Bad Seed (c) 98 by MistressAli
All "Sonic the Hedgehog" characters and related indicia (c) and TM Sega/Archie/Dic etc.
Used without permission.
Olian and Elodea (c) MistressAli
Packbell (c) David Pistone
Isabella Shih-Tzu is (c) Joya Nappo
Used with permission! Thanks Joya!

This document may be freely distributed, as long as it's not altered in any way.
The usual... this story contains: some violence, swearing,& naughty language...just a warning... :) 
BTW, this ** indicates thoughts.  And, this is set 4 years before the normal time.

*NEW A/N as of 2003.*
Wow, this is an OLD story of mine. I wasn't ever going to post it on FF.net or elsewhere (not even my page) because I don't like it all that much. But what the hell. Maybe some of you will. So here it is, in all it's sucky glory XD!  

"Bad Seed"
By MistressAli


        CHAPTER ONE 
        Sowing the Seed 

"Sowing the seeds of love, the seeds of love, sowing the seeds!"
-Tears for Fears

        She couldn't walk right. Poor Tails staggered under her weight. Her arm was draped around his shoulders, her knees knocked together, and she dragged.  Tails didn't complain though.  He knew something was wrong with her. She was hurt.
        The bush baby kept mumbling apologies. "I'm sorry, little fox...but I can't...I can't walk..."
        "It's ok," said Tails. "Really. Just hold on."
        They reached KnotHole a while later. Tails let the girl sit down on a stump.  "Are you ok?"
        She took off her glasses to wipe tears from her eyes. "Nooo," she whined. "I'm not."
        He grimaced as he saw a spot of dried blood on the inside of her thighs.  "What happened to you?"
        She looked up at the young kitsune. "Nothing happened. I escaped from the city and you found me."
        He frowned heavily. "But your legs..."
        "I t-t-tripped..." Her already huge eyes went even wider. Tails could see trees reflected in their dark surfaces.  She raised a trembling hand to her smooth hair, slicked it back.
        Bunnie walked by, halted, and quickly backtracked her steps to where Tails stood. "Hallo. Are ya new?"
        The bush baby looked up. "What?"
        "Are ya new here?"
        "Um...yeah, I guess." 
        Bunnie smiled warmly and crouched down in front of her. "Don't be scared! Ah'm not gonna hurt ya." Then she noticed the blood. "Oh, mah stars. Yer hurt." She grabbed the bush baby's hand. "Come on. We'll get ya fixed up."
        "No, please," the bush baby protested. "I'm fine."
        "It ain't any trouble," said Bunnie.

                                                *********

        "Please," protested the girl. "I don't want to get examined! I'm not hurt."
        "Nonsense," said Doctor Quack, rubbing her glasses clean. Bunnie nodded. "Now, first things first. What's your name?"
        "O-O-Olian," she stammered. 
        "And your age?"
        "I'm nineteen..." She took her glasses from Doctor Quack, and rested them on her muzzle.  
        "That's quite the tail you got," commented the duck.  Her tail, long and bushy, was the length of her entire body. 
        "Um...thanks," she said.
        "Ok...now let's get you checked out," said the doctor, donning his gloves.
        She began to tremble. "Please! I don't want to."
        He examined her body, checked her heart, her breathing.
        "You have a problem with your lungs?"
        She nodded, gesturing at a small pouch she wore. "Yeah...I have asthma. But it's not real bad. My inhaler's in there."
        When he reached her thighs, and began to clean off the blood, she started to shake. His expression turned serious. "Ok...now Olian...you don't have to be embarrassed. It wasn't your fault."
        She shook harder. "I...I don't know what you're talking about."
        "Listen to me!" He stared her in the eye. "I know what happened, honey. I've seen it before..."
        Bunnie nodded. "Yep...me too. Ah didn't want ta say it in front of Tails though... But sugah," she rested her hand on Olian's shoulder. "Ya don't hafta keep it bottled up inside. That's bad fer ya."
        "Ok..." she squeaked. "I...I...I was raped..."
        "It's alright," said Doctor Quack. He took her hand, held it gently. "It's all right. Just let it all out."
        "It...it was this guy, um...in the city..." she said. "It was dark...um...I didn't see hardly anything."
        Bunnie thought. "Was he a big guy? Black hair? Red eyes?" Packbell was the most likely to rape...he enjoyed inflicting any kind of humiliation and suffering.  
        "Nooo," she said. "He wasn't very big..."
        "Was he fat?" asked Quack, thinking of Robotnik. While rape wasn't the big man's specialty...it still was possible.
        "Noo...he was skinny."
        Quack and Bunnie looked at each other, eyes widening. "Did he have a big nose?" asked Quack.
        "An' was he really short?" asked Bunnie.
        "And did he have a real irritating voice?"
        Olian began to wheeze loudly. "I don't knooww...." She stood up on wobbly legs and pushed past them. "Just leave me alone!"
        Quack threw his stethoscope onto the bed. "You don't think it was..."
        "...Snively?" Bunnie finished.

                                                ***********
        "How could I doooo it?" he whined. The statement echoed in the room... doooooitdoooooitdoooit....
        "Stop fretting," said Packbell, who was filing his nails. "I do it all the time."
        "But...she was a kid, for God sakes."
        "All the better," smirked the android. "I'm sure she was tight, eh?"
        "Oh shut up," Snively groaned. "Just shut the fuck up."  He felt like shit. Worse than shit.  The girl's desperate whimpers still bounced around in his head.  
        "So..." Packbell lifted an eyebrow. "Did you get your jollies?  Did you..."
        "SHUT UP!!" Snively screamed.
        "Hey," Packbell shrugged. "You're the one who fucked the little bitch, not me."
        The little man slouched down against the wall, head in his hands. "I know."
        Packbell threw the file across the room and stood up. "Don't be so upset about it, you fucking baby. If you want pussy around here, you got to take it." The android strode out of the room, chuckling.
        Sniv' remained against the wall, staring down at the floor.  It wavered and blurred, but he didn't bother to wipe his eyes. He blinked, and tears spilled over his cheeks. **Bet she's crying pretty hard right now. Damn it all.**  He wouldn't normally want it...but right now he wanted a good hard beating. He deserved it. He deserved to have his body broken for what he had done.
        
                                        *******************
        
        "Leave me alone," Olian sobbed. She was huddled inside the log that lay by the power ring pool.  
        "But what ees zee matter?" Antoine was a bit quizzical. He'd come out to stand guard at his usual time, 8:00 PM, and had found her. "Why are you hiding in der?"
        "Because."
        Antoine squinted a little. "You are not trying to steal de power rings, are you?"
        "The what?"
        "De power rings. If you stay der, you should see one come up." He checked his watch. "Well, maybe not."
        "A power ring?" She sniffled. "What does it look like?"
        "Well," said Antoine, seeing she was interested, "eet ees a golden ring of energies. Son-eek uses dem to make him stronger and faster."
        She crawled a little bit out of the log. "Son-eek?  The hedgehog? He's pretty cool, isn't he?"
        "Well..." Antoine didn't want to look like a jerk. "Oui, I guess he ees."
        She crawled out further. "Sonic. Man, that's like a big name, you know?  I...I can't connect to someone like that."  She crawled all the way out and leaned against the log.
        Antoine nodded vigorously. "Oui, oui, I understand." He hesitated. "May I sit next to you?"
        "Um, yeah." She giggled a little.  'Twan sat.
        "So, what has happened to you?"
        She sighed. "You don't want to know."
        "Oh, mon chere, I have heard and seen many terrible things."
        She buried her head in her hands. "I was raped," she mumbled.
        "Dat ees terrible." He gently took her hand in his. "But eet ees not de most terrible. You are still breathing, still alive."
        She raised teary eyes to his face. "You're right."

                                        *******************

        
        "NO! NO!! IT CAN'T BEEEEE!" Hysterical, Olian fumbled for her inhaler. After a few frantic puffs, she stared at Quack. "Y-You can't be serious!"
        "I'm afraid I am."
        "But he's a h-h-human!" she screeched. **Noooo please please be lying, Doctor, please be playing a trick...**
        "It's gonna look a bit odd, isn't it?" scoffed Geoffrey, who was sitting on one of the infirmary beds. "Just think of Snively covered in fur or something."  He laughed. Olian wheezed.
        Antoine slapped Geoffrey, surprising everyone. "Be quiet, you stinky bomb! Allez-vous-en!"
        "Allez-vous-en?" asked Geoff, rubbing his cheek.
        "Oui, eet means 'Go away!'"
        "I'm sorry," said Quack. "But...it's true."
        "Oh God," Olian moaned. "No." **I...I...can't have this...this bad seed. This demon spawn from my body. No no no. I can't.**
        Quack looked uncomfortable. "You could have it aborted."
        "Why?" Geoff laughed again. "I'm sure ole Snively'll pay child support. Heh heh."
        "Dat ees not funny!" Antoine screamed in real anger, while Olian puffed on her inhaler, eyes bulging. 
        "Maybe you and Sniv' should get married now, eh mate?" Geoffrey giggled uncontrollably, until Antoine took out his sword, and smacked Geoff on the head with the flat of the weapon. Geoffrey was knocked out cold.
        "Snively," said the bush baby aloud, in her high trembling voice. "What kind of name is that?" She laughed insanely. "A pretty stupid one. Pretty stupid. For the stupid man who got me...who got me...pregnant."
        She'd finally said it. And saying it was far too much.
        Olian passed out.

                                        ****************************
        
        
        THREE YEARS LATER...


        "Prisoners, prisoners, prisoners," sighed Packbell. "Really, Doctor, I have better things to do."
        Robotnik boredly spun around in his chair. "Yes, but...Scratch! Grounder! Get away from there!"
        Giggling, the two robots backed away from the huge computer console.
        "Anyway," continued Robotnik, "You know Snively...he's just not very intimidating."
        "What does that matter?" Packbell sniffed. "They're just getting roboticized. And some picked out for my experiments."
        "Fine," grumbled Robotnik. "I just thought you'd like to roboticize today. You haven't done it in a while."
        "Well, thanks, but that's quite all right. I really have more important things to do." Packbell turned sharply on his heel and left.
        Outside the command center doors, he snickered. "Like plot against you, daddy-poo."

