FicWad

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog cringed, gritting his teeth and turning around stiffly. He relaxed his body when he saw that it was Sally who had called him, but still warned himself that he was still in some danger.

Sally finally reached Sonic. There was a look of mild concern in her eyes, but other than that she seemed to be happy to see Sonic.

"Where have you've been all morning? I've been looking for you," she questioned. At least that told Sonic why she appeared concerned. For most of the morning Sonic had been avoiding contact with his friends, which was unusual especially for him. Sonic was only doing it because he was now feeling quite unwell, with his headache still present and the now sudden cold, clammy feeling he had acquired. He knew that his friends would start worrying about him and start badgering him for answers: he had enough of that since the mutation, and all that had only died down recently.

"Oh, hey, Sal," Sonic began lamely, smiling his trademark grin. "I was just... taking a run around the forest. Burning off some energy, that's all."

Sally gave Sonic a sort of look that said she had the feeling that something was not right. Lately that has been a common sight for Sonic, one that he hoped would die down soon also.

"Okay, do you think you still have some energy left to take me to Robotropolis? Uncle Chuck sent me a message saying that he found something about the Doomsday project that he wants me to see in person," Sally asked. The look was long gone, thankfully.

The pain behind Sonic's eyes seemed to increase just by the mentioning of a run, especially all the way to Robotropolis. Still, Sonic forced a smile and heard himself say: "Sure, Sal. Are ya ready to go now?"

The Princess nodded, and Sonic gently cradled her in his hooked arms. After a short moment of revving his legs, Sonic took off, a long vapour trail of dust and fire marking his path.

Even with Sonic's speed, the trip to the dark city of Robotropolis took at least ten minutes or more, and that according to Sonic was sheer torture to his head. His shoulders were not as forgiving either.

Sonic was now seated on one of the benches in his uncle's secret hideaway, not listening to the techno-babble Sally and his uncle were now exchanging. But from what Sonic could understand, it turned out the Robotnik had perfected the Doomsday Device's mechanisms, and had now posted SWATbot security around the factories that were needed to build the satellite system. That was reported in the first five minutes of the meeting. Now it had taken about half an hour to go over the systematics of the blueprints.

Sonic began tapping his foot against the leg of the bench. He never could just sit still, even when he was sick. Although the stabbing pain in his shoulders had surfaced again, so sitting still through it was out of the question anyway.

Sally looked over her shoulder at Sonic, a scowl on her face. "Sonic, do you mind?" she questioned.

"Only if I get pay by the hour, Sal," Sonic retorted, grinning toothily. The ground squirrel sighed and shook her head.

"Please, just try not to do that for a little bit. It's annoying." With that, Sally turned back to the computer screen, where the blueprints were displayed. The grin on Sonic's face dropped to a playful smirk as he began to look around the hideaway, idly rubbing at his shoulder to ease the pain. Gears and wiring was scattered across the bench he was sitting on, and small camera lenses and speaker grates were also there ready to be installed. The beginnings of another robot bug, the ones that Uncle Chuck used to spy on Robotnik and Snively, sat in the centre of the mess.

Sonic gingerly picked up the robotic bug, which was about the size of a regular cockroach. The hedgehog turned the pseudo-insect with his fingers, looking at it from different angles. Then, loosing interest, he placed it back in its original position on the rickety bench. He was bored again.

"Sal, how much longer?" he asked, tapping an exposed claw on the bench-top. This time it was his uncle that answered.

"We're almost done, Sonnie-boy. Just bare with us for a little longer," Uncle Chuck said, smiling kindly to his nephew. Sonic returned the smile.

"Cool." He ignored Sally, who was shaking her head once again, but couldn't help but notice the small smile she had on her face. He wondered what she had to smile about, on account that the meeting was that of serious business.

Sonic sighed out of boredom and leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. Well, it wasn't much of a ceiling, just a whole series of piping and copper plating, along with pieces of SWATbots that Sonic remembered were poking out on the surface.

Sonic pawed at his eyes as he stared. What he couldn't understand is why his uncle would set up his hideaway at the edge of Robotropolis' dumping grounds. The air was foul smelling, thanks to the pollutants Robotnik's factories spewed into the air everyday, and there were always SWATbots patrolling the area, making the risk of being caught in the act greater. The hedgehog would had preferred it if Uncle Chuck had come back to Knothole instead; Rotor had the equipment needed to build the necessary spying mechanisms, Sonic was sure of it, especially with all that junk that was shoved into the closest at the back of the walrus' workshop.

"Sonic. Sonic!"

Sonic's head snapped up and he stared, bewildered, at Sally. She was standing right in front of her, an annoyed but concerned look on her face.

"Were you that bored, Sonic? You could have gone for a run like you usually do," Sally informed. Sonic then realised that he had fallen asleep again.

"Well, I thought that maybe I'd just stay here for once," Sonic said, while trying to figure out when he had fallen asleep. "Can't a guy make his own decisions every once in a while?"

Sally rolled her eyes. "Whatever, are you ready to go now, or would you rather spend the night here?" she joked. Sonic hopped off the wooden bench and shot a scowling glare at the ground squirrel.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's cruise already."

But just as the two were about to leave, Uncle Chuck called Sonic back. With a shrug aimed at Sally, the hedgehog made his way back to where his uncle was standing, while Sally began climbing up the small staircase that led to the junkyard.

"Is everything all right, Sonic?" Uncle Chuck queried once Sonic had reached him. Sonic sighed at the question, knowing now it was going to be asked a lot once again. Just when everything died down, he lamented to himself.

"Sure, Unc, everything's cool. Why?"

"It just seems to me that something is troubling you, that's all," his uncle replied. "I heard about your little encounter with Robotnik's prototype. That must have jarred you a bit."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. The stupid tin can tried to drown me in Culgoa Lake!" He heaved a small sigh to calm his headache as it flared. "But I let him have it, totally trashed the thing into scrap metal."

