On My Mother's Grave [Part One]
A Sonic the Hedgehog story
Written by Kris Kelley.  Story by Kris Kelley and Craig Fox.

This story is protected by copyright laws.  Feel free to distribute this story, 
but the authors do not allow any unauthorized alteration of the story or 
distribution for profit.


     ..."MOMMY!!!"...

     And, all these years later, the pain still remained.  The pain, and the 
bitter, driving desire for revenge.

* * *

     "Did you get it?"
     "Of course we got it!  Let's juice!"
     Sonic, Sally, and Bunnie raced over to a nearby alleyway, hiding themselves
in the shadows.
     "Okay," Sally said, "I hope this works!"  She looked at the timer displayed
on Nicole.  "10, 9, 8, 7..."

     Tolouse looked at his chronometer.  Hoping that all was going as planned, 
he began counting down at the time they said the charges would be armed.  "...5,
4, 3, 2, 1!"  He looked up.
     The explosion rocked the city, engulfing the coolant treatment plant in an 
angry display of fire and thunder, reducing it to a pile of twisted metal and 
jagged concrete in mere seconds.
     "YES!" Tolouse shouted, his voice drowned out by the din of the blast.  
"YES!" he shouted again, clapping his paws and howling with victory.

     "ALL RIGHT!" Sally shouted and grabbed Sonic in a victory hug, a lovely 
sight silhouetted by the fire consuming what was left of the plant.
     Bunnie giggled.  "Ah don't mean to interrupt y'all, Sugarhog, but we need 
to be gettin' out of here!"
     Sonic chuckled.  Sally regained her composure (after giving Sonic a quick 
kiss) and spoke into the com-link.  "Tolouse?"

     Tolouse pulled out his com-link.  "Yes, Sally?"  They could hear the 
excitement in each other's voices.
     "We did it.  Meet us over by the building rubble on the northern side of 
the plant."
     "I'm on my way."  He gave a quick look around, and left his hiding place, 
cautiously making his way down the streets toward the rubble, eyes continually 
going back to the demolishment of the plant.  It was while he was looking at the
destruction when he ran into something, or rather somebody, and both he and this
other figure fell to the ground.  Tolouse immediately looked for a hiding place,
but then he noticed what he had run into.  It was a fox!
     "W-who are you?" this other fox said.
     Tolouse was about to ask the same thing.  The two foxes studied each other 
for quite some time when the com-link broke their concentration.
     "Tolouse, are you okay?  Where are you?"
     Tolouse, still keeping his eyes on the other fox, took out the com-link.  
"I'm okay, Sally.  I'm coming."  He holstered the com-link and said, "We can't 
stay here.  Come on."  He motioned for the other fox to follow him.
     As the two made their way to where the others were, Tolouse said, "My name 
is Tolouse.  What's yours?"
     The other fox was silent for a moment before finally saying, "Todd."
     "And what are you doing here in Robotropolis?"
     Todd shrugged and then said, "Well, what are you doing here?"
     Tolouse was thinking about what to say when he heard a new sound.  Looking 
back, they saw a fleet of hovercraft heading towards the remains of the coolant 
treatment plant.  "We better get out of here!"
     Tolouse ran the rest of the way, with Todd following.  They soon reached 
the rubble, where the others were hiding.

     "Here he comes!"  Sonic said.  "And...he's got somebody with him!"
     Sally and Bunnie looked as well.  Tolouse was running towards them, with 
another fox running along behind him.  "I wonder who that is," Sally said.
     Tolouse was soon there, and he spoke.  "Hey.  We need to get out of here.  
There are a bunch of hovercraft coming.  Oh, this is Todd."
     Todd gave a small wave, but kept quiet.  Sally studied this new arrival, 
but not for long.  "Hello Todd."  Addressing everybody, she said, "Okay, let's 
get back to Knothole."  And they began making there way back to the city limits,
where they could safely hide in the junkyards as Sonic transported them home.
     As they left the city, Todd said only one more thing.  "Knothole?"  There 
was a look of hope in his eyes.


     The group was soon back home in Knothole, and they all went to Sally's hut 
to congratulate each other, and to become acquainted with Knothole's newcomer.
     Todd's spirits had lifted when he entered Knothole, and he was looking 
excitedly around, taking it all in.  He still wasn't saying much, though, and 
Sally decided to prompt him.
     "So, tell us about yourself, Todd," she said.
     Todd looked at her and shrugged, saying, "I've just always wanted to find 
this place and meet you all.  I've heard a lot about you."
     Sally smiled.  "Well thank you, Todd, but that doesn't tell us much about 
you.  Where are you from?  How did you know about us?"
     "Yeah," Sonic chimed in, "and what were you doing all alone back in 
Robo-ville?  That's not a way to easy living, you know!"
     Todd sighed and looked away from them.  "It's a long story."
     "Hey!  We got time," Sonic said, and the others nodded in agreement.
     Todd turned around, his face looking weary, having lost some of the 
enthusiasm.  "Okay."  He looked for a place to sit, and did so.  "Should I start
at the beginning?"
     "That's usually the best place."
     Todd nodded.

