Shadows of Deceit
by DragonKnight

Copyright Notice: All original Sonic the Hedgehog characters are 
property of SEGA and based upon the Saturday AM cartoon on ABC.  Other 
characters may come from the video games or the Archie comic books.  The 
AI SWATbots are the original creation of Robert Brown and Francis 
Tolbert.  All original characters are of my creation and idea and 
require written permission before usage.  You are permitted to print of 
one (1) copy for personal use and do not attempt to make a profit from 
it.  You may make changes under the condition that it does not affect 
the story as a whole.

Author's Note: Well, I did say I'd _try_ to keep them shorter.  At least 
this isn't too much longer than the previous one.  
	Since I had to find some way to keep up the momentum from the 
cliffhanger from the last one so this story contains more fighting than 
most of the others.  Most of it is brief and not too detailed, mainly to 
keep length down but also to not water down the story.  I'm hoping to 
have more coming soon but finals are fast approaching, as are many other 
tests and papers.  Well, with that said, Enjoy!

WARNING!!  May contain graphic description, mild language and violence.  
You have been warned.


	Sonic has abandoned the Freedom Fighters, but is this for personal 
vengeance or does he have something up his sleeve?  Elsewhere on Mobius, 
a much darker force sets its sights upon the Freedom Fighter's plight...

Cast of Characters:

??????????
??????????
??????????
Venusia Delilah Azosar***
"Brother Arias" Azosar***
Gedic Azosar***
Antoine D'Coolette
Aurora 03***
Sally Alicia Acorn
Miles "Tails" Prower
Amy Rose
Bunnie Rabbot
Kinos the Enslaver***
Sonic Hedgehog
Dr. Adrian Osaka***
Magus, Spirit of the Magi***
Knuckles Echidna
Dulcy
Shadow the Hedgehog
Commander Eric Hedgehog***
Lupe
Ari
??????????


	The meeting room laid in darkness, silent and unused.  The door 
slid open allowing a bright light to shine through the interior as six 
figures entered the room.  They all sat along the sides of the table 
while one sat at the head in a throne-like chair.  They sat in the 
partial darkness waiting for the man in the head chair to begin.
	"What is the current status of our empire?" he finally asked as he 
brushed his silver hair out of his face.
	"We have expanded twofold in the last year alone brother," a 
muffled male voice said.  "Xenodome and its provinces are falling to us 
more easily than we could have ever hoped."
	"And what of Ivo's reports from Robotropolis?"
	"Nothing big brother," a feminine voice answered.  "We haven't 
heard anything from him in over a year."  This yielded a displeased 
sigh.
	"Do we know why?" he asked.  She shook her head.
	"About six months ago production in the city changed drastically," 
she said.  "We also detected that some sort of barrier was put around 
the city, though we don't know for certain why."
	"What about recently?" he asked.  The woman tapped a couple 
buttons on a pad she was carrying.  A hologram of the giant Sonic-statue 
Knuckles had created appeared in the middle of the table.
	"Just this," she said.  "One moment there was nothing then this 
thing came rushing up out of the ground."
	"Looks like that hedgehog little Ivo was having trouble with," 
another male voice said mockingly as a low growl emitted from underneath 
the table.  "Still, how did he make something that big that fast?"  The 
woman shook her head again.
	"Again, I don't know," she admitted.  "There was some activity a 
few days before that but we couldn't see anything due to the blizzard.  
We picked up some energy spikes, some explosions but that's pretty much 
the extent of it."
	"How is Ivo having this much trouble with some ragtag rebels?" 
another male voice asked, this one with a higher pitch.
	"We all know that he would rather build a machine to do his dirty 
work than do it himself," the only other female said pushing her glasses 
up.  "That and he's probably too stupid to find their base.  I still 
don't know why you entrusted him with this task brother."
	"Perhaps I overestimated his usefulness," the silver-haired man 
admitted.  "Venusia, I want you to attend to this matter yourself.  Find 
out why Ivo has not been sending us his monthly reports.  If he does not 
give a satisfying answer, kill him."  The woman stood up and bowed.
	"As you wish Brother Arias," Venusia said.  "I will leave 
immediately."  With that she turned on her heel and left the room.
	"As for the rest of you," Arias said narrowing his eyes, "continue 
applying pressure to the Xenodonian bases until they fall."  The rest of 
them stood and bowed, just as Venusia had.
	"As you wish Brother Arias," they said in unison.
	"For the glory of Azosar," Arias said.
	"For the glory of Azosar."  With that they left leaving Arias by 
himself.  He stood up and stretched.
	"I suppose I should see exactly what these 'Freedom Fighters' are 
like for myself," he said smiling.  He walked out and that door slid 
shut behind him, blanketing the room once more in darkness.
	Antoine looked through his binoculars into the city.  Kinos had 
been quiet the last few days, giving them a much needed raid on his 
supplies.  While what they had gotten from Cherrywood had helped a great 
deal they were still undergoing a severe shortage of food and general 
supplies.  He lowered them and looked around.  Somewhere within a 
hundred feet of him was Aurora 03.  She was determined to set up a 
sniper's nest and wouldn't be convinced otherwise.  He wasn't sure if 
all this was a good sign or not.  He looked through again and saw Sally 
run through the city at top speed.  Tails, Amy and Bunnie were right 
behind her.  They snuck into the warehouse completely unhindered.  
Antoine sighed quietly, relieved.
	"Something seem wrong here?" Aurora's voice sounded through his 
earpiece.
	"Yes it does," he replied quietly.  "However, as long as Kinos or 
SWATbots don't interfere I won't complain.  Keep your eyes peeled just 
in case though."
	"Roger that," she said and there was silence once more.  Some time 
passed and the four of them finally emerged each carrying a crate.  They 
continued with no interference all the way to the city limits, both 
unnerving and pleasing Antoine.
	"We're in the clear sugah," Bunnie said as they entered the 
forest.  "We'll see y'all back in Knothole."
	"Good work everyone," Antoine said putting his things into his 
backpack.  Aurora landed next to him, a sniper rifle slung over her 
shoulder.  She looked bored.  Then again, she always seemed that way.  
"A little advice," he said switching off his communicator, "you should 
probably work on your facial expressions more."  She raised an eyebrow.
	"What do you mean?" she asked clueless.  Antoine opened his mouth 
to respond but decided against it.  They headed back for the chute, 
unaware of the spy orb floating above them.
	Kinos and Sonic stared at the computer screen watching Antoine and 
Aurora.  "Are you sure about this?" Kinos asked looking at his 
counterpart.  "Making them work for this stuff is one thing, but just 
handing it to them?"
	"They were prepared for something to go wrong," Sonic replied 
pointing at Aurora.  "See her?  She's an expert marksman.  If you had 
sent 'bots after them she would have shot them down before they could 
get anywhere near their target."
	"Mind telling me who she is?" Kinos asked still staring at the 
gray squirrel.  "I feel as if I know her."
	"I doubt it," Sonic lied thinking carefully.  "She came to us a 
couple weeks back.  She mentioned something about being a member of some 
sort of 'Special Forces' though she had no way to prove it."
	"Her appearance matches that of the hologram for Unit 03," Kinos 
replied watching Sonic's reaction.  Sonic turned to the nanobot unfazed.
	"Coincidence?" he asked shrugging.  "It wouldn't be that odd 
really.  I'm pretty confident that there's another blue hedgehog out 
there somewhere."
	"Whatever," Kinos said dropping the subject.  "Now, what about 
these other Freedom Fighter bases you were talking about?"
	"If you want Knothole you need to get rid of them first," Sonic 
said hitting a few buttons on the console.  "Where's that blasted map?  
Ah, there it is."  A map of Robotropolis and the surrounding Great 
Forest appeared on one of the monitors.  Small red dots appeared over 
the Great Forest and into some of the lands beyond.  "Knothole is 
protected by the other villages.  They send out a distress call that 
they're under attack, the villages all rush to Knothole's aid.  But they 
can't do that if they're gone."
	"Raid the other bases so Knothole is left alone," Kinos commented 
sitting down in the command chair.  "What about the prisoners?"
	"Hold them captive," Sonic suggested leaning back on the console.  
"Knothole is working on a deroboticizer so it won't do any good to 
roboticize them.  Killing them will only invoke the wrath of every 
Freedom Fighter group, causing them to attack en masse."
	"But they'll just break them out if we hold them prisoner," Kinos 
pointed out hoping Sonic had a plan.  Sonic nodded.
	"Normally, yes," he replied.  "But what if by the time they found 
out it was too late?"
	"I don't follow."
	"What if you created an elite group of Aries that was designed to 
rush in and take over a village before word of the attack got out?  Then 
the Freedom Fighters would be none the wiser," Sonic explained smiling.
	"And this group would need an intricate understanding of how 
Freedom Fighters think," Kinos replied narrowing his eyes.  "Let me 
guess, you would be in charge?"  Sonic shrugged.
	"If you want," he said still smiling.  "Even with AI they won't be 
able to think like Mobians.  You can trust me on this; I know what I'm 
doing."  Kinos was quiet for a moment and then returned Sonic's smile.
	"How many would you need?" he asked intertwining his fingers.
	"Nine," Sonic answered and handed Kinos a slip of paper.  "I took 
some time to think about what they should look like and what they should 
be able to do.  Just in case."  Kinos took it, looking over it.
	"And I thought I was evil," he said laughing lightly.  "It should 
only take a week or so for all of them to be finished once I finish the 
adjustments.  In the meantime what should we do?"
	"Continue to let the Freedom Fighters have successful raids," 
Sonic answered.  "I need to keep up appearances with them in the mean 
time, at least long enough to keep my cover here."  Kinos nodded.
	"Do what you have to do," he said typing in a command on the 
chair's arm.  "I'll get started here."
	Sally, Bunnie, Antoine, Tails, and Amy waited at the end of the 
chute for Aurora to come out.  They heard a yell from somewhere in the 
chute and the squirrel was launched out, past the hay pile and through 
Dr. Osaka's window.  There was a lot of crashing, some yelping, but 
mostly yelling.
	"What in the Maker's name?!" Dr. Osaka yelled as he and Aurora 
exited his hit.  "Ever think of _not_ aiming for my window?"
	"First time in the chute," Aurora apologized.  "I must have gotten 
more momentum than I thought."  Osaka started as if he wanted to 
respond, turned to the massive hole in his hut and stormed back in 
exasperated.  "What?  You said you wanted a better view."
	"That's not what I meant!" he yelled sticking his head out the 
hole.  "How am I supposed to sleep with this here?  It'll take me weeks 
to fix this."
	"I could-"
	"No, you've done enough damage," he interrupted her.  "And the 
five of you can stop snickering now."  Aurora turned to the others who 
were obviously suppressing laughter.  Osaka sighed and disappeared from 
sight, muttering under his breath.  The six of them returned to the War 
Room and broke into fits of laughter.  After a few minutes they finally 
calmed down enough to hold an actual meeting, though most of them were 
still giggling.
	"That was good," Sally said wiping a tear from her eye.  "I 
haven't laughed that hard in years."
	"You remember that time sugarhog licked a pole in the city during 
the winter?" Bunnie reminded her.  Sally had to stop herself from 
laughing too hard.
	"We were laughing too hard to help him get it off," she giggled.  
"He almost killed us for that one."  They finally calmed down and looked 
at each other.
	"So, how did we do?" Antoine asked clearing his throat.
	"We got enough foodstuffs to last us a month," Amy said still 
giggling.  "There were some medical supplies but other than that, 
nothing."
	"Did anyone else think it odd that Kinos didn't even try to stop 
us?" Tails asked curiously.
	"It either means he's planning something and was too busy to see 
us or he's got his 'bots going after something big," Sally answered.  
"Either way we go it's not good.  Without Sonic here to help us figure 
out how he thinks we're pretty much in the dark."  She winced mentally 
as she remembered the circumstances of his departure.  The cut he had 
given her had healed perfectly, so she had thought.  The morning after 
he had left she had awoken with a scar where the cut had been.  No 
matter how many times she healed it it wouldn't go away.
	"Any word from sugarhog yet Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked trying to 
distract her friend's thoughts.  Sally looked around and shook her head.
	"Nothing," she said disappointed.  "I don't think he'll go too 
long without-"
	She was interrupted by Nicole beeping.  She pulled her out and 
opened up the handheld computer.  "Receiving message Sally," Nicole 
said.  "Sender is Sonic Hedgehog, location: Robotropolis."  They all 
looked at each other concerned.
	"Display message Nicole," she said setting her on the table.  An 
image of Sonic's head came up over her.  He was in a small room by 
himself.  He looked tired, like he'd been up for several days straight.
	"Good to see you guys again," he said.  "I wasn't even sure you'd 
even respond."
	"And why wouldn't we?" Antoine asked curiously.  Sonic looked 
around but could only see Sally's face.
	"Alright, who all is there?" he asked slightly unnerved.
	"Myself, Antoine, Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Aurora," Sally replied 
staring him down.  "And why, might I ask, are you calling from 
Robotropolis?"
	"I'm using one of Uncle Chuck's old bases," he explained.  "It was 
the most convenient place that I could think of.  Speaking of, any word 
on when he's coming back?"
	"He's not," Sally replied smiling.  "He and Dr. Rose got the 
Deroboticizer working just before you left.  We've been monitoring his 
progress and so far so good."
	"So that means Bunnie..."
	"Already tried sugarhog," Bunnie said sighing.  "For some reason 
since I'm only partially roboticized it didn't work again.  For a few 
hours I was normal and then I reverted again."
	"Keep trying," Sonic encouraged her.  "Anyway, it turns out that 
Kinos is up to something big.  It's so big that he has almost every 
SWATbot in the city guarding it."