                                        ************************


        "Prisoners? Puh-leeeeese." Snively slammed down his headset with an indignant snort. "Maybe you should get off your fat ass and do it yourself, Julian." Then he checked the headset to make sure Robotnik had cut the connection...that was all he needed, Robotnik hearing his comments.
        He looked over at the worktable in his lab, where a SWATbot lay in pieces. He'd been trying to improve the wretched things.
        **It's hard to improve a piece of shit,** he thought scornfully.
        Oh, well. Prisoners were a bit more interesting than SHIT-bots.
        He paused before the sink, where a mirror hung. His hair was sticking up. No matter how many times he slicked it down, it sprang back up like a broken jack-in-the box. He looked at his face and scowled. Then he let his expression fall back into its usual position.
        How very sullen he was.  A down-turned mouth, frown lines, bored bored eyes.  He smiled as cheerfully as he could, and noticed how stupid it looked.  How ridiculously out of place.
        Then he turned away. The mirror was a depressing place to linger.

                                ********************


        The prisoners started yelling when Snively entered the roboticization room. It was the usual empty threats and cries of pride. He wasn't concerned. The SWATbots that surrounded the group would prevent any attacks on him.
        "I will get away with it, and no...I won't let you go," he said. "Does that answer your questions?"
        "Yew ugly little mutant," bawled an old cat. "If'n Ah get mah hands on yew, Ah'll bust yer balls!"
        Snively nodded. "I imagine you would." He looked pointedly at a SWAT standing behind the cat, and as the robot smacked the prisoner, he sneered, "But you won't, you fucking old geezer."
        The cat only gasped and drew his hands away from his head. They were dripping blood.
        Sniv' laughed cruelly. **If I'm going to roboticize, I misewell be a dick about it.**  A sadistic grin touched his face...a smile that really fit him.
        
        When Olian saw him, she began trembling. She hadn't even seen his face those three years ago. But she recognized that wicked laugh of his.
        Her lungs cramped up. She wheezed. She recalled...she had been tied down so she couldn't fight. There had been pain in that room...blood... He'd turned off the lights, she hadn't been able to see him. She'd cried and pleaded, but the only sound from him was that resounding laugh...
        She broke out of her memories. He was coming down the line of prisoners towards her. She wanted to see him, but her wheezing was much too bad.
        "Mommy? Are you ok?"
        Olian looked down at the child and nodded weakly, while fumbling in the pouch for her inhaler. She puffed on it a few times, feeling her lungs settle down, her breathing even out. Then the inhaler was snatched from her hand.
        She looked up, startled, as a snooty voice leered, "And what the hell is this?"  Olian just stared at the face of her violator.
        
        Snively fought back a growing sense of uneasiness. The way that girl was staring at him...there was something so familiar about her. He looked over her; her huge dark eyes, those small breasts, the chubby stomach, the immense tail.  He blinked...he'd suddenly had a vision of himself fondling those breasts. He shook his head. **No. It can't be her. I see far too many animals...there is no way, no possible way this is her.**
        "Mommy?" The child's voice broke in. "Is that a bad man?"       
        Snively looked down...and got the shock of his life.

        Normal bush baby eyes were dark brown and completely round. But this child's were more oval...and they were pale blue and heavy-lidded.
        Just like his...
        Her muzzle was a bit longer than the normal bush baby's, her ears smaller, her tail shorter, her fur thinner. Her hair was short, thick and tan.  It was obvious she wasn't pure bush baby...she was mixed with something else.
        Everyone was staring at him. He cleared his throat and looked back at the mother. Those huge eyes, rich like the sweetest chocolate, glinting behind the small glasses that rested on her muzzle. He saw his reflection in her eyes, and gasped. Already pale, his skin was corpse-white now. His eyes were wide, nearly frantic, his cruel smirk strained and trembling.
        "You remember, don't you?" growled Olian.
        "No." He denied it, trying to regain his authority.
        Olian wasn't normally vicious. But she looked down at her child, saw those odd blue eyes, looked back at him, saw those same eyes.      
        She sprang forward, grabbing him by the collar. "You...you awful person," she hissed, staring him in the eyes. "You know who you are?"
        He struggled. Some of the prisoners laughed, while SWATs uncertainly aimed their rifles at Olian.
        "You're her father!"
        "No!" Snively wrenched away.
        The prisoners gawked.
        "Yes...you are. It was three years ago. You...you...you raped me..." She began to wheeze again. "But I kept her because it wasn't her fault. It was yours!! You coward...you piece of dirt!"
        **My...my...my child...?** Snively's mind was stuttering, terror-struck, but aloud he was cruel.
        "No...I didn't rape you, darling. You wanted it. Ooh, you begged me for it, didn't you? And you were pretty good, too."
        "But yer ole hand's better, eh?" jeered the old cat. Snively snarled, baring pointed incisors.
        "Roboticize him!"
        The cat spat in Snively's direction as the 'bots wrestled him towards the tube.  Snively turned back to Olian. "I bet your little brat is even tighter than you were."  After the words left his mouth, he realized just how disgusting they were. Like something Packbell would say.
        "You leave her alone!"
        "Oh, I will," he assured her. "I don't go for robots."
        She realized what he meant as the old cat began screaming inside the roboticizer tube. Metal plates replaced his shabby fur, a low whirl and hum replaced the sound of his breathing.
        She felt a furious, desperate feeling within her. It made her eyes narrow, her teeth grind, her hands clench into fists. Her blazing eyes sought out the pointed-nosed creature. And the most intense hatred she'd ever felt passed over her. She screamed, and charged at him.
        Snively jumped backwards, but her hands were on him, grabbing for handholds. She slammed him down onto the floor, hard enough to break something.  She heard a snap, heard him howl. His left thumb was bent in a most unusual way.  Then she heard another sound-an odd high-pitched whine. The next moment, she fell to her knees, moaning low in her throat.
        Snively scrambled to his feet. He saw her eyes, glazing, the blood running from her mouth. The SWATs kept shooting.
        The child rushed forward, oblivious to the laser fire. "Mommy! No, mommy!" He sprang forward, grabbing the wailing girl in his arms. 
        "Hold your fire!" he screamed. Quivering, the child buried her head into his shoulder.
        "Oh...now what?" He said helplessly, awkwardly patting the child's head. Her arms around him tightened and he felt sudden tears rise in his eyes.

                                **************
        

        Later, when Sonic and Antoine came barging to the rescue, they were far too late. All had been roboticized or were caged up in Packbell's lab. Antoine was greatly distressed about Olian's disappearance...she was not among the robots, nor was she logged into Packbell's computer file of test subjects. 
        But Sally and Bunnie found her a few days later-her corpse was a sickening addition to the junk piles. Antoine didn't come out of his hut for days.
                
                                        ***********
        

        "And why didn't you roboticize her?" Robotnik tapped his fingers impatiently.
        "Because she's my child," said Snively.
        "You conceived her?" Robotnik seemed amused.
        "Yes, sir," replied his nephew.  Packbell tapped into his memory files.
        "Ah yes, I remember. That bush baby you raped." He looked at the child, who was quivering behind Sniv'.
        "She's got your eyes," he said.
        "I know." Snively felt a weird sense of pride welling up inside of him.
        "Fine. Keep her." Robotnik gave his nephew a hard stare. "But she's your responsibility, Snively. If she causes trouble...the blame falls on you, understand?"
        "Yes, sir." **My responsibility, eh?** Snively looked down at his kid. **More like my ally. We've got some training to do, little one.** He surpressed evil laughter as he took the baby's hand and led her from the room.
        Robotnik shook his head.
        Packbell snorted. "Snively a daddy. Imagine that...."


        CHAPTER TWO
        The Bud opens...
        Plant a demon seed, you raised a flower of fire
        See them burning crosses, see the flames higher and higher!"
        --U2

        Timeline---Ten years later
        Spiraling high among the clouds, the island defied gravity to soar in the heavens. But there was one on the island who was feeling down.
        "Oh, I be sorry, Dulcy-mon," apologized Knuckles. "But the Chaotix ain't here, an' I can't be leavin' de island unguarded."
        "But..." protested the dragon.
        "Nope." The red echidna shook his head firmly.  "But you tell Sally 'Happy Birthday' fer me, ok mon?"  He reached in a pouch he carried and drew out a knife. It glittered, carved from blue crystal. "An' give 'er this too."
        Dulcy tucked it into her pouch. "Ok, then.  I guess I'd better be headin' back.  Don't wanna miss the party!" She gave Knux one more hopeful look, but he shook his head. 
Dulcy launched herself into the air.
        "Hey!" yelled Knuckles. "How old is de ole gal, anyway?"
        "She's the big two-two!" Dulcy bellowed back, before disappearing into the clouds.
        "Eh. Sorry ole Sal," Knuckles mumbled. "Yer sweet an' all, but de Chaos Emerald is de most important thing. More important than an age change."

                                        ****************
        "Your makeup?" Snively snarled. "Your makeup?!"
        "Don't blow a gasket, daddy-poo," cooed Elodea, spinning around in a chair.
        Snively slammed his fist down on the lab table.
        Elodea looked over at him, blue eyes rimmed with black eyeliner and eyelashes glimmering with silvery mascara. "Yew are such a spaz."
        "I AM NOT A SPAZ!" Snively screamed. "YOU ARE JUST A DUMB BITCH!!"
        Elodea feigned shock. "Daddy-poo! That is no way ta talk ta yer little princess."
        "Little slut is more like it," he muttered. "What's with that makeup? You look like a hooker."
        "Well," Elodea drawled. "Oy charge 25 a blow, 50 fer the whole shebang, which one would yew like?"
        "Child," groaned Snively, "You drive me to drink. You really do."
        "Honestly, daddy-poo, Oy worry about yew." She paused to giggle at the rhyme. "Yew really shouldn't mix yer painkillers with alcohol!"
        "Don't lecture me," growled Sniv'. "That's my department." He rubbed his side, which was terribly bruised under the clothes.
        "That fat ass Julian kick yew around again?"
        His eyes widened. "Don't you let him hear you say that."
        "Oy won't. But yew shouldn't let him do that." She stood up.
        **Funny,** he thought. **Kid's only thirteen, and she's taller than me.  She didn't inherit my midget-ness, that's for sure.** "
        "It was your fault," he said aloud. "If you hadn't screwed up...I still can't believe you went to check your makeup after spotting the hedgehog on surveillance!  Didn't even call up an alert."
        Elodea paused at the doorway. "He only had chilidogs. Lots of them. Must be a special occasion in Knothole er somethin'." With a swish of her bushy tail, Elodea was out the door.
        Snively stared over at his reflection in one of the metal lab cabinets. He looked the same as always. The same as he had ten years ago, the same he'd probably look ten years from now.
        **Well...at least she didn't give me laugh lines.**


                                                ********************
        "'Er majesty's birthday, eh? Well, I think I'll show up with a little surprise." His hoverboard whirred softly as it sped through the air, cutting through clouds.
        The weasel looked down, where far below, the ocean stretched.
        Then, he smiled widely, exposing his oversized fang even more. Before him lay the Floating Island.
        Nack halted his hoverboard and hid it in a bush. "The Chaos-dorks are gone, and RedDreads should be at Sally's groovin' bash." Nack snickered. "That purty little emerald is finally mine!" He screeched with laughter. 
        Scared birds took flight, fleeing from the giddy weasel.