Uncle Chuck gave a hearty laugh, patting his nephew's shoulder. "That's the way, Sonnie-boy. So everything is all right now?" Sonic nodded.

"Are you still up for tomorrow, then?"

Just the mentioning of the events that had been set to take place tomorrow seemed to send a stab of pain through Sonic's body. He struggled not to collapse, but had to lean against the bench he was sitting on earlier. He had totally forgotten about what he and his uncle had planned.

"Actually, Uncle Chuck, maybe not," Sonic responded truthfully, turning away from the older hedgehog so that he couldn't see the concerned look that took over his face. Uncle Chuck approached Sonic and placed a hand onto his still bandaged shoulder.

"So everything is not all right with you, is it?" he probed. Sonic bit at his bottom lip and nodded lightly.

"I haven't really been the best lately," he explained finally, voice low. Somehow it seemed to be easier to talk to his uncle than to his friends about the strange illness that had been with him for what seemed like forever.

"I wouldn't expect you to be after the metamorphosis, Sonic. There's no way you could get use to the extreme changes in two weeks," Uncle Chuck remarked. "Do the others know?"

Sonic shook his head. "I don't want them to, either."

The robotized hedgehog sighed and leaned back on the heels of his feet, looking his nephew over carefully. "It would be better if they did. But see how you go for now. I have to come by Knothole tomorrow anyway to give the Princess some information I'm looking for now," he compromised. "Think you'll be all right to get back home?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," Sonic verified. Uncle Chuck smirked and gave Sonic's shoulder a light pat.

"Then you better get going, the Princess is waiting for you."

The two hedgehogs embraced briefly.

"Take care until tomorrow, Sonic," Uncle Chuck said.

"You too, Unc," Sonic returned as he headed up the stairs. The sound of the horizontal door shrieking open reached Sonic's ears, flashing through his head for an agonising moment. It was a challenge to not grab his head to stop it from exploding.

"So what was all that about?" Sally's voice questioned from the top of the staircase. She made her way out the door as Sonic did, then watched the door close and bury itself amongst the scattered junk.

"Just stuff," Sonic shrugged, as if it was no big deal. According to him Sally had no idea about the tests his Uncle Chuck insisted on doing to study the mutation. And in a way, Sonic didn't want her to know about it; it would only result in more badgering and testing. "So you ready to go now?"

"Actually, Uncle Chuck told me about the location of the satellite Robotnik had chosen while you decided to take a cat nap."

To this Sonic shot the Princess a dark glare.

"If it's all right with you I wanted to check it out for any weaknesses," Sally requested in a somewhat sweet voice, as if to redeem the earlier comment. Sonic rolled his eyes but nodded.

"Sure, like you were gonna leave the city without checking the place out anyway." He bent slightly and scooped Sally up into his arms, then revved up his legs and sped off towards the heart of the city.

As he raced through the city's mazes of streets and alleys everything to Sally became a blur, but then that always happened whenever she rode with Sonic. The speeding winds flowed into her face, whipping her hair about, and reminding Sally that if Sonic encountered anything in the road and tripped she could find herself one hundred yards ahead without Sonic's aid.

The reminder startled her in an unknown way, and Sally found herself tightening her grip around Sonic's neck and bringing herself closer to his body.

"Whassamatter, Sal? You ain't scared, are ya?" Sonic whispered directly into Sally's ear, so that she could hear him. Communication was close to impossible whenever he was carrying someone while running.

Remembering this Sally shook her head, and gave a thumbs up to tell Sonic that she was fine, to which he returned with his trademark grin. She knew that she was safe with Sonic; he would never risk a friend's life, especially hers because they were so close to each other in more than one way.

Sally blinked, somewhat stunned. Where did that thought come from?

Sally glanced at Sonic for a moment, trying to figure out where that thought came from. Sonic and her were just friends, since they were children back in Mobotropolis. That's all.

Bunnie's words simply had gotten to her somehow.

"Is this the place, Sal?" Sonic's voice whispered again, startling Sally back into reality. The ground squirrel looked ahead and saw the series of buildings and warehouses that occupied the southwest side of Robotropolis. Amongst the mess of intimidating cracked concrete shells and worn down frames stood an almost completed warehouse, guarded by SWATbots all around it. More SWATbots were manning machinery of construction, slicing the silent air with drilling shrieks and ear-splitting screams.

Sally looked up at Sonic, noticing that with each sound he would wince painfully and flatten his ears to block them out. She felt the winds die down gradually as Sonic began to slow down, until he came to a stop behind a nearby building. As soon as he set Sally down Sonic grabbed at his head and gave a small groan, dipping his head forward slightly.

"Are you all right?" Sally asked, and stood next to Sonic. Sonic nodded as he massaged at his temples.

"Yeah, just the noise was hurting my ears," he explained, shooting a scowl towards the construction site. A look of obvious pain was in the hedgehog's large eyes. Sally looked towards the construction site again with slight hesitation.

"Think you can go closer for a little while?" she questioned. Sonic simply nodded, then began to make his way towards the construction site before Sally could protest. Neither of them noticed as a Spy Orb, literally a robotic ball with a camera embedded into its centre that could hover with the aid of its hidden hover-jets, stealthily followed them into the building.


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At that point Snively had just walked back into the surveillance room, a large Styrofoam cup filled with what a tastebud-less fool would call coffee.

As Snively glared down at his cup, dreading the fact that he was going to force himself to drink the stuff just to stay awake, he sat back at his station in front of the large wall of computer monitors and went to continue his research, only to be interrupted by an emergency red alert from a computer next to him. Sighing, Snively deactivated the alert and called up the surveillance recall. Instantly the grey-scaled images of Sally and Sonic blinked onto the screen.