     "I used to live in a small village close to the edge of the Great Forest, 
north of what I guess used to be Mobotropolis.  It was just me and my mother, 
because my father had disappeared when I was real young.  I don't really 
remember too much about it, I just know that I was happy and my Mom loved me.  
And then...that day...it was my sixth birthday, no less..."

     Todd's mind went back to that fateful day nearly a decade ago: the day of 
the coup.  After taking over the city, Robotnik's forces, with Packbell in 
command, quickly spread all over the northern continent, enslaving the 
populations of every city and village they could find.  It was Packbell himself 
who had seen to the areas surrounding Mobotropolis, including the Great Forest, 
and Todd's village...

     Cammy held her young son close to her.  She, her son, and the rest of the 
villagers (those who had survived the raid) were in a hovercraft, being taken to
somewhere in the newly rechristened Robotropolis.  There was no sound, save the 
whine of the hovercraft's motors and the occasional sob from somewhere within.  
The raid had been very quick, and in under ten minutes all the villagers had 
either been forced into the hovercraft, or were dead.  Now, they were being 
taken away, and none of them had any idea where.  Cammy cradled her son, trying 
to shield him from the fear that was tearing her apart.
     Todd, having no idea what was going on, buried himself in his mother's 
chest fur, not wanting to look out.  What was supposed to be a day of 
celebration for him had turned upside down, and now, all he felt was fear.  He 
cried, and Cammy held him tighter.
     Eventually, the hovercraft stopped, and the villagers were hoarded out of 
it and soon found themselves in a wide open room, housing nothing but a raised 
podium.  There they were made to wait, as if dared to imagine what their unknown
fates were.  And then, Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his android commander entered the 
room.  Robotnik stepped up to the podium and Packbell stood by his side, laser 
rifle in hand.
     "Citizens of Mobius," Robotnik began, "I am sure you are all quite confused
and curious about what is going on here."  He chuckled.  "It is all very simple 
really.  I, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, formerly known to you all as Julian, Minister of 
War, have decided that his majesty King Acorn is unworthy to rule, and therefore
I have...persuaded him to step down and allow me to take his place.  Now, what 
does this mean to you all?"  He paused, looking around at the frightened faces, 
grinning with evil pleasure.  "I am pleased to tell you that your lives will 
become much easier to live.  No longer will you be burdened with the uncertainty
of deciding what to do with yourselves.  Gone will be the regrets of having 
taken the wrong steps in life.   Thanks to modern technology, something that 
King Acorn never had an appropriate appreciaton for, you will be sent through a 
process called 'roboticization', where you will become living robots, existing 
only to serve my purposes."  Robotnik could still see fear in the faces in the 
room, but he also noticed disbelief and anger in a few as well.  That will 
change, he thought.  "Perhaps some of you have not heard about the work of Sir 
Charles Hedgehog and do not believe that such a thing is possible.  In that 
case, let us go ahead and demonstrate this remarkable technology to you all.  
Packbell."
     The android nodded in reply, and motioned to the Swat-Bots at the edge of 
the room.  Soon, the crowd was escorted out of the room and deeper into the 
building, finally coming to a room not quite as big as the one before, dominated
by machinery surrounding a huge glass cylinder.  Robotnik rubbed his hands 
together in gleeful anticipation.  "Now, citizens, who wants to be the first 
volunteer?"  His eyes slowly scanned the room, finally resting on a trembling 
female squirrel near the far edge of the crowd.  "You.  Swat-Bots, bring her 
here."
     The young squirrel shrieked in terror, but Robotnik seemed deaf to it as 
the Swat-Bots literally dragged her from the crowd up to the glass cylinder.  
Robotnik pressed a button, and the cylinder slowly raised, allowing the 
Swat-Bots to place her on the pad the cylinder had surrounded.  Before she could
react, the cylinder slid down again, imprisoning her inside, her screams no 
longer heard outside the encasement.  Robotnik pressed another button, and a 
steady whine gradually increased in volume.  The roboticizer was charging.  
"Now," he said slowly, deeply, "watch carefully."
     The crowd was taken completely by surprise as the squirrel was suddenly 
engulfed in a searing yellow light, and they gasped in horror as she transformed
right before their eyes.  Fur and skin became metal.  Eyes glowed red.  Her 
arms, which had been pounding against the cylinder in panic, ceased their 
movement and hung loosely at her sides.  Finally, it was over, and the cylinder 
slid up again, revealing a robot where a living squirrel had once been.  
Somebody screamed.  Somebody else fainted.  Cammy clutched Todd even tighter, a 
tear wetting her cheek fur.  
     Robotnik only smiled.  "The process is a quick one, as you see, and it is 
not specific to gender, age, or species.  Remarkable, is it not?  Now, who will 
be next?"  Once again he made a point of looking around slowly, until finally he
chose a male fox, not much older than a kit, being held in his mother's arms.  
"You."
     "NO!!" Cammy screamed, holding Todd away from the Swat-Bots' reach.  "I 
won't let you!  He's just a child!"
     Robotnik slowly walked over to her and glared, emphasizing every syllable 
as he stated, "There is nothing to gain from resistance, for you will be 
roboticized as well.  Now.  Give - him - to - me!"
     Cammy shouted her denial again and then, in her panic and anger, the 
vulpine instincts of her ancestors took over, and she clamped her muzzle down on
Robotnik's arm.  Todd fell out of her arms and quickly ran behind her, only to 
be roughly picked up and held by the Swat-Bots.
     Robotnik howled in pain and surprise, but Packbell was swift, rushing over 
and forcefully removing her from his arm.  Robotnik doubled over, his other arm 
clutching the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.  But then, he looked 
back up, and slowly began walking over to where Packbell was holding her.  He 
stopped in front of her, doing nothing but glaring at her for one long minute.  
Then, he seized her out of Packbell's grasp, one hand getting a firm grip on her
neck.  He turned and looked at Todd.  "Say goodbye, young fox."  Anger burned in
his eyes as he tightened his grip until...
     *SNAP*
     "MOMMY!!"  Todd cried out.  He struggled against the Swat-Bots and somehow 
found himself freed from their clutches.  Todd wanted to run to his mother, but 
in one quick second he looked at her, he looked up at Robotnik, and something 
inside him took over.  He found himself bolting for the doorway, running as fast
as he could.
     Almost instantly Packbell had the laser rifle aimed, but before he could 
fire, Robotnik pushed it down.  "Let him go," he said.  "He will learn his 
lesson soon enough.  He'll never make it out of the city alive."  He dropped 
Cammy's lifeless body to the floor, and glared at the remainder of the crowd.  
"Packbell, see to it that the rest of these prisoners are processed smoothly, 
using any means necessary.  Swat-Bots," he pointed to Cammy, "see to that."  He 
turned and walked out of the room, holding his wounded arm.
     Robotnik had been wrong.  Todd, by nothing short of a miracle, had managed 
to find his way out of Robotropolis.  It was a small victory, however.  He was 
now completely on his own, and he had not the slightest idea where he could go 
or even what he needed to do to stay alive...