                                                *******************
        "Elooooodea!" called Packbell. "You're just the person I've been looking for."
        She halted, leaning against the corridor wall. "Wot do yew want, bell-boy?" As Packbell strode up to her, she curled her tail behind her, and wished her breasts hadn't started developing. Packbell was a pervert, and she knew it. He hadn't touched her yet, however.  "You're not ripe yet," he had commented once. "I like 'em ripe."
        "I got a little mission for you," said the android. "You can even fly your own hovercraft."
        "Really?" Elodea jumped at the word 'hovercraft'. She loved to ride around in the egg-shaped vehicles.
        "Yes, really." Packbell draped a confidential arm over her shoulder. She scowled, but didn't shrug it off. "Here's what you do. Go to the Floating Island, and steal the Chaos Emerald there."
        "But isn't it guarded?"
        "Well, yeah." Packbell shrugged. "But with all the stuff I taught you, you should be able to kick his ass." It was true. Elodea was a tough kid...she could really fight.
        "But Oy don't know how ta get there."
        "So...find it in the autopilot index on the hovercraft's computer. Punch in the coordinates...and away you go."
        She frowned suspiciously. "And why would yew want me ta do this, bell-boy? There's gotta be a catch."
        "Not really." The android shrugged his broad shoulders. "Just Robotnik wants me to go, and frankly, I don't want to."
        "Wot about daddy-poo?"
        "Your father?" Packbell snorted. "You know as well as I do that your father's a first-class wimp."
        "True," she admitted. "Fine. Oy'll go. But Oy don't know if daddy-poo will want me ta go."
        Packbell grabbed her arm. "That's why you don't tell him."
        **Not tell pops?** The thought appealed to her. "Ok."
        
        Packbell laughed to himself as the hovercraft lifted off the ground and sped away.  **Got myself out of another shit job...**

                                                ***************
        The Floating Island, with its lush forests, had never appealed to Nack. The purple weasel grumbled as he slapped aside thick brush-he preferred to be above it all on his hoverboard. "But that blasted emerald cave could be anywhere. DAMN!"
        He cursed loudly as a leaf smacked him in the face. A warm breeze blew over his head-his hat was missing. 
        "Dang it." He turned to search for the hat, and found himself looking at a red body.
        "Lookin' fer this, mon?" Knuckles had the hat speared on his left claws.
        "'Ey, Red!" Nack squealed in surprise. "I thought youse was at..."
        "Sally's party?" Knuckles finished. "No, mon, I didn't go cause I had a feelin' someone would go after de emerald."
        "Heh. Dumb echidna. Why would anyone want that rock?"
        "You tell me," Knux jeered. Then he threw the hat on the ground and balled up his fists. "No more talk, mon. You want de Emerald, den fight me fer it."
        Nack was up for it, but he knew Knuckles was one tough punk. "Sorry man, but I gotta scram." Nack laughed banshee-like, and went crashing through the underbrush.
        Knuckles shook his head, threw his dreads over his shoulder, and headed for the cave that housed his precious emerald. The weasel would do no damage running around the isle, but if he came near the cave....Knux clenched his fists tight.

                                        **********************
        "A first rule of fighting," grunted Packbell, "And fathering..."  His gloved fist slammed into Snively's cheek. "...is to not underestimate thy adversary." 
        Packbell was on his knees, his huge fists enclosed in soft bulky gloves, but he was still kicking Snively's ass.
        "I never underestimated you." Sniv' was panting, trying to lay a punch on the android. Lately, Packbell had been training him to fight. It amused the 'droid greatly to see Sniv' hop around on his skinny legs, trying to bring Packbell down.
        **Fat chance,** thought Packers. "Well, you underestimated dear dear Elodea."
        "How so?" Snively laughed as his fist slammed into Packbell's nose, then shook his hand, wincing.
        "You always thought she'd stay around here."
        "Yessss, so?" Snively danced backwards; Packbell's fist missed his belly by inches. Then he rose up on one foot, and did a nice little kick that caught Packbell under the chin and snapped his head back.
        "Ha! Got you!" He laughed gleefully.
        **He's so pathetic.** Packbell leapt up. "Yeah, I get on my feet and you're dead."  Snively skittered backwards, but could not escape Packbell. The android had him in seconds, Snively's throat in the crook of his elbow, his feet dangling five feet off the ground.
        "Packbell...gaaccckkkk..." Snively choked as Packbell tightened his arm.
"Your little darling is cruisin' around in a hovercraft right now."
        "Around the city...so what?" Snively gasped.
        "Not around Robotropolis, you moron. She's heading towards the Floating Island and an Emerald of Chaos."
        "What?" Snively slammed his elbow hard into Packbell's side. The 'droid dropped him.
        "How'd she, how'd she...?" Snively's blue eyes were wide and shocked.
        Packbell smiled.
        "She...the Chaos Emerald..."
        Packbell smiled wider, his eyebrows arched up, pleasantly mocking.
        "You put her up to it, didn't you?" Snively screeched. "You bastard!" He lunged for the six-foot tall creature, but Packbell simply put out his hand, clamped his fingers on the top of Snively's head, and watched as the little man punched futilely at the air.
        "Snively-ively, she volunteered for it! It was really my job, but she kindly relieved me of it."
        "But she...Knuckles...he'll hurt her...maybe even KILL her!"
        Packbell shrugged. "Eh...a loss of war, I suppose."
        "No...a loss of my kid. My child, Packbell."
        "I know." The 'droid smiled sadly. "Now you won't get a chance to lay her."
        "Arghhhh!" Snively howled and slammed his fist forward. Packbell caught it and crushed.
        "We'll train later, Snively. I'm going on a break."
        He left the little man on the floor, crying and cradling his hand.

                                                ****************
        "Geez...no wonder Packbell didn't want ta come here." Elodea stood looking at the tangle of plantlife that stretched out before her.
        She turned to a pond and saw her reflection. She grinned. "Oy'm beauteous," she commented to the flora.
        She had soft gray fur, white belly, long tail, big ears, a sweet little muzzle, and her father's big azure eyes, but hers had a wild icy spark. 
        She turned on her heel, picked up her sword, and headed for the wall of plants. 
        She knew sword, gun, and knife skills, martial arts, acrobatics, and street fighting to some extent---her tall android "cousin" had taught her much. She didn't like Packbell...but she knew better to pass up the chance to train.
        She whacked through the brush for a few minutes, then threw down the sword in disgust. "This sucks." She picked up the weapon and headed back to the hovercraft. "Oy'm gonna find another place ta land."

        Elodea cruised in the craft, finally finding a clearing. She touched down, hopped out, and looked around.
        "Much better." This part of the isle was more used; there were several well-worn trails through the forest.
        She grimaced. "Which one ta pick?" She drew out a Mobian penny. "Heads...north. Tails...south." She flipped. It was tails. 
        "Heads...west...tails east..." She flipped. It was tails again.
        "All right...heads...south...tails east..." It landed on heads, and she moved down the southern trail.  
                
                                                *************
        His glass was empty.  He reached for the whiskey bottle, and cursed upon finding it empty. A lone drop slid out and hit the tabletop. Seconds later, the whiskey bottle lay shattered on the floor.
        Snively drew his fingers over his eyes. He was so weary. He pulled on his eyelashes, let the dead ones drop onto the tabletop, and swept them away with the flat of his hand.
        **Delicate little things, those hairs. They die, they're swept away.**  He'd drank a full bottle of whiskey, and his vision was starting to blur, but Snively had never felt so sober in his entire life.
        "Fucking kids," he said aloud. A peculiar sound escaped him then, a sobbing whimper. "Elodea...Goddamn you."  That Knux could hurt her. He could tear her to pieces.
        He knew he hadn't been a very good father. He'd trained her to be tough, and that meant excluding silly father-daughter 'I love you' games. Sure, he'd called her his 'little princess' but only in that certain tone of his, that degrading sneer. And he'd certainly taken his hand to her. Snively closed his eyes, it had been more like his fist, his belt, beating that little girl senseless...for the most trivial of offenses. 
        **I wasn't hitting her because of her...I was hitting her because of ME...** he realized it now, but he had already known it then. It had saved her a few times; he'd kept his temper, kept himself in check.  She doesn't deserve bruises, he'd thought. It was his own frustration, his pent-up rage that had led him to attack Elodea. And it scared him...because he was acting like his own father...and his own uncle...
        Sniv' shook his head hard. "But she doesn't remember that. She doesn't remember that I used to hit her. Because I stopped."
        He closed his eyes again. "But I'm a better father than some. No matter what I've done to Elodea in the past...I'm still a better father than some."
        He would never lose his tragic memories...a scared young boy, being beat bloody for nothing, a father screaming and hitting with a leather belt. 
        He swore Elodea would never have those memories. And he'd been ok. He'd lost it a few times, but it was nothing that would scar her. 
        "And now she's at the Floating Island, chasing down Chaos Emeralds.  God, why didn't she tell me?  Why does she do these things to me...could she really hate me? Is she trying to get back at me?"
        Snively felt his lower lip tremble violently. The thought of losing that child cut him. He cursed inwardly. **Why did I ever keep her?  I could shoot myself for falling in love with that child. It complicates things a hundredfold.**  No wonder Robotnik was such an asshole to him. If he had any affection for Sniv', his nephew certainly wouldn't be working as hard. And Sniv' could never be used against Robotnik as a hostage or as bait...the fat man would just scoff and let his nephew be killed, no regrets. Because he didn't give a shit.
        But Snively gave a shit about Elodea.
        **I love her,** he thought. **She's mine, and I love her.**  He clasped his hands together, and for the first time in years, he prayed. And the prayer was all hers, just for her.
                