Snively's hand crept its way to the intercom device and activated it. "Sir, the hedgehog and the Princess have been sighted near..." Snively paused to refer to the camera's read-out. "Factory Site 07F. Should I send out a SWATbot squadron to capture them?"

There was static-like silence coming from Robotnik's end of the intercom, and for a moment Snively worried that the dictator was not present.

"Negative, Snively," Robotnik's voice rasped after an interval. "Deploy the Mecha Unit instead."

"But, Sir. The Mecha Unit hasn't been fully repaired," Snively argued, then regretted the outburst. Before Robotnik could begin yelling at him Snively cut off the communication and sent the order directly to the Mecha Bot. At least Robotnik would now only have to yell at him for cutting him off in the middle of a conversation.


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"Looks like the satellite is going to be massive," Sally observed from their hiding place. They were no less than about three metres away from the construction site, hidden behind a series of half demolished walls.

Sonic stared at the site with disinterest, wishing that they could have been a little more away from it. The noise from this distance was painful to his sensitive ears. But then on the other hand Sonic was impressed at how much his hearing had improved through the mutation. Ever since yesterday morning when he heard Sally coming towards his living quarters he wondered just how much his senses had improved.

Then he realised that Sally had taken Nicole out and was scanning the site, recording all the systematics of the area. Sonic could just make out a large amount of numbers flashing across Nicole's small screen. He shook his head as his vision blurred.

"You okay?" Sally asked, looking away from Nicole's screen. She had caught Sonic's movement from the corner of her eye. And now that she looked closely, the hedgehog didn't look too well again.

"Yeah, just the noise," Sonic lied. "So how much longer?"

"Just a couple of minutes. I'll try to be quick so we can move away sooner," Sally stated, turning back to Nicole. She knew she wasn't going to get any truthful answers from Sonic, at least now.

Sonic sighed and placed his arms onto the top of the demolished wall, tapping his fingers rhythmically. When the noise did become too much he flattened his ears and closed his eyes, hoping that he wasn't going to fall asleep this time without realising it. He didn't want to be badgered by Sally.

It was a few minutes later that Sonic heard another noise besides the ones from the construction site. With a start his head jolted up, his ears perking up on instinct and cocking about, trying to find where the sound had come from. He didn't notice that the quills on his back were slowly bristling, nor the fur on his somewhat long tail.

"What? What's the matter?" Sally asked, a sliver of alarm in her voice. She had never seen Sonic react like this, and it was scaring her more than the possible threat that Sonic had heard.

Quickly Sonic hushed her as he looked over his shoulder. The sound had come from somewhere behind...

Before he had a chance to react Sonic was tackled to the ground.

"Sonic!" Sally cried. Sonic barely heard her as his head slammed into a half built concrete wall. A second later a steel hand raked across his face, what fingers that still had claws attached leaving thin cuts as a reminder. Sonic hollered in pain as his headache pounded and pulsed along the new lactations, making him feel dizzy and sick. A kick to his side made the feeling worse.

For a moment Sonic's vision blurred as another kick was planted into the same spot, sparking more pain. After about three kicks Sonic couldn't even feel his side any more. He struggled to open his eyes, but when he did he was horrified to find that his attacker was Mecha Sonic.

But I destroyed him, didn't I? Sonic wondered to himself just before the robot punched him in the face. The robot looked worse for wear, most of the paint on his face had been cleared away, along with some of the steel covering that formed its face. All the circuitry underneath was revealed, reminding Sonic of what normal Mobians' veins under their skin would look like. Some of the robot's fingers were either missing or bent out of shape; some of the deadly diamond-tipped claws missing still, and the left leg was also bent out of shape. It looked useless to Sonic.

Then the robot used that bent out of shape leg to knee Sonic in the stomach, and followed the attack by yanking at a fistful of Sonic's head-quills.

In blinded pain Sonic lashed out, managing to score a hit to the Mecha's eye. Again Sonic hollered as an unexpected surge of electricity coursed through his own claws and all over his body. He did not even see that Mecha Sonic's own cold metal body was arched in a robot's representation of pain, nor did he hear Sally's frantic screaming.

Where Sonic's claws had inserted themselves into Mecha Sonic's eye socket a concentrated red light began to glow as the robot's system overloaded with the uncontrolled power. With a great explosion Sonic and the robot were repelled, flying in opposite directions of one another. The Mecha Bot crashed into a brick wall, the force of the impact strong enough to cause the wall to collapse. As the bricks showered over Mecha Sonic, Sonic himself was thrown into a pile of what use to be a wall, which had been destroyed hours earlier by the Worker Bots to make room for the new building. Sonic hit the pile with a loud grunt, slumping back in an awkward position. Sharp jabs of pain flickered through his back and head, and he realised that some corners of the bricks were jabbing into him. His head spun, making him feel faint and his stomach lurch.

From somewhere to his left Sonic could hear Sally as she scampered over the debris to his side. Gently, but hastily, she helped the dazed hedgehog to sit up.

"Come on, get moving. SWATbots are coming," she hissed, pulling Sonic to his feet and dragging him down the street. They ducked behind a large garbage dumpster just as a small troop of SWATbots made it to the scene.

"Priority One Hedgehog and Priority Two Princess Sally have escaped, Sir," one SWATbot reported via its communication device as the rest of the squadron were slowly unearthing Mecha Sonic from the rubble. Behind the dumpster Sally held her breath.

"Status report on Mecha Unit," Robotnik's voice requested over the comm-link, disappointed that Sonic and the Princess had managed to overpower the Mecha Bot. At that point the group of digging SWATbots had uncovered the mentioned robot, finding it to be, once again, completely destroyed. Upon report of the finding Robotnik growled in frustration.

