WHEN A BUNNIE MEET A BUNNIE A Bunnie Rabbot story by Daniel J. Drazen PAUSE FOR BOURGEOIS LEGALITIES: This story is copyrighted (c)1996 by the author. The characters are the property of SEGA, DiC Productions, and/or Archie Comics, with the exception of those characters created by the author. The situation of this story is inspired by "The Good, The Bad, and the Hedgehog" and "When Hedgehogs Collide", both written by Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders for Archie Comics. I'd hate to be the lawyer in THIS custody fight! All the normal restrictions under Title 17 (the copyright laws) still apply. DUE TO MATURE CONTENT, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! ================================================================= It was mid-summer and there was a lightning storm coming. None of the residents of Knothole liked this kind of weather. It wasn't that they minded getting wet. Except for the ever-fastidious Antoine, all of them had had opportunity enough to get cold and wet and dirty in the process of fighting against Robotnik. For the most part they'd learned how to take the elements in stride. But there was something unsettling about an approaching lightning storm; it set everyone's nerves on edge. Rotor tried explaining that it was due to the build-up of positive ions in the environment awaiting discharge during the storm, but while his explanation was supposed to enlighten it did little to comfort anyone. And that's how Bunnie felt as she listened to Rotor's explanation for what to her must have seemed like the 50th time. "Rotor, can't y'all just ferget about the science lesson? Ah thought we were supposed to be fixin' this whatchamacallit." "The Timespace Matter Projector Monitor. I haven't been able to scan for the location of the Void because it's been acting up on me. Probe." Bunnie handed the instrument to Rotor, who was bent over with his head inside the housing of the apparatus. "Well, how soon are you gonna finish?" Bunnie asked testily. "Mah fur feels like it's ready to jump off mah skin!" "That the static in the air. Wrench." "Get it yourself, blubber butt!" "Say what?" "Sorry, Rotor. Ah don't know what came over me." "It's OK, Bunnie; we'll all feel better once the storm breaks. Now could I please have that wrench?" Bunnie picked up the wrench, ready to hand it to Rotor. All of a sudden, there was a tremendous crash as a bolt of lightning dove down through the trees and toward the metal roof of Rotor's hut. For a second every dial on the Timespace Matter Projector jumped and glowed before settling back down again. "Bunnie, I'm not ready to power up the unit yet! Just hand me the wrench." There was no reply. "Bunnie, let me have it!" Rotor stood up but remained upright only for a moment. The next thing he knew he was sinking to the floor, his head throbbing with pain. "Aunt Bunnie!?" Tails had ducked into the doorway of Rotor's hut to get out of the storm as it was breaking. He had arrived just in time to witness what appeared to be Bunnie grasping a good-sized wrench and hitting Rotor over the head with it. Bunnie dropped the wrench, turned and ran out of the hut. As she passed Tails she backhanded him across the face with her mechanical arm. The force of the blow knocked him against the nearby wall. The cub slumped to the floor unconscious. Outside, Sally was quickly walking past the huts of Knothole, making a visual check that things were secure against the storm. She then saw Bunnie running from Rotor's hut. "Bunnie? Where do you think you're going?" she called to her. Bunnie didn't slow down, but kept running across the bridge and into the Great Forest. Just at the end of the bridge, Bunnie passed Sonic the Hedgehog returning from Uncle Chuck's hideout in Robotropolis. She gave him a shoulder block that knocked him off his feet, and kept on running. "Yo, Sal, what's with Bunnie?" "I don't know. I saw her tearing out of Rotor's. I'd better check it out." "Right with you!" They were almost at Rotor's when they stopped short. The door was open and Tails' unconscious form was clearly visible in a sudden flash of lightning. They ran to him, Sonic getting there first. He picked up the cub and cradled him in his arms. "Tails! Wake up! It's me, little bro!" But Tails remained unconscious. Then they both heard a groan and looked behind them. Rotor was struggling to his feet. There was a serious gash on the side of his head and he was trying to stop it from bleeding without much success. "Take it easy, Rotor," Sally said as she guided Rotor to a nearby chair. She pressed down on Rotor's wound to stop the bleeding. "Can you tell us what happened?" "Bunnie conked me with a wrench...I think." "Bunnie did WHAT?" "Sal, what about Tails?" There was an urgency in Sonic's voice that Sally wasn't used to hearing. It meant that Sonic was afraid, afraid of losing Tails. "Take him to Bookshire, then tell Bookshire to get over here to have a look at Rotor." Sonic was gone before Sally could draw a breath. She turned her attention back to Rotor. "You're going to be OK," she assured him. "It looks pretty bad but it could just be superficial. Now tell me what happened." "Bunnie was helping me work on the Timespace Matter Projector Monitor. I needed a wrench and when I asked to let me have it, she did!" "That just doesn't sound like Bunnie!" "It didn't look like Bunnie, either." "What are you talking about?" "I saw her out of the corner of my eye just before she clobbered me. It looked like she had a big brass ring in her left ear, like it had been pierced in two places. I didn't know Bunnie wore earrings!" "She doesn't. And she's never had her ears pierced, either! Did you notice anything else?" "No. I asked for the wrench and she...wait a minute!" "What?" "Just before that, when I was working on the Timespace Matter Projector, I heard a really loud clap of thunder, and the Projector powered up for a second. Then it went down again. That was just before Bunnie clobbered me." Sally thought about it for a moment then unclipped Nicole, her hand-held computer, from the top of her boot. She inserted it into a slot on the control panel of the Projector. "Nicole, run diagnostic on Timespace Matter Projector. See if anyone's been transported within the last few minutes." "UNABLE TO CARRY OUT REQUEST. INITIAL DIAGNOSTIC REVEALS HEAVY DAMAGE TO 72% OF CIRCUITS CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL OVERLOAD. ESTIMATE REPAIR TIME OF TWO DAYS PROVIDED NECESSARY COMPONENTS ARE READILY AVAILABLE." "OK, just see if you can determine the last coordinates that the Projector was set to." "WORKING...COORDINATES IDENTIFIED." "Hey, Bunnie, you gonna give me that wrench some time this year?" Bunnie was never more lost in her life. A moment ago she had been standing in Rotor's sloppy but familiar workshop. Then there was a flash of light and a loud crash, like thunder. Now she was standing inside some sort of dimly-lit garage with multiple bays. The smell of waste oil and combustion smoke was heavy in the air. And Rotor was wearing some kind of peaked cap made of black leather. "Forget it!" Rotor snarled as he grabbed the wrench from Bunnie's hand. "If you can't make yourself useful, get your butt out of here. And whatever you're on, try cutting the dose!" Bunnie thought she was going to faint. None of this was making sense. She looked around the garage. It was as cluttered as Rotor's workshop but this clutter seemed more the result of deliberate carelessness than Rotor's simply flitting from project to project. She saw that she was standing next to a workbench and leaned against it. She heard a door open and saw Tails walking in. It looked like Tails, sort of, except that he wore a black windbreaker and sunglasses. He looked at Bunnie for a moment. "Hey, Rote, what's HER problem?" "How should I know? She probably got hold of some bad junk. Forget about her!" "Well she'd better clean up her act in about thirty seconds, cause that's when...." Tails stopped talking as the door opened. Whoever it was just stood there, silhouetted against the daylight outside. "OK, long ears, come on. You know Sonic doesn't like to be kept waiting." This wasn't Sally, Bunnie told herself. The face and the voice were the same, but she was wearing some kind of black leather body suit with a heavy, studded belt. Mostly, however, it was the attitude: Bunnie could almost taste the disdain, the anger in her voice. Rotor and Tails were clearly apprehensive, as if they knew she had a violent temper and could turn it on them at any moment. This was definitely NOT Sally. "Ah...Ah need to rest, to...." "Save it for someone who cares. When Sonic says Now' he means two minutes ago. Now move that tail of yours before I do it for you!" Whether out of impatience or malice or a combination of the two, Sally knocked Bunnie's hand away from the workbench so that she fell toward it face first. Then she grabbed Bunnie by the ears and walked the still-shocked rabbit out of the garage and out onto the street. Bunnie, wide-eyed, looked at a world that was alien to her and yet familiar at the same time. She was in the heart of a city very much like Robotropolis, yet this city was ordered and neat. It didn't show the decay and disrepair that had befallen Mobotropolis after Dr. Robotnik had taken it over and named it in tribute to himself. Then Bunnie realized that that's what was familiar about it! This WAS that old Mobotropolis, much as she remembered it from her childhood. But there was still something seriously wrong. The streets were broad and clean, but they were also virtually deserted. Wouldn't a city like this show more signs of life? Bunnie didn't have much time to wonder because Sally had seized her upper right arm and was now practically dragging her down the street. Still too dazed to offer any resistance, Bunnie tried to keep up. "What I heard about you better not be true," Sally said as she kept up the pace. "Ah don't think you...." Bunnie never got to finish the sentence as Sally whipped her so her back slammed into a nearby wall. She then grabbed Bunnie by the throat. "Look," Sally snarled, "let's make sure you understand something. Sonic only keeps you around because he thinks you're easy on the eyes and because you're stupid. The moment I sense you trying to do any thinking I'm coming down on you so hard you'll wish you'd never been born. Got it?" Bunnie could only nod. "Let's go," she said, rudely pushing Bunnie ahead of her. Then she added, "I hope you remember what day this is." "What?" "Great! Looks like you got an early start." Bunnie had no idea what Sally meant, but she kept on walking, with Sally close behind her. She was too confused to try to make a run for it. She didn't know where to run to! Sally didn't say another word until Bunnie started walking past a deserted storefront that, according to an old sign, had once housed a video arcade. Sally reached out and got a handful of her tail. "Where do you think YOU'RE going?" She shoved Bunnie inside. They crossed the dusty floor and passed a couple of lifeless old games. Sally was pushing Bunnie toward a door in the back of the room, so Bunnie went through it. "All right! It's party time!" Bunnie was unprepared for this. It was Sonic, but what was he wearing? A black leather jacket, hobnail boots and a pair of shades? If this was a party, it must be a masquerade party. "Yeah," Sally drawled, and guess who started partying without you." She slammed the door, leaving Bunnie and Sonic alone. "No problemo, kid. Just so long as you saved some room for the spiciest chili dog on Mobius!" "Doctor Robotnik, Sir!" "This had better be important, Snively," Robotnik growled as he looked up from the schematics laid out on the table before him. "It IS, Sir! One of the freedom fighters has surrendered to a SWATbot patrol!" Robotnik turned. "WHAT did you say?" "One of the Knothole freed..., er, REBELS has surrendered to a SWATbot patrol only moments ago!" "If this is some kind of joke...." "Nothing of the kind, Sir! Watch the monitor; I'll play back the video of the encounter." Snively began feverishly working the dials while Robotnik settled back in his chair. Dr. Robotnik had no sooner started drumming his fingers when the image flickered to life. Clearly visible on the video monitor was a rain-soaked Bunnie, as seen from the point of view of a SWATbot. "Am Ah glad to see YOU guys! Ah don't know what the hoo-ha's happenin' to me, but Ah got to get to Dr. Robotnik and fast!" "You see, Sir?" Snively could hardly contain his joy as he switched off the monitor. "She DID surrender herself! She's in a holding cell at this very moment on Level 4." Robotnik rose to his feet. "Yes, Snively, this IS an occasion. Or it could be a trap. Double the guards on Level 4 and bring in all available SWATbots to surround the building. It's time we had a little chat with our guest." Bunnie, for her part, was pacing in her cell. She'd managed to escape from Sonic and his gang in the rain, but the effort has taken its toll and she was exhausted by the time