaos.
	"Yeah", said Sonic, "Go on."
	Khaos nodded, and jumped into the cruiser.  Sonic got a firm grip on 
Tails, and following him.  Once they were in, the hatch closed, and the 
cruiser started flying off.  Blizzard, Hurricane, Snively, and Mech-Sonic 
arrived moments later, and began firing at them, but causing no damage.
	In the cruiser, Sally and Khaos made their way to the cock-pit, where 
a young Chin-Chilla was flying the ship.  Khaos lifted her out of the 
pilot's seat.
	"Hey!", objected Kylie, "I was doing just fine!"
	"Moving the cruiser ten feet to the left is one thing, Kylie", said 
Khaos, "Making a desperate escape is another."
	Sally hopped into the co-pilot's chair and watched as they flew off.
	Back in the castle, the Dark Queen came up behind the four, who were 
still firing in vain at the cruiser.
	"You can stop firing, boys", she said, "They're gone."
	"Shall we follow them?", asked Snively.
	"No need", she said, "I know where they're going to end up, and I
think they'll find the fire still burning."
	"Don't you want us to pursue them?", asked Mecha-Sonic.
	"No", said the Dark Queen, "All of them are in such a state of
emotional distress, none of them will be much of threat to me for quite
some time.  When and if they do become a threat, there won't be anything
they can do to stop me from achieving my vision."
	She turned, and headed back into the castle.  Everyone followed her
back in.

Remains of Mobo-Tropolis
8:00 p.m.

	Sally couldn't bare to look at the devistation the Dark Queen's 
forces had done to the city.  Khaos didn't even land the cruiser in the 
shattered metropolis.  He merely hovered above it.  Sonic came up to the 
front, and gazed out the window.
	"It's unreal", he said, "All we've fought so hard for, gone in an 
instant."
	"There's nothing for us here, Sonic", said Sally, "Khaos, head to 
these coordinates."
	Khaos looked at the coordinates, and saw that they were deep in the 
heart of the Great Forest.
	"I guess it's time to go home", said Sally.
	Sonic didn't say anything.
	
Knothole Village
The Great Forest
8:30 p.m.