"Find the hedgehog and the Princess, and bring them back to me alive," he ordered. The SWATbot saluted and cut off the communication, replayed the order to the troop and set off in the opposite direction that Sally and Sonic were hiding.

After five agonising minutes Sally stood from her place and looked down the street, scanning for any signs of the SWATbots. When she saw nothing she turned back towards Sonic and crouched down next to him. He was curled up against the dumpster, trying desperately to not moan in pain. His right hand, which was the one that had stabbed into the robot's eye, was blackened from the blast and appeared to be bleeding. A small, but concerning bruise had begun to develop on his left side where he had been kicked. Small trickles of blood slid down his face, staining the tanned fur of his muzzle. Sally also noted that the bandages around his shoulders had come loose.

"Are you all right, Sonic?" Sally questioned softly, fighting to keep her voice as calm as possible. She was still shook up from the surprise attack of the assassin robot, and the way Sonic looked now wasn't comforting.

Sonic uncurled himself and leaned against the wall, gazing at Sally. He lifted a hand to his bleeding face. "Yeah, I think so," he murmured, when really that wasn't true. The injuries he had sustained had made him feel worse than he felt that morning. It felt like to him that the pain of his headache had spread to his whole body, dizzying him.

"Can you stand?" Sally asked, offering a hand to the hedgehog. Sonic allowed Sally to carefully loop her arm around his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. Sonic lurched as blood rushed to his head quickly, and he had to lean against Sally to stop himself from falling.

"Come on, let's get you home before the SWATbots come this way," Sally suggested, and began their gradual trek out of Robotropolis.


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"Are you sure you're all right?"

Sonic sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little sore," he exasperated, rolling his eyes. He then winced as Sally streaked another swab of medical alcohol across his cheek, where a long but thin cut was.

"Y'all shure as heck don' look all right ta me, Sugah-hog," Bunnie pointed out and she took the used swab from Sally and dumped it in a nearby rubbish bin, then passed another split-end band-aid.

The statement was true, however. The bruise on Sonic's side had swelled considerably, so an ice pack had been applied to it. There was another bruise near Sonic's left eye, but nothing had been done for it as yet. The burns on his hand had been smeared with burn balm and wrapped with loose bandages. For most of the trip back home Sonic had been delirious with pain and illness, and was unable to function correctly, but the long trip served to help him recover. At the moment he was almost back to normal, if only a little irritated by Sally and Bunnie's constant worrying. Sally had called Bunnie to aid when she and Sonic had reached the village, as Bunnie had a vast knowledge of basic first-aid. Sonic had refused the help of a doctor.

With a faint growl Sonic pressed his face in his free hand, stopping Sally from working on the cuts. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it, okay?" he hissed, voice muffled. Once again his back quills bristled, startling Sally. She looked to Bunnie to see her reaction to the hedgehog's action, but the cyborg rabbit was facing the other way, making her way to the bathroom.

"Dun be so stubborn, Sugah-hog. We'all won't think less of ya if ya admit y'all need som' help," Bunnie commented as she disappeared in the bathroom. It was obvious that she hadn't seen what Sally did. "Now where do ya keep th' cotton buds in heah?"

"Under the basin somewhere I think," Sonic called, face still covered with his large hand.

Carefully Sally sat down next to Sonic and moved his hand away from his face, lifting it by placing her hand under his chin. "You could have been killed today," she pointed out bluntly. Sonic's quills flattened themselves, the rage that influenced the reaction now dwindling to just light annoyance.

"Sal, you know I would have been all right. It was just a sneak attack, it caught me off-guard," Sonic sighed, moving away from Sally's reach. He began pawing at the cuts on his face, noticing that some blood stained his glove. Sally grabbed his hand to make him stop.

"I know. But it just seems like you haven't been acting like yourself lately," she admitted. "Is everything all right?"

Sonic drew his knees to his chest, trying not to react to the sharp pain the movement caused from his bruise. He rested his head on his knees and just sighed. "Yeah, everything's fine," he finally answered.

"Are you sure? I realise it must be hard for you to adjust to the mutation's changes," Sally justified.

"You don't know the half of it," Sonic murmured in a low voice. It wasn't what was really bothering him, but Sonic realised that Sally had given him an opportunity to try and steer the subject into a different direction, just so he wouldn't have to admit that he wasn't well.

"Is there some way I can help? Or if not me then perhaps one of the others?" Sally queried.

"Nah, this is something I gotta figure out on my own. But thanks anyway, Sal," Sonic said.

"Ah got 'he cotton buds," Bunnie suddenly called, walking into the bedroom. She then noticed that Sally was now sitting next to Sonic, quite closely as well.

"Ah didn't interrupt somethang, did Ah?" Bunnie asked, then passed the packet of cotton buds to Sally. Sally took them and began tearing at the plastic wrap with her claws.

"No, just making sure everything's okay," Sally said as she pulled out a bud and grabbed the rubbing alcohol. "Now are you going to let me clean up these cuts, Sonic?"

Sonic stared at Sally, then silently nodded.


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"It's starting to get late," Sally observed quietly.

"Wha' was that, Sally-girl?" Bunnie questioned, looking up from the book she was reading. She was sitting with Sally outside the narrow veranda of her hut, while Sally was doing research on Nicole. Neither had spoken over the hours of the morning, both absorbed with their activities. The main reason they were sitting together was for the other's company. Around them the villagers were moving about, doing their daily chores. Again this was barely noticed by the two.

"It's starting to get late," Sally repeated as she took a quick glance at her wristwatch. "And Sonic isn't up yet."

"Oh," Bunnie drawled, smiling slightly. "He's probably still sleepin', or just decided to stay at his place fer 'he day."

"He would have told me if he was doing that. And I would imagine he would come out at least to get some breakfast, but he wasn't in the Mess Hall this morning," Sally explained. When she looked away from Nicole's screen to look at Bunnie she saw that the rabbit had a concerned look on her face.

