"Heir to the Throne" 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.


HEIR TO THE THRONE


	It was night in the partially rebuilt city of Mobo-Tropolis.  Since
only a handful of buildings were partly finished, the city now consisted
mostly of tents.  There were hundreds of them, all over the city.
	Princess Sally was sitting her own tent, writing in her journal.
Someone had given it to her as a birthday gift several years ago, and she
never really had the time to sit down and write anything in it.  Now, after
all that had happened to her and her family in the last few days, she felt
that it was something that she should do.
	Sally's eyes moved over to a picture that was sitting next to her
bed.  She reached over, and grabbed ahold of it.  Looking at it, her mind
began to remember about the events that had unfolded in the past week.
	
	It was a day like any other.  Everyone in Mobo-Tropolis was doing
their best to help with the reconstruction.  Even the newly freed cybers
were lending a hand, seeing as how they were no longer under the control
of the Dark Queen.  
	The only thing that was a bit out of the ordinary was the fact that
Sonic and Sally were walking down one of the rows of tents, arguing back
and forth with each other.
	"Sal!", said Sonic, walking after her, "You're being ridiculous!"
	"I'm being ridiculous?", said Sally, looking back at him, "Have you
even stopped to think about what you're suggesting?"
	"Sure!", said Sonic, waving his arms in the air, "And I think it's a
great idea.  I just don't get why you don't agree with me!"
	Sally stopped, and looked back at Sonic, who almost walked into her.
Her bright blue eyes almost burned a hole in his forhead.
	"Sonic", she said, "I love Jessie to death, alright?  If I knew that
this idea of yours wouldn't cause a whole bunch of problems that we really
don't need right now, I'd do it without hesitation.  However, that's not
the case.  So just let it go, before any of this gets back to her, and she
gets upset."
	Sally turned, and started walking again.  Sonic didn't move.  He just
folded his arms, and watched her go.
	"Sal", he said, "Jessie is our daughter, whether you like it or not."
	Sally didn't say anything.  She just kept on walking.  A single tear
ran down her face.  She did love Jessica like her daughter, she always had.
But she knew what the consequences of officially making her part of the
House of Acorn would be.  Even though Jessica had never hurt anyone in the
year since she had been created, everyone knew that she was a product of 
the Dark Queen.  
	Sally really needed somebody to talk to about this.  Normally, she'd
go to Sonic, but he was the one she was arguing with.  Rosie had her hands
full, taking care of all of the children that were in the city right now.
Sasha had left several days earlier on her little voyage across Mobius.
Sally had given Nicole to her, in case she got into trouble, so not even
her faithful little computer was there to listen to her troubles.
	All of a sudden, something beeped.  Sally looked down, and saw her 
wrist comm flashing.  She pushed the button, and Geoffery St. John's face
appeared on the small monitor.
	For a fraction of a second, Sally thought about how much Geoffery
had changed since she first met him, all those years ago.  He and Sonic
had made peace with each other, and were almost friends.  He was also not
chasing after her anymore.  
	"What is it, Geoffery?", she asked.
	"Sorry to bother you, Luv", he said, "But your father wants you to
come to the Command Center right now."
	Sally let out a big sigh.  
	"No rest for the weary", she said.
	"You're tellin' me", said Geoffery, with a smile, "We'll wait for 
you."
	Sally turned off the comm, and headed towards the Command Center.
	The Command Center was a rather large tent.  From here, most of the
operations were headed and the orders were given out.  Two guards stood
watch outside of the tent.  While there was no real reason for them to
be there, General Sharriden, one of the king's few remaining generals from
the Great War, had insisted.
	"Princess", said one of them, "Your father is waiting inside for 
you."
	The other guard opened the entrance for her, and Sally stolled in.
	Inside, sat King Acorn, and several of his top aides.  Gen. Sharriden
was sitting to the left of the king, all dressed in his military uniform.
Sometimes, Sally swore that he must live in that thing.  Commander Geoffery 
St. John was sitting to the right of the king.  King Acorn stood up when 
his daughter entered the room.
	"Ah, Sally", he said, motioning her to sit down, "I believe you've
met Gen Sharriden?"
	"Yes, Daddy", she said, sitting down next to Geoffery, "What's the
matter?"
	"I'll let Com. St. John tell you about that", said King Acorn, sitting
back down.
	Geoffery stood up, and walked over to a slide-viewer at the end of 
the table.  He picked up the control for it, and pressed the button.  A
picture of a strange symbol came up on the screen.
	"Do you know what this is, Sally?", he asked.
	Sally shook her head.
	"Several years ago", he continued, "You sent word out to all of the
Freedom Fighter groups, the Underground included, about a secret sub-versive
group of Mobians that had managed to grow within the boundries of Knothole
Village.  They were the ones who almost killed your sister."
	"The Sedition", said Sally, leaning back in her chair.
	"Correct", said Geoffery, "After you did that, members from that 
group were rounded up, and incarcerated.  This symbol that you see here,
is the symbol for the Sedition.  This is how we rooted out the members that
were hiding among the Freedom Fighters."
	Geoffery pushed the button, and a shot of two guards holding a 
mole in custody came up.  
	"This Mobian was taken into custody three weeks ago", said Geoffery,
"He was caught trying to steal the reconstruction plans and dates."
	Geoffery pushed the buton again, and a close-up shot of the mole's
right arm appeared.  The same symbol was branded into it.
	"A Sedition member", said Sally, "They can't still be around.  Where
would they have gone?  They had all been marked by the Freedom Fighters."
	"Apparently", said Geoffery, "Some managed to survive.  In the next
two days after this member was captured, three more were also caught.  The
Sedition is still alive, and from what we gathered out of these prisoners,
it is growing stronger."
	"Unfortunately", said Gen. Sharriden, speaking up finally, "This 
could not have come at a worse time.  As we all know, Mobo-Tropolis is not
exactly at its defensive peak."
	"From what we gather", said Geoffery, "Sedition members are entering
the city, and recruiting members right out of the construction crews."
	"What about trying to sneak one of your operatives in with them?", 
asked Sally.
	Geoffery shook his head, and pushed the button again.  This time, a
picture of a badger came up on the screen.  He was wearing the uniform of
one of Geoffery's operatives, a rather high-ranking one at that.
	"This is Dolph Randow", said Geoffery, "I've known him ever since
the start of the war against Robotnik.  I couldn't have trusted anyone in
my ranks more than him.  He was chosen to infiltrate the Sedition, and 
bring us information about their commanding force, and the location of their
HQ."
	"What happened?", asked Sally, "Did they find him out?"
	"Not quite", said Geoffery, "Unfortunately, my trust in Dolph was
misplaced.  He had been an actual member of the Sedition from day one.  All
of the information he gave us was false, and to make things worse, he's
stolen several pieces of tactical data from us, and turned it over to 
Sedition officers."
	"Oh no", said Sally, burying her head in her hands, "What was the
data?"
	"Soldier numbers, defensive calculations, equipment counts", said 
Geoffery, "I could go on, but I think you get the point, Princess.  We've
got our necks in ringer, here.  The only good news to come from this, is
that all of the data that Dolph stole from us was on coded disks.  As far
as our tech-heads can predict, it will take even the best computer cracker
some time to break the seals on the files."
	"We must get that information back at all costs", said Sharriden, 
"There's no telling what the Sedition will be able to do with that data."
	"Which leads us to our next tight spot", said Geoffery, "We still
don't know where their base of operations is, and none of my people can
go in now, because Dolph will be able to pick any of them out.  Any 
suggestions that you have for an operative would be greatly appreciated,
Princess."
	Sally sat back in her chair, and thought for a moment.  Then, she
grinned.  She stood up, and looked over at Geoffery.
	"I think I have the perfect candidate."
	A ways away from the city limits, right at the border of the Great
Forest, was a small cemetary, dedicated to those who died fighting the
final battle against the Dark Queen's forces.  In the center of the small
graveyard, was a larger grave.  It was the grave of the cyber, Khaos, who
gave his life to save Kylie and Sasha.
	Kylie sat on her knees, right in front of the grave.  She had taken
her vest and boots off, and set them to the side as she meditated over her
slain friend's place of eternal sleep.
	Everyday since his death, Kylie had come here to meditat for about
six to seven hours.  She wouldn't say a word, or make a facial expression.
She would simply meditate, and when she was done, she would put her boots
and vest back on, and head back to the city.  However, today would be
slightly different from the routine she had gotten used to.
	Sally and Geoffery approached the entrance to the cemetary.  Geoffery
was walking behind Sally.
	"I don't know about this, Princess", he said, "From what I've heard,
that little chin-chilla is a little screwy in the head."
	"If you are referring to her slight lack of certain emotions", said
Sally, not looking back, "Then you're right.  However, since she lost them,
Bunnie has been teaching her how to vent her anger by learning how to
fight.  She's actually become quite good.  Plus, Knuckles has taken the
liberty of teaching her several meditation methods so she can keep calm."
	"Whatever", said Geoffery, "After all, you're the princess."
	They saw Kylie kneeling in front of Khaos' grave.  Slowly, they both
approached.  One of Kylie's eyes opened, and she turned her head towards
them.
	"Princess", she said, stone-faced.
	"Hello, Kylie", said Sally, smiling.
	Kylie stood up, and stretched her limbs.  She then arched her back
backwards.  Geoffery flinched as he heard her bones crack.  Kylie ran her
hand through her hair, and then folded her arms.
	"To what do I owe your visit?", she asked, giving Sally an 
inquisitive look.
	"Well", said Sally, "We need your help."
	"My help?", asked Kylie, trying to manage a smile, but not 
succeeding.
	"Yeah", said Geoffery, stepping forward, "We need you for a search
and retrieval mission."
	One of Kylie's eyebrows raised up at that.  
	"I highly doubt that I am qualified for such a venture", she said,
"Wouldn't one of your operatives be a wiser choice for a mission such as
this?"
	"Kylie", said Sally, "This is a rather touchy subject, and I'd rather
we talked about it back at the Command Center."
	"Very well", sighed Kylie.
	She turned around, and stepped into her boots.  She then picked up
her vest, and put it on as they all left the cemetary.  Kylie lovingly shut
the gate when they left.
	Back at the Command Center, the King and Gen. Sharriden were still
sitting in their chairs.  The two guards admitted the three animals in,
and they all moved to the table.
	"Daddy", said Sally, putting her hands on Kylie's shoulders, "I
want you to meet Kylie.  She helped us defeat the Dark Queen."
	"Yes, Kylie", said King Acorn, standing up, "I've heard a great
deal about you from Sasha.  She tells me you helped free her from the Dark
Queen's control."
	A servant entered the tent, and handed the king and the rest sitting
at the table, glasses of water.  
	"I played a minor role, yes", said Kylie, "Unfortunately, the
princess and I did not meet under pleasent circumstances."
	"No doubt", said King Acorn, "She was under the Dark Queen's evil
influence."
	"With all due respect, Your Highness", said Kylie, sitting, "I 
almost almost crushed her windpipe."
	"Yes", said King Acorn, taking a drink from his glass, "Sasha told
me about that, and that she thanked you for it later, since you crushed
the mind control device on the back of her neck."
	"Could we please get down to business, please?", asked the general,
who was getting slightly impatient, "Time is of the essence, here."
	"Yes", said Kylie, looking at the king, "Why have you summoned me
here?"
	"We need your help in a search and retrieval mission, Miss Kylie",
said Gen. Sherriden.
	"Please", said Kylie, "Just call me 'Kylie'."
	"Fine, Kylie", said Sherriden, "A traitor in Com. St. John's ranks
has stolen some valuable secrets from us in the form of a disk.  He's turned
it over to a group of anti-monarchy radicals.  This disk contains very
sensative data about our present situation.  It must be retrieved before
their computer crackers break the incryption code."
	"Hmmmm", hummed Kylie, "I see now why the commander can't use any 
of his own people.  They would be easily recognized by the traitor.  I
would be happy to contribute to this effort to the best of my ability."
	"Forgive me", said Gen. Sharriden, "But I have my doubts as to
your ability.  You can't be more than seventeen years old.  How can you
hope to perform better than trained professionals?"
	"Now, General", said King Acorn, "I'm sure that Kylie is perfectly
competant for this mission, otherwise Sally never would have brought...."
	King Acorn was cut off as the servant jumped up on the table, pulled
out a huge knife from his white uniform, and charged at him.
	"DIE, TYRANT!!!", he yelled, running at the king.
	Kylie jumped up, and spun her leg across the table.  It slammed
against the back of the servant's legs, and knocked them out from under
him.  He slammed down, back first, onto the table.  His head slowly raised
up.  Kylie pulled her leg up over her head, and then slammed it down on
the servant's face, slamming his head down on the table, and knocking him
out.  To finish it off, Kylie grabbed him by his arm, and threw him
off the table, and onto the floor.  She then sat back down.
	"Now", she said, "What were you saying?"
	King Acorn and the others just looked at each other.  General
Sherriden just stood there, open mouthed.
	"I was saying", said King Acorn, "Welcome aboard."
	
