Shattered Hope - A Sonic Fan Fiction for the "Foxes and Sorcery" Series ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEGAL STUFF Sonic the Hedgehog and the characters used in this work of fanfiction are fully owned and copyrighted by one or more of the following: Sega of America, Sega Enterprises (Japan), DIC and/or Archie Comics. Several characters used within may have been created by fanfiction authors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAST ---- Bunnie Tayla Snively Sonic Tails and other characters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TIMELINE: Immediately after "Revenge" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bunnie placed an injured Tails on the last free bed in the infirmary. Considering what had just taken place, it was fortunate that David and Rotor had finished upgrading Knothole's medical facility, even if it had just been a week since it's completion. Armed with a medical sensor and kit, the cyberbunny went about doing what she could for the wounded with the limited medical knowledge she possessed. She looked around with a growing sense of futility. There were too many injured, far too many for one Mobian to handle by herself...If only she had some help... Either by pure coincidence or good fortune, the door to the infirmary opened and someone walked into the room. Tayla. ***** It was ironic. The target of Angela's entire assault on Knothole had somehow evaded injury altogether... Bunnie gasped, "How'd ya manage to not get hurt?" Tayla shrugged, "I managed to leap into Tasha's hut the minute the bombardment began. And I managed to stay out of the way of the collapsed sections of the roof. What on Mobius happened anyway? Snively?" Bunnie said one word, "Angela." That one word said a lot, and a look of fear and anxiety gained prominence on the telepath's face. Bunnie continued, "Well, don't just stand there. Come an' help me get them back on their feet." Tayla thought for a moment, "No. There's too many for the two of us to handle. I've got a better idea. Wait here, I'll be back." With that, she walked off, leaving Bunnie alone. The cyber-rabbit shrugged, and continued with the task at hand. ***** Tayla made her way towards Snively's stronghold, the city of Robotropolis. She found a good vantage point, in the form of the bush she and Sonic had surveyed the city from on their last expedition. Scanning the outskirts of Robotropolis, she picked her target: a fox workerbot repairing a damaged power conduit. //Workbot 432A3-2 to Control: Activating repair subsystems.// //Initiating conduit re-integration.// //Reintegration proceeding within normal parameters//*Think* //Estimated time of-//*Feel. Remember what you are.*//-repair: 3.20 minutes// *Remember. Emotions. Senses. You are-*//repair 15% complete// *-much more than what you are now*//repair 20%..//*REMEMBER!!* //...comp...// The bot stopped the repairs and looked around like a lost foxcub. *Good. now come to me. It's alright.* The bot seemed to know exactly where to go, and proceeded straight to Tayla's position. ***** A techbot in Snively's control center primed it's vocal subroutine. "Sir, in the last twenty minutes, contact has been lost and not re-established with eight workerbots allocated to perform repairs to the outer defense grid. Speculation: Freedom Fighter intervention." Snively sneered, "Perfect. Just in time to try my latest toy... Dispatch two Synthbots. Capture the Freedom Fighters alive." "As you wish, sir." ***** *REMEMBER!!* Another workerbot was freed from Snively, bringing the total to nine. The freed bots were milling around her location, pretending to be going about normally, when they were in actual fact waiting for Tayla to bring them back to Knothole. ***** Rotor sat up groggily, and immediately winced. Bunnie was immediately at his side. "Easy now, sugah. You're hurt, and we wouldn't want to do somethin' worse to them injuries, now would we?" The rabbit tried to ease Rotor back into a sleeping position, but he resisted and stood up. "No way, Bunnie. You'll definitely need help with all these injured. Besides, I'm not really badly hurt, and the bed could be used for someone who needs it more.", indicating the members of Knothole who had been placed on the floor due to lack of space. Even with the modifications, there hadn't been enough room, as Bunnie had originally thought. Bunnie looked around, and grudgingly gave in to Rotor's logic. She sighed, "You're right, sugah. Ah really could do with some help...", gazing in the direction Tayla had departed. ***** Tayla smiled at the group gathered around her. "OK, this is what we do.." Without warning, a sudden peircing sound cut through the air. Tayla did what she could