"That is a bit of a worry, Ah guess," she mused at length. She marked her place in her book and closed it, placing it on the veranda. "Do y'all want me ta check up on him fer ya?"

Sally considered the offer, but then shook her head. "I'll go. I want to have a talk with him first, just to make sure everything's as okay as he says it is. Somehow I don't believe him."

"Give him Hell, Sally-girl," Bunnie cheered as Sally walked down the short flight of steps and made her trek towards Sonic's hut, which was almost completely opposite to her own. Once she reached it Sally rapped her knuckles on the door, calling out Sonic's name. From her place Bunnie watched in anticipation.

Sally stood outside Sonic's door for a couple of minutes, then knocked again. When the second attempt to get Sonic's attention failed Sally looked at Bunnie and shrugged, the expression on her face telling Bunnie that she was clueless as to where the hedgehog could be. Bunnie started gesturing to Sally to go inside.

"Are you nuts?" Sally called, forgetting to keep quiet just in case Sonic was indeed still asleep. The idea of just walking into Sonic's hut without his permission made Sally feel like she was intruding. Besides, what if he was doing something and didn't want to be interrupted?

"Jerst go in, sugah-hog wouldn't take yer head off or anythang," Bunnie called back. To emphasis the comment she began making the same gestures from before.

"Fine," Sally muttered to herself, turning away from Bunnie and tried the door. She was surprised to find that it was unlocked.

"Go already. This ain't a murder mystery," Bunnie exclaimed, managing to get a few stares from any Mobians that were close enough to hear her. Sally finally walked in, if only to not see the stares Bunnie was getting. Then she found Sonic, still in bed, and appearing to be in a deep sleep. She walked out instantly, shutting the door behind her, and made her way back to where Bunnie was waiting.

"Well?" she asked when Sally reached her.

"He's still asleep," Sally answered, a tone of disbelief in her voice. Bunnie sighed.

"And ya didn't wake him?"

"I didn't want to. It was bad enough I was in his hut in the first place," Sally exasperated. Before Bunnie could protest Sally silenced her. "All right, all right. This time I'll bring Sonic something to eat and wake him, does that sound okay to you?"

"Now that's a good idea, Sally-girl," Bunnie agreed. "Go do it now."

"You just don't give up, do you?"

A few minutes later Sally was once again standing outside Sonic's hut. Like she had planned she had a small plate filled with a couple of chilidogs, which had been saved from the fate of being thrown out by the cooks of the Mess Hall when they had realised that Sonic wasn't going to come and have them for breakfast.

With her free hand Sally knocked, again getting the same response: nothing. She opened the door and walked in, this time taking in Sonic's sleeping form. Sonic was stretched out to his full height, face partly smothered in the pillow, and all together looking dead to the world. Or at least deadly exhausted, Sally noted. Maybe he didn't get much sleep last night like Bunnie suggested. The fact that he was buried in about five thick blankets was a bit of a worry as well, seeing as it wasn't cold at all last night.

Silently, Sally set the plate down on Sonic's bedside table and sat on his bed. "Sonic," she whispered. "Sonic, wake up."

There was no reaction from the hedgehog, or a hint that he had hear Sally's callings. So Sally began shaking Sonic by his shoulder, being carefully to avoid the cuts, and called out his name a little louder. She began to worry when once again Sonic didn't respond. Not sure what she should do now, Sally slid her arm under Sonic's side and rolled him to his back, holding his head as it lolled to the side.

At least now he would be more comfortable, Sally mused to herself.

As she pulled away from Sonic Sally's hand brushed lightly over Sonic's cheek, which got a sort of response from him. With a contented sigh Sonic moved slightly and opened his eyes a sliver, focussing onto Sally's form.

"Sal?" he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. In a panic Sally whipped her hand away from Sonic, feeling her cheeks flush red-hot. For some reason she felt embarrassed that Sonic had caught her in his room.

"Yeah, it's me," she fumbled, pressing her hand on her cheek in an attempt to cool it. She watched closely as Sonic pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. She noted that Sonic seemed to move stiffly, like it hurt him to move.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic gave Sally a dozy, but curious stare. Somehow that seemed to make Sally blush further.

"I--uh--I brought you something to eat," she finally stammered, jerking her head towards the plate of chilidogs she had left on the bedside table. Sonic continued to stare at her, then turned and followed her gesture, gazing at the plate without interest.

"Thanks," he said simply as he pressed his forehead into the palm of his hand. Sally felt a twang on sympathy tug at her heart.

"How do you feel?" she asked cautiously. In response Sonic gave a sort of faintly frustrated sigh, whether it was aimed at the question or the subject of the question Sally didn't know, and rubbed at his eyes lightly.

"I have a splitting headache. I think I got that from when I was smashed into that wall yesterday," he explained, rubbing at the area where the headache originated. "And this bruise is killing me."

Sally leaned over so that Sonic's left side was clearly visible. The bruise had swelled up twice its size from yesterday, and was an unruly purplish-green that showed through his fur. At least it explained why it seemed to pain the hedgehog when he moved.

"Do you want some aspirin?" Sally offered, to which Sonic shook his head.

"Nah, I'll take one later. But could I have some water, please?" he asked.

"Sure." Sally stood and began to walk over to Sonic's kitchenette, upon reaching it she opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a glass.

As she made her way to refrigerator Sally peered over her shoulder towards Sonic, his whole form still in perfect view. His body was hunched over, with his right arm supporting his chest and his free hand holding his head. There was a pained yet tired expression on his face, which Sally now noticed seemed a touch pale. Sally moaned as she padded back to Sonic, glass of water in hand. He wasn't even trying to pretend that there was nothing wrong with him any more, she lamented mentally.