	About an hour and a half later, the meeting was finished, and Gen.
Sherriden and Geoffery left to plan some of the details of Kylie's upcoming
mission.  Kylie was about to leave as well.
	"Kylie", said the king, "I'd like you stay for a few moments."
	Kylie nodded her head, and sat back down.  King Acorn took a deep
breath, and looked over at Sally.
	"Sally", he said, "It has come to my attention that Sonic has got
a rather rash idea in his mind regarding Jessica."
	"I know", said Sally, "We were arguing about it earlier."
	"So, you don't agree with him, then?", asked King Acorn.
	"I didn't say that", said Sally, "I just said that I didn't think
he was weighing all of the consequences of it."
	"Kylie", said King Acorn, "What do you think about this issue?"
	"Begging your pardon, Your Highness", said Kylie, "Isn't this more
of a family matter?"
	"I need an outside opinion of this", said King Acorn, "And since
you are Jessica's friend, I believe yours to be the best."
	"Well", said Kylie, sitting back in her chair, and folding her
hands, "Jessica is a combination of the Princess' and Sonic's DNA.  For
all preps and purposes, she is their daughter.  The only difference is that
she was created artificially in a lab instead of by nature.  To add to this,
situation, she was created by the Dark Queen.  However, she has never shown
any signs of disloyalty to the throne.  But, if you are asking me what I
think about Sonic and the princess officially claiming her as their daughter,
it is not my place to say."
	"There are consequences as well as advantages", said King Acorn, 
"Once advantage is that there will now be an heir to the throne.  However,
a consequence will be that as Sally's daughter, Jessica will be first in
line for the throne, regardless of any other children Sally has normally."
	"On top of that", said Sally, "Some of the citizens wouldn't take
kindly to Jessica being made a princess and having power over them."
	"As I said", said Kylie, standing up, "It is a very touchy subject,
and better left in the hands of the princess and Sonic.  For it is their
futures that will be the most affected by this choice."
	"Thank you Kylie", said King Acorn, "You are dismissed."
	Kylie bowed to the king, and then headed out of the tent.  Sally
followed behind her.
	"Kylie!", said Sally, "Did you really mean all that?  That it's
mine and Sonic's decision?"
	"Of course", said Kylie.
	"My father won't like being left out of the decision", said Sally.
	"As I stated", said Kylie, "You and Sonic will bear results of 
this choice."
	Someone called Sally's name behind her.  She turned around, and
saw Jessica standing there.
	"Oh!", said Sally, shocked, "Hi, Jessie!"
	Jessica just stood there, and looked at her.
	"Is it true, Sally?", she said.
	"What?", asked Sally.
	"That you don't want me to be your daughter", said Jessica, "That
you think I'm a freak that doesn't deserve to belong to a family."
	"Jessie!", said Sally, stepping forward, "I would never say something
like that!  Who told you that?"
	"Some workers said that when I walked by", said Jessica, "I just
heard what you and Kylie were saying, too.  If you don't want me around, 
Sally, just say so, and I'll leave!"
	With that, Jessica turned, and sped off.  Sally started to go
after her, but Kylie put her arm in front of her.
	"She won't talk to you, Sally", said Kylie, "She thinks you don't
love her."
	"Kylie", said Sally, "Could you talk to her for me?  At least until
she calms down enough that I can talk to her?"
	"Sure", said Kylie, "After all, she is my friend."
	Kylie turned, and walked after Jessica.  Sally stood there, and
watched her walk off.  
	There was a gust of wind behind her, and Sonic appeared out of
it.
	"Well, Sal?", he said, "Are you in a better mood now?"
	Sally responded by grabbing Sonic's ear, and pulling it down.
	"OUCH!!", he yelped, "Cut that out!"
	"How many people did you tell about this thing with Jessie?", she
growled, still pinching his ear.
	"Ida know!", said Sonic, "A few!"
	Sally let go of Sonic's ear, and folded her arms.
	"Great!", she said, "Thanks to you, now Jessie thinks I hate her!"
	"Ooops", said Sonic.
	