	"That explains a lot," Tails muttered.  "But what is it?"  Sonic 
shook his head.
	"I don't know," he answered.  "Stealth isn't my specialty, nor is 
getting captured high on my list.  I'll have to try and get into his 
computer network."
	"How?" Sally asked.  "You're terrible with computers.  You're 
lucky if you can find the 'on' button."  Sonic's looked at her 
disappointed.
	"Thanks for the vote of confidence Sal," he said.  "For your 
information I have some...help."
	"That explains why Dr. Osaka can't find his computer," Aurora 03 
commented.  "Though if you suck at stealth how'd you pull that one off?"
	"Very carefully," Sonic said clearing his throat.  "I'd appreciate 
if you didn't say anything to him.  I know he and Aurora have some 
history together and I'm pretty sure he'd be ticked if he knew I 
borrowed her."
	"Under the circumstances I think he'd understand," Aurora 03 
assured him.  Sonic's face relaxed and he took a deep breath.
	"I just wanted to check in with you guys," he said.  "I'll let you 
know the moment I find anything else out."
	"Be careful Sonic," Amy said.  "Sally won't forgive you if you get 
hurt."  Sally stared opened-mouthed at the pink hedgehog.  While it was 
true she was supposed to say that!  Sonic chuckled.
	"Don't I know it?  Later."  With that the hologram vanished 
leaving the room silent.
	Sonic leaned back in the chair.  He had pulled all of that out of 
thin air, though he was more surprised they had bought it.  Kinos 
wouldn't be patient for too much longer though.  But the longer he held 
out the better chances this plan had of working.
	"You're starting to regret this plan of action," Aurora said 
pulling him out of his thoughts.
	"Don't worry about it," he replied curtly.  "Were you able to get 
it?"
	"Indeed I was," Aurora answered.  "Sally and Nicole had managed to 
translate most of it, though it's all gibberish."  She displayed the 
file on Uncle Chuck's computer and Sonic just stared at it.  It was the 
scan Sally had taken of the Temple of the Magi and Aurora was right: It 
was gibberish right now.
	"There has to be some reason why it's like this," Sonic said 
scratching his head.  "Is there something missing?"
	"I pulled the scan of the actual room as well," Aurora said and 
pulled it up.  There was a single darkened area in the shape of a door.
	"Right there!" Sonic said pointing at it.  "I'd be willing to bet 
that the blank spot there is where the wind door was open."
	"So how do we fill it in?" she asked as Sonic unhooked her from 
the computer.
	"Simple," he answered hooking her on his pants.  "We ask Magus."
	In a matter of minutes Sonic found himself in the Temple of the 
Magi once more.  He looked around him, seeing that Sylvanix had been 
right.  Two more doors were open, the Earth and Fire doors.  That only 
left Water, Light, and Lightning.  He only hoped that there would be 
enough time to prepare before Ragnarök was upon them.  Before he could 
say anything Magus appeared from the Wind door with a curious expression 
on his face.
	"I was wondering when I'd see you again Wind Guardian," the 
ghostly hedgehog said.  For the first time Sonic noticed that Magus had 
two tails rather than one.  That was odd but he'd ask about it later.  
"Mind explaining where you've been the last few months?"
	"Kinos has a way of interrupting my powers," Sonic explained 
briefly.  "I may have found a way to get him to turn if off though.  
Whether or not he'll agree to it I don't know but it can't hurt."  Magus 
looked at him surprised and shook his head.
	"I don't really want to know," he said.  "The last time I got 
involved in the affairs of the living it didn't end well.  So what 
brings you here?  I assume you came by for more than idle chatter."  
Sonic pointed all around them.
	"I came here to complete the scan that Sally took last time," he 
explained.  "Whether you left the wind door open on purpose or it was a 
mistake doesn't matter at this point, I need the rest of the runes to 
finish this."
	"From what I can tell there's a translation key hidden somewhere 
in the text, more than likely it's on the doors," Aurora chimed.  "A 
partial key is no good, I need the whole thing."  At the sound of her 
voice Magus looked around carefully.
	"Is there someone else here?" he asked.  Sonic sighed.
	"No, just, umm, my computer," he said picking his words carefully.  
Magus still looked confused but shrugged.  The wind door closed and 
Aurora immediately initiated the scan.  After a few seconds she stopped 
and whistled in a happy tune.
	"Got it!" she said.  "I compared it to the other doors and it 
doesn't match them.  I was right about the key though, starting the 
translation."
	"Interesting," Magus admitted once Aurora quieted down.  "I've 
never seen a device quite like that."
	"It's no wonder," Sonic said smiling.  "You're how old?"
	"That has nothing to do with it."
	"Oh that's a load of crap."
	"Will you two shut up?!" Aurora yelled silencing both of them.  
"You're distracting me."
	"Feisty, isn't she?" Magus said chuckling.  Sonic sighed and 
looked at the ethereal hedgehog.
	"You have no idea," he muttered.  "Anyway, there was something 
else I wanted to ask you related to this.  Why didn't you just tell 
Sally what it meant?"
	"I was called away," Magus said quickly.  "I cannot ignore a 
summons, even if it is from the afterlife."
	"And I'm sure that Sally bought that," Sonic said unfazed.  Magus 
sighed.
	"So you caught me," he admitted.  "I would prefer that they find 
out what the ancient texts say for themselves.  I have interfered in 
this generation more than enough."
	"But with Ragnarök right around the corner..."  Magus nodded.
	"I have no choice but to interfere occasionally," he finished for 
Sonic.  "You must understand that it is more a survival tactic than 
anything else.  If Xiaxos is allowed to rule over Mobius it will not 
just be the living that suffer."
	"I know that much," Sonic said sighing.  "That's why I need to 
know if there's some way avoid the curse."  Magus blinked a couple times 
and then his eyes widened.
	"Are you mad?!" he asked angrily.  "The reason that technique was 
cursed in the first place was to prevent its misuse.  For you to simply 
want to use it..."
	"I don't have a choice!" Sonic snapped.  "If the worst case 
scenario comes up I'd rather be prepared than left in the dark."  They 
were both silent, the only sound in the room was Aurora running the 
translation.
	"Only if you can survive death will you break the curse," Magus 
said softly.  "Not before that though."
	"So it's hopeless?" Sonic half-asked already knowing the answer.  
Magus nodded.
	"You are not irreplaceable Sonic," the ghostly Magi said.  "It 
might take some time but Sylvanix can replace you.  Don't do anything 
rash."  With that the ancient hedgehog faded from view leaving Sonic 
alone.
	"Fat lot of good that did," he muttered.  "How's it coming?"
	"Faster if you stop interrupting and distracting me," the computer 
told him.  "I'm about ten percent done though, and it makes sense this 
time."
	"Keep it up," Sonic said walking to the tunnel.  "Time to let 
Kinos know what I told them, assuming he wasn't listening in anyway."
	Sally clipped Nicole back on her boot after Sonic's image 
disappeared.  He was hiding something, she wasn't sure what but she 
could always tell when he wasn't telling her the whole truth.
	"What do you think it might be?" Aurora 03 asked.  "Another wave 
of some new 'bot?"  Sally shook her head.
	"I think Kinos is trying to distract us," she said simply.  "This 
'big project' of his may just to be to take our focus away from 
something else."
	"Which would be...?" Amy asked.  Sally sighed and dropped her 
shoulders.
	"I have no clue," she admitted.
	"We'll wait for word from him until we head back to the city," 
Antoine said.  "We can't run the risk of Kinos getting the jump on us.  
Not right now anyway."  They all nodded and went back outside.  The 
weather had warmed up considerably.  Spring was just a few weeks away, 
though Sally had wished Sonic had stayed for...
	She pushed the thought from her mind as she entered her and 
Sonic's hut.  She sat on the bed and pulled the signet ring from the 
nightstand.  She let it fall over her fingers as she pondered what his 
real reason for leaving was.  She remembered the look in his eyes, that 
look of pure hate and bloodlust.  She shivered as the image returned.
	"Maybe that's why he left," she whispered.  "Maybe he can't 
control whatever that was and he didn't want us to get hurt.  No, he 
would've at least told me if that's what he was doing."  Sally stopped 
playing with the ring as another thought crossed her mind.
	"That can't be it then," she continued as her hand started 
shaking.  "Maybe he really did betray us and is just playing the part of 
the prodigal son.  No, what am I thinking?"  She fell back onto the bed 
and stared at the ceiling.  She didn't know what she was thinking 
because she didn't know what Sonic was trying to do.  She held her left 
hand up and looked at her engagement ring.  For the first time in her 
life she was doubting his true intentions.  She felt dirty, like she 
didn't deserve his love.  "What AM I thinking?" she muttered closing her 
eyes.  She tried remembering a relaxation technique that Bunnie had 
taught her.  She cleared her mind and imagined the most relaxing thing 
she could: Lying in an open field with no sound but the wind blowing 
through the grass.  She smiled at the calm it brought her.
	That's when she saw it.  The black clouds and yellow lightning, 
destroying or corrupting everything in their path.  She watched in 
horror as they drew closer and she could see a single being amidst all 
of it.  It was Sonic but his quills were jet black and he had a sinister 
aura about him.  His yellow irises were surrounded by black, focusing in 
on her like search lights.
	"You're afraid of me, aren't you?" he asked his empty voice 
unnerving her.  "Glad to see someone is at least."
	"Who...what are you?" she asked her breathing heavy.  He smiled, 
baring his fanglike teeth.
	"Isn't it obvious?" he replied.  "I'm Sonic.  At least, the way 
that Sonic should be."
	"What are you talking about?" Sally said.  "You're not Sonic, you 
can't be.  Sonic is a good person, not some demon."
	"Oh?  He's not?" the black Sonic said still smiling.  He stood 
face-to-face with Sally.  "Perhaps you don't know him as well as you 
think you do."  He gently brought his hand to her chin and started 
pulling her closer to him.  Horrified, she pushed him away before he 
could kiss her.
	Sally shot up from the bed, breathing quickly and in a cold sweat.  
She looked around.  She was still in her hut, there was no field, no 
evil Sonic.  She fell back again trying to calm her nerves.
	>What is it Sonic?< she thought.  >What are you trying to tell 
me?<
	A noise from outside pulled her from her thoughts and she went to 
window trying to see what was going on.  The villagers were flocking 
somewhere, and since she hadn't heard the emergency bell it was probably 
one of the watch towers.  She looked in the mirror and fixed her hair 
before heading out herself.  Neither Knuckles nor Dr. Osaka had left as 
they were both sitting outside the latter's hut.  Knuckles had his eyes 
closed and Sally could feel the power radiating off of him.  The chunks 
of rock and mud were wrapped in an orange light and were slowly being 
put back into Dr. Osaka's hut.  She stopped and watched him work, amazed 
at both his dexterity and patience.
	"Ah, Sally," Dr. Osaka said standing.  "As you can see Knuckles 
was kind enough to fix the hole that Aurora caused."
	"I thought you liked the view?" Sally asked playfully and the lynx 
scowled.  When Knuckles opened his eyes the wall was whole again as if 
nothing had happened to it.
	"There, all better," the red echidna said.  "Now, shall we see 
what's going on?"  They both nodded and they followed the flow of 
villagers to the border of the village.  There stood an immense human, 
standing over six feet tall, dressed in ragged clothes, even taller than 
Daryl had been.  His long silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail 
that hung down his back.  When he smiled Sally felt a giddy happiness 
fill her and would then be drawn to his eyes.  They were an unearthly 
shade of green, almost glowing.  He had a knapsack tied to his back, his 
only other possession being a walking stick.  Dr. Osaka froze when he 
saw him.
	>HIM!< he thought as memories from the end of the war came 
flooding back.  >What is HE doing here?!<
	"Are you okay doctor?" Knuckles asked.  Osaka shook his head 
quickly and then nodded.
	"I just thought...he looked familiar," he said.  They continued 
until they could hear the human speaking, his voice a deep sonorous 
bass.
	"...simply by mistake," they heard.  "I assure you, my intentions 
are peaceful."
	"You have not answered my question," Antoine said.  "How did you 
find Knothole?"  The human heaved a sigh.
	"For the tenth time, I'm a wanderer," he explained exasperated.  
"I found this place as I wandered.  I don't see what's so hard about 
that."
	"Have you found any other villages in this manner?" Antoine 
continued.  The human stopped to think.
	"Come to think of it, yes," he answered.  "If I remember right my 
greeting was more or less the same as it is now."
	"Then telling us your name might ring some bells."
	"It's Arias," Osaka yelled above the crowd
	Everyone turned to Osaka as he walked towards the human.  "I will 
vouch for him," he told them.  "We met briefly during the Great War.  He 
is who he says he is."  The villagers looked around nervously, unsure of 
what to do.  Antoine crossed his arms over his chest and stared intently 
at the lynx.
	"It will take more than your word alone doctor," he said finally.  
"We have had too many people just showing up in Knothole.  The 
possibility of there being a spy is almost a reality now."
	"If it will ease your minds," Arias said, "then I will gladly 
answer your questions in a much more relaxed atmosphere.  That is, 
unless you have a Being of Truth among you then I-"
	"That would be me!" Dulcy yelled flying above the crowd.  As she 
came in for a landing the villagers quickly dispersed and Osaka tackled 
Arias to the side.  "Whoa!"  Dulcy hit the ground skidding and collided 
head-first with a tree.  Arias sat up, watching Dulcy trying to shake 
the cobwebs from her brain.
	"I thought dragons were supposed to graceful creatures," he 
commented quietly.
	"There are exceptions to every rule," Osaka suggested.