she reached the outskirts of the city. Yet something was wrong: this wasn't the Mobotropolis she knew. The streets were grimy and dilapidated, the air foul and choking. Still, she took time to catch her breath before venturing out onto the street. She thought herself lucky that the first thing she saw was the familiar sight of a PatrolBot. That reminded her of one of the few Mobians who had ever showed her a measure of kindness. If anyone could help her unravel this mystery that was surrounding her, it would be Dr. Robotnik. Yet the strangeness wasn't going away; if anything, it was deepening. The PatrolBot called her a "freedom fighter" and announced that she was being placed in detention "by order of Robotnik." Still, Bunnie held out hope that Dr. Robotnik could answer her questions. Yet when Dr. Robotnik appeared wearing some kind of red and black uniform instead of his usual surgery whites, Bunnie started to feel more lost than ever. "You were wise to surrender yourself, freedom fighter. It saves us both a lot of trouble." "What the hoo-ha are you talkin' about, Doc? Ah ain't never heard of no freedom fighters. And who's THIS little twerp?" Snively drew himself up to his full height, which wasn't much. The name is Snively,' you rebel upstart!" "Gimme a break, Doc. Snively's a software program!" "Snively," Dr. Robotnik asked after a moment's thinking, "do you have any idea what this demented animal is talking about?" "No idea at all, Sir." "Never mind. What matters is that I have a chance to finish what I started a long time ago. And to find out the location of Knothole in the process." "Look, Doc, you gotta help me. Ah...." "I'LL do the talking, vermin! Where's Knothole?" "Ah ain't never heard of no place called Knothole!" "Then where are Sonic and the rest of the freedom fighters?" "You know as well as Ah do: Sonic's headquarters is over across town in the old arcade!" "Shall I send some SWATbot patrols to investigate, Dr. Robotnik?" "Don't bother, Snively; it's obvious that the strain of being a freedom fighter has unhinged this creature's mind. She's be more cooperative once she's been completely roboticized." "Hey, you never said nothin' about that!" Bunnie protested. But if Dr. Robotnik heard that last remark he pretended not to. He turned and made his way down the corridor. As the massive door at the end swung open, he addressed the four SWATbots visible on the other side. "Two of you guard this door. The other two station yourselves by the prisoner's cell. If you need to contact me I'll be warming up the roboticizer." Bunnie awoke with a splitting headache. The pain was all she could sense at first. Feeling the back of her head, she felt what was probably going to develop into a serious bump. She opened her eyes and looked around. She couldn't see much; she could tell she'd been dumped into a small closet heaped with cardboard containers. The only light came from a crack between the floor and the door. Then she remembered how she'd gotten there. Sally had left her alone in the room with Sonic, just as he said something about hoping she had an appetite for the hottest chili dog on Mobius. Something about Sonic's tone of voice, plus the fact that she didn't see or smell anything remotely resembling chili dogs in the room, put her on her guard. And then Sonic did something Sonic had never done before: he grabbed Bunnie by the base of the ears with one hand and pressed his lips against hers in what could only be called a vile parody of a kiss. She then realized that he was grabbing at her clothes with his other hand. That did it. Bunnie may not have known where she was or why, but she remembered enough of the old Southern Mobian ways to know that this was no way to treat a lady! She responded by slapping Sonic's face. Sonic was surprised, but only for a moment; he grabbed her tighter, as if the rebuff had only served to increase his ardor. Bunnie then punched Sonic in the stomach with her left hand. For a few seconds he stood doubled over, more in shock than in pain. Then he let out a howl of rage and lunged at her. This COULDN'T be Sonic, she kept telling herself; he's never raised a hand against her or any other living creature! As fast as Sonic was, Bunnie still managed to put up a good defense by making sure there was at least one piece of furniture between the two of them. Until she felt something strike her in the back of the head. Now she was waking up inside a closet. Sonic's gang. She remembered Sally telling her once about their previous encounter with a gang of toughs from another world, a parallel Mobius where Sonic and his friends were outlaws and delinquents. Somehow she must have been thrown out of her own world and wound up in their's. As her head cleared, Bunnie could still taste Sonic on her lips. She wondered if she'd ever rid herself of the taste of him. Then she thought she could hear voices through the flimsy wall of the closet. The voices belonged to Sonic and Sally. She strained to listen. "She is out of here! She's history!! She's toast!!" It was Sonic, and he was so mad he was raving. Bunnie didn't have to guess as to what--or whom--he was raving about. "She'd also be long gone," Bunnie heard Sally say, "if I hadn't come in when the furniture started flying. I TOLD you she didn't belong in our group." "That ungrateful little...." Sonic was cut off in mid-rant by the sound of some kind of communication device. For the next couple of minutes, Bunnie only heard one side of a conversation, mostly "Uh-huh"s spoken between long pauses. It was during one of these pauses that she heard a soft tapping against the locked closet door. "Bunnie?" she heard a voice whisper. "Who is it?" Bunnie asked warily. "You've got to get out of here! Now listen: I'm going to cut the power in this building. That'll unlock this door and disable the alarm system." "Wait a sec! Who are you?" "Never mind. I'll program the system so that the power will cut out for ten seconds. When it does, head down the hall to your right and go through the door at the end. It'll take you out of the building. After that you're on your own. Head for the clinic on Terrace Street -- you'll be safe there." "Hold on! Ah don't know who to thank." There was a tense silence. "What's your name?" Bunnie whispered. There were several seconds of silence before the answer came: "Nicole." Then Bunnie heard the footsteps going back down the hall. Bunnie didn't know any more than she did before, but she appeared to have at least one friend. She went back to listening in on Sonic's conversation. It must have just ended. "The fix is in, Sal. The plan goes down day after tomorrow; the Boss just confirmed it." The Boss? "This is gonna be great!" Sonic exulted. "King Acorn will never know what hit him!" Bunnie could feel the color drain from her face. She'd heard that Sonic's gang was a bunch of tough punks; she never pictured them as anarchists. Were they really plotting to do something to the King? "We're doing him a favor." If Bunnie could detect any emotion in Sally's voice, it was contempt. "We should've forced him into early retirement' a long time ago." "We didn't have the tools until just now and you know it, Sonic. Even if we did, I would've been stuck being Queen if we'd have done it your way." "You got a problem with being Queen?" "I just don't think 'Constitutional Monarch' looks good on my resume. Let someone else be a figurehead ruler if they want the job; I'm not interested." "I still think we should just bump off the old man and get it over with." Even before Sonic could finish his sentence, Bunnie heard what sounded to her like Sally backhanding Sonic across the face, then grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket. "I told you I'M doing the thinking around here! Now we either play this MY way or I pull the plug right now!" "Whoa, baby, you know how that turns me on!" The next few seconds of sounds were indistinct. Bunnie thought she could single out the rustle of leather and the sound of two people breathing heavily but everything else seemed unclear. Then the sliver of light coming in through the bottom of the door disappeared. At the same time Bunnie could hear the electronic lock on the door come undone. She could also hear Sonic start up a new round of cursing. She tried the handle on the door. It opened with ease. She stepped out into the darkened hallway, unable to see anything. Knowing she only had a few seconds left she groped to her right until she felt something. It could be a railing. Or it could be the crash bar on a door. She pushed. She found herself falling forward into an alleyway, one only slightly cleaner than any given spot in Robotropolis. Nicole had been as good as her word; Bunnie was out. Bunnie sprang to her feet as the door shut behind her. She looked up and down the alley. Nothing seemed familiar. But she chose to follow the alley as it disappeared to her left into the night. She'd not gone three steps when a red light came on, illuminating the door she had just come through. That meant that the power was back on inside. It also meant that her escape might be discovered at any moment. She didn't know where she was going to, but Bunnie started to run. The storm was over by the time Sonic and Sally reached the rendezvous point in the garbage dump. They each took a wary look around before shaking themselves dry. "Now what, Sal?" Sonic asked. "Now we need to link up with Uncle Chuck." Sonic led Sally at a wary pace down the streets of Robotropolis. The city was damp, yet seemed no cleaner for having been rained on. It was still dirty, almost defiantly so. The two stopped near a small mountain of trash that choked an alley between two buildings. Warily looking for patrolling SWATbots, Sonic rapped on the pile. After a second a portion of it began to lift, and Sonic and Sally made their way through the emerging doorway. As soon as they were inside, the doorway closed up again, leaving no trace. "Big emergency, Uncle Chuck!" Sonic said once they were inside. "It's about Bunnie." Uncle Chuck looked puzzled. "You already know? I was just about to send you a message telling you that she'd surrendered to a group of SWATbots only a few minutes ago!" "I can't explain it fully, Uncle Chuck," Sally said, "but that's NOT Bunnie. I have reason to believe that that's another Bunnie from another dimension. And OUR Bunnie is now in that other dimension herself." "Slow down, Princess! Let me tap into Robotnik's security system." Uncle Chuck crossed over to a control panel. He worked the controls until an image came up on a nearby screen: it was Bunnie, sitting in a detention cell. "There she is, Princess. Robotnik's headquarters, Detention block, Level 4. Sure looks like Bunnie to me." "Believe me, Uncle Chuck, it isn't." "Well, Robotnik seems to think that it is. He's pulled half the SWATbots from their sectors to guard his headquarters. If you ever wanted to pull off a surprise attack on one of Robotnik's other facilities, Sally, now would be a good time for it." "Maybe I'll just do some shopping instead." "Sal, what're you talking about?" "Sonic, if there aren't many SWATbots at Robotnik's warehouse, I can get in there and scrounge the parts Rotor needs to get the Projector back online." "But what about Bunnie?" Uncle Chuck asked. "That's where the hero makes his entrance," Sonic said dramatically. Sally understood, but rolled her eyes up anyway. "Sonie, it's too big of a risk!" "Chill, Uncle Chuck. Those bucketheads'll never even see me." "Sonic, we have to move. She could be roboticized at any time! Thanks for the intelligence, Uncle Chuck" "No problem, Sally. I'll continue to monitor things from here. If anything happens, I'll warn the others back in Knothole." "Don't sweat it, Unc! I'm...." "You're out of here!" Sally said in an exasperated tone. She grabbed Sonic by the hand as they headed back for the door. The two of them silently made their way through the shadows of Robotropolis. Uncle Chuck was right: there were fewer SWATbots on the street that night. The two continued on until they were in sight of the warehouse. "OK, Sonic," Sally whispered, "this is where we split up. You know where we're supposed to meet up?" "Yeah, the usual spot." "Now remember, fewer SWATbots on the street means that many more SWATbots at Robotnik's. Be especially careful." "Aren't I always?" "One more thing: this ISN'T Bunnie we're dealing with. She's not going to trust you automatically; you may have to EARN her trust. And if she WON'T trust you...." "I know, I know, leave her there and juice. Hope you got a Plan B just in case." "If not I'll make one up as we go. Good luck, Sonic." "Good luck, Sal." The two parted company, Sally making her way toward the dark and imposing warehouse. Sonic watched until she was lost from sight, then slipped back into the shadows himself, on his way to Robotnik's headquarters. Sonic slid to a stop near Robotnik's headquarters. "Man, Sally wasn't kidding!" he thought to himself; there were twice the usual number of SWATbots guarding the main