	Kylie walked down the street that was in between the rows and rows
of tents.  She was following the dust trail that Jessica had kicked up.
After a few more feet of walking, she saw Jessica sitting on the ground, up
against what was left of a structure.  She was tossing rocks at a boulder
that was in front of her.  Kylie walked over, and sat down next to her.
	"Did Sally send you to straighten me up?", asked Jessica, not even
looking at Kylie.
	"No", said Kylie, "My friend is upset, and I came to see if there
is anything I can do."
	"How can you know what I'm going through?", said Jessica, throwing
another rock, "You had a family."
	"Correct", said Kylie, "I HAD a family.  They're all gone, now.  The
Dark Queen came one night and took them away.  The only family I had after
that was Khaos, and the Dark Queen took him too."
	"But at least you have Tails", said Jessica, "I don't have anyone 
that loves me.  I thought Sally would, but she doesn't."
	"Of course she does, Jess", said Kylie, "If she wasn't a princess,
she would have taken you as her daughter months ago.  The problem is, she
has to think about her responsibilities before herself.  There are a lot
of people around here who still don't trust you, and they wouldn't take
kindly to you sitting on the throne one day."
	"It doesn't matter!", yelled Jessica, standing up, "I'm still going
to be the little freak who isn't even a real Mobian!"
	Before Kylie could say anything, Jessica revved up, and shot away
with a gust of wind and a sonic boom.  The chin-chilla only shook her head
and stood up.  She put her arms behind her back, and walked off to find
Geoffery.

	"Why does this feel like a dentist's chair?", asked Kylie, sitting
in the silver chair.
	"Because it is", said Geoffery, standing in the corner, "I didn't
want to shake you up, Kylie", he said, "But we're going to have to pull
one of your molars out for this mission."
	"OKAY!!", said Kylie, jumping out of the chair, "Nobody said anything
about losing teeth before the mission even started!"
	"Relax", said Dr. Quack, coming into the room, "I'm going to put your
tooth in a solution and then put it back in after you're done."
	Kylie narrowed her eyes to slits, and then sat back down.  Dr. Quack
leaned the chair back so that Kylie was laying on her back.  He pulled the
lamp over, and shined it right in her face.
	"Open", he said.
	Kylie opened her mouth, and then gave Geoffery an inquisitive look.
He smiled, and knew exactly what she meant.
	"The reason your tooth is being pulled", he said, "Is so we can
install this tracer that is disguised as one of your molars.  The Sedition
members will undoubtedly search you, but I don't think they'll check all
of your teeth."
	Kylie just shook her head.  Dr. Quack's hand came into view, with
a giant needle.  Her eyes opened wide.
	"What is that?", she asked.
	"I'm going to numb your mouth so you don't feel anything", he said.
	"Forget it", said Kylie, shaking her head, "I hate that stuff 
anyway."
	"You do know that having a tooth pulled hurts", said Dr. Quack.
	"Pain doesn't hurt unless you allow it", said Kylie, "Now, hurry up
before I change my mind about letting you do this."
	"Hold still", said Dr. Quack.
	He grabbed ahold of one of Kylie's molars, and gave it a good yank.
Kylie's body tensed up for a moment, and then relaxed.  He pulled his
pliers back, and her tooth was in it.  He put the fake molar in the pliers,
and then quickly shoved it back into the opening in her gums.  Again, Kylie
tensed up, but then relaxed.
	"All done", he said, putting his tool down, "Nicely done, Kylie.  You
can go rinse your mouth out."
	Kylie got up, and went over to the sink.  She took a few drinks of
water, and rinsed her mouth out.  After wiping off some water that had
dribbled onto her chin, she looked at her mouth in the mirror.
	"Cute", she said, "Now what?"
	"Now", said Geoffery, walking over to her, "We can find you anywhere
on Mobius.  In addition to retrieving the data, you're also going to lead
us to the Sedition's hide-out."
	"Wonderful", said Kylie, rolling her eyes.
	"KYLIE!!!", yelled a voice from the entrance to the tent.
	Kylie looked, and saw Tails standing there with his arms folded, and 
a scowl on his face.  She looked at Geoffery, and then sighed.
	
	"How could you take on this assignment and not even have the common
courtesy to tell me?", asked Tails, following Kylie down the dusty 
streets of Mobo-Tropolis.
	"Because, Tails", she said, "It's supposed to be a SECRET mission!
This means that we would all appreciated it if you KEPT YOUR VOICE DOWN
A BIT!!!"
	Tails shut up, and stopped dead in his tracks.  Kylie turned around,
and walked up to him.
	"I was going to tell you before I left, Silly", she said, trying to
manage a smile, but failed, "I would never think of doing something like
this and just leaving you high and dry."
	"I'm just worried about you", said Tails, putting his hands on 
Kylie's shoulders, "You know that you mean everything to me, and I don't
that I could live without you."
	Kylie kissed Tails on his cheek.
	"That's sweet of you, Tails", she said, "Very sweet."
	"Hey, Kylie!", said Sally, running up to the two of them.
	"Ah, Princess", said Kylie, "I'm almost ready to start my mission."
	"I know", she said, "But I wanted to know, what did Jessie say?"
	Kylie sighed, and shook her head.
	"I don't think that our talk helped much, Princess", said Kylie, "I
think it would be better if you talked to her, alone."
	Sally folded her arms, and tapped her foot.  Then, she nodded her
head.
	"It probably would", said Sally, "Did you see where she got off to?"
	"Last time I saw her", said Kylie, "She was heading for Green Meadow."
	"Thanks", said Sally, "And Kylie, good luck on your mission.  Please
come back to us in one piece."
	"Believe me", said Kylie, "I intend to."
	Sally turned, and headed off to find Jessica, and maybe straighten
this mess out.  Kylie, in the meantime, turned back to Tails, who was
still standing there.
	"I guess it's time for me to go, Tails", she said, "I promise that
I'll be careful, alright?"
	"Please come back to me, Kylie", he said, "I love you."
	Kylie didn't say anything back, and Tails didn't really expect her
to.  He knew that she hadn't yet learned how to express love very well
yet, but he knew that her love for him was there, and that's all he really
needed.
	She turned, and started walking away.  Tails took a step forward, and
grabbed her arm.  In one swift move, he pulled her back to him, turned her
around, and kissed her full on the lips.  Kylie instinctively wrapped her
arms around him and returned the kiss.  After a moment, they parted.
	"I hope that said what you needed to hear", she said, putting her
finger on his lips, "I'll be back as soon as I can."
	Tails smiled, and hugged her one last time.  After that, Kylie turned,
and headed to find Geoffery.  As she was walking away, a funny feeling
came over her.  It was a warm type of feeling.  Kylie didn't realized that
it was content.  Slowly but surely, her emotions were returning.