	"I heard that!" Dulcy yelled flying over to them.  "You want my 
help or not?"  Osaka could see her chest expanding as she inhaled a huge 
amount of air.
	"Of course we do!" he said quickly holding his hands up.  "It's 
just that, uh, Arias has only heard tales of dragons.  You know how 
legends and tales exaggerate everything."  Dulcy only inhaled faster on 
hearing this.
	"We're dead aren't we?" Arias asked staring at her.
	"More than likely," Osaka said.  "Well, nice meeting you."  
Without warning Dulcy gently released her breath and craned her neck 
towards the two of them, smiling.
	"I'll let you off this one time doc," she said pleasantly.  "Just 
this once."  She helped the two of them up and they brushed themselves 
off.  "Now, what did you need me for?"
	"I need someone to confirm my story for the others here," Arias 
said motioning towards Antoine, who stared indignantly at him.  "That 
is, if you don't mind."  He gently lifted up her hand and kissed the top 
of it.  Dulcy's face turned bright red and her eyelids fluttered.
	"Oh my," she said quickly clearing her throat.  "I think I can do 
that."  She nodded to him after he let go of her hand.  "Whenever you're 
ready darling."
	"My name is Arias," he stated loud enough for the whole village to 
hear.  "I am a traveler, seeking nothing but to peddle goods and 
supplies and to bring news of the world outside of the Forcacia (For-ca-
see-ah) Forest."  The villagers looked at each other at the name of the 
forest, not recognizing it.  "I came upon this village by accident; I 
had no prior knowledge of it.  I come in peace and mean no harm."  When 
he finished he looked to Dulcy, whose face was scrunched up.
	"This is...different," she said finally tilting her head to the 
side.  "I can't tell whether you're being honest or not."  A shocked 
gasp came up from the crowd and Antoine immediately silenced them.
	"What now Arias?" he asked the human.  Without hesitating the 
human knelt on one knee before Antoine.
	"Am I to assume you are the leader of this village?" he asked his 
head bowed.  Antoine hesitated and then nodded.  "Then I submit myself 
to your judgment and will accept whatever sentence you bestow upon me."  
Antoine took a step back at the offer.  He regained his composure and 
thought about what Arias had told Dulcy.  He called Bunnie and Sally 
over to him.
	"I think that we can trust him for the time being," he told the 
two ladies.  "He told Dulcy what we wanted to know under the assumption 
that she would know if he was lying.  There's no way that he could make 
her unable to read his words."  Bunnie nodded but Sally seemed unsure.
	"I just don't buy it," she said looking at him.  Everything about 
him seemed too perfect, too good.  "How is it in the last few months 
we've had three people find their way to Knothole?  Knuckles I can 
understand since he's a Guardian, but both Aurora and this guy just 
'happened' to stumble upon our village.  Next thing you know Kinos will 
stopping in for a visit."  The other two were silent.  "Don't get me 
wrong," she continued with a sigh, "I want to believe him.  It just 
seems too suspicious."
	"I was hoping one of you would say it," Antoine said with a smirk.  
"Let us give him a chance.  Perhaps by listening to what he has to say 
will allay some of our fears."  Sally nodded and Antoine turned to face 
the human.  "Arias, we will allow you to remain here for now," he told 
him.  "I must ask that you do not attempt to leave here in that time, 
nor should you send any sort of message."  The human nodded and rose to 
his full height.  Antoine stood there looking up at him unintimidated.
	"Thank you," he said bowing slightly at the waist.  "Might I ask 
where I can store my wares?"
	"There is an empty hut over there you may use," Antoine said 
pointing to Sally's old hut.  "When you are done there I would ask that 
you come to Dr. Osaka's hut.  It's the one with the new-looking wall."  
He couldn't help but laugh when he heard the lynx growl at him.
	"Thank you again," Arias said and picked up his bag.  "I will be 
right along."  He walked away, taking the village with him.  Osaka 
joined the three of them and stared after the human.
	"You are unwise to trust him," Adrian said when he was sure Arias 
was out of earshot.  They turned to him confused.
	"Ah thought y'all said you've met him," Bunnie said.
	"Not in the traditional sense," he replied.  "I will explain more 
once he has left this village.  Pray that it is soon."
	Sonic flipped through the Spy Eye cameras, focusing on the 
mysterious ship that had taken residence above Robotropolis.  "Care to 
guess what that is?" he asked glancing back at Kinos.
	"It's an air cruiser," the nanobot said in a very matter-of-factly 
voice.
	"I know that," Sonic snapped.  "What I meant was if you know whose 
it is."  Kinos shrugged.
	"Don't know, don't care," he said yawning.  "Until they leave I 
have no interest in them."
	"And what makes you think they'll just leave?" Sonic asked turning 
and leaning back on the panel.  "They're here for a reason.  My guess is 
that they'll contact us pretty soon."
	"You said that two hours ago," Kinos replied sitting up in the 
command chair.  "And two hours ago you were afraid that if we fired a 
warning shot at them they'd respond with deadly force."
	"I still say they will."  Kinos smiled.
	"Then I say we make a wager," he suggested.  "I'll bet that if we 
fire a few rounds at them they'll turn tail and flee as quickly as 
possible."
	"And I'll bet they fly down and make us regret it," Sonic said.  
"In fact, I'll bet you a chili dog he does."  Kinos raised an eyebrow.
	"And where might one find a chili dog in Robotropolis?" he asked 
intrigued.  Sonic brought up a map of the sewers and pointed to one of 
the tunnels.
	"There's a chili dog dispenser here," he said.  "They always come 
out hot and fresh.  If I win, you get me one.  You win, I'll get you 
one."  Kinos' face soured.
	"You know as well as I do that I can't eat those things," he told 
him.
	"Then I'll eat it in your stead," Sonic offered smiling.  Kinos 
sighed and shook his head.
	"So you win no matter what," he muttered.  "Fine, you're on."  He 
turned to the SWATbot at the weapons station.  "You there, take aim at 
the vessel above the city and open fire.  Only fire a couple rounds, I 
want to gauge their reaction and intent."
	"AS YOU WISH LORD KINOS," the 'bot droned.  Watching the screens 
they could see as two laser bolts screamed upward towards the vessel.  
They were harmlessly absorbed by the ship's shields and it remained 
stationary.
	"Once more," Kinos ordered.  "And up the intensity of the blasts."  
Another small volley shot upward and they were again harmlessly 
absorbed.  "Okay, now they're starting to tick me off."
	As if on cue the ship dipped down towards the Citadel.  
"APPROACHING VESSEL IS CHARGING WEAPONS," the SWATbot stated.
	"Open fire, all batteries!" Kinos yelled jumping up from the 
chair.  "Bring that thing down in a smoking heap!"
	"I win," Sonic said watching the ship approach.  "Wait a sec, what 
is he doing?"  An explosion rocked the command center as part of the 
wall erupted in a hailstorm of laser fire.  When the smoke cleared they 
could see the ship had taken up a position next to it.  A section of the 
hull slip aside and a small ramp extended into the room.  Sonic and 
Kinos heard the click of heels coming towards them and tensed up.  From 
the ship emerged a blonde human female.  Everything on her body was 
covered by a cloak except her head.  From what they could see she had a 
thin frame like that of a model.  She walked towards them and smiled 
when she was a few feet from them.
	"My my," she said her voice an almost lilting alto.  "That wasn't 
very nice of you."
	"I still win," Sonic said turning to Kinos.
	"No, you said that _he_ would come down here," the nanobot 
muttered.  "You lose, I lose."  Sonic went to reply but realized his 
counterpart was right.  Without warning the human grabbed him by the 
throat and lifted him into the air with ease.  Part of her cloak fell to 
the side, revealing a very muscular and curvaceous form.  She wore a 
black body suit that had a vertical strip missing down the middle.  Her 
boots gave her an extra four or so inches with the heel.  Sonic could 
also see two small knives on her right hip.
	"I was talking to you," she said her pleasant tone gone.  "I'd 
appreciate a little respect rodent."
	"Last I checked," Sonic said struggling, "respect was earned."  
She narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on his throat.  Sonic tried 
to look over at Kinos but the human's hand was too tight.  In that 
instant Sonic felt all of his power come rushing back into his body.  He 
smiled, let go of her arm and right hooked her, scoring a hit on her 
left cheek.  She let go and staggered back.  As Sonic went to draw his 
sword he felt a blade slip in front of his throat and two arms pull him 
tightly to a body.  "Didn't see that coming," he said letting go of his 
sword.
	"Easy Gedic," the woman said tossing her hair back.  She had no 
mark on her face from where Sonic had slugged her.  "This runt couldn't 
hurt me if he tried."  Sonic felt the hand and blade pull away and took 
a deep breath of relief.  Another figure appeared next to her.  He wore 
a black loose-fitting outfit, covering all of his features.  His face 
was hidden from them as he wore a white feline mask that only displayed 
his hazel eyes.
	"He threatened you," the man named Gedic said from behind his 
mask.  "I was charged by big brother to protect you Venusia."  Venusia 
scoffed.
	"Brother Arias underestimates me too much sometimes," she said.  
"I can handle myself, though you're sweet all the same."
	"We may be in over our heads," Sonic said looking over at Kinos.  
The nanobot nodded and continued to stare at the human pair.  They 
conversed to themselves softly enough that they were sure neither Sonic 
nor Kinos could hear them.  Fed up, Kinos stood tall.
	"What are you doing in my city?" he asked narrowing his eyes at 
them.  Venusia turned to him lazily and smiled, infuriating him.
	"We're only here to observe until big brother tells us we can 
leave," she explained.  Kinos let a quiet growl escape his throat but 
was otherwise quiet.  He turned to Sonic his eyes glowing with rage.
	"It seems we will just have to wait," he said and sat back down in 
the command chair.  Sonic sighed and turned back to the Spy Eye 
monitors.
	"So, Arias, how long have you been travelling?" Antoine asked 
taking a sip of coffee.  He, Dr. Osaka, Sally and Bunnie had all 
gathered in Dr. Osaka's hut with the visiting human.
	"In terms of time, I don't really know," Arias admitted.  "I know 
at least since the end of the war."
	"You mean the Great War?" Osaka asked adding creamer to his 
coffee.  "Are you saying you fought against Mobotropolis?"  The human 
nodded.
	"I was once a general for the city of Xenodome," Arias explained.  
"After the war's end I retired, what with another war still raging."
	"Xenodome?" Sally asked.  "What's that?  And what other war?"  
Both Bunnie and Antoine listened intently for they too didn't know what 
he was talking about.
	"Xenodome is one of the human cities to the south of 
Mobotropolis," Arias said.  "Had it not been for the distraction of 
Azosarria they would have easily trounced the Mobians during the Great 
War.  Since I know you're going to ask, Azosarria is a human nation with 
whom Xenodome has been at war with for centuries."  Sally sat back in 
her chair slightly more satisfied than before.
	"So why did y'all choose to wander?" Bunnie asked.  "Ah mean, you 
musta' been set for life as a general."  Arias chuckled which turned 
into a hearty laugh.  They all stared at him, concerned.
	"I suppose that is a good question," he said calming down.  "As 
you say, I had everything that I could have ever wanted: money, power, 
prestige.  But I had become disgusted with Xenodome during the Great War 
as you call it.  I forsook everything I had earned and chose to wander 
around Mobius instead."
	"That does not make sense," Antoine said.  "What do you mean you 
'became disgusted with them'?"
	"They made no attempt to treat with Mobotropolis, a war they never 
started," Arias explained.  "When your city realized they were losing a 
war they started Xenodome refused to meet with their ambassadors, 
despite promising the troops that the war would end."
	"We did no such thing!" Adrian said angrily.  "Mobotropolis NEVER 
started that war.  When we learned of Xenodome's presence we sent 
diplomats.  The only thing we received from them were their heads."
	"Hah!" Arias laughed.  "Let me guess, that's the way the media 
portrayed it?  No nation would ever willingly take the blame for a war 
they were losing, no matter how degenerate they are."
	"So now you think that we're lower than you?" Adrian retorted even 
angrier.  "Yes, Xenodome was stronger than us, at least technologically, 
but they lacked our spirit."
	"Coming from the animal they once called the 'Black Demon' I find 
that believable," the human said.  Adrian's eyes widened as the hut fell 
silent.  "So the rumors were true," Arias said pleased with himself.
	"What...are you talking about?" Adrian asked taking a deep breath.
	"Oh please," Arias said.  "No normal being could have done what 
you did.  Over fifty of our outposts fell solely because of you."
	"I was the medical officer assigned to the Royal Guard," he 
explained.  "The only part that I took in that affair was seeing to the 
injured."
	"There weren't any injured, not even any dead," Arias said.  "I 
saw what happened to all of them.  No bodies, no blood, the only thing 
we found were signs of battle, more often than not a large hole melted 
through the wall of the command center, and two numbers etched into the 
metal.  Come to think of it, the numbers were the only thing that had 
blood on them."  Adrian was silent as he scrambled for an explanation.  
How Arias knew about what he and Xiaxos had done was a mystery to him 
but he had to remain calm.
	"Then you found what we found," he said finally.  "After the 
fourth base King Acorn declared that whoever was responsible for it was 
to be executed."
	"I'm sure he did."
	"Enough, both of you!" Sally yelled standing up.  Adrian winced 
while Arias sat there unfazed.  "We came here to figure out what Arias 
has to say, not argue about the war!"
	Arias cleared his throat and continued.  "As I was saying, after 
leaving Xenodome I began travelling from village to village around the 
continent.  I still had my sources in the city and military so I was 
kept up-to-date on the activities of the world."