                                                **************
        Nack the Weasel was stomping down a nearly overgrown path. He punched and slapped the leaves out of his way. Breeze blew through two holes in his hat. "That stupid rodent," he grumbled. "Ruinin' my hat...my good hat. Ain't never get a hat like that again. Stupid..." His voice trailed off as he heard leaves and sticks crackling. He halted. "Knux? That you?" He set his jaw. "I'm ready to whoop yer ass, if it is."
        "Knux?" The leaves parted and a female's face peered out. Nack grinned.
        "Well, hey there, girlie." He smiled charmingly. She was very pretty, brown hair, blue eyes with thick lashes. He gasped as the sharp point of a sword jutted into his throat.
        "Who are yew? The guardian?" She pressed the sword harder, broke the skin.
        "The guardian?" He laughed nervously. "Sorry, girlie, wrong guy. But you go near the cave and you'll find 'im."
        "Cave?" Her blue eyes narrowed, glinting like ice. It reminded him of the time Robotnik had been away, and he'd had to make a deal with the fat man's nephew. **Snively was such a dick,** he thought. **And he kept squinting his eyes, trying to look tough. Kinda like this broad here.**
        "Yeah, the cave. Where the emerald is."
        "The Chaos Emerald?" Her eyes widened a bit and she drew the sword away.
        "Yeah." He jabbed a finger at his white chest. "But it's mine. I'm gonna steal it."
        "Yew?" She laughed loudly. "Oy am."
        "And just who are you, that makes you so special?"
        "Me? Elodea, of the Robotroplian forces."
        "Really?"
        "Yes. Commander Packbell is moy trainer."
        "Packbell? What makes you so big that ole Pac-man would train you? Why hasn't Robotnik roboticized you?"
        "Yew know Snively?"
        "Yep, ole Needlenose." Nack snickered.
        "He's moy father."
        Nack laughed insanely. "No foolin'?! Man, oh man. Yer eyes reminded me of him---but I never figured you were his kid."
        "Well, Oy am."
        "You got lucky, girlie. You didn't get yer pop's ugliness or his wussiness. Heh."
        "Shut up," said Elodea. "Leave him alone. Everyone always picks on--"
        "Can it," interrupted Nack. "We both want the same thing, right? The Chaos Emeeerald."
        "Yer point?" She scratched her ear, where a gold earring resided.
        "Why don't we um...work together. Jest you an' me." Nack sidled closer to the girl, but her sword leaped up, warning him to back off.
        "Us? Work tagether?"
        "Yeah."  She had a sword and Nack would rather her fight Knux than him.
        She smiled slowly. "All right." Better the weasel fight the guardian than her.

                                *****************
        Knuckles was pacing the cave entrance. He was a bit annoyed... **I did want ta go ta Sal's party. I did. But dese damn Emerald, I must be guardin' it.**
        He heard rustling on the path that led to his cave.
        Nack the Weasel came striding down the trail. The echidna spotted him. 
        "Get away, mon," warned Knux, his fists clenched, his glove spikes sharp and ready.
        Nack looked behind him, but the bush baby was nowhere in sight. "That broad...where'd she go?"  He whirled back around; found the echidna right in his face. "Whaaaa?" He stumbled backwards as Knux's white-gloved fist met his face.
        "Damn eeeesquidnaaa!" he screeched, tackling the guardian. As they wrestled, he looked around for the girl. He saw her, slipping towards the cave. He tried to yell for her help, but Knuckles socked him in the head, and Nack's mouth hit the dirt.
        Elodea glanced towards the fight, and saw Nack was getting pounded. She snickered softly, then slipped into the entrance. 

        The passages were long, typical cave corridors. The walls were gray, streaked with black, molted with dirty white. The floor was slippery in some places, but her feet were a bush baby's; strong and grasping, with almost suction cup-like pads. She could run on ice without slipping.
        It was getting darker though, too dark for even her huge eyes. She grunted as she slammed into rocks. She felt around and banged her hand on an outcropping of stone.  She cussed. There was a solid wall in front of her. She looked from side to side, and noticed a gentle green glow to her right. Moving towards it, one hand on the wall for support, she discovered a narrow gap there, which she squeezed through, stumbling into a chamber.
        She stood. Absolutely still. A soft breath escaped her lips, green light played over her face. When she'd thought emerald, she'd expected a puny little thing. But this thing was as big as her head. It had hundreds of facets, and glowed with an inner light. It was perfectly flawless, perfectly clear; she could see the other side of the cavern, green and distorted, through the gem. It sat on a golden pedestal.
        She stepped up onto the pedestal, and felt the gold tremble under her feet. "Man...it's the emerald...it's pure energy." She reached for the gem. Her hands touched the surface. The marrow trembled inside her finger-bones, the digits arched, humming with a strange energy. She pressed her hands to it harder, her normally pale eyes glowing green.

                                                ************
        Nack slammed Knuckles against a tree. The echidna hit hard, but gave the weasel no chance to slip away. He sprang forward, but Nack sidestepped, his booted foot slamming hard into Knux's stubby-tailed rear. Knuckles went sprawling on the ground, and quickly rolled out of the way. Nack's boot smashed down where Knux's side had been.
        Two white-gloved hands closed on Nack's leg, and he found himself on the ground again, fending off the vicious islander.
        
                                                ************
        She tried to lift it.  
        It was heavy, but she managed to heave it into her arms. She took a few experimental steps forward, her legs staggering under the weight.
        **Oy can't run very fast with this.** She realized. She set it back on the pedestal, her quivering arms nearly dropping it.
        "Hmmm..." She glanced around, hopping over to a rock about the same size as the emerald. She picked it up, noticing how much lighter it felt than the gem. 
        "That's the problem with fat ole Julian...he's much too greedy. Even a little piece of this is packed with energy." She giggled. "Sounds like a cheesy commercial."  She lifted the rock over her head and smashed it down onto the emerald.
        Her tongue bled as her teeth sank into it, trying to bite back a scream.  Pain lashed up her arms...like razor blades slicing notches into each of her nerves, then acid poured into each notch.  She felt the blood, a warm thin stream, oozing between her lips. She gagged, tears soaking her cheek fur. Her hands left the rock. It fell, as did she.
        
        It felt like decades, but it'd only been moments. She pushed herself up with numb arms. There were blinking white blotches in her vision. She blinked rapidly...that only made it worse.
        "Ohhhh." Her groan echoed. She rubbed her eyes. "Shit...look at that."  A chunk of emerald had broken off, about as big as her fist. The edges were jagged and she squealed as one side slid through her skin as she picked it up. 
        "Eh, wot's more blood?" She shrugged, switching the chunk to her left hand, wiping her right on her tail. Her muzzle-fur itched as tongue-blood dried on it. She rubbed at it for a moment, then noticed the rock. It was shattered to pieces.
        She whistled. "Oy believe Oy'd be worse off if that rock hadn't taken most of the energy." She kicked a few pieces with a grateful boot, before turning to the gap in the wall.
        She made her way back through the passage, and slid out into the open.
        The weasel...**Oy never did learn his name**...had the echidna by the dreads. With a snap of his wrist, a flex of his violet-furred bicep, the weasel would draw Knux to him, and slam a fist in his face. Knux would reel backwards, and the weasel would draw him forward again to repeat the punch.
        Elodea slipped into the bushes, fighting through a tangle of thorns that ripped at her fur. Chunks of downy hair were left clumped on the thorn points, but Elodea didn't care. She crouched behind the foliage to watch the conclusion of the battle.

                                        *****************
        "I'm going out after her."
        Robotnik cocked one of the folds of skin that served as an eyebrow. "Snively, you are staying put."
        "But sir," protested the little man. "Elodea..."
        "Will be fine," finished Robotnik. "And if not..." The fat man shrugged as if saying, 'It's not my loss.'
        "But sir! Knuckles is not...is not ummm...nice...like the other rebels. He might hurt her! Or what if she gets captured by the rebels?   I have to..."
        "You are staying here and that is final!" Robotnik's huge fists clenched. He was getting a touch of gray in his orange mustache, but he could still punch through steel walls.
        "Sir..." Snively tried to even out his voice, make it sound firm, yet respectful. "I AM going."
        Robotnik stood up fast and snatched up his nephew. Snively shrieked...ten years had not deepened that high voice. 
        "YOU ARE STAYING HERE!" Robotnik screamed. His booming voice set off a chain reaction of sorts...Snively trembled, and his face took on the stricken expression of a mouse cornered by a cat. A big fat cat. 
        "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?"
        Snively tried to respond; his voice was a whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Y-y-yes s-s-sir. B-b-but..."
        "BUT NOTHING!!" Robotnik's reeking breath blasted his nephew's face. Snively felt his body let go; loosen. He hated that...when his entire self went limp, like overcooked noodles. He hung, his full body weight pulling on the back of his shirt where Robotnik held him. The front of the collar was pulled tight against his throat, making him gag, but he couldn't move, couldn't even whimper.
        Robotnik held Sniv' for another moment, his red pupils staring his nephew in the eyes. Snively gazed back fearfully, eyes wide...this close up, Robotnik could see the fine red veins that laced the edges of his nephew's eyes. He ran one hand down his lackey's smooth cheek, almost gently. Sniv' trembled, his eyes confused, which made the fat tyrant chuckle. Then he growled, "You're pathetic," and threw his nephew down.
        "Ooooff." Snively hit hard, skidded forward on his chest, then scrambled to his feet. He groaned, holding his hand to his ribs. Robotnik closed his eyes, leaned back in his throne, relaxing, and completely missed the look Snively threw him...a narrow-eyed glare of pure hatred. 
        