entrance. Caution and prudence told him to use the side entrance , which was in reality an air outlet pipe. But Sonic wasn't in any mood to listen. He stepped out of the shadow, revealing his position about 100 yards from the front door. "Hey, any of you boltbrains interested in taking a second prisoner? Special offer, tonight only!" "HEDGEHOG! PRIORITY ONE! DETAIN BY ORDER OF ROBOTNIK!" "Man, I wish they'd learn a new song; this one's getting old!", he thought to himself. The SWATbots advanced on him. When they were almost upon him and well away from the door, he called out to them again: "Hurry up, slow-mos! This offer is going, going...." Immediately Sonic went into a spin and plowed into the SWATbots, sending them flying in every direction. Now there was nothing between him and the door, and he headed straight for it. Looking over his shoulder as the SWATbots picked themselves up off the ground, he called out "Gone!" and disappeared inside the building. Once inside, Sonic ducked behind a pillar as SWATbots appeared on the run. He, as well as they, heard Snively's voice on the intercom: "All SWATbots report to Level 4! Repeat, all SWATbots report to Level 4!" "All of a sudden," Sonic said to himself, "five just became my favorite number." Taking advantage of a split-second, Sonic dashed to an elevator across the hallway. No SWATbots inside; so far so good. He took the elevator to Level 5, now almost completely empty. Sonic knew from past experience where the Detention block would be. He ran to the spot where he guessed Bunnie's cell was. Spinning on his heels, he soon cracked through the flooring and dropped down to the next level. Coming to a stop between two SWATbots outside of Bunnie's cell. "Gotta work on my sense of direction." Even before the SWATbots could size up the new arrival, Sonic once more sent into spin, ricochetting off them. The SWATbots flew apart on impact. Soon he and Bunnie were the only ones in the block. "You ready to blow this pop stand?" Sonic asked. Instead of agreeing, Bunnie appeared to be terrified of Sonic. She cringed on the cot in her cell. "Ah ain't goin' NOWHERE with you! Get outta here! Leave me alone!" "Man, Sal was right!", Sonic thought. But there wasn't any time for debate. Sonic turned his attention to the cell. He took less than a second to size up the cell door. Going into spin mode once more, he hurled himself at it. A few moments later the locking mechanism broke apart and went flying in every direction. Sonic slowed to a standstill, holding the side of his head. "Man, I HATE it when I have to do that!" Bunnie was still cowering in the cell, still apprehensive. "Now what?" she asked. "Now it's your call: either you stay in that cell and let yourself get roboticized by old Buttnik, or else you gotta trust me to get you outta here." With that, Sonic crossed his arms and began tapping one foot on the floor. Bunnie sat thinking for a few seconds, then stood up, walked across the floor of the cell and opened the door. "Ah hope Ah don't hate mahself in the mornin'." Sonic told Bunnie to wrap her arms around his neck and hold on tight. With a slight show of hesitancy, she did so. Just as she was about to ask what was going to happen next, Sonic took off. Bunnie had to tighten her grip as everything around her became a blur. For the next minute the world turned into some kind of thrill ride as Sonic climbed up and slid down pipes, banked off walls and skittered down straightaways. As lost as Bunnie had felt when she first set eyes on Robotropolis, she was even more lost now. Yet all she could do was hang on. As suddenly as the ride had started, it was over. Sonic came to a stop in some sort of dump surrounded by mountains of refuse. Sally was waiting, her backpack filled with electronic components. "Great job, Sonic!" "Naturally. How'd you do, Sal?" "I got all of the parts we need." "All right! You can let go now, Bunnie." Bunnie didn't let go of Sonic's neck. She made no reply at all. Sally pried Bunnie's fingers apart, and Bunnie promptly slumped to the ground unconscious. When she reached the head of the alley, Bunnie looked up and down the street. It was empty but well-lit. Not much cover. She looked down at her feet. There was a large cardboard box with what appeared to be a length of cloth inside. She pulled out the cloth; it was heavy and coarse and smelled musty, but it was also big enough. Bunnie wrapped it around her like a cloak. It wasn't much of a disguise but it would do until something better came along. She stepped out of the alley as a gentle sprinkle of rain began. She wanted to take the cloth off her face, to feel the rain, but she was afraid she might be identified. She had no idea how conspicuous her present appearance looked, but she knew that if Sonic was looking for her she'd be easily recognizable if she weren't in disguise. She plodded on, past darkened shops and storefronts. In the distance, rising above the skyline, was a vivid memory of her early childhood: the silhouette of the Castle. But Bunnie had no time to recall anything pleasant about the memory, for she suddenly remembered Sonic's offhand remarks having to do with the King. What kind of danger was he in at the hands of Sonic and the others? Bunnie knew she had sampled only a small portion of their cruelty. She had to get to the clinic, she told herself, to rest and think of her next move. Bunnie kept on walking. The only beings to pass her on the street were two badgers on the opposite sidewalk, oblivious to the rain, moving with the slow pace and physical proximity that told the world that these two were young and in love. Bunnie couldn't help but smile. Perhaps she had only seen the worst this world had to offer in Sonic and his gang; maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Suddenly Bunnie froze in her tracks. An all-too-familiar figure stepped around the corner not ten feet in front of her: a SWATbot. It stood at the corner and its head began rotating, as if making a visual inspection of the intersection. Bunnie didn't know whether to charge it or make a break. Too late: the SWATbot had seen her. "GOOD EVENING, CITIZEN. CAN I BE OF ASSISTANCE?" "Uh...Ah was lookin' for the Terrace Street clinic," she said in a creaky voice like that of someone portraying an old woman in a school play. Bunnie immediately cursed her naivete; no way would that fool the SWATbot! "THE CLINIC IS TWO BLOCKS AHEAD, THEN TURN RIGHT. DO YOU WISH ME TO ESCORT YOU?" "No, Ah'm fine, thanks." "VERY WELL. HAVE A GOOD EVENING." The SWATbot then turned his attention back to scanning the street. Bunnie shuffled on, unable to believe her good fortune. She was only a block away from the clinic when the pain in her head began to reassert itself. Then she realized that she hadn't eaten since breakfast of...was it today or yesterday? One thing was certain, she knew she hadn't eaten in a good while. She felt herself reeling from hunger and fatigue and pain. Still she pressed on. Turning the corner, she saw it: a clean, white building. That HAD to be the clinic. She knocked on the closed door. "Yes?" Bunnie thought she could place the voice from somewhere but didn't know where. It was a deep and not unpleasant voice. "Is this the Terrace Street clinic?" "Yes, but it's late and I was just closing up. Is this an emergency?" "Please, Ah need help." Bunnie was too weak to look up as she heard the door being unbolted. "Sorry about the inconvenience of it all. We've had to take these precautions to prevent break-ins by Sonic and his...." Bunnie heard the door open, then heard the speaker's voice trail off. With what felt like her last ounce of strength, she looked up. And now Bunnie felt as if she had stumbled into the heart of a sick joke. There was no mistaking the broad silhouette, the bald head, the flaring moustache. She'd been given directions to Dr. Robotnik! Bunnie fainted dead away. "No!" Bunnie was calling out in her sleep. She started flailing her arms, as if fighting off an attacker. Sally backed away from the bed. Then Bunnie awoke with a start. She wasn't lying on a cot in a cell any more. It was a bed, soft and comfortable despite having recently been soaked with sweat. Bunnie waited for her breathing to return to normal before she spoke. "Where the hoo-ha am Ah?" "Someplace safe. How do you feel?" "Like Ah did when Ah hit the wall." "I don't know anything about a wall. All I know is you were shaking like a leaf even while you were asleep." "Yeah. Guess I hadn't finished gettin' mahself straight." "What?" "Three days ago Ah stopped using. Went cold turkey!" Bunnie sounded defiant as she said it. "And Ah'll tell it to Sonic mahself, just before Ah spit in his eye!" "You'd better rest some more. Escaping from Robotnik can be pretty stressful." Bunnie looked at Sally closely. "You ain't Sally, ain'tcha?" "My NAME is Sally, but you're probably thinking of another Sally." "What're you talkin' about?" "The Sally back on your home world." "Look, knock off the double..hold on. The gang told me somethin' about visitin' another Mobius while Ah was gettin' over mah accident. Is THAT where Ah am?" "Yes. It appears that there was some kind of freak lightning strike that activated our Timespace Matter Projector. We think it sent OUR Bunnie into YOUR world and sent you here." Bunnie lay back on the bed, her eyes wide and her expression one of shock. Finally she looked at Sally. "You mean, Sonic cain't get me here?" "Not the Sonic you know. You're safe here with us." "Well, if that don't beat all!" she said half-aloud. "Where were you when the transference happened?" "Ah was in the garage, and...and never you mind what Ah was doin'!" she flared again. She settled back in the bed. "So when are you fixin' to send me back?" "Not before tomorrow; the projector was shorted out by the lightning and they're putting it back together now." "So what the hoo-ha you gonna do with me until then?" she asked haughtily. Sally didn't say anything. Instead she walked over to the bed and seized Bunnie by her earring. Bunnie cried out as Sally virtually dragged her to her feet. "Come on!" Sally was in no mood for nonsense. She pulled Bunnie toward the door of the hut. "Where are we goin'?" "You left in such a hurry, you forgot to take a look at your handiwork." The two stepped out into what Bunnie at first took to be a deserted village at early evening. The she saw lights coming on in the huts and heard the voices that were signs of life. There was a charm about it that Bunnie refused to admit to herself. Sally and Bunnie walked to Tails' hut. Inside a single candle burned on a nightstand near the cub's bed. Sonic was seated on a nearby stool intently watching Tails, his hands clasped in front of him. He took no notice of the two as they entered. Sally didn't turn Bunnie loose until they were both inside. Bunnie looked closely at the sleeping Tails, his head generously wrapped in bandages. Sally, meanwhile, watched Bunnie's expression closely as it softened. "He ain't nothin' but a kid!" Bunnie finally whispered. "But you have a Tails in your own world, don't you?" "Uh-huh. But he acts like...Ah mean...he's just a KID!" she repeated. "What'd Ah do...Ah mean, what's wrong with him?" "I talked with someone here named Bookshire; he's kind of like our doctor. He told me Tails has a subdural hematoma with resulting ecchymosis." "Is that bad?" "It's no walk through the meadow." Sonic was alarmed by what Sally had said. He rose and started toward the bed but Sally caught him by the upper arm. "Forget it, Sonic. There's nothing you can do." Then, to Sonic's astonishment, Sally looked over her shoulder at Bunnie, whose attention was still fixed on Tails. Looking back at Sonic, Sally quickly closed and opened her right eye. "What's gonna happen to him?" Bunnie asked. "We'll know better in the morning. We should just let him rest for now." "Listen, can Ah...Ah mean, if it's all right with y'all, Ah'd like to help...." "Well..." Sally said, drawing out the word, "you can help by staying here and keeping an eye on him. Let us know if there's any change in his condition." "No problem, uh...." "You can call me Sally." "Ah shoulda guessed. Thanks." "Come on, Sonic." Sally and Sonic left the hut. They had gone about 30 yards when Sonic spoke. "What's the big idea, Sal? She's the one who conked Tails in the first place!" "Exactly. Remember what happened the last time Sonic brought his gang here across the space-time continuum?" "Yeah. I remember we caught heat for the way they acted, pretending they were us." "But their vandalism and bullying was all hit-and-run; they never stayed around long enough to get a good look at the damage they caused or how it affected other Mobians. I took a chance that if Bunnie saw what had happened to Tails she might not act so tough about it. Looks like I was right." "But what DID happen to Tails? You said he had a submerged hippopotamus or something!" "What I said, Sonic, was that Tails has a bump on the head and it's going to leave a bruise." She smiled broadly. "No way!" "Way. He should be fine by morning. And so should Bunnie--at least, THIS Bunnie." "Yeah, but I'd like to know what's happening with OUR Bunnie!" This time Bunnie woke up in a brightly-decorated room filled with sunlight, to find that she had been tucked into a warm bed. There was a small vase with a few flowers in it on the nearby table. Was this a dream? Was it a trap? She looked at her arms. Her wrists were unrestrained, though she appeared to have an intravenous line going into her right arm. "What the hoo-ha's this for?" she said half-aloud as she reached for the line. "I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO LEAVE THAT LINE ALONE," came a voice over a speaker mounted in the ceiling. "YOU'RE BEING TREATED FOR DEHYDRATION." The old, sick feeling came back over Bunnie. She recognized the voice instantly. "Snively!" she called out. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOUT, YOU KNOW. I CAN HEAR YOU PERFECTLY." Bunnie threw the covers off of her. She didn't want to have anything to do with Robotnik, and Robotnik was definitely behind this if Snively was anywhere nearby. Immediately a blue light came on above her, accompanied by a low hum. Bunnie felt herself pinned against the bed, as if by an invisible someone with superhuman strength. She couldn't move her robotic limbs, not even an inch. "I WOULD ADVISE YOU NOT TO STRUGGLE WHILE THE FORCE FIELD IS IN PLACE. DOCTOR ROBOTNIK SHOULD BE FINISHED WITH ROUNDS ABOUT NOW AND WILL BE HERE ANY MOMENT." "That's why Ah'm tryin' to get mah tail out of here!" Bunnie thought to herself. It was no use; she couldn't move. A minute later, someone entered the room. Bunnie had to do a double-take. He LOOKED like Dr. Robotnik -- he was built like him, he was bald, he even had the moustache. But there was something about his manner that was all wrong. For one thing, his voice was different. It was close to that of the Robotnik she knew, but it lacked a certain harshness. Then there was his manner. He was carrying a clipboard with someone's medical records in one hand, some blueprints in the other, and the pockets of his white laboratory coat were jammed to overflowing with slips of paper. "I really can't understand what you've done to yourself, my dear," he said to Bunnie as he looked from chart to chart absentmindedly, as if to remind himself of what he had just looked at. "Your mechanical limbs are in good condition, and yet there are subtle differences in the architecture that I simply can't account for." "Doc...." "I mean, I know that you may have undergone some modifications you haven't told me about...." "Doc...!" "But that doesn't explain the divergence between...." "IF I MIGHT SUGGEST, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK?" "Oh, what is it, Snively?" he said to the speaker in the ceiling. "YOU MIGHT START BY ASKING THE PATIENT." "Oh, yes, of course." He reached over the bed and casually shut off the blue light. "Can barely hear myself think with that going...." Bunnie sat up, free of the force field. She looked at Dr. Robotnik. "What'd you just do?" "I turned off the force field for this bed. Hardly ever use it; so few patents need that kind of restraint. Snively, why did I turn it on, anyway?" "YOU DIDN'T SIR. I DID." "I didn't? Are you sure, Snively?" "QUITE SURE, SIR." Now Bunnie KNEW that she wasn't dealing with the Dr. Robotnik who had partially roboticized her and who was systematically conquering and destroying Mobius. She told herself: "This ol' boy couldn't find his behind with both hands in a room full of mirrors!" "Excuse me, Miss...Bunnie," he said after yet another glance at the charts, "but can you explain why you're here?" "Ah was hopin' YOU could do that. Last thing Ah remember, Ah was escapin' from Sonic, and Ah cain't even remember how Ah got there." "Oh, dear. This is all rather confusing. Can you help me out, Snively?" "Hold on! Where the hoo-ha's Snively?" "RIGHT HERE." "But Ah don't see no one exceptin' Dr. Robotnik." "NEVERTHELESS, I AM HERE." "Let me explain, my dear. Snively is the computer that runs this complex. And runs it very efficiently, I might add." "THANK YOU, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK." "But I thought you knew that from the last time you were here." "IF I MAY, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK. I BELIEVE SHE'S NOT FROM HERE." "Well, yes, her accent is rather...." "WHAT I MEAN, SIR, IS THAT THE PATIENT IS FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION." "Another dimension? Is this true, young lady?" "Ah don't know. One moment Ah was on Mobius, the next, Ah'm here!" "SIR, DO YOU REMEMBER THE OCCASION WHEN YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH TWO SONIC HEDGEHOGS?" "Yes, but I don't see...Just a moment, Snively. I DO remember! I made note of it." He began fishing through his pockets; in a moment, pieces of paper were raining down on the floor. "I know I put those notes somewhere. Must be in my office. I'll just pop down and...." "DOCTOR!" Bunnie and Snively said in unison. "Oh, yes, that's right, YOU can tell me about it, can't you my dear?" "Ah wish Ah could, but..." "Well, no wonder," he said as he glanced at the chart once more. "You came in here rather badly dehydrated and with signs that you'd received quite a nasty blow to the head. Snively, have the latest lab reports...." "THEY'RE WAITING AT THE PRINTER, SIR." "Well, I'll just pop down the hall and get them, then. Won't be a moment." With that, he left the room. "Is he for real?" Bunnie found herself asking Snively, wherever he was. "QUITE REAL, AND A GENIUS IN HIS FIELD. AND ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING MEN OF MEDICINE LEFT ON MOBIUS. I'M AFRAID THAT HE CAN BE A LITTLE ABSENT-MINDED ON OCCASION. THAT'S WHY HE'S DELEGATED ME TO OVERSEE THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS HERE." Dr. Robotnik re-entered the room, a print-out in his hand. "Well, my dear, it seems as if you've responded to treatment very well. There's no reason you can't go home this afternoon." "Exceptin' that Ah cain't GET home, remember?" "Oh. Yes. That DOES make it awkward." "IF SHE'S WELL ENOUGH TO WALK, MIGHT I SUGGEST YOU ESCORT THE PATIENT ON A TOUR OF THE CLINIC." "Excellent idea, Snively!" Dr. Robotnik started to disconnect the IV line from Bunnie's arm. There was something about Robotnik's touch -- it's professionalism, its gentleness -- that had a calming effect on Bunnie. Whatever else was going on in this Mobius, Nicole had steered her right: she knew she'd be safe here. As he was finishing up, Bunnie couldn't help but notice that Dr. Robotnik's left arm was as mechanical as her own. "Can Ah ask what happened to your arm?" "What? Oh, you mean THIS! I guess I never discussed it with you the first time." "This IS mah first time! You're thinkin' of another Bunnie, Ah think." "Quite right; I keep forgetting. I was a specialist in biomechanics at first. This," he said as he pointed to his arm, "was my first effort. Something of an accident, really. Made a number of improvements in the basic design since then. Promising enough, but I had to abandon my research in the field." "How come?" "I found that the process was useful for restoration of limbs and that sort of thing. The problem was that, left unchecked, the process could continue until the entire body was roboticized. That might have been considered a boon, something along the lines of a next step in evolution, except that a fully roboticized creature loses its will and its power of choice. That was simply too high a price to ask of any being. So I abandoned the idea of further developing the process and took up more traditional medical practices. If you ever do get home, be sure to warn them about this free will business, won't you?" "Uh, sure, Doc." Having bandaged Bunnie's arm, Dr. Robotnik walked her out into the hall. She seemed to be in the ward of some kind of hospital, where the patients that she saw were animals such as herself. She saw a horse undergoing physical therapy for one leg, a dog with its arm in traction, and a fox nursing her newborn cub. "This is a full service clinic. We can perform a number of services here, such as...oh, dear, Snively, help me out, please." "YES, SIR. THIS CLINIC SERVES AS AN IN-PATIENT HOSPITAL, AN OUT-PATIENT CLINIC AND A RESEARCH FACILITY. THE FIRST FLOOR IS RESERVED FOR RESEARCH; DR. ROBOTNIK'S LABORATORY AND OFFICE ARE LOCATED THERE. THE SECOND FLOOR CONTAINS THE OPERATING THEATER AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL FACILITIES. OUT-PATIENT SERVICES ARE ON THE THIRD FLOOR, IN-PATIENT CARE IS ON THE FOURTH, AND STORAGE IS IN THE BASEMENT. I RESIDE ON THE SIXTH FLOOR." "What about the fifth floor?" "ACCESS TO THAT FLOOR IS RESTRICTED." "You sure do look busy!" "It keeps me busy enough. But it's also been somewhat lonely practicing here. So few humanoids left. So few...." His expression softened; he became wistful, almost sad. As if he'd just remembered something tragic. Bunnie surprised herself by starting to feel sorry for him. "But anyway," he said, his mood swinging upward without any warning, "you appear to be on the mend, so...." "Doc, it's like Ah told you, Ah got nowhere to go!" "Oh, yes. Well, you'll at least stay for lunch, then." "Don't mind if Ah...." "DR. ROBOTNIK!" SNIVELY PIPED IN. "THERE'S AN ELDERLY FEMALE BADGER AT THE EMERGENCY DESK." "Really? What are her symptoms?" "SHE REPORTS PAIN IN THE UPPER RIGHT QUADRANT, SIR. IT MAY BE A GALL BLADDER ATTACK." "I'm sorry, my dear. Snively will see to your lunch and I'll join you as soon as I can." With that, Dr. Robotnik left Bunnie in the lobby. She looked around her, unsure of where to go. "DO YOU NEED DIRECTIONS TO GET TO THE LUNCH ROOM? PERHAPS I CAN TRANSPORT YOU THERE BY WHEELCHAIR." "Really, Snively, there's no reason for you to keep on treatin' me like a queen or...oh mah stars!" "IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?" "Ah just remembered: Ah heard Sonic sayin' somethin' about a plot against the King! Ah got to warn him!" Immediately, Bunnie ran out of the room. A half-hour later, the emergency attended to, Robotnik reappeared. He glanced around the room. "Snively, where's Bunnie?" "I BELIEVE SHE'S GONE TO THE PALACE, SIR. SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT SONIC PLOTTING AGAINST THE KING AND SHE WANTED TO WARN HIS MAJESTY." "Oh dear. This could become very complicated." "YES, SIR, ESPECIALLY SINCE SHE LEFT IN SUCH HASTE THAT I HAD NO TIME TO WARN HER ABOUT THE VOID." It was just past midnight when Sally left Rotor's hut. She had helped Rotor sort out the parts she had taken from Robotnik's warehouse and he was working around the clock to get the Projector repaired and Bunnie back home. But it was clear that Sally was beginning to tire. "I can manage OK on my own for a while, Sal. You'd better get some rest." "You're sure?" she said while unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. "See? You're bored already." He grinned, then added: "We'll get Bunnie back; don't worry." "Thanks. Good night." Walking through the sleeping village, she paused as her path took her near Tails' hut. She thought she'd better take a look inside, in the hope that she hadn't misjudged their visitor. Bunnie was still there, her head on her right arm which lay on the bedside table. Sally quietly walked into the hut. She'd not gotten a few steps inside when the sound of her footfall reached Bunnie; she awoke with a start. "Relax, it's me," Sally whispered. "Is Tails doing any better?" "Uh huh. He woke up about an hour ago wantin' a drink of water. Ah got him a glass. Ah told him Ah was sorry for what I'd done. He don't seem to hold no grudge against me for clobberin' him." "He's a good kid." "Yeah, well...." Bunnie let the thought go unfinished. "Bunnie," Sally said as she pulled up a chair, "Can I ask you something?" "Like what?" "Well, here on our Mobius Dr. Robotnik uses the roboticizer to enslave the population. I get the impression that your Dr. Robotnik isn't like that." "And you wanna know how come Ah got these," Bunnie said as she brought her robotic left hand down on her robotic left thigh for emphasis. "Something like that." "Part of mah initiation into Sonic's gang meant mah havin' to steal a sky-sled. Rotor gave me a couple tips on how to hot-wire one of em. Seemed easy enough. But when Ah tried to fly it back to gang headquarters Ah couldn't control it. Ah must have jazzed the gyro-stabilizer or somethin'. Last thing Ah remember was headin' for a wall. "Dr. Robotnik told me that when Ah was brought in for him to work on, Ah was almost dead. Mah legs was all busted up an' mah arm wasn't much better. Roboticizin' them was the only way he could stabilize them. "Ah asked Dr. Robotnik if he could ever get me back to the way Ah was. He said...he said that mah limbs were too far gone for that, that there'd been too much damage to the bones and muscles. So it looks like Ah'm stuck with these for the rest of mah days." "Was it worth it?" "Huh?" "Was it worth getting yourself so banged up to belong to Sonic's