	"I am assuming you have just recently entered Mobian territory," 
Antoine said and Arias nodded.  "Have you heard any news regarding a 
Mobian known as Sonic Hedgehog?"  Arias closed his eyes in thought.
	"Not anything that would be useful, such as where he is," he said 
finally.  "The only things that I have heard have been people talking 
about him as the 'savior of Mobius'."  Sally sighed.  "Is there a 
particular reason you are looking for him?"
	"He went missing about a few days ago," Sally explained.  "I...We 
were hoping that someone had seen him."
	"Sorry I can't help," Arias apologized.  "So, are you satisfied 
with my intentions here?  As I said, I bring news and some supplies 
though I'm sure it's not enough for this whole village."  Antoine was 
silent as he contemplated Arias' request.
	"Yes, but under certain conditions," he answered.  "You are not to 
leave the village without informing myself beforehand.  In addition, you 
are not permitted to make any form of communication with anyone outside 
of this village.  In exchange we will provide you with a place to stay 
for the remainder of your time in the village.  Agreed?"  Arias nodded 
and the two shook hands.
	"I have other things to discuss with you Antoine," Arias said 
standing up, careful to not hit the ceiling.  "It's news, nothing more.  
If you are interested in hearing any of it, feel free to ask me."  With 
that he left the hut and closed the door behind him.  Antoine looked 
around at all of them gauging their reactions.
	"Do you feel that I have made a wise decision?" he asked them.  
They all seemed slightly hesitant.
	"Y'all handled it well," Bunnie said first.  "Ah mean, settin' up 
rules for him to follow and all."
	"I agree with Bunnie there," Sally added nodding.  "I still think 
we should keep a close eye on him."  They all turned to Dr. Osaka who 
was still scowling in Arias' direction.  When he noticed their glances 
his expression did not change.
	"I have said my peace," he said simply.  "I think it is foolish to 
trust someone such as him but I will not question your decision 
Antoine."
	As the days pressed on Kinos became increasingly annoyed with 
Venusia.  Gedic kept to himself which was one less concern of theirs.  
He didn't know what humans thought of her but Kinos found himself 
enchanted at times by the beauty of Venusia.  Her light blue eyes and 
pale skin belied just how strong she was.  He had not forgotten how 
Sonic could not hurt her, even with his powers back.
	He had been reluctant about that.  While it was true Sonic could 
not harm him to a lethal degree it was still comforting knowing he had 
that leverage over him.  Seeing as how Sonic had proven himself thus far 
Kinos had instead begun working on stopping this "Knuckles" from using 
his powers.  It had proven to be more difficult than he had originally 
imagined and was one of his ongoing projects.
	"Squad 5 is in," he heard Sonic say.  "That's a total of four 
Freedom Fighter bases we've taken out."
	"Not bad," the nanobot said with a smile.  "Is Knothole aware of 
what's happening?"
	"I'm guessing not since they haven't tried to get in touch with 
me," Sonic replied.  "How is that special squad coming along?"
	"They'll be ready very soon," Kinos said and stood up out of the 
command chair.  "I am not sure I can take much more of her."  Sonic 
looked at him and Kinos motioned over to Venusia and Gedic's ship.  
"It's been four days since they arrived.  When will this 'Arias' show up 
to take them out of our hair?"
	"Quite soon," a deep voice said from behind them.  They both 
turned quickly to see a silver haired human in the command chair.  He 
was dressed in rags as if he was supposed to be some sort of traveler 
yet holding a glass of fine red wine.  His green eyes bored into Sonic, 
unnerving him to no end.  "So you must be Sonic Hedgehog," Arias said 
smiling.  "Your friends are curious to know how you're doing."
	"How would you know what they asked?" Sonic asked.  Arias chuckled 
and took a sip of the wine.
	"I have spent the last few days among them," he replied.  "I'm not 
all that impressed by them.  What I am surprised about is that they have 
survived as long as they have."
	"I'm assuming you're Arias," Kinos interrupted them.  "I must say 
that it's been a blast hosting you and your subordinates.  Now, will you 
kindly get the hell out of my city?"  The last was said with a growl and 
his eyes flashed.  Arias' smile disappeared.
	"YOUR city?" he asked his voice dark.  "You are mistaken my 
nanobot friend.  This is MY city which Ivo was so kind to liberate from 
the Mobians for me."
	"And I liberated it from him," Kinos said smirking.  "I don't see 
how it's yours now."  Arias' smile returned and Kinos scowled.
	"Au contraire," he said.  "Because you once belonged to Ivo you 
therefore belong to me.  Whatever you have created is also mine.  As you 
can see..."  He paused to watch Kinos seethe in fury.  He smiled and 
then continued.  "As you can see, you are mine to control.  I would 
appreciate it if you acted that way."  In a rage Kinos threw himself at 
Arias.  The human calmly reached into his pocket and threw something at 
him.  The small device hit Kinos' chest and embedded itself there.  He 
stopped and stared at it, unable to comprehend what was happening.
	"What...what is this?" he asked looking over himself.  "All these 
sensations, it's too much!  WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"
	"You are now a living breathing Mobian," Arias explained calmly 
setting the glass down and walking up to the white hedgehog.  "Which 
means you should be able to feel this."  He drew a small knife from his 
shirt and stabbed Kinos in the stomach.  The hedgehog cried out and 
started to fall only to be caught by Arias.  He pulled the knife out and 
then dropped Kinos, letting him bleed onto the floor.
	"You bastard!" Sonic said drawing his sword.  In the blink of an 
eye Arias grabbed Sonic's wrist and twisted until he heard the crack of 
bone breaking.  He elbowed him in the chest, launching him across the 
command center.  Sonic slammed into the wall only to have Arias grab his 
throat, slam him against the wall again and then toss him like a rag 
doll across the floor towards Kinos.  He walked up to the struggling 
Sonic and kicked him in the ribs, breaking more than a few of them.  
Sonic lay on his back writhing in pain as Arias raised his foot and 
brought it crashing down on Sonic's chest.  He spat blood and then laid 
there motionless.  Arias knelt down with a smirk on his face.
	"I have dealt with your kind before Guardian," he whispered in 
Sonic's ear.  "Your father resisted in much the same way the first time 
we met and he ended up in the same state you're in now."  Just out of 
the corner of his eye he saw Sonic's hand come towards him but he made 
no effort to move.  By the time he saw the cyclone whirling around his 
hand though it was too late.  The wind blade nicked his cheek, allowing 
a small droplet to run down.  In sheer rage Arias drove his fist into 
Sonic's chest, shattering his sternum.  Sonic screamed in pain as Arias 
palmed the Mobian's head with ease.  He snarled and threw Sonic towards 
his ship.  Sonic hit the wall with such force that he dented the metal 
and then fell to the ground perfectly still.  "Pathetic," Arias scoffed 
wiping the blood away.  "I must admit that it has been quite some time 
since I've seen my own blood though.  Gedic, I'm leaving you in charge 
here."  The masked man bowed.
	"As you wish sir," he said.
	"Come Venusia," Arias said boarding the vessel.  "We are finished 
here."
	Two days later Sonic woke up in a vat of some kind of blue liquid.  
He tried exhaling only to see a ventilator mask on his face.  He calmed 
slightly when he saw Kinos was okay, angry but physically okay.  His 
calm dissipated when he saw Gedic watching him.  He tapped a few buttons 
and Sonic felt the liquid's level drop until he was standing there 
nearly naked and covered in...well, he didn't know what.  He pulled the 
mask off and took a deep breath of fresh air.  He winced at the pain in 
his chest but nonetheless felt fine.
	"Glad to see you're okay," Kinos said not even looking at him.  
"How do you feel?"
	"Physically, a little sore but otherwise okay," Sonic said 
stepping out of the tube.  He looked over at Gedic with a scowl.  "What 
are you doing here?"
	"I am here under Brother Arias' command," he said simply.  "Should 
either of you attempt to disobey his will I will kill both of you and 
assume control over the city."
	"We don't have a choice in this Sonic," Kinos told him before he 
could argue back.  "For once I'm not going to fight about being 
controlled.  Not now."  He stared at his hand and curled it into a fist.
	"You're still flesh and blood," Sonic said looking for his 
clothes.  Kinos nodded and picked up a folded pile of white clothes.
	"By the way, I made you some new clothes," he said handing it to 
Sonic.  "When I saw how easily Arias broke the armor on the other ones I 
figured you might want something a little tougher."  Sonic looked at 
them, partially in distaste and yet impressed at the former nanobot's 
foresight.  The cloth itself was identical to his old suit only white 
and the armor plates were pitch black.  They covered all his vital 
organs, even covering his spine and kidneys on the back.  The pants had 
plates over major arteries/veins as well as his Achilles tendon and 
hamstring.  The boots were the same style as before just in the new 
color scheme.  Sonic slipped into them, admiring just how comfortable it 
was.
	"I never thought I'd say this Kinos, but thanks," Sonic said as he 
pulled the gloves on.  They didn't have fingertips but he'd live.  
"How'd you know my size?"  Kinos gave a light laugh.
	"I'm you, remember?" he said walking towards the front of the 
command room.  "Besides, you should be thanking Gedic for bringing that 
tank thing here.  Without it both of us would have been dead within a 
few hours.  Well, you would have been dead much faster after you managed 
to tick Arias off."  Sonic said nothing to the masked human but followed 
Kinos to the main computer.
	"What about the new Aries?" Sonic asked when they got there.
	"They should be done now," Kinos said quickly tapping buttons on 
the command chair.  "As Robotnik did with me I'm going to retrieve them 
myself.  I don't want to run the risk of something happening to them in 
the teleporter."  He looked over at Gedic and then back at Sonic.  "Keep 
an eye on him will ya'?"  He stood up and walked out of the room leaving 
Sonic along with the assassin.  There was an uncomfortable silence, at 
least for Sonic it was.
	"Why do you follow him?" Gedic asked breaking the silence.
	"What do you mean?" Sonic responded not even looking at him.
	"Kinos is weaker than you," Gedic stated, "but yet you allow him 
to rule over you."
	"Kinos doesn't 'rule' over me," Sonic said turning.  "Right now 
our goals coincide, that's it."
	"'Right now' you say?" Gedic pressed. "Are you saying it's your 
intention to betray him as you did the Freedom Fighters?"
	"Only if he does as they did," Sonic answered.  "They betrayed me 
first; I figured it was time to return the favor."
	"An interesting ideal," Gedic said.  "I once felt the same way you 
do, serving only those that had similar goals to myself."  He stared at 
Sonic.  "It was an empty life.  My sword was not used to promote the 
values I sought, it was only used to murder innocents in the name of 
'justice'."
	"So you're saying I should have stayed with them," Sonic said 
quietly.  "Continued to work alongside animals that didn't trust me?  
Sorry, I can't do that."
	"Does Kinos trust you?"  Sonic chuckled.
	"He'd be a fool if he did," he explained.  "Yeah, I know it's 
hypocritical of me to be working with him if that's that case.  But like 
me Kinos won't betray unless he's betrayed."
	"And as for Ivo and Snively?" Gedic asked.  "Did they betray him?"
	"Didn't you just say that it didn't make sense to serve someone 
weaker than yourself?" Sonic retorted.  From under that mask Sonic 
couldn't tell if Gedic was smiling or grimacing.
	"You have a brilliant mind Sonic," the human said finally.  "Most 
others would have faltered at that thought yet you countered with my 
earlier question.  It is no wonder Ivo had difficulty getting rid of 
you."
	"I'm a persistent little bugger," Sonic replied shrugging.
	"How skilled are you with a blade?"  Sonic stared at the human in 
curiosity.
	"Not as good as you since you got the jump on me earlier," he 
said.  Gedic shook his head.
	"It was my intent to remain hidden then," he said.  "I do not mean 
stealth, I mean in brute strength and technique."  Sonic thought for a 
moment.
	"Hard to say," he said his fingers grazing the hilt of his sword.  
"The last person that presented any sort of challenge died over half a 
year ago."
	"Sonic, are you still there?" Kinos' voice interrupted them.
	"We are," he replied.  "What's up?"
	"How do you feel about taking our toys out for a test run?" Kinos 
asked with wicked glee.  Sonic smiled.
	"I'd be happy to," he replied.  "I'll be down in a minute."
	"If you do not mind, I would like to accompany you," Gedic said 
following Sonic to the teleporter.
	"What for?"
	"To show you what you might learn under me," the assassin replied 
as the blue-white light enveloped them.
	Sally scratched her temple trying to make sense of the translation 
Nicole was providing her.  It had been ages since they had been in the 
Temple of the Magi but the computer still hadn't finished the 
translation of the runes.  What she had completed didn't make any sense, 
at least not to her.  She sipped at her tea and continued analyzing the 
text.  What she really needed was for Lupe to help her since she was the 
most familiar with ancient Mobian.  But the Wolf Pack leader had 
returned to the Wolves' Den yesterday with Ari in tow.  Why it was so 
necessary for Lupe to be back now was beyond her but the wolf would not 
be told otherwise.  She supposed it's what came with being pregnant.
	At that thought Sally had to smile.  Lupe had told her the day 
that Dr. Rose had joined them, swearing her to secrecy.  Apparently 
someone else knew, Ari if she had to guess, and they had done the same.  
It had something to do with Wolf Pack tradition but beyond that Lupe 
wouldn't say any more on the subject.  Sally couldn't tell if the wolf 
was close to nine months or not, or whether it had to do with Arias' 
recent visit.
	After four days he had left, convincing everyone that he was who 
he said he was.  Sally hadn't bought it.  After years of Sonic trying to 
fool her with innocent routines, alongside Tails, she had learned to 
read through facades.  But Arias didn't break any of the rules that 
Antoine had set, even offering to help out around the village.  Dr. 