     Todd paused.  It was difficult to continue.  "I don't remember what 
happened right after that too well.  I was in the Great Unknown somewhere, 
half-dead when I was found by a group of travellers also escaping Robotnik.  I 
was with them for several years after that, as we wandered all over, trying to 
stay away from the patrols.  One of them, a wolf named Sebastian, was a master 
of many martial arts, and the others had looked to him as their leader.  He 
liked me and trained me to fight.  We lived as best we could, hiding where we 
could, and constantly moving so Robotnik wouldn't be able to trap us.  And then 
one day, a few months ago, we met up with another group of travellers.  They had
a storyteller with them, and that night we all sat around a fire listening to 
him.  One of his stories was about a village somewhere in the Great Forest, 
where a hedgehog who could move faster than sound led a group of animals in 
fights against Robotnik."  Todd smiled.  "You guys."
     "Whoa!" Sonic said.  "Ya hear that, Sal?  They're already writing stories 
about us!"
     Sally merely rolled her eyes, chuckling.
     Todd continued.  "Soon after that I decided to leave, and I found my way 
back to the Great Forest.  I wanted to find you guys, to meet those who were 
actually putting up a fight against Robotnik, and maybe..."  His voice trailed 
off, but that look of hope was again in his eyes.
     Sally was pretty sure what he was about to say, but there was still one 
unanswered question.  "So, Todd, what were you doing in Robotropolis?"
     Todd looked down.  "I had wandered all over the Great Forest looking for 
this place, but I never found it.  And then, this morning, I found myself near 
the edge of the forest, looking at the city.  I thought about what Robotnik did 
to my mother..."  He hesitated.  "I just wanted to find something, anything I 
could do to hurt him."
     Sally shook her head.  "You wouldn't be able to do anything, alone like 
that.  You're very lucky you weren't captured and roboticized."
     Todd shrugged.
     Sonic tried to cheer him up.  "Well, you're here now, bud!  Come on, we're 
gonna have us a party tonight!"  He turned to the others and threw his fist in 
the air.  "We did it!"