                                                *****************
        Knuckles struggled. Nack's hands were clasped around his throat from behind. He jabbed an elbow backwards and felt it sink into the weasel's side. But Nack's hands only tightened more.
        "Let go, mon!" Knuckles choked.
        "No way, Red Dread."
        Knux turned his arm awkwardly, so his glove-spikes pointed at the weasel behind him. He jabbed them backwards...it was a weak blow, but still, the claws pierced Nack's skin.
        "Ow!" He released. Knux sprang forward and whirled to face his adversary.
        Nack looked down at his bleeding side, then at the echidna. Knuckles slowly raised the claw to his mouth and licked off the blood.
        The gesture worked; Knux watched as Nack backed away, his mouth curling in disgust, the ridiculous fang jutting out over his lower lip. "Gross! What are you, some kind of freakin' vampire?"
        "Yes, an' my favorite is weasel blood!"
        In the bush, Elodea stifled a giggle.
        Nack moved closer to the bushes. He suddenly bent down and snatched up a large stick. He charged Knuckles. The echidna swung his left claw around. It clashed against the stick.
        "En garde!" laughed the weasel. He swung the stick again. Knuckles deflected the stick, then thrust at Nack with his right claw.
         Nack and Knux clashed stick and claw for several minutes, until Nack's bravado was his undoing. He danced around, flailing his stick, one hand on his hip like an old-time swordfighter. Knuckles was unimpressed. He caught Nack's stick between his two claws, and turned his hand sharply, locking the stick between them. Nack struggled to pull it out.  Knuckles pulled it away, and with a sharp fling of his arm, threw the stick far into the bushes.
        "'Ey, no fair!"
        "Mon...jest leave." Knuckles bowed his head graciously, his paw gesturing to the path that led north. "Jest leave an' I won't give ya no trouble."
        Nack contemplated. His stick was gone...and Knuckles had those sharp claws. The bush baby girl was nowhere to be seen. "Fine," he grumbled, and stomped away.
        
        Elodea was silent in the bushes. She waited. The echidna grew restless. Finally, he disappeared into the cave. Elodea scrambled out of the bushes and made her way up the northern path.


                                        ******************
        When the hovercraft touched down on Robotroplian streets, Sniv' stamped out of the Death Egg, fists clenched. 
        Elodea hopped out, and stood just outside the craft. "Hallo, daddy-poo!" His eyes narrowed.
        "Ummmm...yer not angry, are yew?"
        "Oh no," said Snively. "I'M FURIOUS!!!"
        Elodea flattened down her ears...once he got yelling, he carried on even more than Robotnik. "Don't start...Oy'm thirteen years old. Oy can go off by moyself, yew know. Yew don't hafta hold moy hand."
        "You little-" he started, but she interupted. 
        "Calm down. Oy didn't get in any trouble. An' Oy did get this." She pulled out the chunk of Chaos Emerald.
        His eyes widened a bit. "Give me that!"
        She pulled it away from his grabbing hand. "No! Oy found it!"
        He snatched her arm, and reached for her other hand. "Give it to me!"
        "No! Knock it off!" She tried to wrench her arm away, but his grip was strong. "Let go!"
        "Elodea...let me have it."
        "Fine!" She dropped the emerald, balled her hand into a fist, and slammed him in the face. He stumbled backwards.
        She scooped up the emerald. "Oy am not a little girl anymore, daddy-poo. Yew can't slap me around anymore." 
        She began to stride away. Snively raised his hand to his face, shocked. Blood was dripping from his mouth, where her fist had slammed. "Elodea...don't give it to Robotnik!" he said. "Don't give it to him!"
        She disappeared into the Death Egg.
        A frustrated scream broke from her father's mouth, and echoed down the streets.
        
                                        *********************
        "Sooo...Elodea. I see you're back."
        "Yeah, Oy am." Elodea was rubbing her wet hair with a towel. Packbell was leaning against her doorframe; he'd walked in just as she'd gotten out of the shower.
        "The emerald?" He raised black eyebrows.
        "Sorry."
        "Sorry about what?" The eyebrows began slanting downwards.
        "Oy didn't find it. The guardian chased me away."
        The eyebrows were all the way down now, frowning heavily. "You didn't find it?" he sneered. "What the hell is that? I thought you were tough, Elodea. But you can't even handle one simple mission."
        "Go ta hell! It was yer mission! An' I know yew've failed it yerself, countless times before."
        "This isn't about me, Elodea. It's about you."
        "Fuck yew."
        "Fuck me?" he snickered. "No...but I will fuck you." He advanced towards her, smiling nastily. She backed away. 
        "PACKBELL!" The high voice reverberated off the walls. Packbell half-turned to see Snively standing in the doorway, laser pistol aimed, unwavering, at the big android's face. "You touch her, Packbell, and I'll blow your fucking head off, I swear."
        "Snively-ively...now I see where your daughter has gotten her potty mouth."
        "Step away from her." 
        "Don't be so greedy, Snively. You can have her north half, I'll take the south." And Packbell's hand reached for Elodea's thighs.
        "Get away from her." The little man's voice came out startlingly low, his menacing growl nearly matching Robotnik's.
         Packbell moved away from her, his hand fluttering mockingly at his heart. "My gosh, that was scary, Needlenose. You almost sounded intimidating for a second." He sprang for the lackey. "Almost."
        The trigger gave under the pressing finger. Packbell howled, stumbling backwards. Oil oozed from a laser hole that marred his handsome face. 
        "You little dick!" Packbell's fist aimed for Snively. Three more shots ripped through Packbell as Sniv' jumped backwards, firing.
        **Warning...great oil loss will result in temporary shutdown...until system can repair.** Packbell's internal system was trilling warnings, but Packbell heeded none of it. He sprang off the ground, crashing into his adversary. The lackey was knocked to the floor, dropping the gun, where he scrambled for the pistol. As his hand lighted on it, Packbell's large brown-booted foot pressed down on his hand.
        "I wouldn't, Needlenose. I really wouldn't."
        Snively glared up at him, furious. Packbell exerted more pressure with his foot, smiling as Snively's expression turned to distress. He tried to pull his hand out; Packbell only pressed down harder. 
        Elodea heard her father, he was struggling not to scream in her presence, but she saw his eyes flooding with tears...the big android was pressing down harder now, close to breaking the bones of the tiny hand under his foot.
        Elodea snarled, baring her teeth... Having no weapon at hand, she sprang for the android, her teeth sinking into his arm.
        "You little fool," he scoffed, throwing her off. She reeled backwards, slamming into the wall. Stars danced before her eyes. But she rose, and picked up the small table near her bed. She heaved the table at the android.
        One leg struck him in the head, the other in the lower back. He stumbled forward, his foot lifting off Sniv's hand. The little man scrambled backwards, but not before snatching up the pistol.
        Packbell began to turn back to them. A quarter of the way around, his head was filled with laser holes. Halfway around, oil spurted from his laser-torn heart. Completing his turn, he faced the two, snarling. Then he dropped to his knees. His vision was gone; both of his optical sensors had been damaged. All he heard was his system, screaming alarms. Then everything went black as his system shut down.
        Snively threw down the laser pistol. "Great. Robotnik's going to love this." He gave Packbell's body a sharp kick. "Stupid 'droid."
        "He ain't dead, is he?"
        "No. Just shut down. For the moment...his systems can repair that damage in about an hour...maybe less."
        She whistled. Then she looked down at the floor. "Oy'm..oy'm sorry Oy hit yew before."
        "Don't worry about it." He looked around her room.  She picked up the night table and returned it to its place near the bed. "I just didn't want Robotnik to get that emerald."
        "He didn't." She opened her top dresser drawer, and drew out the shiny chunk of rock.
        His eyes widened, reflecting the gem and all its facets. She held it out to him. He felt it tremble in his hand, pure power.
        She watched as he strode to the window, and threw out his hand dramatically at the cityscape that lay outside the glass. "My dear Elodea...do you know what this means?  With this rock...I can finally overthrow that fat fool, and..."
        She smiled slightly.
        "...you and I will be the new rulers of Robotropolis!"
        Elodea smiled wider.
        The small room soon echoed with laughter...


        CHAPTER THREE
        The thorn sprouts 

        "A little rebellion now and then is a good thing." --Thomas Jefferson

        When Knuckles walked into the cavern, his mouth dropped.  His emerald was laying on the floor, a chunk broken from it. 
        "What happened?" He gasped. Then he ran to the gem, and picked it up, cradling it like a baby. He rubbed the shiny surface, and saw his horrified face reflected in it. "Nack! 'E must've gotten in here, somehow." He set the gem back onto the pedestal, and swept the cave for clues. He found none.
        "Oh mon, I've got to find out who took de missing piece."
        Outside the cave, he searched around. Frowning, he pulled downy clumps of fur off one of the thorn bushes. He sniffed them, and found no familiar scent. 
        Distressed, he considered going to the Freedom Fighters. They could help. But that meant leaving the emerald alone...

                                        ******************** 

        The air duct threw the sound of her breathing back at her. **This is so stupid. What am I doing here?**
        Hershey was moving through the air duct tunnels on her elbows, the rest of her body dragging limply behind her. She drew in a breath of the hot air that blew past her. 
        **This is dumb.** She thought again. She rubbed her bare neck and frowned. **But...I'm here...I misewell look for it.**
        On a recent mission, Hershey had lost her bandanna in the air ducts. Without telling anyone, she'd crept into Robotropolis. She thought it'd be a snap...she'd sneak in, backtrack, find the bandanna, and be out of the city in minutes. But it wasn't.
        She'd forgotten how confusing the air ducts where without the help of Sally and NICOLE. **If I'm lost...** She shook her head hard. The bandanna had to be found...her father's hands had placed that bandanna around her neck when she was six years old. It was worn and faded to a dull blue, but...it was the only trace of her father left.
        **It's stupid...this sentiment. I'm gonna get myself killed over a scrap of fabric. How stupid.** Her thoughts were scolding, but her heart ignored it all. That bandanna WAS important. 
        She heard a sound, and noticed she was right near an air vent. She peered out.


        Elodea was moving down the hallway on her tiptoes. Lately, she'd been avoiding Commander Packbell, and she had no idea where the big android might be at the moment. She knew exactly where the surveillance cameras were, and their blind spots. Her feet moved her carefully into these blind spots. Because Packbell might be doing surveillance. Because Snively was in his lab. Elodea was headed there. There was supposedly a big 'surprise' awaiting her.
        She heard a sound behind her and whirled around. Her blue eyes widened at seeing a young female cat, beckoning with a bracelet-adorned hand.
        "Come on! This way."
        The cat had a long graceful neck, a red vest. Elodea stared hard at her. "Who are yew?"
        "There's no time to talk! Just come on."  
        Elodea laughed. The cat looked puzzled. "I don't see what's funny," said the feline. "If you're captured..."
        The bush baby suddenly understood. "Yew think Oy'm a rebel?"
        That puzzled face again. "Aren't you?"
        "No." Elodea laughed again. "Oy live here."
        "You...you live in Robotropolis? Oh, I get it. You're from Lower Mobotropolis, aren't you? With Griff and all them."
        "Lower Mobotropolis?" Now Elodea looked puzzled. "No. Oy live here. In this building."
        "But how...how could you? Without getting discovered?"
        "No!" The bush baby shook her fist. "Oy am Elodea, of the Robotroplian forces. Oy live HERE. Oy cannot be captured. Robotnik is my uncle."
        The cat's green eyes widened. "Oh my gosh..." She suddenly turned to flee.
        "Wait!" yelled Elodea.
        The feline turned back.
        "Wot are yew doin' here?"
        "Looking for something," the cat replied. She blushed. "It's stupid. It's just a bandanna." She rubbed her slender neck with a long-fingered hand.
        "Why a bandanna?" The bush baby's face was interested, so Hershey continued. 
        "It was my father's. He gave it to me. It means a lot to me."
        **Her father? Gave her something? Why should it be so important? To come here. To risk capture.**
        "It's all I have left of him."
        Elodea's face was suddenly cold. "Oy think yew should leave. Before YEW get captured." 
        Hershey looked confused, and even hurt at the brush-off. Then she shrugged and disappeared into the grate.
        Elodea went on her way.