Osaka had promised to explain why he didn't trust him but hadn't 
followed through on it.  Sally's only guess was that he didn't want to 
worry everyone after the human had left such a positive impression on 
the village.
	"Nicole, please just stop translating," she said tearing away from 
her thoughts.  "We're not getting anywhere with this."
	"I am sorry Sally," the computer apologized.  "I am working with 
all the skill I can.  The only possible explanation for the lack of 
progress is that the scan is incomplete."  Sally gave an exasperated 
sigh and put the computer away.
	"And it took us over six months to figure that out," she muttered.  
"I wish Sonic would stop by, if anything just to let us know he was 
okay."  She waited, hoping against hope she had willed him to do so.  
When nothing happened she sighed again and walked outside.  It had 
warmed considerably the last few days, she didn't even need a jacket to 
go out now.  She simply walked through the village, stopping to say 
hello, just looking around.  Most of the freed workerbots had been 
deroboticized though some had elected to wait since the village was 
still expanding.  The elderly Mobians were still robots since they 
didn't have to worry about aches and pains anymore.  As Sir Charles had 
put it, "Exactly what the Roboticizer was meant to do".  As she passed 
the War Room she stopped.
	>I never thought I'd say this, but I'm bored,< she thought.  She 
looked to Aurora's hut, forming an idea in her mind.  The birth of 
Lupe's child would be a big event for the Wolf Pack and Sally genuinely 
wanted to congratulate her.  Giving in to the temptation she knocked on 
the gray squirrel's door.
	"Just a sec," she heard from behind the door.  After a moment or 
two Aurora opened the door, foam around her mouth and toothbrush 
sticking out.  "What's up Sally?"
	"What...are you brushing your teeth with?" Sally asked sniffing.
	"Soap.  Why?" Aurora replied.  Sally mouthed words but in utter 
disbelief nothing would come out.
	"Soap?" she said finally.  "We have toothpaste you know."  
Aurora's face fell.
	"I looked for a half...damn it!" the squirrel yelled tossing her 
toothbrush.  Sally could hear her rinsing her mouth out and couldn't 
help but smile.  "Great," Aurora said between rinses.  "Now I can't get 
the taste of soap out of my mouth."
	"Anyway," Sally continued trying not to laugh, "I was thinking 
about heading to Wolves' Den.  Are you interested in coming?"  Aurora 
pondered the idea while swishing mouthwash.
	"Why not?" she said spitting it out.  She rinsed quickly and took 
a deep breath.  "Still taste it...  I'll meet you outside when I'm 
ready."  She closed the door and Sally did her absolute best to not 
burst into laughter.  She visited Bunnie and Amy next asking the same 
question.  Soon the four of them were gathered in the village square 
ready to leave.  As the day wore on they covered a great deal of the 
forest and by nightfall they were only about a half day from the Wolves' 
Den.  They made camp near the forest's edge, sharing stories, laughing 
as they remembered better times and mourning the loss of ones they 
loved.
	"You still haven't told us why we're heading to the Wolves' Den 
Sally," Amy said hugging her knees.  "Well, other than to visit Lupe but 
why can't we do that when she comes back to Knothole?"
	"I...can't really say," Sally admitted.  "It's complicated girls.  
Just trust me that we won't regret this."
	"Does Lupe know we're all comin'?" Bunnie asked scratching her 
ear.  "Ah mean, we don't wanna show up unexpected."
	"Lupe knows we followed her," Sally told them trying to remember 
everything the leader of Wolf Pack had told her.  "Actually, she was 
expecting it.  What's about to happen is a big deal within the Wolf 
Pack."
	"And you still won't tell us what it is?" Aurora asked chuckling.  
"Can't say I...  Did you hear that?"  They were silent as they listened 
carefully.  Aurora had been right, not too far from them came the sound 
of voices.  They doused the fire quickly and got as low as they could.  
None of them except Aurora 03 could hear what was being said though the 
Aries bot said nothing.
	"Why did you insist on going so slow?" one of them asked.  It 
sounded like it was muffled, like behind some sort of mask.
	"Why do you insist on asking questions nonstop?" another voice 
replied sounding greatly like Sonic.  "I'm trying to plan out a strategy 
so this goes off without a hitch."
	"We'll be fine boss," one of the bots behind Sonic and Gedic 
assured him though she couldn't place the voice.  "We can handle 
whatever these wolves throw at us."
	Wolves?!  Aurora was torn between warning Sally and giving up her 
secret or letting the Wolf Pack fall to Kinos' forces.  But this group 
of eleven, by her count, was too small to overtake an entire 
base...right?
	"That's not what I'm worried about," Sonic told the bot.  "Their 
base is massive, we could wander through there for days and not find a 
thing."
	"We'll be fine," a female voice chipped in.  Aurora did a double 
take.  It sounded like Sally but she was crouched in the dirt with them.  
"Our sensors are extremely accurate.  Wherever they hide we'll find 
them."
	"We may not be needing it," a French voice countered.  "I am being 
sure that he will come up with some way to be sneaking in."  One of them 
growled.
	"I forgot how much I can't stand Ant's accent," Sonic muttered.  
"Remind me to fix that later."
	"Roger," another female voice which Aurora 03 immediately 
identified as the computer Aurora.
	"Anything sugah?" Bunnie whispered to Aurora 03.  She hesitated 
and shook her head.
	"I can't make anything out," she lied knowing Bunnie would see 
through it.  "If I had to guess though they're heading away from us."
	"Well it wasn't Kinos," Amy said breathing a sigh of relief.  
"Otherwise we wouldn't be here right now."
	"Agreed Amy," Sally said standing up and brushing herself off.  
"Still, I can't help but wonder who that was."
	"Let's just get some sleep," Aurora suggested.  "It'll be a good 
idea to be fully rested for the trip tomorrow."  They all nodded and 
quickly set up the two-man tents they had brought.  Just as Aurora was 
getting ready to crawl in her sleeping bag Bunnie turned to her with an 
angry expression.
	"What did y'all hear?" she asked in a hushed tone.  "Sally may not 
know you're an Aries but Ah do.  So who was that and where were they 
goin'?"  Aurora sat up and stared at the rabbit.
	"As far as I can tell it was either Sonic or Kinos," she admitted.  
Bunnie's eyes widened.  "He wasn't alone either.  There were eleven of 
them altogether."
	"Who else was there?" Bunnie asked quickly.
	"Sally and Antoine," Aurora explained.  Bunnie did a double take 
and Aurora nodded.  "Yeah, I had the same reaction.  I don't know what's 
going on but we need to hurry to Wolves' Den before it's too late."
	"Wolves' Den?  But why would sugarhog head there?" Bunnie asked 
now extremely concerned.  Aurora shook her head.
	"I don't know," she reiterated.  "We should rest now and get there 
as soon as we can tomorrow."  Bunnie sighed and nodded, curling up in 
her sleeping bag.  Aurora closed her eyes and began her diagnostic 
program.  She couldn't help but wonder what was going on though.
	Sonic and Gedic stood outside of Wolves' Den as the sun peeked 
over the horizon.  Sonic hadn't seen many sunrises in his life but this 
one simply took his breath away.  The way the rays of light crested over 
the cliffs of the Great Canyon made the sky appear as if it was on fire.  
And then in one final burst it rose over the canyon walls.
	"Spectacular," Gedic said awestruck.  "I suppose it was worth 
traveling through the night to see that."
	"While that's not why we did it I'll agree with you on that," 
Sonic said turning around.  All nine of the special Aries sat there 
awaiting orders except one.  He was a black hedgehog with the same 
glowing red eyes they all had.  His, however, shone with an increased 
intelligence.  His red-tipped quills were easily longer than Sonic's and 
bent slightly upward at the tips.  His shoes were similar to Sonic's old 
sneakers except his had small boosters built into the soles.  He walked 
up to Sonic and Gedic impatient.
	"So when do we plan on doin' this?" he asked his arms crossed over 
his chest.  "We've been here for too long boss."
	"Ease up Shadow," Sonic said turning to the black hedgehog.  "Once 
we're sure they've let their guard down we attack in full force."  
Shadow the Hedgehog grumbled an "okay" and went back with the other 
Aries.  "Man, Kinos made him a pain."
	"Might I ask why you requested him made that way then?" Gedic 
asked looking over at the Aries.
	"I didn't," Sonic replied.  "Kinos took the initiative on that 
one.  I think he did it just to..."  Sonic stopped midsentence as he saw 
a group heading into the Wolves' Den.  "Well this is unexpected."  They 
all gathered around him and watched as Ari, Lupe and a number of other 
wolves from Knothole went towards the catacombs.
	"Any idea what this is about?" Gedic asked.  Sonic scowled.
	"No," he answered, "but this throws a serious wrench in our plans.  
If Ari and Lupe don't report back to Knothole within a certain timeframe 
they'll get worried and send someone here.  And when they do that 
they'll discover everyone's gone."
	"To which they'll warn all the other villages including the ones 
already captured," Gedic finished.  Sonic nodded and shut his eyes 
trying to think of a way around this.  One of Aries suddenly jerked as 
if shocked and his tails twitched.
	"Boss, there's another group coming," he said his voice almost 
child-like.  "They're still a few hours away and won't be within short-
range communication for at least another two."
	"Wonderful," Sonic muttered.  Then he smiled.  "Beta, Tau, assume 
your roles and enter the Wolves' Den in approximately one hour," he 
ordered them.  "Shadow and Sigma, you'll enter as soon as the guards 
leave with them and disable their communications altogether.  Once 
that's done the rest of you will go in and join Beta and Tau to capture 
the entire population at once."
	"So what're we supposed to tell 'em?" Beta asked her voice hinted 
with a Southern accent.
	"Honestly, I don't care," Sonic said.  "Just make sure you 
emphasize that _everyone_ needs to hear what you have to say.  That will 
gather them all in one place and speed up this whole thing up."  Sonic 
pursed his lips thinking.  "On second thought, Delta, I want you to 
distract the incoming group when they're just outside of short range 
communications."  They all nodded and sat in anticipation.
	An hour went by and Beta and Tau stood up.  Their skin wavered for 
a second and then perfect copies of Tails and Bunnie stood before all of 
them.  Following the plan they entered Wolves' Den, giving the guards 
the distinct impression that something was seriously wrong.  There were 
three successive howls and every guard Sonic could see disappeared into 
the caves.  "Sigma, Shadow, go," Sonic said after a minute.  The two 
nodded and ran off into the caves.  If the tracker Kinos had given Sonic 
was working right then all of the wolves were gathered in single place.  
"Everyone but Delta, it's showtime."  The remaining Aries, Alpha, 
Lambda, Rho, and Mu, nodded and ran into the caves quickly.  Sonic 
looked at his watch and then to Delta.  "Intercept the ones coming this 
way," he ordered.  "Do not engage them whatever you do.  Chances are 
that it's the women from Knothole, which means that Bunnie would have 
told Antoine where they were going.  Got it?"  The fox nodded as his 
skin shimmered and assumed the form of Antoine.  He ran the opposite 
direction ready to stall their uninvited guests.
	"I'm quite impressed," Gedic complimented his gaze never shifting 
from the caves.  "You are as calculating as Brother Arias." 
	"Don't liken me to him," Sonic said staring at the masked human.  
"There's a method to my madness.  I won't hurt others just to make my 
point."
	"So where does that leave the Freedom Fighters?" Gedic continued.  
"Have you not hurt them by betraying them?"
	"What they don't know can't hurt them," Sonic replied simply.  
"They don't know what I'm doing so therefore they don't know I've 
betrayed them."
	"You walk a fine line Sonic Hedgehog," Gedic said with distaste.  
"People like you sicken me."
	"So you would rather that I just slaughter them?"  Gedic said 
nothing.  "Figured as much."
	"Don't misunderstand," Gedic replied.  "I despise you because you 
do not commit to any one thing.  Be it slaughter or naivety they are 
both paths of one purpose."
	"Paths of idiots if you ask me," Sonic said crossing his arms.  "I 
was once followed that 'path of naivety' as you put it.  Trust me, it 
doesn't lead anywhere but pain.  If any truth is to be found I think 
it's in the middle ground, hopefully more towards naivety."
	"As I said," Gedic said his gaze unwavering, "people like you 
sicken me."  After the exchange they stood there in silence waiting for 
the signal from the caves signifying their success.  Sonic closed his 
eyes in thought, pondering on what Gedic had said.
	>It's not like this is what I wanted,< he thought.  >I wanted to 
free Mobius, not become the lapdog of its enslaver.<  His tracker 
started beeping, signaling that Delta had encountered the others.
	"About time something started happening," he said his expression 
empty.  He tapped on his earpiece, opening the comm signal to the other 
Aries.  "How are things going in there?"
	"Exactly as planned," he heard Shadow's voice say.  "We ran into 
one small complication but it won't be an issue once we get her to 
Robotropolis."
	Her?  He'd ask later.  He turned to Gedic who nodded and the two 
of them headed towards the caves.
	The four women of Knothole ran at top speed towards Wolves' Den, 
Sally having to take it easy.  Aurora has awoken with a bad feeling so 
they had hurried since before dawn.  Amy wasn't too happy about it but 
she had complained once and had left it at that.  Sally could see the 
catacomb tunnels the Wolf Pack called home just ahead of them but also 
another figure heading for them.
	"Sugarfox?" Bunnie said slowing down once he was within earshot.  
"What're y'all doin' here?"  Antoine doubled over gasping for breath and 
sweating profusely.
	"Trouble...ahead," he panted gradually standing.  "Dulcy had 
to...bring me here...to warn you."