     That night, the Freedom Fighters and most of the villagers sat around a 
campfire.  Sonic was telling the story of their mission with his usual bravado, 
receiving gasps of astonishment from many, as well as the occasional snicker 
from those who had been with him.  Todd was there as well, and he had been 
introduced to many of Knothole's residents, and his spirits were high.  He had 
finally found Knothole.  Did he finally have a place to call home?  More 
importantly, he thought:

     Will I finally be able to pay Robotnik back?


     At the time that Sonic and the others were returning to Knothole, sounds of
destruction could be heard within the Robotropolis Command Center.
     "SNIVELY!" Robotnik's voice boomed across the room.  "TELL ME!"  He grabbed
his nephew by the collar and picked him up to look at him face to face.  "YOU 
TELL ME!  HOW COULD THEY HAVE DONE IT?!  HOW??!!"
     Because of you! Snively wanted to shout at him.  You should have foreseen 
this and increased security at the plant the very day that freedom fighter was 
captured!  Don't whine to me about something that is completely your fault, 
*sir*!
     But out loud, Snively only said, "I am looking into it, sir."
     Robotnik held him there for a moment longer before finally releasing 
him...by tossing him into a nearby wall.  He turned to say something more, but 
then turned back around and sat in his command chair, tapping his fingers, 
leaving Snively to glare at his back.
     From the entranceway, Packbell stood, watching all this.  Packbell always 
enjoyed tormenting Snively, and he would have been enjoying the abuse Robotnik 
was dealing Snively now, were it not for the circumstances.  Packbell had come 
to the same conclusion that Snively had:  The loss of the coolant treatment 
plant was the result of Robotnik's short-sightedness.  The fool had made yet 
another mistake, he thought.  Only this time, we're all paying for it.  He 
turned and walked away, making his way to his private quarters.

     It is time for a new plan of action.

* * *

     Late that night, Packbell sat at his workstation.  File after file appeared
on the screen as Packbell called them up, as if at random.  He wasn't really 
reading them, though.  His mind was elsewhere.
     How to stop the Freedom Fighters?  Too many times they have gotten away, he
thought, and though Robotnik's poor strategy has a lot to do with it, there's 
something about them that seems to give them the upper hand.  What?
     Packbell thought hard, working on theories.  It couldn't just be the desire
to overthrow Robotnik.  Packbell had easily dealt with such ambitious people in 
the past.  He didn't think it was just their talents, either.  Sure, things like
Sonic's speed, Sally's cunning, and Bunnie's strength were all important 
factors, but again, it wasn't anything that Packbell felt he couldn't handle.  
Then what was it?
     Packbell's eyes focused on the screen, and he found himself looking at a 
file detailing one of Robotnik's excursions from a few months ago.  Robotnik had
succeeded in kidnapping Sally and Tails, but instead of dealing with them in a 
timely manner, he had simply held them in the hopes of trapping Sonic as well.  
Sonic had appeared, but only to succeed in rescuing them, not to be captured.  
Yet another example of Robotnik's superb planning, Packbell thought 
sarcastically.  The same could be said about what had happened recently.  
Robotnik's desire to "play" with the Freedom Fighter they had captured had only 
resulted in his being rescued by Sonic.  If only Robotnik wouldn't insist on 
putting off what needed to be done *when* it needed to be done...
     Suddenly, it hit him.  That's it!  That's what kept the Freedom Fighters 
going strong.  Comradery.  They were always there for each other.  Whenever one 
of them was in danger, the others always tried to help in any way possible, and 
usually (again thanks to Robotnik, he thought darkly) there was such a way.  
Now, how would they react if they couldn't pull off such a rescue?  Not just 
anybody of course, as Robotnik's forces had captured and roboticized Knothole 
citizens before, but one of the main group.  Yes, he thought, what would happen 
to their precious egos if they watched one of their own die, slowly, painfully, 
knowing there was absolutely nothing they could do to help?  An evil smile came 
to his face.  An excellent idea, he told himself.  Now, who should it be?  
Sonic?  No; although the lack of Sonic's speed would certainly hurt them, they 
would probably use his death as a reason to band together and fight that much 
harder.  Sally?  No, for the same reason.  His mind went over each name, 
dismissing them for one reason or another until finally he thought of:  Tails.  
Yes, Tails, the young fox who was always looking up to the Freedom Fighters.  To
see their young friend vanquished before their very eyes...  Packbell began to 
chuckle.  It was almost too perfect.  With Tails' death weighing on their minds,
he was certain their morale would be destroyed.  And soon after, so would they.
     Packbell typed in a set of commands, and the information that the computer 
had on Tails appeared on the screen, including a picture.
     "You are my key," Packbell said to image on the screen, "to disposing of 
the Freedom Fighters once and for all!"

[To be continued]