        
        "Hey, daddy-poo." She walked into his laboratory. He was seated at the table, just waiting for her. 
        "Hello, child."
        "Got a little held up. There was a girl in the air ducts."
        "A girl?"
        "Yeah, a terrorist, Oy think. But she wasn't too shabby. Oy let 'er go."
        "Great...if Julian finds that out, then I'm in trouble."
        "Aw...he won't. She was jest lookin' fer some ole bandanna that she lost. It was from 'er father..."
        Snively sighed. 
        "So, wot's the surprise?" 
        Snively grinned. "It's great. You'll love it." He opened one of the metal cabinets in his lab, and pulled out an armful of...armor. He dropped it on the table before her.
        She looked at it. It was white and black, and the size of her daddy-poo. It was slick and shiny and high-tech looking.
        "It's power armor," he said.
        "Wot's that mean?"
        "It means it's communicates with my nervous system...and works with my body. Like an extra layer of muscles...and just like muscles, it strengthens. With the help of the Chaos Emerald," He paused to point out the gem, which was decorating the chest plate of the armor. "...it will make me ten times more powerful!"
        "Will it really?"
        "Yes."
        "Oy don't believe yew."
        "I didn't think you would...but you just wait till I get it on. Then you'll see." He winked, and carried the armor into the adjourning room to change. 
        She retouched her make-up while waiting. 

                                        *****************


        Hershey crawled in the air ducts for a while. Her ears were maddened by the silence, the quiet hissing of the air flowing past her and out through the vents. Her knees were getting sore and her wrists ached. 
        She paused to rest. The metal walls around her seemed to waver and then close in. She whimpered a little and put her hands flat against them. They were solid and unmoving. **Calm down, Hersh. You'll find a way out.**
        She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
        Then she was on the move again. 

        Soon, she heard the whine and hum of computers. Then she heard a strange harsh sound, like short quick draws of fingernails over a chalkboard. She gritted her teeth to keep from yelping. Then a voice, just as harsh, but much deeper, rumbled out. "What is it, Cluck, hmmmm?"
        She felt her nerves, her bones, her heart jump under her skin. She cowered away from the voice, feeling the coldness of the air duct wall soaking through her fur like water. 
        She took a few more breaths and then crawled to the vent, which was a few feet ahead of her.
        She peered out, her eyes blending the vent bars into nothingness and seeing the scene below her clearly.

        Robotnik was sitting in his large green chair. His robotic pet bird was on his shoulder. She scowled. Such a big fat man, just slumping there, how could he hold the entire plant in his fist? Then her thoughts turned.
        **Geez...Robotnik's command room...that's like at the top of the Death Egg. I'll never get out of here. I wonder how Chuck does it? Of course!  If I wait here, Chuck will come by sometime. For spy business. He'll lead me out of here.** 
        A satisfied smile touched her lips and she relaxed, laying her head on her paws. 

                        ************************

        "Well, well, daddy-poo..." Elodea laughed helplessly. "Yew look..."
        "Good?" Snively twirled around on one toe. Elodea laughed harder. 
        "Isn't that armor heavy?"
        "No," said Snively. "It's feather light." He looked at his new attire in the shiny metal cabinets.
        "Just like yew."
        "It may be light," said Snively, ignoring her taunt, "But it makes me much more 'buff', as you would put it."
        "Yew buff?" Her continuous giggles turned into another big laugh. 
        "You mock me, child, but feel and learn." He sat down and put his arm on the table, elbow down, hand opened. Elodea sat and put her elbow down, hand in his. 
        "Oy always beat yew at arm wrassling. Yew know it."
        "Not this time," he said.
        He had on stretchy black gloves, this same material was visible at his elbows and the backs of his knees. She guessed he was wearing a bodysuit under the armor. That made her laugh harder, but she caught his mock-grim look and shut up.
        "1...2...3..." 
        She struggled hard, but it was no contest. Snively slammed her hand down on the table so hard it sent numbness up her arm. 
        He clicked his tongue in a satisfied way. "That wasn't even a quarter of my strength. Not even a quarter of a quarter."
        "Well," she said, raising an impressed eyebrow. "Yew are quite the buff one."
        "I know," he said devilishly. "Not even Robotnik can stop me." He stood up and strode out the door.
        "Oy've got ta see this," she cackled and ran after her father. 

                                                *******************
                                
Packbell let out a long lengthy whistle. "That's some get-up, Needlenose."
        The whistle awakened Hershey, who peered down through the vent. She saw someone standing just inside the command room, arms folded across their chest. She squinted.
        **Honestly, that can't be Snively. He looks weird.** She curbed a laugh; like Sniv' didn't ALWAYS look weird. **But what is he wearing?**
        Apparently Robotnik was wondering the same thing.
        "Snively," sighed the tyrant, "what are you up to now?"
        
        Sniv' crossed the floor with a deliberate step. Robotnik did not enjoy the smile on his nephew's face. It was not his usual nervous grin, but a full predatory thing. Robotnik almost expected to see a set of fangs.
        "The time has come," began Sniv', "to throw out the tired old leaders and replace them with new better ones." He dramatically slapped his hand over his heart.
        Robotnik scowled. "Snively...I don't have time for your games. Now take off that...outfit and get to work."
        "Oh, but this is no game, Julian..."
        Robotnik growled at the mention of his real name. 
        "...it's definitely for real."
        Robotnik's eyes swept over his nephew again. Sniv' didn't look intimidated. The armor was white and black so Robotnik's eyes were attracted to the only spot of color on the armor; a speck of green.
        "A Chaos Emerald?" He sucked in a long breath. "You are definitely not deserving of that." He nodded at Packbell. "Take that trinket away from him."
        The big android grinned sickeningly. Any chance to hurt someone, especially his "cousin", sent a sharp jolt of pleasure through him. He moved towards Sniv', and the smaller man jumped into a fighting stance. Packbell laughed.
        Then he lunged. He expected to throw his arms around Snively, squeeze so hard it forced out breath, and cracked ribs and brought up blood and whimpers...
But Snively stepped out of the way. Then he kicked Packbell in the back of the knees. The android crumpled to the ground, but was up again in seconds, snarling. 
        "I see your training has paid off," he snapped. "But I trained you, Snively, just remember that."
        "So?" Sniv' was looking very smug.
        "So I know all your moves," laughed Packbell.
        "Really?" Snively smiled. He sprang towards Packbell faster than the android expected. He had no time to move. Sniv's small fist lashed out and struck Packbell in the lower belly.
        Robotnik's enormous mouth gaped open. It all happened so fast, that blur of white and black, and then Packbell falling to the ground, and Snively standing over him. Robotnik's mouth fell further as he saw Packbell had a hole in his body where Snively's fist had hit.
        Snively rubbed his hands together as if disposing of trash. His gaze clearly said, "Your turn" and Robotnik didn't like it.
        "Snively, I demand you take that off!" Robotnik yelled in his scariest voice, hoping to frighten Snively into obedience. Sniv's eyes did widen, and his body trembled. But when he averted his gaze to the floor and saw the oil oozing from Packbell's body, he straightened up and sneered.
        "You don't scare me anymore, Julian."
        Robotnik felt the first stirrings of uneasiness as Sniv' stepped closer, the wicked smile back on his face. 
        Cluck screeched and flew towards Snively. Sniv' reached out his hand and grabbed the bird out of flight. 
        "I've always hated this damn bird," he said. He grabbed Cluck's head in one fist, and ripped it off. The bird's body gave a dying drone, before Sniv' tossed it to the floor and stepped on it. 

        Robotnik rose up and took out his pistol. Snively was wearing no helmet, just a headband, and his smooth little head certainly could not repel plasma blasts. Snively just grinned and moved closer.
        "Stay back, you little wretch."
        "That gun doesn't scare me," scoffed his nephew. 
        "You don't have to be scared. Just dead." Robotnik pulled the trigger.
        Snively took the shot full in the head.
        It knocked him backwards, but before it did, Robotnik saw a green light net radiate down from Snively's headband to where the plasma bolt had struck. Robotnik realized the headband harbored some kind of forcefeild.
        Snively regained his footing, and laughed sickeningly. Robotnik felt a deeper sense of uneasiness.
        "Yes Julian, you should be nervous," Sniv' chortled.
        "Jest kick his ass, daddy-poo," Elodea said, coming into the command room.
        Snively nodded. He beckoned at Robotnik. "Stand up and fight me, fatty."
        Robotnik snarled and stood. "Fine. I'll play your little game."
        Sniv' gave a little whoop that made Elodea grin widely. It was just so cute. Sniv' stamped towards Robotnik and Robotnik stamped towards him. Then Robotnik punched. Normally, that punch would've cracked several of Snively's ribs. Normally Snively would just stood and taken it. Neither of those happened.
        Sniv' grabbed Robotnik's hand at the wrist and he threw Robotnik across the floor. The fat man rolled like a beachball. But he sprang up again, surprise apparent on his flabby face.
        Snively laughed. 
        Robotnik screamed and charged again. Snively leapt. Clear over Robotnik. It was twice his height.
        He whooped again, exhilarated. Robotnik snarled. **No way. No way that little wretch could jump so high.**
        "Give it up," said Sniv'.
        Elodea giggled. "Yes uncle, Oy really think yew should."
        Robotnik growled. "Never." He swung again. This time his fist slammed into Sniv's chest.
        Sniv' made a high surprised sound as he slammed back first into the wall. He didn't get up for a second, then realized he was unharmed.
        Showing his teeth in a rare happy grin, he sprang up. Robotnik screamed in anger.
        "Well, well, well..." Sniv's headband had slid forward a little; he pushed it back with a nonchalant hand. Robotnik hated how excited his nephew looked. Cheeks all flushed, eyes sparkling.
        "I think you should kiss my feet. Get used to being a lackey."
        "Grovel to you, Snively?!" Robotnik shrieked, his voice nearly cracking with rage.
        "Yes! To me!" Sniv' hollered back. His voice was disgustingly eager.
        "Oh no, Snively..." Robotnik headed towards his nephew. He would rip and break that armor off his body. And then he would break his body.
        Snively just smirked. Robotnik came closer. He wondered...if I could get the emerald from him, then that little suit of his will be useless.
        He lunged for the smaller man. Snively tried to dodge. But Robotnik got him around the neck. And he realized that poor little Snivvy's throat wasn't armored. It was only that black stretchy material.
        He slammed his gasping nephew against the wall. His other hand scrabbled at the jewel in Snively's chest plate. Sniv's eyes narrowed in anger and he drew back his legs and kicked out hard. Robotnik screamed.
        Snively squirmed out of his grip.
        "Wot happened?" asked Elodea.
        "I don't know," said Snively.
        Robotnik was whining and clutching his knee. 
        "I think...I've dislocated his knee."
        "Wow. Good goin'."
        Snively shrugged. "Guess I'll throw him in a cell." He grabbed Robotnik, flipped him over his shoulder and carried him out of the room, looking like a skinny Santa Claus with a ridiculously oversized bag. 
        Elodea was a bit cautious, but she grabbed Packbell by one foot and followed Snively.