gang?" "Sure! In the beginning, Ah mean. It used to be bein' in the gang was cool. We'd tag building an' get into fights and do a little shopliftin' here and there. With so few people in the city it didn't seem like no big deal, anyway. We practically had the place to ourselves. "But then it was like things started slidin' downhill fast. Rotor was just as interested in stealin' scooters as he was spendin' his time workin' on em. Sally started talking about the gang doing something...she never said WHAT exactly but she made it sound like it was gonna be awful. And Sonic wanted me to...Ah COULDN'T do the things he wanted me to do to him when Ah was straight! Just thinkin' about it made me sick!" She stopped to take a deep breath and to wipe her eyes. "That's when Ah started using, and Ah ain't gonna fish outta THAT pond no more! "Promise me one thing, Sally. Promise me you won't make me go back there. It ain't about bein' arrested and all; Ah don't care about that. Ah just cain't be part of that gang no more!" "But we don't know what the long-term effects of your staying here might be. You're from a different part of the space-time...." "Please?" Sally looked into Bunnie's eyes. She saw someone vulnerable, afraid, alone. She no longer saw a toughened gang member. She was no longer looking into the eyes of a stranger. "I promise." Bunnie reached over and placed her hand on Tails' hand. "You really promise?" Sally placed her hand on top of Bunnie's. "Really." The palace was as beautiful as Bunnie had remembered it: the green lawns and colorful gardens surrounding it, the clean whiteness of its stone, the fountains that dotted the gardens and made their laughing sound. But there was nothing funny about why Bunnie was here. She had run all the way from the clinic. It didn't matter that she was beginning to feel hungry. She had to tell the King about Sonic! She stepped into the entryway to the palace. There was something unusual about it, but Bunnie didn't quite know what it was. She didn't have time to wonder, anyway. She walked on through imposing double-doors, thrice again as tall as she, on through empty corridors. THAT was what was so unusual, she realized. Back on Mobius, HER Mobius, there were guards everywhere. Theirs was a ceremonial role, however, so she'd never been afraid of them. Yet now as she walked the deserted hallways, she was more afraid of the fact that nobody was there. She entered the next room. Finally! Someone else. A large, circular desk stood in the center of the room. Inside the circle, seated at a small table with a computer terminal on it, was a solitary sloth. He was hunched over the terminal, intently typing something. Yet he was not a natural typist and his pace was excruciatingly slow. Bunnie walked up to him. "Excuse me?" He typed on as if he hadn't heard. "EXCUSE me!" The sloth made three more keystrokes, then as if awakening from a trance turned to face Bunnie. "May I help you?" "You sure can. Ah heard someone plottin' somethin' against the King! It's supposed to happen tomorrow, and I wanted to warn..." "Tomorrow? I'm sorry, tomorrow is a scheduled holiday for government personnel. If you come here the day after, at around...." "The day after's gonna be too late! You gotta tell the King now!" "I'm sorry, but I'm three months behind in my paperwork as it is." "Ah don't give a bunny's behind about yore behind! SOMEBODY's gotta tell...." "Well, if you wish to...." "Swell, if you don't want to do it, Ah sure can!" "Very well then." He turned back to the screen and started typing again. "What the hoo-ha do you think you're doin'?" Bunnie demanded. "Standard procedure. I have to fill out a Form 7660 in these cases. Your name, please." "Bunnie. Bunnie Rabbot." "That's your full name?" "Yes." "And your middle name is the same as your first name?" "Huh!? What're you talkin' about?" "You said your name was Bunnie Bunnie Rabbot'." "That's not mah middle name! It's...look, just tell me how to get to where Ah'm supposed to go." "One moment, please," he said as he resumed typing. After an excruciating minute: "Your name is not in the municipal database. Are you a resident of Mobotropolis?" "Ah'm...from out of town. Now cain't you hurry?" "One moment please, I'll have to append a Form 7/90 to the From 7660." Bunnie began pacing around the desk. She had started her fourth revolution when the sloth handed her a plastic key card. "Present this card to the first PatrolBot you see. He will direct you to your destination." "Thanks!" She snatched the card from the sloth's hand and dashed down the hallway. She'd not gone fifty feet when she spied what the sloth had called a "PatrolBot" but which she knew as a SWATbot. "Easy, Bunnie," she told herself, "these ain't like the SWATbots back home. You don't have to be afraid." She walked up to the bot. "CAN I BE OF ASSISTANCE, CITIZEN?" "Uh huh. Ah'm supposed to give you this here card." The PatrolBot took the card from her and swept its metallic oxide surface across the back of one of its hands. "YOU SEEK WING 2, BLOCK 8, FLOOR 3, RM 101." "Uh...so how do Ah get there?" "FOLLOW THE SIGNS." Bunnie looked at the signage. It was like trying to read one of Rotor's schematics. "Ah'm afraid Ah cain't." "THEN I WILL ESCORT YOU. FOLLOW ME, PLEASE." Bunnie began following the PatrolBot. They walked down the hallway to an elevator, which they took to another hallway, which led them to a staircase which led them to an elevator which led them to two more hallways.... Bunnie had never been so lost in her life. After ten minutes of walking in twists and turns she had no idea where she was. She could only hope that the PatrolBot was leading her in the right direction. But that wasn't as disconcerting as the voices. They were exhausted, plaintive, and they drifted to her from down hallways and across vestibules. It was a regular chorus of the damned: "You've made me fill out five forms and NONE of them are right?..." "But if I'm early why do I have to reschedule for TOMORROW?..." "It's a simple picnic permit for my son's birthday; it'll be OVER by the time I...." Suddenly the PatrolBot stopped in front of a set of doors. "HERE IS YOUR DESTINATION," he said as he handed the access card back to Bunnie. "HAVE A NICE DAY." Then he walked back the way he came. "Good thing Ah don't have mah old legs back or they'd be killin' me!" Bunnie thought as she used the access card to open the door. Bunnie found herself in a small, bare room with a single desk and two chairs. On top of the desk was another computer terminal and seated at the desk was another sloth. "May I help you?" he asked. "Ah hope so. Ah overheard Sonic Hedgehog plotting something against the King!" "I see, and when is this supposed to take place?" "He said tomorrow!" "Tomorrow? Sorry, you need at least two weeks. Weren't you informed?" "Huh? About what? Ain't you gonna tell the King?" "Sorry, that's not the responsibility of this department." "Well, what department IS this?" "Royal Public Affairs and Scheduling. Did you bring three copies of the press release?" "Say what!?" "I'll take that as a No'. I'm sorry, but you'll have to report back to the main desk for a copy of the correct procedure for submitting...." Bunnie was in no mood to listen. She stormed out of the room and into the hallway. It took her a half hour of wandering, backtracking and remembering to find her way back to the first desk. The sloth looked up from his typing. "I received a message from my colleague that you weren't prepared with the proper paperwork for submitting..." "Look, friend, Ah'm tryin' to be civil but this here is an emergency!" "Just a minute, let me call up your 7660 again." The sloth tapped at the keyboard while Bunnie continued to fidget. "Very well, then," he said as he eventually handed Bunnie yet another access card. "This should take care of your needs. Have a nice...." "Hold on. Ah ain't goin' nowhere until you tell me what you just gave me." "It's an access card to Wing 3, Block 11, Floor 5, Rm 608." "And what's there?" "The Office of Civil Defense and Emergency Planning, Public Information Officer." "Ah don't want that!" "You DID say that this was a civil emergency." "This AIN'T that kind of emergency!" "Here," he said as he turned back toward the screen. "Let's try this again. Are you speaking on someone else's behalf or are you the patient?" "Huh?" "Of course, I can see at a glance that you yourself must be the patient. Let me call up your medical history data here." "What the hoo-ha are you jabberin' about? I ain't in your danged computer and Ah don't need no doctor. In fact, I CAME here from Dr. Robotnik's!" "Well, that DOES simplify matters!" Once more he began typing. "If this is an emergency visit you could have gone directly to the clinic. Or do you need transportation?" "Look, for the hundredth time, Ah'm tryin' to tell you about a plot against the King! His LIFE may be in danger!" "Oh, well, that's DIFFERENT!" The sloth then turned once more to his computer terminal. "Name, please." "You already GOT mah danged name!!" "Oh, yes. Bunnie,' isn't it?" "Yes," she said weakly, exhausted from the effort of dealing with him. "Well, we should have this taken care of in just a few seconds." "It's about time!" The matter WAS taken care of in a few seconds: half a dozen PatrolBots emerged from a side door and approached the information desk. They then raised their arms, pointing their blasters at Bunnie. One PatrolBot raised its arm and shot off a length of rope which bound Bunnie's wrists together. "Hold on!! What the....?" "Guards, please take this animal away and charge her with treason and plotting against the King." "But Ah'm not part of the plot!!!" "That's for our Office of Interrogation and Investigation Into Questionable Conduct to decide. Have a nice day," he added without a trace of irony. He turned back to his computer. Bound at the wrist, Bunnie walked on behind the PatrolBots. She had wished that this Mobius felt more like home but this wasn't what she had in mind. Anyway, if she was being taken to some kind of police office, at least she'd be able to alert them to the plot. She wound up in a small windowless room. A square grid of some sort lay at the center of the floor. PLEASE STAND ON THE GRID." As soon as Bunnie did so, she heard a generator being turned on. The grid was a plate magnet. It held her feet fast to the floor. The PatrolBots started leaving the room. "Where do you think you're goin'?" But the Patrol Bots left her there, with only the hum of the magnet for company. Alone, frustrated, tired, Bunnie stood there as minutes turned to hours. This was torture! Why hadn't anyone seen to her? Finally, when she thought she could endure no more, the magnet was cut off. Bunnie collapsed to the floor, unable to stand. The door opened and the PatrolBots re-entered. Two of them took Bunnie by the arms and carried her to a narrow hallway with a door at the end. The PatrolBots stopped. "YOU ARE BEING RELEASED INTO THE CUSTODY OF AN ADULT GUARDIAN. THAT GUARDIAN HAS AGREED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU. YOU WILL ACCOMPANY YOUR GUARDIAN TO HIS PLACE OF RESIDENCE. YOUR APPEARING ON THE STREETS OF MOBOTROPOLIS DURING CURFEW WILL MEAN YOUR IMMEDIATE ARREST. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THESE CONDITIONS?" Bunnie could only nod. A PatrolBot opened the door. A blast of cold and wet air swept in from the outside. Bunnie stepped outside. Someone was standing on the sidewalk in front of her. Someone holding an umbrella. Dr. Robotnik. "I'm afraid I didn't bring any transportation. Seems I forgot to renew my driver's license. Can you walk?" "Just barely." She felt Robotnik slip his arm behind her back to hold her up. "I'm terribly sorry," Dr. Robotnik said as he escorted Bunnie down the empty twilight streets. "Snively should have mentioned something to you about the Void, especially once he realized you wanted to see the King." "The Void!?" "Let me guess: you have a Void in your dimension as well." "Uh-huh. Only it's kinda like a space between dimensions. Our Dr. Robotnik has Sally's father, the King, trapped there." "I see. Our Void functions pretty much the same way, only it's a prison of our King's own making." "Ah don't understand." "Then I'd better tell you some of our history. For hundreds of years the House of Acorn has ruled Mobius. The Acorn kings, without exception, have been just and benevolent, so much so that the few of us humans remaining on this world have never objected to their overlordship. Not that that's precisely the right word to use: we live under a constitutional monarchy with...." "Uh, could we kinda shorten it?" "Oh, yes, of course. Anyway, the reign of the current King began with great promise. He was young when he assumed the throne but highly educated and well-trained for the position. His marriage to the Lady Alicia Nicole coincided with his coronation. Everything seemed to point to a long and peaceful reign and continued happiness for Mobius. "Then tragedy struck on what should have been one of this world's happiest days. The Queen gave birth to twin girls, Sally Alicia and Nicole. But Nicole was stillborn. Then the Queen's health suddenly began to fail; the delivery must have been harder on her than anyone could have guessed. She died within an hour of giving birth. There was nothing anyone could do. "The King was devastated, to say the least. He was overwhelmed by grief but couldn't bring himself to face it. He retreated into his work, pushing those around him farther and farther away. He became obsessed with designing the most complex bureaucracy there ever was, so that nothing could be unforseen or unanticipated. In reality, it created so many layers between himself and his people that he essentially disappeared within the palace. Mobians have come to call this nightmare bureaucracy The Void'. "That wasn't the worst, however. In pushing away from him anyone who reminded him of his grief and of his dead wife and child, he ended up estranging himself from his only surviving daughter. Poor Princess Sally was shunted from one nanny to another, from one governess to another. She saw little of her father, and even when they were in the same room together she simply couldn't overcome his emotional detachment. "That's when she began to be delinquent. I believe that it simply started out as a way to try to get the attention of the father she loved and missed, but it later degenerated into antisocial behavior. It wouldn't have been so bad if the damage--and the Princess--could have been contained within the palace. Eventually she got out and, by circumstance, came in contact with Sonic. They must have recognized each other as kindred spirits, lost souls." "What do you mean?" "Sonic is an orphan, raised by his uncle, Charles Hedgehog. Brilliant individual, Charles; keen scientific mind, my right-hand animal in the practice. I even nominated him for a knighthood in recognition of his service, but the paperwork got lost in the Void." "Ah can believe THAT!" "Anyway, I've tried counseling with Sonic at his uncle's request. Unfortunately, I've yet to find a way to curb his delinquent tendencies." "Doc, you're making it sound like Sonic's gonna soap up the windows of the palace! He's got somethin' real bad in mind, Ah can feel it!" By now the two had arrived at Robotnik's clinic. Snively, recognizing the pair, opened the door for them and turned on the lights. "Thank you, Snively. I really wouldn't worry about it, my dear. The King has surrounded himself with any number of PatrolBots as well as by the Void. The only time he would be unprotected by them...." His voice trailed off and his brow furrowed. "What?" "I just realized something. Snively, when is my next session with the King?" "TOMORROW MORNING, SIR." "The King's comin' HERE?" "At my suggestion the King has been coming in for counseling. I've only had a couple of sessions with him and we're still far from anything like a breakthrough...." "But that means that Sonic could try something HERE!" "I rather doubt he'd succeed. Sonic is wanted on numerous counts of vandalism and delinquency. Even if he managed to get here without being spotted and arrested by PatrolBots, Snively is well-prepared for any contingency and is quite vigilant." "CONSTANTLY VIGILANT, SIR." "So you see, my dear, you really should put your mind at rest. And the rest of you for that matter. Dealing with the Void does tend to sap one's strength. Or perhaps you'd like something to eat first." "That's mighty kind of you, Doc." Because the kitchen facilities to the hospital had been closed down for the evening, the best Snively could put together on short notice was a soup-and-sandwich combination. Bunnie was as grateful for the simple fare as she was for the kindness Dr. Robotnik had shown her, and for her release from the Void. Snively showed her to an unused hospital room on the third floor where she could get some rest. Bunnie got into bed, closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep. She couldn't. It was all so unfamiliar. She missed the sounds of the Great Forest -- the wind in the trees, the river as it flowed. And there were other sounds she missed: the sound of tinkering coming from Rotor's hut, Tails' laughter, Sonic and Sally planning the next day's operation against Robotnik. For the first time since finding herself in this world, Bunnie allowed herself to feel lonely. She got out of bed. She walked to the window and stared out of it at the wind-swept, deserted streets of Mobotropolis. "MAY I BE OF ASSISTANCE?" "No thanks, Snively. Ah was just...forget it." She turned to leave. "YOU SEEM TO BE TROUBLED BY SOMETHING." "If you must know Ah was...thinking about having a good cry." There were several seconds of silence before Snively's next request: "MAY I WATCH?" "Say what?" "MAY I WATCH WHILE YOU CRY?" "But you're just a computer! What'd you wanna watch me cry for?" "I DON'T BELIEVE UNCLE JULIAN HAS TOLD YOU THE ENTIRE STORY OF HOW I CAME TO BE. I WAS ONCE ONE OF SEVERAL HUMANS ON OUR MOBIUS. UNFORTUNATELY, MOBIUS IS SUBJECT TO A RECURRING PLAGUE THAT TARGETS HUMANOID LIFE FORMS WHILE LEAVING ANIMALS UNHARMED. IT WAS PERHAPS THIS PLAGUE THAT HAS KEPT DOWN THE HUMAN POPULATION ON MOBIUS AND ALLOWED WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN LOWER FORMS OF LIFE TO FLOURISH AND DOMINATE THE PLANET. "I SUCCUMBED TO THE PLAGUE IN ITS LAST OUTBREAK ELEVEN YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS APPRENTICING MYSELF TO MY UNCLE JULIAN. BEFORE I DIED, UNCLE JULIAN PERFORMED AN EXPERIMENT ON ME. HE UTILIZED MY LIVING BRAIN TISSUE TO CONSTRUCT THE CORE OF THE COMPUTER MATRIX THAT RUNS THIS CLINIC. I THUS BECAME THE BRAINS OF THIS OPERATING SYSTEM IN A VERY LITERAL SENSE." "BUT WITH EACH PASSING DAY I'VE BEEN LOSING MY IDENTITY, LOSING WHATEVER MADE ME HUMAN. I'VE BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY HUMAN, BUT MY HUMANITY HAS BEEN SLIPPING AWAY AT THE SAME TIME. I CAN NO LONGER FEEL SORROW; NOW I CAN ONLY UNDERSTAND IT. AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT I CAN EVER CRY OVER ANYTHING THE WAY YOU WANT TO. "SO, IF YOU HAVE NO OBJECTION, I SHOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO WATCH YOU CRY. BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING I CAN NEVER DO AGAIN." If Snively had made this suggestion to Bunnie earlier on she would have scoffed at it. But she sensed a loneliness in Snively, a loneliness at least as profound as her own. Without another thought or word, she threw herself on the floor and sobbed as if her heart would break. It was thus that she cried herself to sleep that night, with only Snively as silent company. "Can't I get out of bed now?" It was morning, and Sonic and Sally had arrived at Tails' hut with a breakfast tray to find Tails awake and alert. Bunnie stood up and stretched. "Thanks, Bunnie," Sally said. "I think he's going to be fine now." Bunnie didn't say anything. "C'mon, Sonic! I wanna get up!" Sally shot a glance at Sonic, who set down the tray. "Fraid not, little bro. That knock on your noggin put your lights out, so you gotta stay in bed until we know everything's cool upstairs." "But I feel fine!" "Chill, kid, and I'll tell ya how I sprang Bunnie from Buttnik yesterday." Tails settled back to listen to Sonic's account. Sally stepped away from the door and looked around. Bunnie was nowhere to be seen. Sally walked outside and scanned Knothole. She found Bunnie standing off by herself close to the river bank. She walked over; Bunnie kept on watching the water and seemed to take no notice of Sally's approach. "You haven't had any breakfast," Sally said. "You hungry?" Bunnie remained silent. "Wondering whether you could ever get used to this place?" "Nah," Bunnie replied as she sat down on the grassy bank. Sally joined her. "Ah mean, it's nice and all but...but it just ain't home." "What was home like, exactly?" "Shoot, it's been a good while since Ah was there. Ah come from a perty big family. Makes it real easy to get lost. Reckon that's partly why Ah went to Mobotropolis in the first place. Ah was lookin' for somewhere else to belong." "And you ended up belonging to Sonic's gang." "Uh-huh. Seemed like a good idea at the time," she shrugged. "A lot of things do at our age." "How old ARE you anyway, if you don't mind tellin'?" "Sixteen." "Girl, I'd have said you were older!" "Why?" "Ah don't know exactly. You just seem more...grown-up, like." "When Robotnik took over our world, we all had to grow up pretty fast. Except for Sonic--sometimes I wonder if he'll EVER grow up," she added with a smile. "Ah guess Ah used to think it was grown-up to be in the gang." "Yo, Sal!" It was Rotor, calling to her from the doorway of his hut. "What is it?" "I've finished installing the new parts in the Projector. I'm ready to test it out." After a second, Sally rose and trotted over to Rotor's hut. Bunnie stayed where she was. Sonic was already there, looking at Bunnie. "Hey, Sal, how come she's still sitting there? I thought we were gonna be getting OUR Bunnie and sending HER back." "She's not going back...not yet, anyway." Bunnie squinted as she awoke, for the sun was shining directly on her face. She sat up and looked around her. Dr. Robotnik was nowhere to be seen. "Snively, would y'all mind closin' the drapes?" There was no response. "Snively?" No motion, no sound. Just her own voice echoing in the room. "Must be on a break or somethin'," she thought as she stood up and walked toward the window. She stood in front of the window, shaded her eyes with one hand, and looked outside. Suddenly she froze. From where she stood she had a full view of the front door of the clinic below her. Parked in front of the clinic was a large vehicle and stepping out of it were two figures: one was dressed in a blue uniform adorned with scarlet and gold, and the other wore a black overcoat and kept her head down. Bunnie then saw Dr. Robotnik greet the King and the Princess and escort them into the clinic. Princess Sally! It had never occurred to Bunnie to tell Robotnik that Sally was in on the plot as well. Bunnie had to warn Dr. Robotnik. She ran to the door. It wouldn't open. Bunnie didn't try calling to Snively again. Instead she used the strength in her robotic arm to manually slide the door open inch by stubborn inch. She looked down the hallway, then headed for the stairwell at the end. She ran down the two flights of stairs until she was in a hallway where she could see Robotnik talking with the King while Sally walked, sulking, behind them. "...glad to see that the Princess has decided to join us for today's session. I must admit I'm a little rusty when it comes to family therapy, but...." "Wait!" Bunnie started running toward them. Sally's scowl deepened and she dug her hands deeper into her overcoat pockets. Bunnie caught up with the group as they stood before the door to Dr. Robotnik's laboratory. She was just about to talk to Dr. Robotnik when there was another interruption: "Dr. Robotnik!" Bunnie looked down the other end of the corridor. An elderly blue-gray hedgehog wearing a lab coat was trotting down the hall in their direction. "Yes, Charles, what is it?" Dr. Robotnik asked as the hedgehog caught up to them. "Something important's come up that we need to discuss." "Can't it wait until after my session with...." "We'll discuss it now," he said as he casually drew a hand-held blaster from his coat pocket. "In the lab. And one word out of you, Your Majesty, and it'll be your last word. Move it!" The King turned to Sally, intending to warn his daughter to make a run for it. Instead he found himself looking down the barrel of another blaster, this one being held by Sally. "You heard him, Daddy. Inside!" "Snively!" Dr. Robotnik called out. "Initiate code 2 security measures!" "Save your breath, Julian," Charles said calmly, "I took the liberty of taking Snively offline. Now get in the lab, we're wasting time! Everybody, move it!" Opening an access plate near the door to the laboratory, Charles activated the manual override to open the lab door. The King, Dr. Robotnik and Bunnie entered the lab, followed by Sally and Charles, who closed the lab door after himself. "Look," the King began, "whatever it is you want..." "What I want," Charles replied, "is what you have and don't know how to use: power. The power of the throne. Power that should be mine!" "And you think assassinating me is going to accomplish anything?" "I haven't said anything about assassinating anybody. Sally, show your father the instrument of his undoing." Sally walked to an area of the lab just behind Charles that had been screened off. Bunnie saw that Sally no longer had her blaster trained on any of them. It was now of never, she told herself. In an instant, Bunnie leaped at Charles, trying to pry the blaster from his grip. But no sooner had Bunnie seized Charles's wrist than she felt as if she'd been kicked in the small of her back by a giant. Gasping for breath, she crumpled to the floor. Immediately, there was a burst of light in the lab, a light that resolved itself into a