"Here," she murmured, handing the glass to Sonic, then sat back onto the bed.

"Thanks, Sal," Sonic said gratefully, taking a large gulp from the contents. Sally watched him carefully as he drained the glass quickly.

"Maybe you should see Doctor Quack about your injuries, they could be worse than they look."

Sonic swallowed the last of the water quickly and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Nah, I'll be fine. I just slept on my side wrong, and I guess I'm just a little shook up, is all," he persuaded.

"You weren't feeling well yesterday, were you?" Sally questioned, so suddenly it caught Sonic off guard.

"Well I--you see--" Sonic surprisingly couldn't think of anything to say to the question.

"Just tell me the truth, please?" Sally exasperated, looking Sonic straight in the eye. He could see nothing but concern in her large sky blue eyes. It felt for a moment that he was lost in their depths. Somehow Sonic always saw a form of power in Sally's eyes; a power that he could not describe. All he knew that whenever he looked into them something inside him seemed to click into place.

"Yeah, I was kinda sick yesterday," Sonic eventually admitted, and began to rub at the back of his neck nervously. Sally sighed and shook her head.

"Why didn't you say something? If I had known you weren't well I wouldn't have made you go into Robotropolis with me," she bewailed, bowing her head. Now Sonic felt guilty.

"Well you needed to go. And there was no way I was gonna make ya walk all the way to the city alone," Sonic explained, hoping that that would help. "And you could have been attacked by that robot. And none of us would have known until it would have been too late."

Sally's head snapped up at what Sonic said. She stared at him bewildered for a silent moment, then just mumbled, "Really?"

"Yeah really. I know for a fact that if the others found out that I had let you wander off to Robo-Town alone, then got hurt, they would have lynched me," Sonic clarified. He noticed with that comment something seemed to disappear from Sally's eyes.

"Oh, I see." Sally had turned away from Sonic's view and began fidgeting with the ends of her vest. Soon Sonic found himself doing the same with one of his blankets, until Sally stood and started making her way to the door.

"If you do feel any worse please tell me, okay? Then I'll get Doctor Quack to make an appointment for you," she offered.

"Yeah, sure thing, Sal," Sonic nodded. "Was that all you wanted to see me about?"

Sally paused at the door and considered. "No, just checking up on you. Though I think you should get out of bed now, your Uncle Chuck is coming by and I don't think he'll want to see you in bed still." She had turned to smile sweetly at Sonic, who groaned.

"Aw man. I still hafta get up anyway?" he whined, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Felines are famous for being big sleepers. Remember that, Sonic," Sally responded, then left the hut, closing the door behind her. Sonic stared at the door, then dropped his gaze to his folded hands.

"What the heck does she mean by that? I'm not a feline."


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"What in the name of Chaos happened to you, Sonnie?" Uncle Chuck exclaimed.

Embarrassed, Sonic looked down to his sneakers, shuffling them on the floor. "I fell?" he ventured, only gazing up with his eyes at his uncle. Towards his left Bunnie began giggling quietly at the hedgehog's lame attempt, making Sonic grin with mischief. All of the Freedom Fighters were gathered in Sally's hut to listen to the explanations of the latest reports Uncle Chuck had to offer against Robotnik's latest developments. But then the elderly hedgehog was distracted by his nephew's current condition, much to Sonic's frustration.

"We had a little run-in with Robotnik's Mecha Sonic unit. Though Sonic did enough damage to it to put it out of commission for good this time," Sally explained. She stepped up to Sonic and lifted his head with her hand so Uncle Chuck could get a better look at the injuries.

"I'm just glad you weren't killed, lad. Robotnik made that robot to be a born killer," Uncle Chuck sighed. He ran a cold thumb over the bruise near Sonic's eye. "But are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, Unc. Just a bit sore," Sonic responded shortly. He caught Sally's worried glance from the corner of his eyes but ignored it.

"Even so, it would be a good idea for you to take it easy for today. That bruise on your side looks pretty bad, and I don't want you causing any more damage to it," Uncle Chuck instructed sternly, then patted Sonic on his shoulder. Sonic leaned back against Sally's wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, suppose that's a good idea," he murmured, then stifled a yawn. Sally raised an eyebrow at the action, but said nothing as Sonic took a seat with the others.

Eventually Uncle Chuck began going over some of the reports he had found yesterday, explaining briefly over anything of interest and answering the Freedom Fighters' questions when they had any. Sonic however was spaced-out for most of the discussion, but not in the usual bored way he was like during meetings. His dizziness had become stronger over time, and he felt like as if he had down a whole lap of Mobius in less than three seconds. Everything he heard was muddled up and seemed to make his headache worse. Sonic shook his head to clear it, only to regret doing so as the pain bounced and throbbed about his head. Then he just barely felt someone tap him on his shoulder. Startled, Sonic looked around to find who had done it, and came face to face with Bunnie.

"Sugarhog? You okay?" Bunnie whispered. She glanced up at Uncle Chuck and Sally, seeing that they both had their backs turned to them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic whispered back. He leaned back in his chair and stifled another yawn, then pawed at his eyes. This, unfortunately, Sally managed to catch as she turned around.

"Is everything okay, Sonic? You keep yawning," she commented as she walked over to the hedgehog. Sonic shrugged as he pawed at his eyes.

"I can't help it, sorry. Just feel tired all of a sudden."

"Go outside then, and get some fresh air. You're probably still recovering from yesterday. We'll be in here if you need anything," Uncle Chuck offered, gesturing towards the door. Sonic followed his gesture, then nodded in agreement.

"All right, then I'll see ya later on, Unc."

"Count on it, Sonnie," Uncle Chuck replied.

Sonic exited the hut and began making his way to his hut, but then changed his mind and headed for the Ring Pool outside the village. At least there he knew he would get some privacy.