        Hershey was shaking her head, disbelieving. Just like that...Snively had taken over.  She kept still, and soon heard laughter as Sniv' returned, followed by the tall bush baby.
        **Still can't believe she's a Robotroplian...she's a Mobian for goodness sake! A furry on their side. That's wrong.**  
        "Ooooh, daddy-poo!" Elodea squealed. "That was sooo good!" The bush baby threw her arms around her father.
        "I know," he cackled, while Hershey's eyes widened.
        **Daddy-poo? No way. Snively can't be that girl's father!**  She banged her hands against the air duct floor in disbelief. **Uncle Chuck would've said something about her...he...** Her thoughts were cut off as Snively jerked his head up to stare her dead in the eye.
        She held her breath. **He can't really see me,** she thought nervously.  She knew he couldn't. The air duct was dark. No way he could see her through the vent.
        His eyes narrowed. "I heard something. Somebody's up there."  He stomped over to the control console and pressed a button.
        Hershey was startled when white foam began to squirt out of holes in her duct. Fire extinguisher!  It was coming in on both sides of her.
        **Too thick to crawl through! I'm going to suffocate!**
        She kicked out the vent and dropped through. It wasn't a very long drop, but a shock wave went up her feet all the way to her throat.
        A hand gripped her chin in a painful grip.
        "What's a pretty pussy like yourself doing here?" Snively asked nastily.
        "Watch it!" she exclaimed. She had to look down at him. "I don't want my eye poked out by your nose!"
        He didn't look ruffled, but the grip on her chin tightened. She heard her jaw creak.
        "It's her," said Elodea.
        "Who?" Snively kept his eyes on Hershey.
        "The cat Oy told yew about."
        "So...how come you didn't leave?" he asked Hershey.
        "I got lost."
        "Oh."
        "Can you please let me go? You're hurting my face."
        He released her. She glanced towards the door. It was open. She wondered if he'd protected all parts of his body...she glanced down and saw...yes...the armor did cover his groin. DARN!!  But not his throat!  She did a quick chop, and felt the flat of her hand connect with his tiny voicebox.  He gagged and brought his hands up to his neck, while she ran for freedom.
        Elo knew she could stop the cat easily. But she didn't. Instead she went over to the console and shut off the fire extinguisher. 
        Snively was sitting on his knees, still clutching his throat. He coughed. "Why didn't you stop her?"
        "Oy didn't want ta."
        He rubbed his neck.
        "Just be glad yew had nut-protection. She was gonna try there first, Oy could tell."
        He coughed again. "Thanks for warning me."
        "Yer welcome."
        He shook his head, and then staggered over to Robotnik's throne and threw himself into it. "Yessss! Elodea, I am the supreme ruler of Robotropolis! Whooooweeee!"
        "So, wot am Oy? Yer lackey?"
        "No..." Snively shook his head. "But you will help me." He looked at her imploring. "Won't you?"
        "Sure, why not?"

                                        *******************

        "Whoa, Hersh, what's the rush? You're goin' almost as fast as me!"  Sonic was a bit irritated as the black and white cat crashed into him.
        "Oh Sonic, I don't know if Uncle Chuck told you already, but in Robotropolis Snively has taken over...he's wearing some kind of armor...him and his daughter..."
        "Hold on, hold on!" cried Sonic. "I think you'd better tell Sally. She's the real leader around here."  He winked.

        
        "So, you're saying that Snively is now the leader of Robotropolis?" asked Sally a while later.
        Hershey nodded.
        "And he has a...daughter?"
        "Yes."
        "Are you sure?"
        "Yes," said Hershey impatiently. "She called him daddy."
        "Maybe she's some weird sex slave," said Sonic. He looked apologetic as Sally cast him a withering look. "Hey, it's just a thought."
        Antoine snorted.
        Sonic propped his feet up on the desk. Sally glanced out the window of the meeting hall...wondering whether or not to call a meeting.  "Why wouldn't Uncle Chuck tell us about this child?"
        "Hey, Unc only listens to the bugs in the command room. If he never heard her on there or saw her...then how would he know?"
        Sally nodded. "I suppose so. What did she look like?"
        "A bush baby," said Hershey. "Gray fur, blue eyes. She was younger than me. Maybe twelve or thirteen." 
        "Olian," said Antoine immediately. Sonic and Sally looked at him.
        "Who?" asked Sonic.
        "Zee bush baby, Olian, zee one who was killed years ago." Ant's eyes watered as he spoke.
        "I remember her," said Sally. "Oh, I see...she was raped, wasn't she...oh. Gosh. So that's Olian's kid!"
        "An' his too," said 'Twan stiffly. "Zee Needlenose, he ees zee one who raped her." The word 'rape' seemed to enrage Ant. His eyes blazed, and his claws dug into the arms of the chair he was seated in.
        "Calm down," said Sally.  "It isn't the kid we're worried about. It's Snively. You say he's invincible. How?"
        "He's wearing armor," said Hershey. She was massaging Antoine's shoulders. She knew Bunnie wouldn't approve, but the rabbit wasn't here. "Robotnik was hitting him and it didn't even hurt him. He even got shot in the head and he had a forcefeild around it. But not his throat. He forgot to protect that."
        "Dat ees good. Now I can rip eet out."
        "Pretty steamed, eh, Ant?" Sonic seemed amused, but no one else found it funny. He shut up.
        "And...here's the last part. Robotnik and Packbell are in the cells I think. But that's good. I think. But you know how Snively's powering that suit?" She didn't wait for an answer. "A piece of Chaos Emerald."
        "Shoot!" exclaimed Sally. She opened the desk drawer and withdrew a note. "I got this yesterday from Knuckles. He said someone broke a chunk off his emerald and he thought it was Nack. But he found an unfamiliar clump of fur, so he's not sure."
        "But why would Nack give zee emerald to Snip-lee?"
        "He didn't, Ant," said Sonic scathingly. "He gave it to Robuttnik."
        "But why would Robotneek give eet to Snip-lee?"
        "You ask too many DUMB questions," Sonic snapped, but Sally held up her hand.
        "Stop it, you two. It doesn't matter how Snively got it. We've got to get it away. And give it back to Knuckles."
        "Let's just keep it. Dead Red never does anything for us...why should we help him?"
        "Because, Sonic Hedgehog, we're all against Robotnik together."
        "Fine," muttered the hedgehog. "Do what you want."
        Sally ignored him.  "First, we call a meeting and inform the village of what's happening. We'll call up Uncle Chuck and tell him. Then Dulcy and somebody...probably me, will go to the Floating Island and tell Knuckles about the emerald."
        "I'll go," said Sonic.
        "Yeah right," said Sally. She reached for the meeting bell.
        Its toll rang out over the village, and the Freedom Fighters wondered...just what had happened now?

        CHAPTER  FOUR 
        Petals of Chaos         

        "If I cried me a river of all my confessions
        Would I drown in my shallow regret?"
         --Sarah McLachlan

        Timeline: A few days later

        "So, you're saying that some chickie got a piece of the Emerald?"
        "Yeah." Nack tripped over some nameless object in the darkness of his cave home.  "Yeah," he repeated. How come it's so dark in 'ere, eh?"
        "I was sleepin', my little knick-Nack."
        Nack found the light switch and flipped it. There she was. His beautiful Isabella, lying cuddled among the pillows and blankets. Her long fur was the color of the three chocolates, milk, white, and dark. Even though she was yawning, her sky blue eyes were sharp and alert, as always.
        "So...who was the chick?"
        "Eh..." Nack flopped down in his armchair. "She said she was..." He plugged his nose to sound snooty and proper, "...Elodea of the Robotroplian forces."
        "She was human?"
        "Nah. A furry."
        Isabella swung out of bed and got dressed. She picked up her posion oak boxing gloves and slung them over her shoulder by the cord attatched to them. "Let's get over there. We'll check out ole Smogburg and see if we can find that gem."
        "You know what else she said?" Nack followed Isabella out the door. 
        "What?"
        "Said she was Snively's kid."
        Isabella whirled around. "Really? That's interestin'..." She grinned evilly.
        Nack loved how vicious his girlfriend could be. "She wasn't nothin' like 'er ole man. You'll probably like her."
        "Yeah. But you'd better not like her."
        Nack laughed. "Don't you worry, babe. I only gots eyes fer you. And Chaos Emeralds."
        She laughed.