	"Why didn't we see her?" Amy asked scratching her head.  "I mean, 
it's not hard to miss her."  Bunnie shrugged paying more attention to 
the exhausted fox in front of her.  Amy and Aurora 03 looked to Sally 
who just shrugged.  Antoine took a deep breath and then stood tall.  
Aurora couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.  She looked 
him over.  His looks were the same, his uniform was the same, his 
sword...
	"Hey Ant, when'd you get the new sword?" she asked as nonchalantly 
as possible.  They all glanced down to his sword which was indeed 
different.  The hilt was fairly the same but the guard was much larger 
than his other one.  From the length of the scabbard they could tell the 
blade was longer as well.
	"I must have grabbed this rather than my father's," he explained 
quickly.  Aurora narrowed her eyes but let the subject drop.
	"So what's the trouble up ahead sugah?" Bunnie asked.
	"I think that Kinos is up to something," he explained.  While he 
did so Aurora 03 searched through her basic routines.
	>Ah, there it is,< she thought activating the Aries tracking 
program.  Antoine's body turned bright red while everyone else's fell to 
a dull gray.
	"Everyone back away from him," she said shutting the program down.  
"That's not Antoine."  They all looked at her with confusion in their 
glances.
	"What are you talking about?" Sally asked.  "How do you go from 
him having a different sword to it not being Antoine at all?"
	"Trust me on this Sally," she said still glaring at Antoine whose 
expression had turned to a scowl.
	"I am not knowing what you are talking about," he said his French 
accent returning slightly.  Bunnie's gaze shifted to him quickly as she 
backed away.
	"She's right Sally-girl," Bunnie said.  "Antoine's English is 
perfect.  He hasn't messed up since before you and sugarhog got back 
from the Void."  Sally and Amy joined her as Antoine stood up a smirk on 
his face.
	"I suppose it is not mattering now," he said his skin shimmering 
and then flaring up in a blinding flash.  When they could see again he 
still stood before them, in a manner of speaking.  His fur was jet black 
and the seams on his uniform a deep red, almost like blood.  His hair 
and irises were the same color but the friendly look Antoine normally 
had wasn't there.  Rather all they could see was a creature craving 
destruction.  "I have fulfilled my orders and I bid you adieu."  With 
that he vanished in a flash of bluish-white light.  The four women 
looked at each other and each said the same thing:
	"Wolves' Den!"
	When they arrived there was no one to greet them and Sally was 
unable to raise anyone on the comm.  "I don't like this," she said 
closing Nicole.  "I don't like this at all."
	"You can say that again," Aurora muttered scanning the area.  Only 
one lifeform she could detect and it wasn't Mobian.  "If that Antoine 
look-a-like is a sign we should be careful around here.  Don't know who 
or what might be waiting for us."  They all nodded silently and 
approached the nearest tunnel.  When they were about twenty feet from 
the entrance someone stepped out.  A quick scan told Aurora that whoever 
they were wasn't an Aries, but that was it.  He/She was too tall to be 
Mobian but the feline mask and all black clothing hid the rest of their 
features.
	"This is unexpected," Amy said staring at him.  "Who's he?"
	"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Sally yelled at the 
figure.
	"My name is not important," Gedic said slowly approaching them.  
"What is important is if you value your lives."  With that he drew a 
medium length sword from the sheath on his back while holding it so the 
blade came from the bottom of his hand and rushed them.  Bunnie pushed 
them to the side and took a defensive stance.  Gedic's blade hit her 
robotic arm as Bunnie immediately moved into a spin kick.  He easily 
dodged and went for her ribs.  She batted him away though his sword took 
a chunk out her arm in the process.
	"Y'all better hope I don't get mah hands on ya'," she said angrily 
balling her hands up.  "Ah hate it when people try to hurt me and mah 
friends."
	"Trust me," Gedic said tauntingly, "you'll never get close enough 
to hurt me."  Bunnie ran at him but dropped at the last second, trying 
to scissor his legs out from under him.  Gedic easily dodged her by 
jumping up and flipping around.  In the same motion he quickly slashed 
at her arm, scoring a hit on one of her wires.  Bunnie stood up and went 
to throw a punch but stopped when her arm refused to move.
	"What in the hoohah did y'all do to me?" she asked her voice a 
mixture of anger and panic.
	"Robotic limbs are like normal ones," Gedic explained.  "If you 
know what to cut you can cripple your opponents with ease."  Without 
warning Amy jumped on his back with a growl attempting to drag him down.  
Gedic reached back and grabbed the back of Amy's skull, much to the 
discomfort of the hedgehog, and tossed her back towards Sally and 
Aurora.  Sally caught the pink hedgehog, set her down, and charged Gedic 
with a look of pure fury on her face.  Her quick one-two punch and a 
follow-up kick were easily parried allowing Gedic to throw her off to 
the side.  Bunnie ran at him again but Gedic ducked and spun, cutting 
the equivalent of her Achilles tendon in her left leg.  Bunnie crashed 
into the ground.  When he stood up he barely had time to block Aurora's 
kick which would have hit him in the head.  His eyes widened as he felt 
the power behind her attack.
	"You're strong for a Mobian," he commented to her.
	"I'm just full of surprises," she growled and pulled her foot free 
and coming in for a right hook at the same time.  There was no way for 
Gedic to block it; rather her fist was grabbed by a white hand wearing a 
black fingertip glove.  She looked up and the color drained from her 
face.  The other being's free hand punched her square in the chest, 
pushing her back towards where Bunnie lay.
	"My my," Kinos said with a smile.  "I'm impressed 03.  You've come 
quite a long way from being mine."  The other women from Knothole stared 
at her, only Sally and Amy in disbelief.  "Are you okay?" Kinos asked 
looking over at Gedic.  The human stared at the hedgehog his eyes 
emotionless.
	"Fine," he answered simply.
	"Good, then we're done here," Kinos said smiling and looking 
towards the women again.  "I'll be sure to say hello to Lupe for you."  
Before any of them could move Kinos and Gedic vanished in a bluish-white 
light.
	"That bastard!" Bunnie swore and then turned her attention to her 
legs.  After a moment she looked at Sally and Amy.  "Sally-girl, ya' 
gotta get back to Knothole and warn them 'bout what's goin' on.  Aurora 
and I'll stay here and catch up with you later."
	"But she's..." Sally started but Aurora shook her head.
	"I'll explain everything Sally, I promise," the Aries bot told 
her.  "You're the fastest out of all of us and I'm the only one here who 
can fix Bunnie up enough to get moving."
	"We'll send Dulcy," Sally said caving in.  Amy jumped on her back 
and Sally took off at top speed, the sonic boom echoing in the canyon.  
The two of them looked at each other concern written on their faces.
	"This ain't good," Bunnie said simply.
	Kinos and Gedic rematerialized in the command center only to stand 
before another Kinos.  He stood there in shock and slightly miffed.  
"What the hell is this?" he asked walking up to his double.  The double 
cleared his throat and his demeanor immediately changed.
	"Sorry for not warning you about this guys," he said much more 
relaxed.  "I couldn't afford to blow my cover just yet."  Kinos looked 
to Gedic then back to his double.
	"What are you...?" he stopped and thought for a second.  "Sonic?  
Is that you?"  The double nodded and scratched his head.
	"I didn't have a lot of time so this is what I ended up doing," 
Sonic explained as the magics used began to wear off.  He had returned 
to his normal height and his eyes were their regular gray again.  His 
fur was a pale blue and gradually getting darker.  "I needed to take the 
form of someone they would know was against them but still alive.  That 
kinda left you."
	"Since when have you been able to do that?" Kinos asked rubbing 
his chin.
	"A while," Sonic answered simply as the last traces of white 
vanished from his fur.  "The main problem with that is that I can't hold 
the form very long if I'm moving around.  Now, since I'm finally back to 
normal Shadow said there was some sort of complication and I'd like to 
know what it is."
	"You called?" the Aries called out walking into the command room.  
He walked up to them, bowed and stood back up.  "One of the wolves is 
pregnant."
	"That was the complication?" Kinos asked arching an eyebrow.  "Not 
really that complicated."
	"Allow me to clarify," Shadow apologized.  "She was in labor when 
we captured them."  The three organics were silent.
	"That...IS a complication," Sonic pointed out.  "A very bad one."
	"What's your point?" Kinos asked uncaringly.  "If she dies it's 
one less problem on our hands."	
	"If she and the child die because we captured them it will provoke 
the Freedom Fighters more than anything else would have," Sonic reminded 
Kinos.  "Trust me, when they're angry and determined nothing can stop 
them."  Kinos was silent but brightened when an idea hit him.
	"Sonic, go to them," he explained.  "I'll arrange a power outage, 
allowing you to deliver the kid and get out of here with it.  Afterwards 
we'll bring the wolf up here to heal in the tank."
	"Whoa whoa whoa!" Sonic said waving his hands in front of him.  
"There is no way that I'm delivering Lupe's baby.  She's my friend and 
all but that's pushing it."
	"Do you think she'd let me do it?" Kinos asked crossing his arms.
	"And would you trust a stranger to do it?" Gedic said as Sonic 
turned his gaze to him.  He sighed in defeat and shook his head.
	"You owe me for this," he said finally.  "Alright, do it and make 
it look real."  Kinos smiled with wicked glee.
	"Lying is my specialty," he said and turned back to the computers.  
Sonic hesitated for a moment but just shook his head.
	"Why does that not make me feel confident?" he muttered as he 
disappeared in a flash of light.
	Lupe screamed in pain as another labor pang hit her, squeezing 
Ari's hand.  The ram was in obvious pain but said nothing.  "Hang in 
there," he encouraged Lupe.  He turned to the other wolves a desperate 
look on his face.  "Are any of the midwives here?"
	"I'm sorry Ari," one of the wolves apologized.  "That black 
hedgehog didn't seem to care about Lupe's state when he separated us."
	"What we need is Sonic to get us out of this," he sighed.
	"Someone call?" a familiar voice called from the ventilation.  
They all looked up as Sonic fell from the vent and landed gracefully.  
"Thank you, thank y-"  He stopped when he saw Lupe.  "Umm, what's going 
on?"
	"Sonic!  Thank the Maker you're here," Ari exclaimed grabbing the 
hedgehog's arm.  "We need you to help Lupe."
	"This is, uh, a little outta my league," Sonic replied holding his 
thumb and index finger close together.  "I can take her to Knothole to 
doc but I can't really do anything else."
	"You can't move her!" a voice from another cell yelled.  "In her 
condition both she and the child will die."
	"Besides, what about the force field?" Ari asked.  Before Sonic 
could answer a loud explosion could be heard from outside the building.
	"In short, not a problem for a bit," he said with a smile.
	"Will you two SHUT THE HELL UP AND HELP ME?!!" Lupe screamed at 
them followed by another labor pain.  Sonic let out a low whistle.
	"I'm kinda glad I won't have to go through this with Sal," he 
muttered.  "Alright, what do I do first?"  No one said anything.  "Are 
you kidding me?!" he asked.  "I have no idea how to..."  He stopped, 
thought, and pulled Aurora out.  "Alright girl, do your magic," he said 
setting her to the side.
	"What do I look like, an encyclopedia?" she snapped at him.  Sonic 
glared at her.  "Alright alright I'll help.  Now follow my directions 
very carefully..."
	Several hours later Sonic wiped the sweat from his brow and held 
up the tiny bundle of fur.  He started to pull his sword out to cut the 
cord when Aurora stopped him.
	"Whoa there buddy!" she yelled.  "Gimme a second here."  A small 
surgical laser shot out and cut the cord.  "There, done."  Sonic 
shrugged and handed the wolf cub to Lupe who, though completely 
exhausted, managed to pull her daughter to her and smile.
	"She's beautiful," she murmured as the cub lightly held the end of 
Lupe's finger, bringing a tear to her eye.  The cub's fur was brown but 
her hair was pure white with a small tuft of red at the center.  "Her 
hair is just like a flower," Lupe said softly still smiling.
	"Kind of like an orchid," Ari commented.  Lupe turned to him her 
smile widening then back to her daughter.
	"Orchid," she said.  "I like it."
	"Umm, if you don't mind my asking, who's the father?" Sonic asked 
scratching his temple.  Lupe, along with all the other wolves, shook her 
head.
	"The father of the future Pack Mother is to always remain secret," 
Ari explained.  "Any male can help raise her but the father can never be 
known to any but the mother."
	"That makes no sense to me but whatever," Sonic said shrugging.  
"Odd, she looks a lot like you Lupe but she doesn't have your eyes."  
Orchid looked at Sonic with her big black eyes and Sonic glanced at Ari.  
He looked between the two of them a few times before it dawned on him.  
His mouth had been hanging open as he did so and he shut it before he 
looked a fool.
	"Sonic, please protect her," Lupe said wrapping her daughter in a 
blanket one of the others had had.  "My life doesn't matter, just hers."
	"Like hell it doesn't," Sonic said narrowing his eyes but gently 
took Orchid in his arms.  "I'm getting all of you out of here, whether 
you want me to or not."
	"Sonic, you don't have time to get all of us out," Ari pleaded.  
"We'll be fine for now."
	"But..."
	"No buts!" Lupe said tears streaming down her cheeks.  "Please 
Sonic, get Orchid out of here."  Sonic was silent but held Orchid 
tightly.
	"I'll come back for you guys," he said quietly as the wind picked 
up around him.  "I promise."  As he vanished Lupe closed her eyes, tears 
still flowing.  They were interrupted by a slow applause coming from the 
hallway.  A white hedgehog in matching jacket and pants walked down the 
hall towards them a cruel smile on his face.
	"How touching," he said in Sonic's voice.  "But I'm afraid things 
are going to get much worse for all of you."  He motioned to the two 
lifeless SWATbots who sprang to life.  They opened the cell and grabbed 
Lupe.  "We'll start with you."