The hedgehog sat himself down in front of a large Oak tree and leaned back, then began rubbing tenderly at his eyes. It was warm now, not overly hot as there was a cool breeze blowing through the village, making the temperature pleasant. Sonic sighed as the breeze picked up slightly and blew through his quills and fur, ruffling his fur. Sonic allowed a slight chill run through him before he moved into a pool of sunlight, instantly feeling the sun warming him. At least he didn't feel dizzy any more, but his headache still lingered. Sonic pawed at his head again, hoping that it would help ease it.

After sitting there for a while he began to feel a little better, and concluded clumsily that keeping still actually calmed his odd illness.

"As long as I don't have to run to Robo-Town or battle insane mechabots I should be fine in no time," Sonic commented to himself as he carefully slid himself into a lying down position. He hoped Sally or Uncle Chuck wouldn't mind it if he missed the briefing, but then at the same time he had already heard it all.

"Or kinda, at least," he muttered. Another breeze whistled passed him, feeling a touch warmer than before. Sonic closed his eyes to avoid getting dust in them, but at the same time became aware at how warm he felt. When he opened his eyes Sonic saw that the breeze had managed to shake a few leaves from their branches, and watched as they began tumbling down to the ground. He became mesmerised by them.

Sonic didn't even realise that he had fallen asleep until someone's voice entered his sub-conscious mind.

"Sugah-hog, wake up already," the voice scowled.

"Huh? Wha--?" Sonic muttered, snapping awake and looking around for the source of the disturbance.

"Mah stars, sugah. Y'all shure c'n sleep," Bunnie declared as she seated herself next to the blue hedgehog. Sonic pushed himself into a sitting position and yawned, stretching his arms over his head as he did so.

"Oh, Bunnie," he said lamely. "Sorry 'bout that."

Bunnie waved it off. "Aw heck, Don't worry about it. But Ah hafta say, it's not lakh ya at all ta fall asleep in th' middle of th' day," she commented. Sonic simply shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. I just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all," he lied. Bunnie frowned with concern.

"That c'n't be good. At least it explains why y'all were nearly noddin' off in th' briefin'," she said. "But y'all okay, right?"

Sonic sighed inwardly and glared at the cyborg rabbit. "You're not gonna start now, are you?"

Bunnie raised her hands in defence, smiling innocently. "No no, Ah was jerst askin'. Y'all didn't look th' greatest yesterday when y'all got home," she insisted. Sonic flattened his ears, then backed down.

"I suppose that's true." Sonic dropped his gaze to the ground and began to drum his fingers on his sneaker. Every once in a while he would unsheathe a claw and tap it against the metal base of it. From the corner of his eyes he saw Bunnie stiffen and again sighed quietly.

"Who else has been buggin' ya about this?" Bunnie questioned, as if to make Sonic not notice her edginess.

"Mainly Sally. I don't think anyone else has taken much notice yet," Sonic shrugged. Bunnie nodded, a smile developing on her lips.

"Well, you an' Sally-girl are pretty close though, right?" she asked. Sonic stopped tapping his shoe and stared at Bunnie.

"Well yeah, pretty close. But then we're like that with all of you guys, too," he answered as he sat up straighter.

"But Ah was askin' about th' two of you specifically," Bunnie pointed out. Sonic continued to stare.

"You're creeping me out, Bunnie," Sonic murmured after an interval. He stood and brushed the dirt from his fur. "I think I'll go for a walk now, just to wake myself up a bit. I'll catch ya later."

"There's another meetin' tomarrah at eleven in Sally-girl's hut," Bunnie called after him. Sonic waved to the rabbit in acknowledgement.

Sonic began making his way away from the lake and into the forest, deciding that it would be a good idea to leave the village for a while, just so no one else would come after him. At the moment he felt a little irritable from his sickness, so the last thing he wanted to do was snap at any of his friends.

He had walked aimlessly for about fifteen minutes when he realised just how thirsty he felt. And somehow the temperature of the day seemed a lot higher than it did before. Sonic gazed up through the forest's canopy, seeing through the few gaps the leaves allowed that the sun was directly above him. But it never was this hot, was it?

Sonic sat down on a nearby rock just so he could cool down a little. He could feel beads of sweat forming under his fine fur, making him itch slightly. He clawed at his bandaged shoulders, thinking about where he could find something to drink. He didn't want to go back to the village just yet; somehow the walking made him feel more ill.

"Stupid illness, just get lost already," Sonic muttered to himself. He stood and continued walking, cursing his illness.


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Sally looked up from the maps Uncle Chuck was showing her as Bunnie entered the hut.

"Was he all right, Bunnie?" she questioned, turning away from her desk to face the rabbit completely. Bunnie hesitated for a heartbeat, then nodded.

"He seemed all right ta me, though he was sleepin' when Ah found him," she explained. Sally sighed.

"There must be something else wrong," she muttered to herself.

"Why would y'all say that, Sally-girl?" Bunnie questioned, raising an eyebrow curiously. It was Sally's turn to hesitate.

"I think I know what you might be talking about, Princess," Uncle Chuck offered. "Sonic did tell me yesterday that he wasn't doing too well for a little while."

Sally stared at the robotized hedgehog, then scowled. Not to Uncle Chuck himself but to Sonic. "I can't believe he didn't tell me before. I only found out this morning," she said.

"So Sonic did tell you eventually?" Uncle Chuck asked. Sally nodded.

"I used reverse psychology on Sonic. Good thing that old trick still works," she added with a smirk. "Now if only I could figure out why he is so stubborn about things like this."

Uncle Chuck began gathering all of his documents, sorting through the ones he thought might be of use to Sally. "Well you know Sonic, he feels that he doesn't want everyone to be worrying about him. It can get frustrating, especially after his metamorphosis," he commented.