	"This is insane", said Kylie, "They're going to finger me in an
instant."
	"No they won't", said Geoffery, "Just do what I told you, and you'll
be fine."
	"Run me through it one more time."
	"Simple", said Geoffery, "That servant spy you beat the stuffing
out of told us that some new initiates were bing picked up right here this
afternoon.  All you have to do is fall in with them."
	Geoffery peeked through the bush that they were hiding behind, and
grinned.  Kylie looked up as well.  There were five animals standing there,
waiting.  Two girls, three guys.
	"You said that there would be six", said Kylie, "There's only five,
where's the sixth?"
	Before Geoffery could answer, a mole came wandering through the 
forest.  
	"There's your answer", said Geoffery, "This is my cue to cut out.
Good luck, Kylie.  And please, be careful."
	Kylie nodded, and moved towards the mole.  Geoffery watched her for
a moment, and then disappeared back into the darkness of the forest.
	The mole was trudging towards the meeting place.  It was still light
out, and he hated the sunlight.  All of a sudden, someone jumped out in
front of him.
	"Whoa!", he said, "Who are you?  Are you the one the Sedition sent?"
	Kylie got an idea.  She scowled, and folded her arms.
	"That's strike one against you!", she said, "Never, ever mention the
Sedition in an unsecure place!"
	"Sorry", he said, "What's next?"
	"This was just a test to see if you'd actually show", said Kylie, 
"Now, go back into the city.  Find a soldier named Falzon.  Tell him what
you told me, and he'll take care of you.  Can you handle that?"
	"Yes, Ma'am!", said the mole, saluting.
	He turned, and hurried back towards the city.  Kylie just shook her
head.  
	"Idiot", she said, "If the rest of the Sedition is as stupid as you,
then I won't have any trouble at all."
	She turned, took a deep breath, and stepped into view of the other
five Mobians.  They all stopped and looked at her.
	"Finally", said a racoon, "You're here."
	"Sorry", said Kylie, "I couldn't see anything out here."
	A possum looked around, and then looked back at the others.
	"So?", he asked, "What do we do now?  How do we know when they show?"
	"If the Sedition is anything like I've heard", said a girl fox, 
"They'll make sure we know."
	Kylie just looked at all of the Mobians.  They weren't any older than
she was.  It was a pity that they had chosen to ally themselves with a 
group such as the Sedition.
	Kylie's thought was interupted when she heard several guns cocking.
About eight armed Mobians jumped out of the foliage.  They were dressed
from head to toe in black uniforms.  Their heads were covered with black
masks, and they had some sort of eye goggles on their faces.  All of them
were brandishing plasma rifles.
	"Nobody move", hissed one of them.
	Everyone raised their hands, including Kylie.  Then, a cheetah walked
out of the foliage.  He was wearing the same type of uniform that the rest
of them were wearing, minus the mask and goggles.
	"Well", he said, "I'm glad you could all make it.  For now, there
will be no questions.  You will all be briefed when we reach the Sedition
HQ.  However, I want you all to know something; your lives as they have
been, are over.  From now on, you live only service the Sedition.  If any
of you have a problem with that, you can take it up with my associates 
here."
	Kylie looked around at the armed Mobians.  She knew that at least
one, if not all of them, was wanting someone to have a problem with that.
	"Any questions?", asked the cheetah, "I didn't think so."
	He looked over at one of his men.
	"Search them all", he said, "And then blindfold them."
	The soldier nodded, and then motioned for his men to carry out the
cheetah's order.  All of the other Mobians were searched from head to
toe for any kind of weapon, radio, or transmitter.  None was found.  Kylie
ran her tongue over the tooth/tracer that was in her mouth.  They had looked
in her mouth, but couldn't tell the tracer from the rest of her teeth.
	"Good", said the cheetah, "You've all passed the first test.  No-one
infiltrates the Sedition unless we allow it.  So, if any of you are an
agent of the king, you'd better change your loyalty quick, because the only
way anyone leaves the Sedition is in a body-bag.  You all got that?"
	"Yes, Sir", they all said in unison, including Kylie.
	The soldiers put blindfolds on them all, then shoved them into the
darkness.  Where they would end up, Kylie could only guess.

	It had been at least twenty to thirty minutes since they had all been
blindfolded.  Kylie had almost tripped several times.  Slowly, the ground
became soft, and then mushy.  There was a squishing sound every time she
took a step.  They were in the Great Swamp.  That had to be it.
	"Alright", said the cheetah's voice, "I'm sure you all know that 
you're somewhere in the Great Swamp, but that's all you know about your
location.  Remember that."
	Kylie's ear lifted up when she heard several beeps.  There was a 
rumbling sound, along with a squeeking noise.  They were all pushed in
several feet, and Kylie felt solid ground beneath her feet.
	"Remove the blindfolds", said the cheetah. 
	The soldiers pulled the blindfolds off of the six of them.  Kylie
blinked her eyes a few times, and saw that they were in a stone tunnel.
It was artificial, so that meant that they were in some sort of complex
that was hidden deep in the Great Swamp.
	The cheetah was standing at the entrance with one of the soldiers.
	"Good work, Vascal", he said, "Now, take your team back to the city,
and finish the second part of your mission."
	"Yes, Sir", said Vascal, saluting the cheetah.
	Vascal waved to his team, and they all went with him.  After they
were out of the tunnel entrance, it rumbled shut.  The torches on the walls
were the only source of sources of light.  Kylie turned her head, and two
more soldiers appeared out of the darkness.  
	"Let's go", said the cheetah, "Your training to become Sedition 
members has officially begun."
	The two soldiers pointed their plasma rifles at the group, and 
motioned for them to follow the cheetah.  They all did without question.

	They were all lead into a rather large room with a mat on the floor.
There were weights and exercising machines in all corners of the room.  
Huge mirrors that covered two of the walls reflected all of them.  
	"This is where I am going to turn you pathetic nothings into real
warriors", said the cheetah, "I am your instructor, Reiko.  You will follow
my rules to the letter, is that understood?"
	They all nodded.
	"Rule one", said Reiko, "You do what I say without question.  I don't
make mistakes, so there will be no reason for questions."
	"What's rule two?", asked a frog that was standing near Kylie.
	Reiko spun around, and kicked the frog in the chest, knocking him
on his back.  He gasped for breath.
	"Rule two..", said Reiko, "Don't do anything unless I say so.  This
includes talking!"
	The frog caught his breath, and lifted himself off of the ground.  He
then resumed standing with the others.
	"Rule three", said Reiko, "Never forget rules one and two.  Now, I
need to know how well each of you fight.  Then, I can begin training each
of you properly."
	Reiko looked at the frog that he had just kicked in the chest.
	"Alright, Bigmouth", he said, "You first.  Attack me.  Use no mercy."
	The frog stepped onto the mat with Reiko.  Without warning, he threw
a punch right at Reiko.  Reiko caught it with his hand.  The frog tried
to counter by throwing a punch with his still free hand.  Reiko caught
that one with his other hand.  He then showed his teeth to the frog.
	"Pathetic", he growled.
	Reiko slammed his head into the frog's, knocking him back on the
ground.  He then kicked the frog in the stomach, and knocked him back to
the others.
	One by one, the other four were beaten to a pulp by Reiko.  He seemed
to revel in the pain of others.  He enjoyed hurting them all.
	Finally, only Kylie was left.  Reiko grinned wide, and pointed at
her.
	"You, Chin-chilla", he said, "Let's go."
	Kylie calmly walked onto the mat, and immediately dropped into a
fighting stance.  Reiko did the same.  For a moment or so, they both
just stood there, waiting for the other to attack.
	"Hmmm", hummed Reiko, "You apparently know a little more than the
rest."
	"I know something else, too", said Kylie, not dropping her guard.
	"And what might that be?", asked Reiko.
	Kylie spun around, and rammed her elbow into the side of Reiko's
face.  She followed that with a foot sweep that knocked Reiko's legs out
from under him.  He fell flat on his back.
	"Don't ever let yourself be distracted like that", said Kylie, going
back into her fighting stance.
	Reiko roared, and kicked himself back to his feet.  This time, he
wasted no words.  He thrust his foot at Kylie, but she spun out of the way
at the last possible second.  However, Reiko had been prepared for this.
He shot his fist out, and punched Kylie right in the face, knocking her
backwards.
	"Take that!", he hissed.
	Kylie ignored the pain in her face, which was probably going to end
up as a black eye.  Reiko rushed her again, but she was ready this time.
Kylie turned around, and grabbed Reiko's neck.  She used his momentum
to pull his entire body over her shoulder.  He slammed onto his back, and
was momentarily stunned.
	Everyone on the side was amazed at this.  Nobody had ever lasted 
this long in a fight with Reiko.  Even the guards that were at the door
had abandonded their posts to watch.
	Reiko was on his feet again, and very annoyed.  He spun around on
his feet while moving towards Kylie.  He hoped that his random movements
would confuse her long enough for him to attack.
	It worked, too.  Kylie was distracted long enough for Reiko to jump
in the air, and kick her in the face with a side-flip kick.  Both of his
feet smashed against her face.  
	"Ahhh!", she grunted as she fell onto her back.
	She looked up, and saw Reiko standing over her, with his hands balled
into fists.  She noticed that his lower lip was broken, and bleeding a
little bit.
	Instead of finishing her off, as Kylie was expecting, Reiko held out
his hand, and helped Kylie back to her feet.  He wiped the blood away from
his mouth, and smiled at her.
	"That was the most exhilarating fight I've had in years", he said,
"You have much potential in you.  What is your name?"
	"Kylie", she said.
	"Well, Kylie", said Reiko, "Fight the king like you just fought me,
and you'll have a bright future in the Sedition."
	"Thank you", said Kylie.
	Reiko looked back at the other five initiates.  
	"You could all stand to learn something from Kylie", he said, "But
there will be time for that later.  The Leader will be meeting with you
all in the Meeting Hall in about an hour and half.  Until then, you will
be assigned to your quarters."
	Reiko pointed to a hallway, and they all went in.  Kylie knew that
Reiko could prove to be trouble later on.