disc. And out of the disc stepped two figures: Sonic and Sally. Ignoring all else, they ran to Bunnie's fallen form, kneeling beside her. "Awww, ain't that sweet!" Sonic turned. "Oh, man!" It was Sonic's counterpart in this world, the one who had just put Bunnie out of commission with a Sonic spin. "Hey, Unc! I TOLD you we could expect this bad penny to show up." "That's why you're here, Sonie. Sally, keep em covered." Sonic, his eyes full of rage, started to stand but Bunnie reached up and grabbed his arm. "Don't do it, Sugar-hog! They're as serious as a heart attack!" "You got THAT right," the Princess said as she moved behind Sally and put the end of her blaster against the back of Sally's head. "And if you try anything, blue boy, it'll be a question of which is faster: your feet or my finger." "Very well, Charles," Dr. Robotnik said, "you've got us over a barrel. What is it you want?" "Only to show you a little something I've been working on. Something I slapped together from ideas you discarded because you were too stupid to see their potential." Charles moved the screen aside, revealing a complex device. To Sonic, Sally and Bunnie, it had a sickeningly familiar appearance. "My roboticizer!" Robotnik exclaimed. "Wrong, it's MY roboticizer now! And it's going to help me take over Mobius." "Listen to me," Sally pleaded, while her counterpart continued to point her weapon at her. "I know what's going to happen if you use that thing. It's happened to our own world. Our Dr. Robotnik used it to enslave the population. He's destroying Mobius with it!" "Sally!" Charles barked, "Shut her up." Sally placed the barrel of the blaster in Sally's mouth. "You think I don't know that? My nephew's brought me up to speed on what's happening to YOUR Mobius. Give me enough credit to have figured out how to avoid making the same mistakes. No, I only need to use this once and all of Mobius will be mine." "And what good would roboticizing me do?" Dr. Robotnik asked. "Don't flatter yourself, Julian, I wasn't thinking of you. I was thinking of our own beloved monarch, King Acorn." The King turned pale. His daughter bit her lip and kept her weapon pointed at her Mobian self. "It's simple genius, really, the way I've exploited your idea, Julian. Once he's roboticized, the mind of the King will respond only to the commands that I and I alone give him. Then it's just a matter of returning him to the Void, with me as his newly-appointed Science Advisor. From there he'll start running Mobius MY way." "Don't you think that someone at court is going to get suspicious that the King has been turned into a robot?" "Sooner or later, perhaps. But the Void is so vast and impenetrable that those simpletons won't realize what's happened to their King, not until it's too late, when I'll have accumulated enough power to deal with such suspicions swiftly and without mercy." "What are we waiting for, Uncle Chuck? Let's do it to it!" "And then let's take care of these three on general principle," Sally added, indicating the three Mobians. "First things first, Princess. This situation requires just the right touch of irony. Princess Sally, throw your father into the roboticizer." Both Sallys gasped. "I want Your Highness to appreciate just how little power you really have," Charles drawled out at the King in a voice laced with contempt. "I want your last feelings to be humiliation and defeat. I want your last sight to be that of your own darling daughter consigning you to a living death!" Sally looked at her black-clad counterpart, waiting for her to make a move. She didn't. She saw the hatred that had been her facial expression disappear; her look was one of profound shock, as if she only just now realized what was happening. She cast a quick glance at the Sonics: the two hedgehogs were as caught up in the drama as she was. "What are you waiting for?" Charles yelled. Sally still didn't move. "Do I have to do everything myself?" With that, Charles grabbed the King's coat with one hand, all the while keeping the blaster pointed at the monarch's head. What happened next was so quick neither Sonic couldn't have stopped it. The leather-clad Sally lunged forward, stepping between the King and Charles Hedgehog, pushing her father away from the roboticizer. At the same time with her right arm she pushed Charles backward. Sally gasped as she saw Charles's finger begin to tighten around the trigger. But before he could get off a shot, he fell into the roboticizer chamber. The machine came to life, and the chamber was filled with light. "NO!" It was too late. The light dimmed, revealing Charles Hedgehog just standing there. Only now he was an ironclad caricature of himself, looking out at the world with eyes that glowed a dull red. He had been programmed to have no will of his own, only to do the bidding of Charles Hedgehog. But now he had no will, and so he was prevented from giving himself any orders. He was trapped in a robotic limbo from which he couldn't escape. Sonic seemed to forget about everyone else in the room as he looked at what had once been his Uncle Chuck. He fell down at its feet, crying like a baby. Nobody else could take their eyes off the tableau. Nobody except Dr. Robotnik. He dashed to a control panel and frantically began pressing buttons. All at once jets of white smoke poured down from the ceiling. Instantly every living creature in the room began coughing violently, gasping for breath, while Robotnik held a handkerchief against his face. In a moment, he and the roboticized Charles Hedgehog were the only ones left standing in the room. Everyone else lay on the floor unconscious. "Sonic, what happened?" Sally asked. "Beats me, Sal. Where are we?" "Aw, not again!" Bunnie whined. "What are you talking about?" "Looks like we got dumped in another danged closet!" "I can't get the door open." "Stand back, Sal. Let the old hedgehog take a Spin at it." "Hold on, Sugar-hog. Let me try something. Snively! Can y'all open the door?" Immediately the door opened. The three Mobians tumbled out into the laboratory. Dr. Robotnik was the only one there. "Thanks, Snively," Bunnie called out. "NO TROUBLE AT ALL." "Yo, Bunnie, what was THAT all about?" "Tell you later." "Oh, dear," Dr. Robotnik said, sounding genuinely contrite. "I must apologize for the...abrupt and rude behavior I showed you. I'd quite forgotten you were still in there. I must make it up to you somehow. In all the excitement...." "Save it, Buttnik. What were we doing in there?" "You must understand that the presence of two Princess Sallys and two Sonic Hedgehogs was something I'd just as soon not have to explain to the Royal Security Forces. Once I reactivated the security system and flooded the lab with gas, I had to get you out of sight before the others were taken into custody." "Where did everyone go?" Sally asked. "Sonic should be on his way to a maximum security holding site. Charles...Charles has been placed in storage for the time being. It's a pity. Such a brilliant mind succumbing to ambition like that!" "And the Princess?" Robotnik sighed. "That's perhaps the saddest part of all. I had no idea...." "Please, I want to know." Robotnik looked at the clock on the wall. "She should be arriving any time now. Snively, activate the security camera outside the entrance to the ward on the fifth floor." "YES, SIR." The screen lit up as the Mobians watched. The camera was focused on a large double door with a complex locking mechanism. It appeared at first to be the door to a bank vault. The sign nearby, however, stated that on the other side of the door was the section of Robotnik's clinic set aside for those patients undergoing psychiatric examination and treatment. Access was restricted. Into the camera's view moved a large, heavy-set gorilla wearing a while coat. He was pushing an anti-gravity gurney which hovered off the ground. Laying atop the gurney was Sally. A pale blue light shone around the border of the gurney, bathing Sally in its glow, indicating that a force field was in place holding her down. Yet Sally's dull eyes and apathetic expression showed that such restraints probably weren't necessary. Suddenly another figure stepped into view: it was the King. The attendant interrupted his keying in of the door's combination and bowed. The King, however, was more intent on talking to his daughter. He knelt beside the gurney, pleading. "Sally! Sally, it's me, your father. Sally, why won't you say something?" Sally turned her head slowly toward him, yet her unfocused eyes never met his. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," she said softly. "Sally's not here. She had to...she...I...." Her head slowly moved back. Her expression, confused and fearful for a moment, once again became a blank. "Sally's not here." The King buried his face in his hands, weeping bitterly. The attendant finished with the combination and the massive doors slid open. He silently guided the gurney through them before they closed with a clang and a hiss. Robotnik turned off the monitor. "Ah don't understand, Doc. What did she mean when she said 'Sally's not here'?" "That wasn't Sally on the gurney, just as it wasn't Sally who disabled the alarm to enable you to escape from Sonic's headquarters." "But if it wasn't Sally, then who the hoo-ha WAS that?" "In addition to treating the King, I also had several private session with the Princess. I can see now that her problems were much more profound than I'd thought at first. It apparently began with Sally's initiation into Sonic's gang. In the course of the initiation he made several demands of her that were of a...sexual nature." The Mobians were surprised to see Dr. Robotnik actually blushing. "These demands became more violent and more degrading as things progressed and I believe Sally wanted Sonic to stop. But her desire to join his gang and her contempt for her father were so great that it created a stalemate in her mind. She wanted it to stop but she also wanted to belong. The conflict was finally resolved by Nicole." "Wait a minute! You told me about this twin sister of the Princess who died at birth. Are we talking about the same Nicole?" "Yes, Bunnie. Our Princess never forgot that her twin sister died that way, and she formed the notion during childhood that Nicole had only herself to blame for dying. I know it may sound odd to us, but that's the way a child's mind works. So anyway, it's my belief that to resolve the conflict within herself the Princess's personality split into two beings: Sally and Nicole. It was only within the last two sessions with Sally alone that I discovered the existence of two distinct personalities. I had no idea as to how they related to each other, or even IF they did. Now many things about those sessions make much more sense." "C'mon, Doc. That was Sally!" "No, Sonic. What we have is one body with two differing personalities inside that body, or rather two extremely different aspects of what was once a singular personality." "What, you mean like a good and an evil Sally?" "No, that's far too simplistic. The split between them has to do not so much with good versus evil as it does strength versus weakness. For the Princess, strength became the cardinal virtue. Anything having to do with strength, even negative traits such as cruelty, were attributed to Sally; anything having to do with weakness, even positive traits such as compassion, were attributed to Nicole. Sally didn't want to stop the initiation; that would have been an admission of weakness. So Nicole was created to embody the weakness that Sally couldn't bring herself to admit was a part of her character. "It must have been a terrible struggle for Sally, being ordered by Charles to throw her own father into the roboticizer. She'd probably counted on Charles doing his own dirty work. I believe that either Nicole managed to overcome Sally, or else Sally retreated in order for Nicole to take the blame. Either way, Sally seems to be lost to us, at least for the moment. For now, there's only Nicole." "What's going to happen?" Sally asked. "It's too early to say. Ideally, we may yet be able to integrate both sides of the Princess's personality. For the moment, we can only keep her here and observe her." "Sal, you OK?" Sonic asked, for he noticed that Sally looked faint. "It's just so...so unnerving to see oneself...or what might have been oneself...." "I wouldn't worry," Dr. Robotnik said gently. "I've seen enough of you to know that your own personality is in no danger of undergoing the kind of division that happened to our Princess." Sally let out a sound that was a combination of a chuckle and a sniffle. "I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but...thank you, Dr. Robotnik." "Yeah, but what's gonna happen now?" "Well, Sally will remain here for the time being, Sonic has been taken into custody, and the other members of his gang are being rounded up. As for the King, I'm not certain how he'll react; I can only hope he's seen the error of his ways and will begin disassembling the Void and finding a more