to cover her ears, but rabbit ears being what they were, it wasn't an easy task. She cried out in agony as the unrelenting sound bombarded her senses. It was so intense that it hurt beyond her tolerance level for pain. She managed to make out the workerbots trying to attack something, but they were clearly outgunned by the more powerful combat-style bots that Snively had undoubtedly sent to get her. She could see the bots now. They looked vaguely like SWATbots...except that they were a bright silver instead of the standard greyish-black. Instead of a laser rifle, they were armed with a strange disc-shaped device. Perhaps that was what was causing the sound... She tried using telepathy, but it was no use. Like the SWATbots that had captured her five months ago, these were not roboticized creatures, but pure machine.. With that last thought, she slumped into unconciousness. ***** "So you're the creature that turned my own bots against me..." Tayla woke up to find herself in a holding cell, complete with a forcefield. A forcefield with Snively and three SWATbots on the other side. She stood up and was just about to start mind-controlling Snively when the human continued, "Don't try your hypnotics on me, rabbit. These three bots are programmed to destroy this cell and everything in it should I even approach the forcefield control system." Tayla stopped herself. If Snively was telling the truth, she had nearly killed herself. "Now, let's bring you up to date on what's been happening in the one hour you were unconscious. I have written a program that I'm incorporating into all roboticized Mobians that will cause their immediate termination should the program detect any interruptions in their communication links with my control center. In case you didn't know, your telepathic probes distracts the bots and interferes with their ability to maintain a comm link." He sneered, "As a gesture of *goodwill*, I'm releasing you to the Freedom Fighters..after I make a few modifications to your brain structure...to eliminate your telepathic abilities. You see, I've been studying your people's abilities since they were all roboticized, and I've found the area of your brain that is responsible for your telepathic capabilities. Inhibiting your control over it will be a simple operation...." ***** Bunnie was starting to worry. It had been nearly two hours since Tayla left and there was still no sign of her. Rotor was busy tending to Tasha, who had just regained conciousness. "Ah have to tell the Guardian Council about Angela...." "Tasha, you need to rest.." "No time, sugah. This is important." With that, Tasha stood up with an effort and disappeared in a unstable- looking blaze of yellow. Rotor sighed, and went on to the next patient. Five minutes later, a sky-blue blaze of light appeared in the room, bringing with it a kindly-looking two-tailed canine. She smiled, "I am the Guardian of the Emerald of Healing. Tasha sent me to help you." Bunnie was elated, but that was cut short abruptly when she spotted Tayla walking dejectedly towards the medical facility. She entered, and Bunnie was shocked. She had never seened Tayla like this before. She looked without resolve, and forlorn. She walked over and placed a hand on Tayla's shoulder, "What happened, sugah?" Tayla sat down, and Bunnie saw tears starting to stream down Tayla's face. "Oh Bunnie...he's...he's done some...something terrible to me..." "Calm down now, Tayla and tell me what happened. Who did what to you?" Tayla was crying outright now. "Sniv...Snively, Bunnie. Snively did.. it. He...he... erased my telepathic abilities..." With that, Tayla buried her face in her hands, letting the tears fall to the ground. Bunnie Rabbot didn't know what to say... TO BE CONTINUED EPILOGUE -------- Nicholas and Jennifer, First and Second Guardians of Control and Tasha stood in the Emerald Chambers of Ghylcana and looked at Angela. Jennifer spoke, "Do you deny the events that Tasha has brought to our attention?" Angela spoke defiantly, "No." "In light of this breach of Guardian policy, Angela Hazel, you are hereby exiled from Ghylcana, and your position on this Council and as Guardian of the Ninth Emerald of Control is revoked. Our decision is final. You will now hand over your emerald or we will take it by force." The ground squirrel stood up and did as she was told. With that, she stalked out of the room, saying as she went, "You haven't heard the last of me, Tasha..." Angela seethed with anger. At Tasha. At the mind reader. They may have won this time, but Angela knew of things, things like alternate sources of energy equivalent to that of the Chaos Emeralds... And she would find them... ***** (c) 1996 Aaron Lye prower@pacific.net.sg