	Sally walked up the hill, and turned around.  She saw the partially
rebuilt city of Mobo-Tropolis behind her.  It was rather windy up here,
and her hair was blowing in the air.  She turned, and saw Jessica sitting
up against a tree.
	"Hi Jessie", said Sally, walking up to her.
	"Don't 'Hi Jessie' me, Sally!", said Jessica, scowling, "You just
came up here to rip my heart out again!"
	Sally sat down on her knees in front of Jessica.  She could sense all
of the anger and frustration that was locked up inside the young girl.
	"Jessie", she said, "If I hurt your feelings, then I'm sorry.  I
never meant to upset you."
	"Well you sure did a good job of it!", snapped Jessica, "How would
you like to hear that the closest thing you have to a mother doesn't want
you, because she's embarrassed of you?!"
	"I'm not embarrassed of you, Jessie", said Sally.
	Jessica's lip started to tremble, and tears began to form in her
eyes.
	"Then why don't you want me?", she said, and then buried her head
in her arms and began sobbing.
	"Oh, Jessie", said Sally, pulling Jessica over to her, and cradling
her in her arms.
	Sally opened her eyes when she heard several cocking sounds.  She
looked around, and saw about eight Mobians all dressed in jet-black outfits
standing around them.  They were all holding plasma rifles.
	"Well, well", said Vascal, "Apparantly, your guard was telling us
the truth, Princess.  Not only do we find you up here, but your little
freak daughter as well.  Fortune does smile upon the Sedition today, does
it not?"
	Sally instinctively pushed Jessica behind her, and then faced the
Sedition soldiers.
	"What do you want?", she hissed.
	"What else?", asked Vascal, "You and your family's complete and total
annihilation!"
	Several of the soldiers rushed the two girls.  Two of them yanked
Sally off of the ground, and snapped binders on her wrists.  Jessica began
screaming and squirming quite a bit when two soldiers grabbed her.
	"Shut up, Freak!", said one, hitting her over the head with the butt
of his rifle.
	"Jessie!", yelled Sally, "You scum-bag!"
	The hit knocked her head-band off, and onto the ground.  Jessica then
went limp.  
	Vascal walked over, and lifted Jessica's head up by her chin.  He
slowly examined her face.
	"Bah!", he said, "It's disgusting to think that you all treat her like
she's a real Mobian."
	"She's more of a Mobian than you, or your terrorist friends will ever
be!", snarled Sally.
	"Don't get smart with me!", said Vascal, "Princess or no princess,
I'd have no trouble popping that zit you call a head."
	Sally shut up.  She knew that she'd be no help to Jessica if she was
dead. 
	"Come on", said Vascal to the rest of his men, "Let's get out of here
before someone sees us."
	Gags were placed over Sally and Jessica's mouths, to keep them from
yelling for help.  Plasma rifles were then shoved against their backs, and
they were taken into the forest.

	Kylie looked around the small room she had been placed in.  One thing
could be said about the Sedition; none of them could decorate.  The only
pieces of furniture in the room were two beds, a nightstand in between them,
and a lamp on the nightstand.  Behind the beds was a window with bars on
it.  
	Kylie walked up to it, and looked upwards.  There was a small awning
over it to keep the rain out.  From the looks of the sky, there was probably
a lot of it.  There was also a very humid feel in the air.
	"Excuse me?", said a voice from behind Kylie.
	She turned, and saw a gray cat standing in the doorway.  
	"Are you Kylie?", she asked.
	"I am", said Kylie, "And who might you be?"
	"My name's Vanessa", she said, "I don't know if you remember me, but
I was with the group that you came in with."
	"I thought you looked familiar", said Kylie, "Pleased to meet you.
If you don't mind my asking, why have you chosen to join the Sedition?"
	Vanessa sat down on one of the beds, and rocked back and forth.
	"My entire family was killed when the Dark Queen destroyed the city",
she said, "King Acorn could have stopped it.  Instead, he ran away like a
coward.  He doesn't care about anyone but himself of his spoiled daughters."
	Vanessa looked up at Kylie.
	"What's your story?"
	"Pretty much the same as yours", said Kylie, "My family was wiped out
when the Dark Queen stormed my village.  I didn't get any protection from
the king.  A renegade cyber had to save me."
	"That's awful", said Vanessa, "I have a question, though.  Where did
you learn to fight like that?  From what I've heard, Reiko is the best 
there is."
	"It's just something I've picked up over time", said Kylie.
	Before either of them could say anything else, a guard walked up to
the door.
	"Come", he said, "The Leader orders all to go to the Meeting Hall
at once."
	Kylie and Vanessa both walked after the guard.  Kylie made a quick
visual scan of the layout as she followed.  The place seemed to be designed
more like a prison than like a fortress.  