	"Is that smoke?", asked Sonic, pointing at the pillar of black smoke 
coming out from under the canopy of trees.
	"Oh no", said Sally.
	Khaos guided the cruiser down through the trees, and all the former 
Freedom Fighters looked in horror.  Knothole was ablaze, and there were 
bodies of dead Robians everywhere.  The Dark Queen had already been here.
	Sally ran from the cruiser, and tears ran down her face.  How did the 
Dark Queen find Knothole?  Even after the war, very few people knew where it 
was.  It was kept off limits to everyone but a privileged few and the 
Robians.
	"Mom, Dad!", yelled Sonic, running for their hut.
	He stopped, and looked.  The hut that his parents lived in was 
consumed in almost white fire.  Tears ran down his face, and he fell to 
his knees.  Sally came up beside him.
	"I'm gonna kill that bitch, Sal", he said.
	"They may have gotten away, Sonic", said said, walking up behind him.
	"This is too much", he said, gritting his teeth.
	"I know, Sonic", she said, putting her hands on his shoulders, "We've 
all suffered a great loss today.  This is a day that will haunt all of us 
for the rest of our lives."
	"Do you really think they got away?", asked Sonic.
	"Hard to say", said Sally, "I just wish I knew what was going on,
here."
	"Try asking him", said Sonic, pointing over at Khaos.
	Sally looked over at Khaos, who was surveying the damage.  She walked 
over to him, and looked him right in the eye.
	"Alright", she said, "Thank you for saving our lives.  Now, will you 
please tell me who you are?"
	"My apologies, Princess", said Khaos, "I didn't have time for the 
usual formalities.  My name is Khaos.  You can probably guess that I was 
built by the Dark Queen.  I'm not loyal to her, though, as you also 
probably know."
	"Who is the Dark Queen?", asked Sally, "What did she mean when she 
said that she was here to help all Mobians?"
	"I don't know her real identity", said Khaos, "The others were allies
with her before she turned them into cyborgs.  As for helping Mobius, 
that's a rather long story.  You see, it all starts with us, the cybers."
	"Cybers?", asked Sonic, standing back up, and joining them both.
	"It's what my kind are called", said Khaos, "It's quicker to say than
'cyborgs'."
	"Oh", said Sonic
	"Please continue, Khaos", asked Sally.
	"As you can see", said Khaos, "We cybers are practically superior to 
robots or 100% organic creatures like you.  We are more than robots.  We 
have a living brains and organic materials inside us.  We need oxygen like 
you, eat like you, and sleep like you.  However, we are resistant to 
disease, are ten times stronger, faster, and live much much longer.  We 
are, in essence, living machines.  And the Dark Queen believes us to be the 
next phase in Mobian evolution.  She also thinks it is her destiny to make 
all of Mobius into us."
	"What!?", gasped Sally, not believing what she had just heard.
	"Unfortunately", said Khaos, "The cyberization process strips the 
person of any memory they once had, and neural programmers the Dark Queen 
implants makes all cybers totally loyal to her."
	"Why aren't you loyal to her, then?", asked Sally.
	"I was an experimental prototype", said Khaos, "My resistance was too 
much for my implants to keep in check.  So, they over-loaded and shorted 
out.  The one consolation I must pay for my free will is that I have no 
memory of who I was prior to this existance.  Every memory before my 
activation was wiped out."
	"That's horrible", said Sally.
	"It's what she will do to every person on Mobius unless she is 
stopped", said Khaos.
	"Where do we go, though?", asked Sally, "This place was our one 
safe-guard against invaders.  This is where we lived while Robotnik ruled."
	"I know where we can go", said Sonic, "But we'll have to go back to 
Mobo-Tropolis."
	"I can't go back there, Sonic", said Sally, "Not after what happened 
to Sasha."
	"Do you want to die out here, Sal?", said Sonic, very seriously, "I'm 
betting that bitch isn't going to just let us wander around out here."
	"She's right, Sally", said Uncle Chuck, "If she wanted us dead, she
wouldn't have gone to the trouble to take us back to her castle.  She still 
wants all of us for some reason."
	"She wants me, too", said Khaos, "She know's I'm the most powerful 
cyber she's ever built and I'm quite sure she's found a way to keep me line 
if she gets at my brain again.  As for you all, she knows that you will
stand up to her, and that you will represent resistance to her.  She'll
stop at nothing to erase you all from existance."
	Sally stood there for a moment, considering what everyone had said.  
Then, she looked over at Sonic.
	"Where do you have in mind, Sonic", she said.
	"Lower Mobius", he said, "Remember when we met Griff down there a 
bunch of years ago?"
	"Yes!", said Sally, slapping her fist into her hand, "I doubt it's 
still inhabited.  The Dark Queen would never guess to look for us under the 
remains of Mobo-Tropolis."
	She walked up, and kissed Sonic on the cheek.
	"You're a genius, Sonic", she said.
	"I know, I know", said Sonic.
	"I only have one favor to ask of you, Princess", said Khaos.
	"You saved all of our lives, Khaos", she said, "We're in your debt."
	"Please take care of Kylie", he said, pointing at the young 
Chin-Chilla, "I rescued her from a village that the Dark Queen's minions 
destroyed.  I don't want her to get hurt by being with me if I get caught."
	"Aren't you staying with us?", asked Sonic.
	"I can't", he said, "I'm not good in groups and I would be of better 
use to you if I waged my own personal war against the Dark Queen."
	With that, Khaos walked over to Kylie, who was leaning up against the 
cruiser.  She smiled when he came over.
	"You want me to fire her up?", she asked.
	"No, Kid", he said, "You're staying with them.  I've got to go away 
for awhile.
	"Khaos!", she said, wrapping her arms around him, "Don't leave me, 
please!"
	He hugged Kylie back, and pried her off of him.  He put his hand on 
her chin, and looked right in her eyes.
	"I'll be back", he said, "Don't worry about me."
	"You're all I have left, Khaos", said Kyle, crying, "I don't want to 
lose you too."
	"You won't", he said.
	He hugged her one more time, and then disappeared into the foliage.  
Kylie watched for a second, and then looked back at the rest of the group.  
Sally walked up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder.
	"Don't worry, Kylie", she said, "We'll take good care of you."
	Kylie just sighed.  She knew that there was no point in arguing with 
Khaos.  Once that cyborg made a decision, his mind couldn't be changed.
	"Well", said Sally, looking at everyone else, "You know what this 
means."
	"Yeah", said Sonic.
	Sally put her hand out, and everyone else touched it with theirs.
	"We're making a pact right now", said Sally, "Not to rest until 
Mobius is free from this maniac.  Is everyone in agreement?"
	"Check", said Sonic.
	"Sure thing, Sally-girl", said Bunnie.
	"Absoluting", said Antoine.
	"Right", said Rotor.
	"Right on, Lass", said Geoffery.
	"You got it, Sally", said Dulcy.
	"For Sasha", said Tails.
	"For the world", said Kylie.
	
	The adventure was about to begin anew.


THE BEGINNING...