"I suppose that's a good point. But it's not doing Sonic any good if he keeps this to himself. What if something serious is wrong with him?"

"Then Sonic will approach one of us about it."


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"So thirsty," Sonic lamented, struggling to swallow. His throat felt dry as sand, and his tongue felt like it had swollen to three times its original size. And it was unbearably hot all of a sudden.

The ailing hedgehog swept a paw over his forehead, then pawed at his watering eyes. If only he had some water...

Sonic's ears suddenly perked to a new sound coming from the forest. He stopped short and listened carefully, cocking his ears about every so often. Once again he was thankful for his improved hearing, as Sonic identified the sound as running water. He took off to his left, where he was sure the sound was coming from.

By the time he reached the water's source Sonic was panting and gasping for air, wincing as his lungs tried to knot themselves. He leaned against a nearby tree to catch his breath, and to clear his head of the nauseating dizziness he was now experiencing. But it was worth it for in front of his was a large river mouth, complete with a tall waterfall. Dotted under the waterfall were clutters of rocks, darkened and slick from the constant downpour.

Sonic looked around to get his bearings, and noticed near the riverbank that there was a small patch of grass scorched black, like as if from a small fire. More examination of the area revealed a nearby tree with small holes bored into them, and a tiny patch of dry blood splattered on it.

"Whoa, I walked all the way to Culgoa River," Sonic marvelled. Culgoa River was at least ten miles away from Knothole Village. No wonder he felt so drained. And the remains of his first battle with the Mecha Bot were still present, which surprised Sonic further.

As soon as Sonic recovered from his dizziness he began to carefully make his way to the waterfall, being mindful to keep his grip on the rocks or else he'll be getting more water than he wanted. He made it close to the end of the waterfall, instantly feeling the cool vapour in the air.

Sonic went to his knees and bent down to drink, but saw at the corner of his eye a Greater Stag, creature that was common around the Great Forest. Sonic paused to gaze at the creature, noticing its long antlers and large frame. Greater Stags were infamous for their short tempers, especially when an intruder came near its territory. Sonic hoped he wasn't near it, as he didn't think he could escape without some form of harm, especially in his condition.

"Just keep away from me..." Sonic drawled as he bent down to take a drink. He noticed the Greater Stag do the same thing and relaxed. Most likely this river mouth was its watering hole. Sonic began lapping up the cool water, cringing at the strange taste that lingered in it.

"Must be from the waterfall," Sonic pondered. So he moved further away from the waterfall and drank from the main part of the river mouth, finding the same taste a lot fainter there. Meanwhile the Greater Stag had stopped drinking, and was now cocking its head about. Sonic dunked his head under the surface, bringing it out quickly and gasping. The water was freezing, but still refreshing after walking in the sun for so long. He took another quick drink before standing and making his way to the riverbank.

"Man, that's way better," he sighed, wiping his face dry. He still felt dizzy, and a little more nauseous from drinking so much water quickly, but at least he wasn't thirsty any more. He started heading back home; now would be a good time to before everyone began wondering where he was.

He didn't notice the second Greater Stag hidden in the bushes near the river. If he did he would have seen that it was dead. The first Greater Stag Sonic saw had collapsed hours after he had seen it.


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Uncle Chuck gathered the last of his things and began making his way out Sally's hut. "I think I better get going before Robotnik realises that I'm missing," he explained.

"I should apologise on Sonic's behalf, he has never wandered off like this before," Sally sighed as she quickly swept her forelock out of her eyes.

"No, don't worry about it. I'm sure my nephew didn't mean to stay out so long. I can easily come back tomorrow," Uncle Chuck assured. Sally walked with the hedgehog out to the edge of the village, but kept her head down so that she was staring at the ground.

"Sonic will be fine you know. He's just finding it hard to adjust to all the changes," Uncle Chuck stated, placing a comforting hand on Sally's shoulder. Sally gazed up at Uncle Chuck and mustered a small smile.

"I know, it just he seems so different now lately," she said. "Sonic's never been like this before and I'm just worried about him."

"It's not easy to not worry, Princess. But trust me, Sonic will be fine. This is just something he wants to figure out on his own."

"That's what he said."

The two Mobians reached the beaten path that led in and out of the village, where they found he subject of their discussion leaning against a tree, not more than about five feet ahead of the two.

"There you are," Sally exasperated, and walked over to the hedgehog, Uncle Chuck in tow. But the closer they got to Sonic the more they realised something wasn't right. Sonic was leaning all his weight against the tree, head bowed and held in one hand. Even from where Sally and Uncle Chuck stood they could hear Sonic's heavy breathing.

"Sonic are you all right?" Sally questioned once she had reached Sonic. When the hedgehog didn't answer immediately Sally lifted his head, and both her and Uncle Chuck gasped in shock. Sonic's face was extremely pale, one step away from being white, and his eyes were slightly red and rimmed with black, appearing glazed. His breathing sounded laboured, like as if he had been running for hours. But Sonic had only been gone for about two.

"Chaos and Order, what's the matter Sonic?" Sally breathed. Sonic simply shook his head deliriously.

"I... I dunno, I just..." Sonic groaned and dipped his head, leaning further against the tree. Now his face was completely white, and his body had begun trembling.

Uncle Chuck took a hold of Sonic's arm and hooked it around his shoulders. Sally did the same with Sonic's other arm.

"Come on, lad. Let's get you home before you get any worse," Uncle Chuck said, and began leading Sonic alongside Sally to the village. Moments later Sonic was stretched out in his bed, buried with various blankets and in a deep sleep. He had calmed down shortly after arriving in his hut, the relapse of his illness disappearing just as soon as it appeared, and claimed that he was well enough to be left alone. Relucent to do so, Sally and Uncle Chuck agreed after more assurance from Sonic.

The tainted water Sonic had swallowed that day and days before continued its deadly course.