	The Meeting Hall looked like a giant mess hall.  Benches had been
placed around three walls of the room, and the remaining wall had a huge
iron door on it.  The symbol of the Sedition had been burned into it.
There were already lots of Sedition members piling into the room.  They 
were all wearing black robes on with the same symbol on their chests.  
Since they weren't wearing masks, Kylie had no trouble recognizing a rather
large number of Mobians from the city.  She was shocked by the amount of
betrayal that was going on here.
	"New initiates will stand before the altar", said the guard.
	Vanessa and Kylie were lined up with the other four newbies.  Kylie
looked off to the side, and saw Reiko standing there, with a few other
important looking Mobians.
	Kylie turned her head back forwards as a huge gong sounded.  Then,
all members fell totally silent.  A pin could be heard dropping in the 
silence.  The huge metal door creaked and whined as it opened, and a 
figure appeared.
	The figure was dressed in a white robe, with a metal mask over his
face.  He walked with a huge staff with the skull of some creature mounted
on the tip of it.  Kylie noticed that all of the Sedition members had risen
when he appeared. 
	"It is a time of great joy, my brothers and sisters", said the Leader,
"For the Great Revolution will occur soon.  On this glorious day of freedom
for all of Mobius, the vile members of the House of Acorn will dragged from
their castle atop the hill, and be done away with.  Then, Mobius will truly
be free from oppression of any kind!"
	"Hail, Leader!", chanted the Sedition members.
	"Now", said the Leader, "First on the agenda, we welcome six brave
new souls into our family.  They have come to us, because like the rest of
you, they have realized the truth.  The Acorns are a family of parasites
that have attached themselves to our society and have sucked the life out
of it for over six generations!  However, that will soon change."
	The Leader looked over at the six initiates.  Slowly, his right arm
raised into the air.
	"Kneel before me", he said.
	They all kneeled before the Leader.  With a motion of his hand, six
metal rods came out of the floor, and right up in front of them.  The Leader
flexed his hand again, and the rods all began to pulsate with electricity.
	"Life is full of all sorts of pains", he said, "I have spent my life
being ruled over by a family of tryannical fiends, who hide behind their
position to committ acts of unspeakable evil!  Was it not our benevolent
King Acorn who made Julian head of our armies?  The same man who enslaved
the entire planet for over a decade?  Where was our king while this living
nightmare was playing itself out?  He was hiding in some other realm.  He
was only concerned with his own safety.  Before he fled like a coward, he
made certain that both of his daughters were safe, and left the rest of
us to face the fury of the man he gave so much power to."
	The Leader turned, and looked at the six initiates.
	"Life is full of pain", he said, "Show me how much you can endure!"
	Kylie knew exactly what the Leader wanted.  She, and the others,
grabbed ahold of the rods, and felt the pain as the electricity surged 
through their bodies.
	"AHHHHHH!!!!", screamed a few of the others.
	After only about ten to fifteen seconds, all of the initiates had
released the rods, and cradled their smoking hands.  All except Kylie.  She
still had her hand wrapped tight around the electrified rod.  In the entire
time, she had not made so much as a peep.  Her fur was beginning to stand
out from the power.  
	The Leader waved his hand, and the electricity ceased.  Kylie let go
of the rod, and looked at her hand.  The palm was black with burnt fur.
She blew on it, and a small pillar of steam rose up from it.
	"You handle pain quite well, My Child", said the Leader.
	"Pain can only affect you if you allow it", said Kylie, "And next to
the pain I have suffered, this was but a prick on the finger."
	The Leader chuckled under his mask.  He then looked back at the other
initiates.
	"The test was not to see how long you could withstand the pain", he
said, "But to see if you would.  You have all passed the test, and are now
First Initiates in the Sedition."
	The members behind them clapped and cheered for them.  The Leader 
let them do so for a few moments, and the bid them silent.  
	"And to end our meeting today", he said, "I have a suprise for you
all.  However, no one will leave their seat.  Anything else is totally
appropriate, given the circumstances.  Is that understood?"
	"Yes, Leader", said the members in unison.
	"Bring them!", said the Leader.
	Vascal came marching through the main entrance to the Meeting Hall.
Behind him, his men were shoving two figures covered with black blankets.
They marched them into the center of the Meeting Hall.  Vascal then nodded
to his men, and they shoved the figures to their knees.
	"Reveal them to the rest", said the Leader.
	The blankets were ripped away, and Sally and Jessica were revealed.
	"Oh no", whispered Kylie.
	Almost immediately, every Sedition member in the Meeting Hall stood
up, and began shouting at the two girls.  Curses and threats were heard,
and some even began throwing rocks, and other objects at them. 
	Sally had moved in front of Jessica, to protect her from the flying
objects.  She felt all sorts of things hitting her body.  Things from rocks,
to glass, and anything else that the Sedition members had on hand.
	Finally, after letting his followers have their fun, the Leader raised
his hands again.  Almost immediately, the shouting and throwing ceased.
He lowered his hands, and looked at the two.
	"It is a shame to think that we have been dominated by weaklings such
as you", he said, "You hide behind your guards and your armies.  You also
protect this freak as well.  Well, know this, Princess Sally Acorn, your
title means nothing here.  In fact, the title which you use to control the
lives of all around you has now sentenced you to death, along with the rest
of your family, and the freak.  Take them away."
	Vascal's men took the two girls, and shoved them out of the Meeting
Hall.  The shouts began again, but ceased when the prisoners were out of
sight.  
	"Now", said the Leader, "What is the fuel?"
	"FEAR!", they all yelled.
	"What is the engine?", he asked again.
	"ORDER!"
	"What is the ideal?"
	"DISCIPLINE!"
	The Leader stopped, and balled his hand into a fist, then raised it
into the air.
	"And how do we achieve it?", he said, shaking his fist.
	"DEATH TO THE HOUSE OF ACORN!!!", they all screamed.
	"The Great Revolution comes soon", said the Leader, "Be prepared."
	The Leader turned, and walked back through the door, which closed
behind him.  After he was gone, the Sedition members began filing out of
the Meeting Hall.
	Kylie watched them all go.  She shook her head.  This was no longer
just a simple retrieval mission.  It had now become a rescue operation as
well.

	Inside his private chambers, the Leader watched on his monitors as
the Sedition members left the room.  He leaned his staff up against the 
wall, and began unsnapping his mask.  
	"Fools", he said, "They are more easily manipulated than wet clay."
	A voice spoke up behind him.
	"What army isn't?"
	The Leader snapped his mask back, and turned around.  He saw a figure
standing in the darkness, and two red eyes glowing.
	"You", he said, "How did you get in here?"
	"I have may ways", said the figure, "I've done my part for you by
giving you the information that you needed to amass this army of yours.
Now, do you remember your part of the bargain?"
	"Yes", said the Leader, "Wage a war against Mobo-Tropolis, and keep
them occupied.  Are you going to tell me why you want that?"
	Century stepped out of the darkness, and his eyes flashed behind his
respirator mask.
	"No", he said, "It is not your concern.  Just do your part, and all
will go well."
	"You keep saying that", said the Leader, "How do I know that what
happened in Knothole all those years ago won't happen again?"
	"The Dark Queen was responsible for that little 'incident'", said
Century, "And she is no longer among us.  The cybers that still remain will
not be a problem.  They are becoming caring and weak like the rest of the
Mobians in Mobo-Tropolis.  If you do as I have instructed, then you will
be victorious."
	"How do I know I can trust you?", asked the Leader, folding his arms.
	Century chuckled behind his mask.
	"You don't", he said.
	A flash of white light filled the room.  When it let up, Century was
gone.  The Leader shook his head.  He would proceed as Century had 
instructed.  However, if that insane monk tried to double-cross him, then
nothing on Mobius would save him from the wrath of the Sedition.

	"Are you sure they came up here?", asked Rotor, following Sonic up
the hill outside the city.
	"Sure am, Rote", said Sonic, "Sal said she was going to try and calm
Jessie down.  This is where she always comes."
	"Well, I don't see anybody up here", said Rotor, "Maybe they went
somewhere else."
	Sonic took a step, and kicked something on the ground.  He looked 
down, and saw Jessie's head-band laying in the grass.  He bent over, and 
picked it up.  Rotor looked at it.
	"That's Jessica's alright", he said.
	"Yeah", said Sonic, "Sal gave this to her.  She practically lives in
this thing.  Jessie would never leave this laying in the dirt.  I've got
a bad feeling about this, Rote."
	