	"You rat bastard!" Ari snarled but Kinos backhanded him, knocking 
him to the ground.
	"My my, quite the temper on this one," he said still smiling.  
"Don't worry about her.  I'll make sure she returns in one piece.  I 
have a promise to keep after all."  He walked out of the cell and the 
door slammed shut behind him.  Ari watched in disbelief as all the power 
around them returned.
	"But Sonic said..."
	"Oh, you thought that he succeeded in cutting off power to this 
part of the city?" Kinos said over his shoulder.  "So you know, I let 
Sonic pull that little stunt of his, knowing that you would all 
foolishly send him back alone.  He'll return for you alright, only 
bringing Knothole with him and into a trap."  Ari grabbed the bars 
snorting in rage but was thrown back by the electrical charge on the 
cell.  "My, we have to watch that temper of yours.  Don't want you 
getting hurt before I get to you."  Kinos laughed and walked away, his 
laughter echoing off the walls.
	Sally came to a screeching halt just at the edge of Knothole, 
quickly looking around for Antoine.  Amy hopped off, presumably to do 
the same.  They both spotted him on his usual rounds, talking to the 
villagers, seeing what they needed or wanted.  They ran up to him, 
grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off to the side.
	"What is the matter with you two?" he asked shaking free of their 
grips.  "Where are Bunnie and Aurora?"
	"That reminds me, Amy, go tell Dulcy," Sally said looking to the 
younger hedgehog.  She pumped her fist into the air and ran towards 
Dulcy's tree.  Sally turned to Antoine her face panicked.  "We need to 
get to Robotropolis as soon as possible," she explained.  "Just before 
we arrived at Wolves' Den we were attacked by a look-a-like of you and 
then Kinos and some guy wearing cat mask."
	"Kinos?!" Antoine nearly yelled.  "But why would...  Oh no."
	"Yeah, it seems so," Sally said grimly.  "The guy in the mask 
damaged Bunnie's arm and leg, nothing permanent but Aurora is patching 
her up.  Once they get back with Dulcy we need to head in and save 
them."  Antoine nodded immediately but a loud noise from the center of 
the village stopped him before he could respond.  They looked towards to 
noise and saw the villagers crowding around a blue hedgehog cradling 
something in cloth to his chest.  He was wearing white clothes with 
black armor plates on them and a katana strapped across his back.
	"Sonic?" Antoine said as he and Sally ran to him.  They parted the 
crowd and were about to start barraging him with questions when he 
quickly drew his free hand across his throat.
	"She just fell asleep," he whispered looking down at the bundle.
	"She?" Sally asked just as quietly and looked down.  She held her 
breath when she realized that it was a tiny wolf cub with white and red 
hair.  "By the Maker Sonic, this is incredible.  Is this..."
	"Lupe's daughter Orchid," he said smiling.  The cub was fast 
asleep resting gently in Sonic's arms.  "Where's Rosie?  I need her to 
watch her while we save the rest of the Wolf Pack."  Antoine motioned to 
the badger's hut and Sonic calmly walked over and into it, knocking 
first.  A few minutes later he returned, a slightly sad look on his 
face.
	"What's going on Sonic?" Antoine whispered unsure of how loud he 
should be.
	"Well, long story short," Sonic said quietly clearing his throat, 
"I blew up one of Kinos' power stations after I heard about him bringing 
in some prisoners and then broke into the prison to find Lupe and the 
Wolf Pack there."
	"But what about her daughter?" Sally asked curiously.  "Had she 
already been born or was Lupe still in labor?"  Sonic stared at Sally 
slightly furrowing his brow.
	"That is something that I will NEVER speak of," he said seriously.  
"Ever."
	"Why?" Antoine asked arching an eyebrow.  Sonic glared at him and 
it hit them.  "Oh, you had to-"
	"As I said," Sonic reminded him.  "Never to be spoken of.  Ever.  
Anyway, Lupe refused to let me save the rest of them until she was sure 
that Orchid was safe.  Believe me, I tried to get more of them out but 
those wolves are pretty stubborn."
	"Which reminds me," Sally asked pointing at Sonic's outfit.  
"What's with that?"  Sonic looked where she was pointing and laughed 
lightly.
	"Oh...these..." he said quickly thinking.  "Well, in short, Kinos 
gave them to me.  I don't have time to explain now, we have to go."  
Sonic closed his eyes and the three of them vanished in a whirlwind.  
Not a second later Uncle Chuck ran towards where they had been.
	"Blast it sonny," he muttered and adjusted his head set.  "Seems 
they already went to the city.  Will that be a problem?"
	"Not for me," an older voice said through the earpiece.  "You two 
head to Knothole, I'll go make sure he stays out of trouble."
	"Be careful dear," a female voice said and Uncle Chuck could hear 
them exchange a quick kiss.
	When they could see again they were just outside the city.  Sonic 
took one step but nearly collapsed.
	"Sonic, are you okay?" Sally asked helping him up.  His eyes were 
shut and a hand to his temple.  He lowered it and took a quick breath.
	"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her.  "Let's go.  There's no telling 
when Kinos will get the power back on."  They ran into the city while 
avoiding any unnecessary confrontations.  They had made it all the way 
to the prison building and were hidden in a nearby alley.
	"This is too easy," Sally said quietly looking around.  "We've 
only run into two patrols and Kinos hasn't activated the alarms yet.  I 
feel like we're walking into a trap."
	"It's not a trap, at least I hope not," Sonic said to her.  "I 
spent a little time learning the patrol routines and which ones Kinos 
doesn't really pay attention to."  Antoine stared at the hedgehog 
impressed.
	"Not bad Sonic," he said with a smile.  "I never would have 
figured you the type for this sort of work."
	"You learn quickly," Sonic replied as the SWATbot patrol passed 
the entrance.  "That's our cue."  They ran towards the door but just 
before they reached it Sonic cried out as his head started throbbing 
again.  He crashed into the ground holding his head with both hands.
	"Sonic!" Sally cried and turned around.  She and Antoine tried to 
help him up but he had curled into the fetal position.
	"What convenient timing," Sally heard from behind them.  The 
prison doors opened up to reveal a white hedgehog smiling.  Eight black 
figures, each one a palette swap of a Freedom Fighter, stood behind him.  
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show."
	"Kinos," Sally snarled.  With a brief twist of his hand the white 
hedgehog bowed and stood up straight.
	"In the flesh, so to speak," Kinos said.  "Hmm, I thought more of 
you would come, perhaps that annoying echidna.  No matter, my Shadows 
can easily handle all of you."  Sally looked around at their doubles, 
seeing each one had a symbol stamped on their left shoulders.  The Ari 
clone had the 'alpha' symbol, Bunnie's clone had 'beta', Antoine's had 
'delta', hers had 'sigma', Tails' had 'tau', Amy's with 'mu', Lupe's 
clone had 'lambda', and Rotor's double had 'rho'.  Sally cursed under 
her breath.  She had seen Antoine's clone assume his form and knew they 
could replace any of them without anyone knowing better.
	"And I thought Robotnik was low," Antoine muttered his focus 
shifting away from Sonic.  "It seems that the Princess was right about 
our doubles.    I have to admit Kinos, you've outdone yourself."
	"I don't know whether to be flattered or sick," the hedgehog said 
lazily.  "Delta, would you like to do the honors?"
	"With pleasure," Antoine's double said drawing his sword.  As 
Delta pointed it Antoine he could feel the courage draining out of him.  
The core of the blade was darker than the edge with a small notch at the 
top.  Antoine drew his own sword and took his stance.  His double did 
the same and they both stood there.  Antoine moved first, taking a quick 
step forward and jabbing at Delta.  The Aires easily parried the attack 
and countered.  Antoine ducked and took a swipe at the robot's legs and 
then an upward slash when he jumped.  Delta blocked and used Antoine's 
swing to do a flip, bringing his sword crashing into the ground where 
Antoine had been.  They took their stances again and began another 
exchange.  Sally hoisted Sonic up as they both watched Antoine's fight.  
He was swinging, blocking, parrying, and countering like never before, 
even putting Delta on the defensive more than once.  
	"He's gotten good," Sonic said ignoring the throbbing pain in his 
head.  "He might actually win this fight."
	As the words left Sonic's mouth Delta growled and grabbed 
Antoine's sword by the blade.  He drove the pommel into Antoine's chest 
causing the fox to double over in pain.  A quick twist of the wrist 
snapped Antoine's blade like a twig and he staggered back eventually 
standing tall again.
	"What do you plan on doing with a broken sword?" Delta said 
pointing his sword at Antoine's heart.  As he started walking closer 
Antoine backed away.  "Tell me, what was the ruse?  Was it you acting 
brave?  Maybe it was just the thought that you could lead a doomed 
rebellion.  The Freedom Fighters haven't done so well since you've taken 
command."  Antoine grimaced but didn't answer.  Delta brought the tip of 
his sword to Antoine's throat with a smile.  "Goodbye Mobian."
	"Antoine, whatever you do, DO NOT MOVE," Sonic said fighting 
through his pain.
	"That is not a good suggestion Sonic," the fox told him.
	"Yes it is Antoine," Sally added looking up.  Antoine looked up as 
well and couldn't help but smile.
	"YEE-HAW!!" Bunnie yelled as she and Aurora 03 fell from Dulcy's 
back.  Bunnie landed on Delta causing him to drop his sword.  "Nobody 
messes with mah sugarfox," Bunnie growled pulling Delta into a pin.  
"Sugah, do it now!"  Antoine nodded and picked up the sword.  Delta 
stood up quickly and managed to wrestle Bunnie off him, throwing her by 
the others.  He was too late though because as he looked up Antoine 
drove the sword through his chest and power unit.  He sputtered for a 
second and then slumped over onto the sword motionless.  Antoine grabbed 
the scabbard and then let the android fall to the ground with a clang.  
He removed his old scabbard and replaced it with the new one.
	"I do not think you will need this," Antoine said backing up.  
"Now, what is it you were saying Kinos?"  The white hedgehog growled and 
motioned forward with one of his hands.  Shadow stepped out from behind 
him with Ari bound in chains.
	"I didn't want to have to resort to this," Kinos admitted.  "I was 
hoping that you would just surrender like good little animals.  Since 
you refuse to go quietly I'll make you an offer."
	"An offer?" Sonic scoffed still supporting his weight on Sally.  
"Like we'd ever trust you."
	"Does Ari's life mean so little to you then?" Shadow asked with a 
smile.  "If it does I can just snap his neck and be done with it."
	"Here's the deal," Kinos said cutting Shadow off.  "All of you 
come quietly and I'll let all the prisoners I've taken go free."
	"Sounds too easy," Aurora said.  "Why would you let all of them go 
just for us?"
	"You are the core of the Freedom Fighter resistance," Kinos 
explained.  "Without you the others will either give up or fall quickly.  
Either way I don't care, as long as they stay out of my hair."
	"You mean to tell me that you don't want to conquer us?" Sally 
asked disbelieving.  "Why the change of heart?"
	"I have my reasons," Kinos said narrowing his eyes.  "Now, give me 
your answer.  Do you surrender and set Ari and the others free or do you 
resist and sentence them to death?"
	"That's a tough one," Sonic muttered to Sally.  "No matter what we 
do someone's going to hate us."  Kinos smiled.
	"I see you understand Sonic," he admitted.  "Yes, you will be 
hated for your decision.  If you surrender then you will have told the 
others that your fight was hopeless.  If you sacrifice them you will 
have placed yourselves as more important than them."  Rho stepped 
forward his whiskers twitching in anticipation.  "Now, since I see you 
are making no effort to resist I will have Rho restrain you."
	The Aries stepped forward calmly with a smile on his face.  Seeing 
Rotor in this form unnerved and infuriated Sally but there was nothing 
she could do about it.  She didn't want to give up but she also knew 
that there would be others who would fight in her place.
	TWANG!!
	They all looked around on hearing the noise.  Three objects 
screamed over their heads and buried themselves in Rho's torso.  The 
faux-walrus took a step back and examined the objects in his chest.  
"Arrows?" Sally asked raising an eyebrow.  "Who uses arrows in this day 
and age?"  The arrows disappeared and with a small stagger Rho continued 
walking towards them.
	TWANG!!
	"Again with the twang," Sonic said looking behind him.  "What's 
going on?"  Three more arrows slammed into Rho's chest, this time 
managing to force the bot onto one knee.  In obvious pain the bot stood 
back up his wounds sparking.
	"Oh for the love of God will you just stop?!" a deep voice said 
from behind them.  A second later they could all feel their fur standing 
on end.  A much larger arrow flew over top of them and engulfed Rho 
completely disintegrating him.  They stood there in a mixture of 
surprise and awe.  Kinos on the other hand was furious.
	"Where are you coward?" he yelled into the city.  "Come out and 
fight me like a man!"  A figure dropped behind the Freedom Fighters and 
stood up, towering over them.  Kinos took a step back on seeing the 
being's height but quickly regained his composure.  "You're taller than 
I expected."  The Freedom Fighters turned around and stared at him, 
Sonic especially.  He stood close to six and a half feet tall and wore 
loose fitting jeans and an opened blue jacket.  Rather than ordinary 
shoes he wore black military-issue boots that shone brightly as if 
freshly polished.  His gray hair quills, which were lighter than the fur 
on his body, were pulled into a small ponytail and rested near the 
middle of his back.  In his left hand was a large bow, its shaft steel 
gray with crimson ends, grip and guide, and two large spikes at the 
bottom.  To add to the confusion he wore no quiver to hold the arrows he 
had been shooting.