constructive way to confront his grief and to deal with it." "And what about Sonic?" "The bond between Sonic and his uncle was a close one, and now that bond has been severed. Sonic is in a very fragile state of mind at the moment. He should come up for arraignment in the courts in the morning and I'd like to recommend that he be sent to a residential group home I know of called Knothole. It's at an undisclosed location deep within the Great Forest and it's run by some bears I know. I could never practice their style of intense emotional support myself, but it seems to work when they do it. Perhaps spending some time in a caring environment like that is just what Sonic needs. As for the other members of the gang, I don't think they'll amount to much without Sonic or Sally or Charles pulling their strings. It should be enough that they be returned to the custody of their families." "And Uncle...I mean, Charles? What's going to happen to him?" "He'll have to stand trial, and then he'll probably have to spend some time on a penal world. This is all after he's been deroboticized of course. Then..." "Say WHAT?!?" the Mobians chorused. "A penal world. There are no prisons on Mobius, so...." "No, no, the other part!" Sally exclaimed. "You said he'd have to be deroboticized! Can you do that?" "Of course, my dear. You don't think that I'd perfect a roboticization process without also figuring out how to UNDO it, do you?" "Dr. Robotnik, you said you wished you knew of a way to make it up to us for our troubles. I think I speak for all of us when I say we only have one request: that you deroboticize our friend Bunnie." Dr. Robotnik studied Bunnie intently, all the while stroking his chin. "Hmmmm. From what I know of her...." He bent down and put one of his ears against her back. "Breathe in, please. And again." He straightened up. "We're waiting," Sonic chimed in. "Well, there are always risks in something like this, but...I don't see why not." "YES! How long will it take, Doc?" "Well, she appears to be in good health, and that's a plus. However we're talking about tissue regeneration, the reconnection of neural pathways, making sure blood flow returns to normal...It should take about 12 hours for complete deroboticization just to be on the safe side." "Wait a minute, Doc! It didn't take nearly that long for Bunnie to get this way. Why be such a slow-mo about it?" "Because deroboticizing someone is a prime example of...er, of...Whatsisname's Law of Restitution. Snively, help me out, please." "YES, SIR. DRAZEN'S LAW OF RESTITUTION STATES THAT THE TIME IT TAKES TO UNDO AN ADVERSE SITUATION IS INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE TIME IT TOOK TO CREATE THE ADVERSITY." "Once more in English," Sonic requested. "IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, IT TAKES LONGER TO GLUE A BROKEN VASE TOGETHER THAN IT DID TO BREAK IT." "Why didn't you say that before?" "I DID." "Never mind all that!" Bunnie spoke up. "Just point me in the direction of that ol' deroboticizer!" "I'm afraid there is no such thing as a deroboticizer." "But you just said...." "There's no NEED to build one; there never was. All I have to do is make a few modifications to the roboticizer and it will FUNCTION LIKE a deroboticizer. There's no point in duplicating the technology, is there?" "Sonic, I need to have a word with you in private," Sally said as she took Sonic's arm and walked to a corner of the room. After a couple of minutes of whispering, Sonic spoke into a small communicator attached to his wrist. "Yo, Rote! Open sesame, I'm on my way back!" "You're sure you know what to do?" Sally asked. "Leave it to the hedgehog, Sal. See you later, Bunnie!" What appeared to be a dot of light appeared just ahead of Sonic. Gradually it grew until it formed a disc larger in diameter than Sonic was tall. It was an unusual disc, for when viewed from the side it disappeared. It seemed to exist in only two dimensions. "Remarkable!" Dr. Robotnik gasped. "That's a portal back to our own world. See you later, Sonic!" In an instant, Sonic ran toward the disc and into its shimmering surface. Upon reaching the disc he seemed to melt into it. Then the disc silently contracted until it disappeared. Despite her best efforts at staying awake, sleep overtook Sally at some point during the night. The next thing she knew, it was morning. A golden sunrise was bathing the room with light. And standing in front of the window, drinking it all in, naked as the day she was born, was Bunnie. Whatever else a Mobian might feel about the clothes they wore (or didn't wear), they were incapable of feeling shame. They might feel embarrassed, but it wasn't the same thing. So Bunnie's nakedness didn't prevent her from standing in front of the window, looking as the sunlight warmed her restored limbs. "Oh, Bunnie!" Sally exclaimed as she leapt from her seat and threw her arms around her best friend. "Bunnie, it worked!" She stepped back. "You look perfect!" Just then there was a knock at the door. "Good morning," Dr. Robotnik said. "May I come it?" "Ah ain't decent, but don't let that stop you." "Bunnie!!" "Ah, I see that it worked! Splendid. If you could just sit up on the bed, please." Bunnie did so, and Dr. Robotnik began checking the circulation and reflexes in her limbs. "Well, everything appears to be just fine. You can get dressed now." Bunnie lay back and stretched. "Ah just may never wear clothes again!" "Come on, Bunnie," Sally said. "Give me one good reason!" "None of the guys will be able to take their eyes off of you! That's going to hurt our effectiveness against Dr. Robotnik." Sally smiled. "For the good of the cause, OK?" Bunnie sat up and started dressing. "Spoil sport!" "Here," Dr. Robotnik said as he handed a diskette to Sally, "here are those schematics you wanted." "What're they for, Sally girl?" "Dr. Robotnik was good enough to download the schematics on modifying the roboticizer. This is the break we've been hoping for!" "You think Rotor can finally put a working deroboticizer together?" "I hope so, Bunnie. But even if he can't, perhaps we can modify Dr. Robotnik's own roboticizer! What I'm really hoping is that Rotor can come up with a simple add-on module that'll enable us to use the roboticizer to undo that damage it's done. This is the beginning of the end for Robotnik, I just know it!" Dr. Robotnik audibly cleared his throat. "Sorry, Dr. Robotnik. YOU know what I mean." "Yes, I do. Though I must say conversing with beings from your dimension can be rather confusing!" Just as Bunnie finished getting dressed, the portal reappeared and Sonic stepped through. The first person he saw was Bunnie. "Whoa, check it OUT!" "That's sweet of you to say so, Sugar-hog." "I'm sorry," Dr. Robotnik said, "but was that supposed to be a compliment?" "Let's juice on home, Sal. Everything's ready." "What's ready, Sally-girl?" "Let's just get going. Thank you for everything, Dr. Robotnik." "My pleasure." "Thanks for bein' there, Snively!" "LIKEWISE, I'M SURE." Sally and Sonic stood on either side of Bunnie, as if to help walk her through the portal. The three Mobians stepped into and across the barrier. But Bunnie had no sooner started through the portal when her foot caught on something. She immediately fell forward. Her left arm broke her fall -- her robotic left arm. She fell into the largest room inside the largest building in Knothole. On most days it served as a mess hall. Now the room blazed with light. Every taper, every flashlight, every lamp that could give off light had been gathered and turned on so that the room shone in glory. There was color everywhere, from colored streamers hanging from the rafters to colored paper quickly turned into confetti. Yet everything seemed to pale as Bunnie fell forward, revealing that she was back in possession of her old partially-robotic body. The shout of "SURPRISE!" died on everyone's lips. Sally, as much in shock as everyone else, still had the presence of mind to help her friend to her feet. Nobody moved for a second. Even Robotnik, able to watch what was happening from the other side of the portal, was speechless. "OK, Buttnik!" Sonic flared, "What kind of double-cross is this?" "Yeah," Rotor chimed in, "you said Bunnie was back to normal." "This is most peculiar. She should have remained deroboticized unless...my dear, would you please put your hand back through the portal?" Stunned, Bunnie turned back to the portal and put her left hand into it up to the wrist. On the other side of the electron-thin film that separated one dimension from another, she saw her natural left hand. She wiggled her fingers, and the fingers in the other dimension wiggled back. "Dr. Robotnik," Sally began, her voice quivering with anger, "if this is some kind of parlor trick..." "Trick? TRICK!? It's nothing of the kind!" Dr. Robotnik seemed elated as he began wildly searching his pockets for a paper and pencil. "This is wonderful! Absolutely amazing! Do you realize what this means? You've just demonstrated the existence of the Pevensie Effect!" "That's it!" Sonic exclaimed as he threw up his hands, "Somebody get a compass; the hedgehog is lost." "Well, up until now the Pevensie Effect has just been a theory. It's been suggested that if one were to travel to another dimension along the space-time continuum, any physical changes that might occur to a person in that dimension would automatically be undone upon returning to one's own dimension! Why, the implications for...." Robotnik's voice trailed off and he stopped scribbling. Bunnie was still looking at her hand on the other side of the barrier. Great tears had begun to form in her eyes. "What am I saying? My dear, my dear, I'm so terribly sorry. I know how much this meant to you." Bunnie kept on looking, as if she hadn't heard a word. "Then the only way Ah can have mah old bod back is to...." Her voice trailed off. "Aunt Bunnie?" Tails asked as he walked up to her, "you're not going to go back there, are you?" Bunnie looked at Tails and smiled a sad smile. She withdrew her robotic hand from the portal and cupped the child's face with it. "No," she said quietly. Then she turned to Dr. Robotnik. "Ah can live without mah old bod a little while longer. Ah can't live without mah friends." "Ah reckon Ah can't, neither," the other Bunnie said quietly. She stepped toward the portal. "You're going back?" Sonic asked. "You said you'd get busted if you did." "Ah weren't lyin', Sonic. But Ah watched you all puttin' this little shindig together for your friend. And Ah've been thinkin' about what you told me about Sally, and what happened to her mind. Sally and me used to be best friends, but that was a long time ago. Before we started listenin' to some bad advise. Ah don't care what kind of time Ah'm gonna do, Sally needs a friend right about now. So Ah'm goin' back." "That's very noble of you, my dear," Dr. Robotnik said. "I can't guarantee what will happen, but I'd be willing to testify on your behalf before the authorities. Perhaps it can be arranged so that your punishment will consist of your performing community service here at the clinic. That would certainly give you access to the Princess. And as for you," he said as he turned to the other Bunnie, "you're welcome back here any time." "Here, you can have this," Bunnie said as she removed her earring and gave it to her Mobian counterpart. "Ah got this when Ah was accepted into the gang, but Ah cain't be proud of it no more. Ah'm sorry this is all Ah have." "This don't mean Ah'm part of the gang now, does it?" "Nah. It means that you and your friends did good, even if it was on someone else's world." The two Bunnies embraced. Then the alternative Bunnie stepped up to the portal. Before stepping in, she looked over her shoulder at the Knothole Freedom Fighters. "You all take care of each other, y'hear?" Bunnie stepped back from the portal as her other self stepped through. Rotor flipped the switch on the Projector and the light disappeared. Bunnie stood in the midst of her friends, silent with sadness and disappointment. Sally took Bunnie by both hands. "Bunnie, I'm so sorry." "Heck, Sally-girl, it don't mean nothin'." Then, after choking back a sob and in the middle of wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned to the others, raising her voice. "So why the hoo-ha is everybody standin' around here lettin' a perfectly good party go to waste?" Rotor, who was standing nearest to a table heavily laden with refreshments, seized a cake cutter. "Sounds like a plan to me!" he announced. And in a second, the room bubbled with life once more. Tails threw his arms around Bunnie. "I'm glad you're back, Aunt Bunnie." "Me too, darlin'." "Aunt Bunnie, what was it like there? Was Dr. Robotnik really a good guy?" "He sure 'nuff was. And Snively weren't nothin' but a piece of software, and Sonic was..." "Yeah, I remember when he was here last time; he was really rotten!" Bunnie wiped the back of her hand across her lips, as if trying to get rid of a bad taste. "Honey, you don't know the HALF of it!" THE END