	This was good, thought Kylie, a two for one deal.  She had pried the
information about the disk with the coded information on it out of a guard
that was patrolling the hallway.  After she had the disk, she'd get Sally
and Jessica.
	She poked her head into the room that the guard had said was the
computer room.  She was right on the money.  There was a huge desk with
about eight computers running several different programs.  Sitting at the
desk was a monkey named Hacker.  He was the Sedition's computer genius.
	Kylie squinted her eyes.  She remembered hearing about Hacker.  He
was once a computer engineer for the king.  However, he was caught hacking
into the royal archives looking for information he could use to black-mail
King Acorn.  Once he was caught, he was sentenced to three years in prison,
and had his name forever tarnished.  It was rather appropriate that he
join the Sedition.
	Kylie took a deep breath, and walked into the room.  Hacker turned
around, and looked at her when she entered.  
	"Hello Kylie", he said, turning back around, "That was quite a show
you put on for all of us in the Meeting Hall.  That's the longest anyone
has ever held onto the rod."
	"Thanks, Hacker", she said, "What are you doing?"
	She pointed at the monitor directly in front of Hacker.  Tons of code
was being run across the screen.
	"This?", he said, "Oh, nothing."
	Kylie tried to smile, but it probably looked funny, since she really
didn't remember how, and she didn't have a mirror to look at.  She leaned
on Hacker's shoulders, and whispered in his ear.
	"Aw, come on, Hackie", she cooed, "You can tell me.  I'm really
interested."
	"I'm not supposed to tell anyone, Kylie", said Hacker, "Reiko said
so."
	Kylie softly blew into Hacker's ear, and ran her knuckles along the
side of his face.  He trembled for a moment, but then looked at her.
	"Oh, alright", he said, "This is the disk that Dolph stole from that
idiot, Geoffery St. John.  Once my program breaks all of the locks, we'll
know everything about the defense in the city.  They won't stand a chance
when we attack."
	"Hmmm", hummed Kylie, "You are so smart, Hackie.  Say, do you know
where they took the princess and that little freak?  I kind of wanted to
go and abuse them a little more."
	"Sorry, Kylie", he said, "That, I won't tell.  And don't think you
can pry it out of me by flirting."
	Kylie sighed, and stood up straight.  She cracked her knuckles, and
looked down at the back of Hacker's head.
	"Really?", she said, "Then, maybe I'll use a different method."
	"Like what?", asked Hacker, not even looking.
	Kylie quickly wrapped her arms around Hacker's neck, and yanked him
out of his chair.  She bent backwards, and lifted his feet off of the 
ground.
	"Where are they!?", hissed Kylie, "Tell me now, Hacker!"
	"You're a spy!", gagged Hacker.
	Kylie tightened her grip, and Hacker struggled for air.  He was prying
at her hands, and kicking his feet.
	"TELL ME!!", yelled Kylie, "NOW!!"
	"Never!", said Hacker.
	Kylie turned Hacker around so that he was facing her, and then slammed
him against a wall.  She put her face about an inch away from his.
	"I can't hear you!", she growled.
	"I'll say it a little louder then", said Hacker, "I'm not talking!!"
	"You know, Hacker?", said Kylie, "You're loyalty is very touching,
but it's not the most important thing in your life right now!"
	Kylie brought her foot up, and kicked open the window that was to
the right of Hacker.  She then pulled him over, and hung him out of it.
	"What is important", she said, "Is gravity!  Take a look, Hacker, 
there's quite a bit of air between you and the ground!"
	Hacker looked down, and saw the swamp beneath him.  He looked back
up at Kylie, and grinned.
	"Stupid traitor!", he said, "That ground is so soft, that if I don't
tense up, I can walk away from the fall."
	Kylie snarled, and shoved him all the way out the window, and was
holding him by one of his legs.
	"Care to test that theory, Hacker?", she asked, shaking him back and
forth.
	"AHHHHHH!!!!", he said, swinging back and forth, "Alright!  Alright!
I'll talk!"
	"Where are they?", said Kylie, looking right into Hacker's face, only
upside down.
	"In the sub-basement!", he cried.
	"How many guards?", asked Kylie.
	"Only one", said Hacker, "Just don't drop me!"
	Kylie pulled Hacker back in, and grabbed him by his shirt collar.  She
then pulled him close to her.
	"You and your organization make me sick!", she hissed.
	With that, she brought her fist back, and slammed into Hacker's jaw.
The blow hurled him back towards the wall, and he slid to the ground, out
cold.
	Kylie quickly ran back to the computer, and ejected the disk.  She
only hoped that Hacker hadn't made any back-ups.  She stuffed it into her
vest, and then headed towards the sub-basement.