	"I'm a lot taller than most people expect," he said his voice 
reminiscent of Sonic's.  "So you must me Kinos.  I gotta say I ain't 
impressed."
	"And just who might you be?" Kinos asked his patience wearing 
thin.  "You come here into _my_ city and attack _my_ troops and expect 
_me_ to welcome you?  You arrogant bastard!"  The gray hedgehog smiled 
at Kinos' outburst.
	"While I'm proud to have struck a nerve," he explained as they air 
began to crackle, "I'm afraid that we have to be going.  It was nice 
meeting you Kinos."  Kinos roared in rage as the Freedom Fighters and 
their rescuer vanished in a blinding flash of light that left the ground 
smoking.  When Kinos could see again he growled lightly.
	"I hate that hedgehog," he muttered turning to head into the 
prison ward, "and I don't even know him."
	The Freedom Fighters materialized in the center of Knothole in a 
daze, trying to piece together what had just happened.  The gray 
hedgehog strapped his bow across his back and stretched.
	"Well, that was fun," he said cracking his neck.  "What's next?"
	"Those attacks," Sonic said quietly, "the teleporting, even your 
eyes."  Sonic looked up at the older hedgehog's yellow eyes.  "It's just 
like everything doc told me about.  Is it really you dad?"  The Freedom 
Fighters gathered there stared between the two of them trying to make a 
connection.
	"Ah don't see it," Bunnie remarked.  "How on Mobius is he your 
father sugarhog?"
	"It's been a long time son," Eric Hedgehog said ignoring Bunnie.  
He smiled gently and knelt, placing a hand on his son's shoulder.  
"After all this time I'm surprised you recognized me.  I gotta say I 
nearly didn't recognize you."  Sonic closed his eyes and took several 
deep breaths.  He opened them and stared directly at his father, 
clenched his fist and right hooked the elder hedgehog in the jaw.
	"You BASTARD!" Sonic said angrily as his father slowly recovered.  
"Who the hell do you think you are abandoning me for over ten years and  
then acting like it's nothing?!  Where were you when we needed you, when 
I needed you?"  Eric massaged his jaw where Sonic had hit him.
	"Can't say I didn't have that coming," he muttered under his 
breath.  "Sonic, I'm not going to apologize for leaving you and never 
saying goodbye.  You and I both know it won't do a bit of good now."  
Anger still burned in Sonic's eyes but his body relaxed slightly.  "It's 
a long story, one both your mother and I owe you and everyone here."
	"Mom?" Sonic asked his anger vanishing.  "Mom's here too?"
	"He gets angry at me, go figure," Eric said with a smile.  "She'll 
be here soon.  We split up so I could save you guys from getting 
captured."  Relieved in more than one way Sonic smiled and it vanished 
just as quickly as it came.  The pain in his head was gone.  Maybe he 
really had staved him off.
	<<<Not a chance.>>>
	Sonic cried out in pain as he felt his inner darkness attack him 
again.  The others backed away as Sonic thrashed around his hands 
pressed against his temples.  Sally took a chance and tried placing hand 
on him but he threw it off.
	"Stay away from me! All of you!" he yelled.  More and more 
villagers came to see what the commotion was about.  They all kept their 
distance when they saw Sonic.  Sonic staggered around for a little bit 
and then suddenly calmed down.  He stood tall, rolled his shoulders a 
few times and cracked his neck.
	"Sonic?" Sally asked cautiously.  Something wasn't right here.  
This felt...familiar almost.
	"You okay son?" Eric added.
	"Never better," Sonic said.  His voice was different.  It was 
slightly higher, plus it sounded like it was echoing in a small room.  
Sally shivered.  She remembered that voice.  "Thanks for asking old 
man."
	"What's with your voice Sonic?" Tails asked scratching his head.  
"You sound kinda weird."
	"Ain't exactly a nice way to talk about someone kid," Sonic 
replied laughing lightly.  The fur on the back of Sally's neck instantly 
stood up.
	"My son doesn't sound like that," Eric said narrowing his eyes.  
"Maybe you can help me.  Who are you and what have you done with Sonic?"
	"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic said turning his head enough 
so that they could see his smile.  "I AM Sonic.  Or at least who he 
should be."  His eyes opened and Sally's heart stopped.  Yellow irises 
surrounded by black, just like the last time and in her dreams.
	"Not again," she whispered.
	"You don't believe me?" the dark Sonic asked.  "How about _this_?"  
He clawed upward with one hand, black blades of wind cutting through the 
ground.  Eric used a small burst of air to push the Freedom Fighters out 
of the way and then another to stop the wind claws.  In an instant Sonic 
was in his father's face arm pulled back to strike again.  Eric almost 
didn't have enough time to block.
	>He's fast!< he thought in shock.  >A lot faster than I thought.<  
Sonic smiled sadistically.
	"Armor plates covering your forearms," he said slightly impressed.  
"Not bad.  But not enough."  Black wind formed at his fingertips as his 
smile widened.  Eric growled and focused on his arm.  Lightning coursed 
along his skin and jumped to Sonic.  What he wasn't expecting was for 
the lightning to blacken and return to him.  He felt his left arm go 
completely numb and kicked Sonic off of him.  His left arm was useless.
	"So, you can corrupt any energy aimed towards you and return it to 
its owner," Eric guessed.  "Damn, my left arm is shot.  Hey Adrian, 
where's the nerve that controls the motor functions of the left arm?"  
Osaka thought for a second and pointed to a spot near his shoulder.  
Eric took out a long needle and jabbed it into that spot.  He winced as 
electricity flowed into his arm.  It did, however, restore function to 
his arm.  He flexed it once just to make sure and then smiled towards 
Sonic who was watching patiently.  "Now, where were we?"
	"I don't even know why I bother with someone as weak as you," 
Sonic said narrowing his eyes, "but letting you live would be 
pointless."  He drew his sword, the blade pitch black and pulsing with 
energy.  Eric was taken aback at seeing his old sword in its current 
state.  "Prepare to die old man!"  Sonic charged his father moving so 
fast no one there saw him move.  Eric deflected the blade with his 
remaining armor plate and it shattered.  Sonic swung again and missed, 
the blade tearing the ground apart.  Eric took a swing at Sonic but his 
fist passed through him as the afterimage faded.  He turned just as 
Sonic elbowed him in the chest, lifting him off the ground and into a 
tree.  Sonic drew back as black wind engulfed his sword and his smile 
returned.  "Didn't I tell you it was pointless?" he said laughing.  "Now 
DIE!"
	Before he could swing a massive earthen hand reached up and 
wrapped around him.  Sonic's sword fell to the ground as he struggled to 
no avail.  Sally looked around and saw Knuckles with his hands to the 
ground and his whole body glowing bright orange.  From the corner of her 
eye she saw Dr. Osaka rush towards Sonic while biting his thumb.  A few 
quick swipes and he had painted three symbols on Sonic's forehead in 
blood.  He then flattened his hand and drew back.
	"BANISH!" he yelled and slammed his hand against the symbols.  
They glowed for a brief moment and then faded away with no visible 
effect.  Sonic started laughing and Sally felt a fell chill run down her 
spine.  He was enjoying torturing and hurting them.  This wasn't Sonic 
and yet she couldn't help but think that this thing and Sonic felt the 
same way.
	"You think that I'm some sort of evil spirit?" the dark Sonic 
asked still laughing.  "You idiots don't get it do you?  I AM Sonic!  
I'm what he should've been so get used to it!"
	"I didn't want to do this but it looks like I have no choice," 
Osaka said holding his hand up.  He opened it fully and violet flames 
engulfed it.  "If any part of Sonic is still in there he'll understand 
what I have to do."
	"You don't have it in you to kill me," the dark Sonic told him.  
"So long as he and I are in one body none of you would dare kill me!"
	"Doc wouldn't really do it, would he?" Amy asked.
	"There is no way," Antoine answered shaking his head.  "Dr. Osaka 
will do what he can but I know that he would not kill Sonic."
	"Then you don't know Adrian," Eric told them.  All gathered turned 
to him.  "Don't get me wrong, he doesn't want to kill Sonic.  But if he 
lets this thing loose then it'll kill all of us."
	"You can't be serious," Bunnie said angrily.  "Y'all have no 
problem with doc killin' your son?"
	"If he didn't then I would," Eric snapped angrily.  "You all think 
you're fighting a war.  You have no idea what war really is, what it 
does to animals."  Before he could continue they heard Osaka move to 
deliver the killing blow.  His hand stopped centimeters from Sonic's 
face who was still smiling.  The flames around Osaka's hand started to 
turn black but the lynx fought back with all his might.  He poured as 
much of his strength as he could muster into stopping Sonic's corrupting 
power.  His eyes shifted to violet and his hair turned jet black.
	"That's...different," Tails said scratching his whiskers.  "How'd 
he do that?"
	"An answer I'd like to hear too," Eric said absently.  He knew it 
was shadow power but this level was beyond mere dabbling.  He watched as 
his childhood friend and his son battled.  He knew one of them would die 
from this but knew better than to interfere.  Sonic smiled as he watched 
sweat form on Osaka's face.
	"You look tired," he told the lynx mockingly.  "Why not just give 
up and admit just how weak you are?"
	"Like hell I will," Osaka said panting.  "As long as my arm's 
attached then I'm not giving up."  The dark Sonic laughed as his power 
consumed more and more of Osaka's.  Suddenly he stopped, his eyes 
widening.  The flames around Osaka's hand vanished and he barely managed 
to avoid punching Sonic square in the nose.  He backed up slowly, trying 
to figure out what had just happened.
	"You...bastard!" the dark Sonic yelled suddenly as he began 
thrashing about.  "Why don't you just give up?  You're not strong enough 
to beat me.  You're weak; just a pathetic weakling!"  The stone hand 
began to crack under Sonic's movement but Knuckles would reinforce it 
just as quickly.  Sally could see that he was under a great deal of 
stress, probably from maintaining the spell.
	"Okay, what's happening now?" Aurora 03 asked as her sensors went 
on the fritz.  Sonic let out a primal roar that echoed throughout the 
village.  Black wind formed around him culminating in growing sphere 
above him.
	"Stop it!  Stop this!" he yelled angrily.  "You can't do this to 
me!  You need me!"  He froze as he stared at the black sphere.  The 
sphere erupted, pushing everyone back.  When they looked at Sonic again 
he was limp in the stone hand.  The hand retreated and they all rushed 
Sonic.  He was unconscious but breathing.
	"Sally and Knuckles get him to my hut immediately," Osaka ordered 
and the two of them nodded.  As they were carrying him away Osaka rubbed 
his right hand.  "What was that thing?"
	"I don't know," Eric admitted standing next to his friend.  
"Whatever that thing was it nearly killed me and took your hand.  I 
can't help but wonder if that thing really _is_ a part of Sonic."
	"Maybe," Osaka said walking towards his hut.  "If it is then we're 
in a great deal of trouble."
	Once he had all the equipment hooked up to Sonic Osaka borrowed 
Nicole to scan Sonic.  Nicole displayed a holographic Sonic above his 
physical body that showed several cracks all throughout his body.  
"That's not good," Osaka said closing Nicole and handing her back to 
Sally.  "Well the good news is that Sonic didn't suffer any physical or 
mental damage," he told the Freedom Fighters.  "What concerns me are all 
of the fractures in his skeletal structure.  His sternum looks like it 
was shattered and then pieced back together like a jigsaw puzzle."
	"But how could that happen?" Amy asked.  "Sonic can heal fast but 
not that fast."  Osaka sighed and shook his head.
	"I wish I knew the answer to that Amy," he said sitting down in a 
nearby chair.  "If he underwent some sort of healing process then why 
didn't he wait until it was finished?"
	"Maybe he did not have a choice," Antoine suggested.  Everyone 
turned to face him.  "Before we left for Robotropolis Sonic mentioned 
that he obtained his current clothing from Kinos himself."
	"Okay," Osaka said scratching his jaw, "then why did Kinos let 
Sonic go?"  Everyone was silent.
	"I'm surprised you don't remember than tactic Adrian," Eric said 
sitting against a wall.  He was too tall to stand comfortably in the hut 
so he had chosen to scoot around on his butt.  "If Kinos had just killed 
Sonic, or let him die, it's what all of you would expect.  But to let 
him live, even going so far as to heal him, would undermine your trust 
in my son."
	"I must be getting old," Osaka muttered.  "That thought didn't 
even cross my mind."
	"Maybe it was meant as a message," Sally suggested.  "Kinos told 
us that he didn't care whether we gave up or just left him alone.  Why 
would he suddenly not care about us?"
	"There are too many questions and not enough answers," Antoine 
said.  "Perhaps it would be easier to wait until Sonic regains 
consciousness."  They all nodded and all but Eric, Sally and Osaka left.
	"You don't honestly think that I'd leave my son alone in his 
condition do you?" Eric asked when Adrian gave him a curious stare.  
"Alura will find me here, don't worry."
	"And you had better not try to make me leave," Sally warned Osaka 
before he could look at her.  "I've been here every time he's been hurt 
and I'm not ending that streak."
	"I wasn't even going to ask," Osaka replied smiling and then left 
Eric and Sally alone.
	"So you're Sonic's father," Sally asked sitting in Osaka's chair.  
"I'm willing to bet that he takes after you."
	"Mostly his mother," Eric answered smiling.  "Imagine my surprise 
when I heard that he was engaged to the Princess of the Acorn family."
	"It's, um, kind of complicated," Sally said blushing.
	"Why not tell me about it?" Eric offered.  "My wife won't be here 
for another couple hours and I'd like to see how the Princess has grown 
up away from the palace."  So Sally started from the beginning, glad to 
have someone keep her mind from worrying.