	Dank and dark.  Those were the two words that described where Sally
and Sasha were now sitting.  They were in a dark and wet cell.  The only
furniture was a bench that hung from the wall.  Sally had gone over the
cell thoroughly, but found no way to escape.  That, added to the armed
guard outside the cell made their situation all the more hopeless.
	Sally had sat down, and was holding Jessica, who was scared to death.
Sally could feel the young girl trembling in her arms.  She was rocking
back and forth, trying to calm her.
	"Shhhh", she said, "It'll be alright, Jessie.  I'll think of 
something."
	"What if you don't?", asked Jessica, "They're going to hurt us, aren't
they?  I don't understand, what did we do to them that's so horrible to
make them hate us so much?"
	"We didn't do anything, Jessie", said Sally, "They don't care, 
though."
	Sally's head turned to the side when she heard a noise at the bars.
The guard was opening up the door to the cell.  She quickly stood up, and
pushed Jessica behind her.
	"What do you want?", said Sally, balling her hands into fists.
	Suddenly, a rock slammed against the guard's skull.  He groaned, and
then fell flat on his face in the mud.  Sally and Jessica looked up,
and saw Kylie walk into view.
	"This is hardly a place suited for a princess", she said.
	"Kylie!", said Sally, taking a sigh of extreme relief.
	"You came to rescue us, Kylie!", said Jessica.
	"Yeah", said Kylie, "Now that I have, let's get out of here."
	She turned, and stopped dead in her tracks.  Standing in the doorway
was Reiko, showing all of his razor sharp teeth.  Behind him stood Hacker,
rubbing his jaw, Vascal, and all of his men.  
	"Oh dear", said Kylie, "Not good."
	"You've got that right, Kylie", said Reiko, "It appears that I put
too much confidence in you.  Something told me that you were a bit too
good to be true.  I should have trusted my instincts and killed you before."
	"Kill them!", said Vascal to his men.
	"NO!", said Reiko, over-riding Vascal's order, "Kylie and I will fight
first.  After I smash her skull, then you can kill the other two.  Is that
clear?"
	"Yes, Sir", said Vascal's men, stepping back.
	"Get back", said Kylie to Jessica and Sally, "This is between him and
me."
	Sally and Jessica stepped back against the wall.  Kylie looked at
Reiko, and bowed, but did so without taking her eyes off of him.
	"Save the 'honor' crap for someone who cares, Traitor!", said Reiko,
cracking his knuckles, "Because it won't keep me from tearing you apart!"
	He and Kylie walked towards each other.  They stopped when they were
about two feet apart.  Reiko lifted up his arm, and pointed at Kylie.
	"You couldn't handle me before", he said, "What makes you think
you can now?"
	Kylie didn't say anything.  She just stared back at him with anger
burning in her eyes.
	"Hmph", said Reiko, "That's what I thought."
	Without warning, Reiko's other arm shot out at Kylie.  She moved
backwards, and caught his arm.  She then threw a punch of her own, and
Reiko managed to catch it.
	The two of them just gazed into each other's eyes for a moment.  Reiko
finally broke the silence.
	"Give it up!", he said, "You can't beat me!"
	"Wanna bet?", shouted Kylie.
	She brought her foot up, and kicked Reiko in the stomach.  The kick
knocked the wind out of him, and he bent over, trying to catch his breath.
	Kylie didn't give him a chance to recover.  She upper-cutted him
and he fell on his back.  Less than a second later, Reiko kicked himself
back to his feet, and did a round-house kick, and hit Kylie right in
the face.  
	"Ahhh!", she grunted.
	Immediately, Kylie recovered, and jabbed her fist into Reiko's
chest.  She followed that with a back-hand that sent him listing backwards.
	"Take this!", she said.
	She kicked her leg at him, but Reiko ducked under it, and kicked her
feet out from under her.  She slammed onto the ground.
	"No thanks", he said, "You can keep it!"
	Reiko lifted his foot up, and slammed it downwards.  Kylie saw it
coming soon enough to roll out of the way and onto her knees and hands.  
Reiko saw this, and brought his other foot up, and kicked Kylie right in
the stomach.  The blow lifted her up and she wailed in pain.
	"Hurts", said Reiko, circling Kylie, "Doesn't it?  Now, let's finish
this!"
	He charged at Kylie, who looked up at him.
	"Yes", she said, "Let's."
	Kylie stood up on her hands, and wrapped her legs around Reiko's
neck.  She then sat up, and proceeded to punch him in the face.  He pried
at her legs, trying to get her to let go, but her muscles were too powerful.
She kept punching and punching.  
	Finally, Kylie bent backwards onto her hands, and then did a back-flip
onto her feet.  She looked at Reiko, who was staggering back and forth.
	Kylie took a deep breath, and blew a gust of air onto Reiko, who
promptly fell backwards.  
	"No honor", said Kylie, "No victory."
	Reiko lifted his head up, and looked at Vascal.
	"Don't just stand there!", he grunted in pain, "Shoot her!"
	Vascal aimed his gun at Kylie, who looked down its barrel.
	"NOOOOO!!!", screamed Jessica, revving her feet up, and exploding into
a super-sonic run.
	Jessica knocked Kylie out of the way as Vascal fired, hitting only 
the wall.  Vascal looked, and saw Jessica to his right.
	"Die, Freak!", he yelled, pointing his gun at her.
	"HEY!", said a voice from the side.
	Vascal looked, and saw Sally throw the rock that Kylie had used right
at his face.  The rock smashed into him, and he slammed against the wall.
Sally grabbed his collar, and pulled his face up to hers.
	"She's not a freak!", hissed Sally, "She's an Acorn.  And you're
going to learn to respect the name!"
	Sally let go, and Vascal fell back against the wall.
	"Shoot her!!", yelled Reiko to Vascal's men.
	They brought up their weapons, and aimed them at Sally.  Jessica saw
this, and let go of Kylie.
	"SALLY!!", she screamed, doing something that shocked everyone.
	Jessica shot forward, and went into Sonic's buzz-saw attack.  She
sliced the barrels off the plasma rifles as she passed by.  When the 
soldiers pulled the triggers, they all blew up in their hands.  The blast
knocked them all out.
	"Sally!", said Jessica, running over to her, "Are you okay?"
	"Oh, Jessie", said Sally, hugging her, "I'm fine.  That was 
spectacular!"
	"Thanks", she said, "I'm gonna have ta remember that one."
	Kylie walked up to Reiko, who looked back at her.
	"How is it that you beat me now, and not before?", he asked.
	Kylie narrowed her eyes to slits.
	"Because I didn't have a reason to hate you before", she said, and
then kicked Reiko in the face.
	She looked over at Jessica and Sally, who were still hugging each
other.
	"Let's get out of this hole", said Kylie.
	She turned, and looked right into the barrel of a plasma pistol.
	"Don't move", said Vanessa, who was holding the gun right in Kylie's
face, "Back up, NOW!!"
	Kylie took a few steps back.  
	"How could you, Kylie?", she said, "You told me what these miserable
wretches did to your family.  Or was it a lie?"
	"It wasn't a lie", said Kylie, "The Dark Queen destroyed my family,
but it wasn't any of the Acorns' fault.  They weren't responsible for
your family's death either, Vanessa.  Now, put the gun down."
	"No!", hissed Vanessa, "They ARE responsible!  They could have stopped
it, but they didn't!  They let her kill them!"
	"No they didn't", said Kylie, "They were taken prisoner too.  I was
there.  I helped rescue them.  King Acorn was frozen in a containment
cylinder for the entire war.  He was more of a prisoner than any of us 
were."
	"But", said Vanessa, "The Leader said that he abandoned us.  Why would
he lie?"
	"Because he doesn't care about the truth", said Kylie, "He knew you
all wanted someone to blame for all the pain that you've experienced, and
the Acorns were perfect scape-goats.  If nothing else, they've suffered the
greatest at the hands of Robotnik and the Dark Queen.  King Acorn was sent
to the Void for over a decade, and then frozen for a year.  Sally fought
against Robotnik at the cost of her own life more times than you can
imagine.  The Leader did nothing.  He knew that people needed someone to
hate, and he directed the hatred towards the ones who were making the
difference."
	Kylie pointed at Sally and Jessica.
	"Look at them!", said Kylie, "LOOK!!  Do they look like the monsters
that the Leader has made them out to be?  No, they are Mobians just like
us.  And like us, they were hurt by the war, too.  They are trying their
hardest to heal the wounds left by years of war.  The Leader is only keeping
those wounds open."
	Kylie stepped towards Vanessa, whose hands were trembling.  
	"Give me the gun", she said, "Please, let the violence end.  Nothing
was ever gained from violence, and nothing ever will be.  Come on, Vanessa,
give me the gun."
	Vanessa closed her eyes, and handed Kylie the gun.  Then, tears began
pouring from her eyes.  Kylie tossed the gun on the floor, and held Vanessa.
	"It's going to be alright", said Kylie, holding Vanessa.
	"Not while I live and breathe!", said Reiko.
	Kylie looked, and saw that Reiko had grabbed the gun.  He aimed it
right at her.
	"Looks like I win after all", he said, getting ready to pull the 
trigger.
	Something shot through the air, and hit Reiko in the arm.  He howled
in pain, and dropped the gun.  Kylie saw that it was a green arrow.
	"Take that, ya bloke!", said Geoffery St. John, standing in the 
doorway.
	"Geoffery", said Kylie, "Your timing is impecable."
	"Sal!", said Sonic, running up to her, "Jess!"
	Sally and Jessica both hugged Sonic.  Geoffery grabbed Reiko, and
pulled him to his feet.  He snapped a pair of binders on the cheetah.
	"Get used to wearing these things, Mate", said Geoffery, "You won't
be going anywhere without them for a while."
	He looked back at Kylie, who was still holding onto Vanessa.
	"Looks like you better thank me for making you get that tracer", he
said, "After Sonic found Jessie's head-band, we homed in on it, and found
that you were in old Ironlock Prison."
	"Ironlock?", said Sally, "That makes perfect sense."
	"What about the other Sedition members?", asked Kylie.
	"Don't worry", said Geoffery, "My boys have rounded most of them up,
and they'll catch the stray ones who made it into the Great Swamp.  We
even lassoed my old friend, Dolph.  He and your cheetah friend here'll be
spending some quality time together."
	Kylie took a deep breath, and looked back at Sonic, Sally, and Jessie.
She didn't notice the side of her mouth rise up into a slight smile.  The
three of them looked like a family.

	The next day, everyone in the city was gathered in the building site
for the Royal Palace.  King Acorn was standing in front of Kylie.
	"Kylie Chin-Chilla", he said, "You have destroyed the Sedition, 
retrieved valuable data from them, and most importantly, resuced my daughter
from certain death at their hands.  For your bravery and loyaly to the
crown, I hereby dub thee, Lady Kylie, and bestow upon you, the Royal Medal
of Honor."
	Kylie knelt as King Acorn touched each of her shoulders with his
sword.  He then placed a solid gold medallion around her neck.  She then
stood up, and bowed to him.  Everyone applauded.
	"Thank you, Sire", she said, "And now I have but one request to
make of you."
	"You have but to name it", said King Acorn.
	Kylie looked over at Jessica, who was standing next to Sally.
	"Do what you know is right", she said.
	King Acorn smiled.
	"Indeed I shall", he said.
	He looked at all of the Mobians gathered around him.
	"I have one last announcement to make to you this day", he said,
"I am deeply honored to welcome a new addition to the House of Acorn."
	He motioned at Sally, who looked at Jessica.
	"Jessica", she said, pulling her head-band off.
	"Huh?", said Jessica, confused.
	Sally handed her head-band to Sonic, who gave Sally a diamond crested
tiarra.  Sally placed it on Jessica's head.  Jessica's mouth only hung open.
	"Welcome to the family", said Sally, "My daughter."
	Tears began to pour out of Jessica's eyes as she stood there.  
Everyone began cheering loudly for the new princess.  
	"I don't know what to say", said Jessica.
	Kylie leaned over, and whispered in Jessica's ear.
	"How about giving your mother a hug?"
	Jessica hugged Sally, and Sally returned the embrace.  Sonic patted
Jessica on the back, and smiled.  Finally, they were a family.  

	Sally sighed, and put the picture back down.  She turned, and
continued writing in her journal.  She glanced over at the picture, which
was of her, Sonic, and Jessica as a family, and smiled.

	Outside Sally's tent, several work crews were still laboring away.
A raccoon pushed a wheel-barrow by the princess' tent.  He hit a bump,
and the tarp that was over it fell off.  He cursed, and quickly put the
tarp back over it, covering up the white robe, metal mask, and skull staff.
Then, he walked into the night.


THE END