                                                *************

        "My emerald. Robo's lackey has it?" Knuckles leapt up. "I must get it back!"
        Sally gently pushed him back down. "Wait, Knux. We need a plan. Since Quickfoot here got himself hurt..."
        Sonic was looking very angry. He struggled to get up, but his ankle protested. "It's all Ant's fault! He got in my way on purpose!"
        "And I'm sure he made you step into that gopher hole and twist your ankle too."
        "No," snarled the hedgehog. "But if he hadn't gotten in my way, then I wouldn't of had to dodge, and I wouldn't of gone into that hole."
        Ant shook his head. "Son-eek, you are always blaming everyone else for your problems. Why don't you just shut up?"
        "Me shut up! You snooty French dork! Go shove it!"
        Antoine let out a spew of French curses, which Sonic countered, and finally Hershey slammed her fist on the table and yelled, "STOP IT!!" She glanced at the guardian.
        "Me and Knuckles will go."
        Knux looked over at her. "That's fine with me, mon."
        Sally made a long "hmmmm" sound, thinking. She glanced at the invalid Sonic, then at Knuckles. The guardian was the best after Sonic. But the cat...
        Hershey looked at her imploringly. 
        "Fine," she sighed. "But try not to get captured, all right?"
        "I wanna go too," whined Tails, but a firm look from Sally shut him up.

                                                ***********

        Nack found it funny that there was an intercom on the front door of the Death Egg.
        "They get lots of visitors," said Isabella sarcastically. "People just linin' up to get in."
        "Yeah right." Nack pushed the intercom button. "Hey! Anyone home?"
        Isabella leaned in. "Housekeepin'!"
        A female's voice answered. "Who's there?"
        "This is Nack and Isabella."
        "Yer that dude Oy met on the island," the female's voice responded.  The doors suddenly slid open, startling the two. "Come in."
        Nack shrugged and took Isabella's hand. Together they entered the Death Egg.

        It didn't take long to find the command room. 
        "I know the way," said Nack, having been there several times before. 
        Elodea was sprawled out in Robotnik's green throne. Nack's eyes traveled along the long gray lengths of her legs, up to the frayed ends of her very short jean shorts. She had white fur on the inside of her thighs, and tan fur fringing the white down to the knee. 
        Isabella slammed her elbow into Nack's ribs. He oofed and brought his eyes up to the bush baby's face. Her blue eyes were mischievous.
        "So, how's it going?" she asked.
        "All right," said Isabella cautiously.
        "Well, thanks ta that emerald, Oy'm now the leader of the city. Well, one of 'em."
        "Yeah, the emerald ya gipped me out of."
        Elodea shrugged, watching Isabella as the shih-tzu wandered over to the huge computer console. "Finders keepers, yew know..."
        "Yer dirty," said Nack. "I like that." 
        Elodea grinned. "Yew weren't so bad at fightin'. Even though yew got yer ass kicked."
        "You really helped me. Thanks."
        "Yer welcome."
        There was silence for a few minutes. Elodea noticed Isabella was scrutinizing her closely, disapproval in her eyes. Elodea wondered if it was her outfit. She had on short shorts, a short green tanktop with a big yellow E on the front, the straps off shoulder, or maybe her make-up, which her father deemed as slutty.
        Elodea eyed the shih-tzu's clothing; a violet baby-tee and a silky pink ankle-length skirt, clompy darker pink sneakers, and a pair of boxing gloves strung over her shoulder.
        But then she figured it was probably because of Nack. **She's thinkin' Oy'm gonna steal him or something. Yeah right.**
        The command room doors slid open and three pairs of eyes rested on the one who entered. Adjusting his headband, Snively didn't see them until Isa yelled, "Hey Sniv-nose, how's my favorite midget today, huh?"
        His head snapped up and his mouth dropped open. Then he glanced over at Elodea. "What is she doing here?! And you..." He pointed a finger at Nack. "Who let you in, you cheap crook?"
        "Daddy-poo! That is no way ta treat guests." Elodea frowned disapprovingly at her father.
        Isabella circled around Snively. "Nice outfit, babe." She pointed her finger at the groin plate of the armor. "I bet there's lots of empty space in that part."
        "Ha ha ha." He laughed dryly. "And I bet you've got about a pound of tissue stuffed in your bra."
        "Mobians don't wear bras, dumbass." Isabella stuck out her tongue and stomped her sneaker down on Snively's foot. He just glared.
        "Darn. That armor is good." Isabella's blue eyes caught sight of the Chaos Emerald on his chestplate. Her fingers reached for it, but Snively stepped back.
        "Don't touch me!" he snapped. "Nack, call your bitch off."
        "Hey," Nack growled, coming up behind Isabella. He put his arms around her waist and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Don't call her that."
        Elodea waved her hand at her dad. "Aw, go away, daddy-poo. Yer no fun." She leapt up and nodded at Nack and Isa.
        "Come on, let's do lunch. Alright?" 
"Sounds alright to me."
        Snively ground his teeth as the three exited the room. Isabella flipped him off before the doors closed.

                                        ****************

        "Let me out!" A prisoner was pounding on the walls of his cell. Knuckles ignored him, but Hersh walked slower, looking back at him. 
        "Come on," said Knuckles.
        Hershey did not like walking down here...this narrow hallway lined with cells. There weren't many prisoners. It was damp and cold. Her toes felt like eight blocks of ice.
        "Um...Knuckles..." She felt a bit nervous talking to him. He had such a hard stony face, he never smiled, and he seemed so cold.
        He didn't respond, so she continued.
        "Why um...why are we...uh...walking down here? I mean, what's down here?"
        Knuckles ignored her. Hershey bit her lip and kept behind him. She rubbed her neck; she had a nervous habit of playing with her bandanna, and without it she felt even more anxious. Her lungs felt compressed...her heart a fluttering bird. She cried out as Knux suddenly halted and she slammed into him. It hurt. He was as solid and hard as a brick wall.
        "What is it, Knuckles?"
        He moved aside so she could see. It was a cell and it was full. On the cot in the cell lay a red-clad mound of flab. The mound was snoring.
        In the next cell was Robotnik's android. His arms and legs were ripped off. He seemed a bit out of it as well.
        "Hey, Robotnik-mon!" called Knuckles.
        Hershey grabbed his arm. "Do you think that's a good idea?!"
        He looked at her. His eyes were so dark brown that they looked black. "If yer so scared of everythan, then why'd ya come?" 
        "Well...ummm..." She didn't want tell him she'd hoped to find her bandanna, or maybe find out more about that curious bush baby.
        He called again, "Robotnik!"    
        Robotnik snorted. One eye opened. He saw a blur of black and white and red, and he frowned.
        His vision came into focus and he saw it was some nameless Freedom Fighter, and the accursed Island guardian. 
        "What are you doing here?" he growled.
        "I ask de same of you, mon." Knuckle's glittering eyes reflected Robotnik's angry face.  "An' we came here, mon, to see what's goin' on. So what's goin' on?"
        "That little bastard nephew of mine. He has some kind of armor and..." Robotnik ended with a long angry growl.
        Knuckles shrugged. "Ey, that's too bad, mon." He started to walk off.
        "Wait! Let me out."
        Hershey was against the opposite wall, gazing at Robotnik warily. Her eyes darted to Knux.
        **No way. He won't let him out. Will he?**
        Knux's lip was sorta twitching...Hersh realized it was the beginnings of a smile.
        "Knuckles! Don't even think about it!" she snarled.
        He lifted an eyebrow. "So de little kitten can hiss, eh?"
        "Knux, please. Don't do it. Don't let him out!"

        
                                        ***********
        
        Snively poked his head into the kitchen. 
        There was crap everywhere. Gobs of food sliding down the walls, clumped on the floor. His lips curled up in disgust. 
        He slid into the kitchen. The eating room was just through the next door. He heard laughter. "Ahheeee!" He slipped and hit the wall. 
        "ELOOODEA!" he screamed, and stomped into the eating room.
        They were slouched in the chairs, laughing. Elodea's cheeks were wet and there was food in her hair. Isabella was looking better, although her tail was a bit sloppy. Nack, with his short fur, looked the least messy.
        "Hey, daddy-poo, yew missed out."
        "I bet."
        "A real swingin' food fight."
        "Food fight? Isn't that a bit childish?"
        "No. It's fun."
        "Yeah," said Isabella. "It was a blast. Yer just an old fart."
        "Me? Old? Ha." Snively stepped back into the kitchen and returned with a gob of nameless foodstuff. Isa ducked. The food hit the wall behind her.
        "Nice shot, Sniv-nose. Loser."
        Snively wiped his hand off on Elodea's shirt.
        "Hey, c'mon!" She shoved him away.
        "So...what brings you to..." Snively paused dramatically. "Snivotropolis?"
        They all groaned. "Daddy-poo...no. That's bad."
        "Loser." Isa rolled her eyes.
        "Well, do tell," said Snively.
        "Why do you think?" said Nack. "You know my trade."
        "Yes. Jewels." Snively ran a finger over his Chaos emerald. Nack stared at it hungrily.
        "That ain't even the whole thing. It's just a crummy piece."
        "Well duh," said Snively, pretending to curl hair around his finger. 
        "Yew aren't supposed ta imitate yer kids. It's tacky," said Elodea.
        "It was tacky before I did it." Snively and Nack laughed.
        "But yeah," Nack continued. "I wanted ta find out the whereabouts of the emerald. Since yer kid stole it from me."
        "Oy didn't steal it. Oy simply outsmarted yew."  Elodea took a doughnut from a bowl on the table. The powder sprinkled onto her already white muzzle fur. 
        "Smartness runs in the family." Snively was grinning. 
        He had little fangs, Isa noticed. They were short and dull, and she supposed all humans had them, but it brought a nasty comment to her lips. "I think your parents did some crossbreeding there, Sniv-nose...you got teeth like a vampire."
        Sniv' raised a self-conscious hand to his mouth.
        "Let's see, your mama was a bird...uhuh, that's how you got that bird-beak, and your daddy was..."
        "Shut up," said Snively. "Your mother screwed a mop, didn't she? That's why you're so hairy."
        Isabella retorted by charging him. She kicked him hard in the groin, but only hurt her foot. He laughed, but she threw her hand towards his face, going for those blue eyes. But her claws encountered a barrier.
        "Oooh, poor doggy." He patted her on the head.
        She heard Nack cheering her on. 
        "Knock it off," bellowed Elodea.
        "Aw, I'll get her," said Nack.  He went for his girlfriend. He knew just how to calm her down. A gentle touch to her neck or kiss to the shoulder and she would turn and envelope him in calm arms.
        Snively was laughing and it infuriated her. She lunged again. Once again her hands were obstructed. She chopped at his face in frustration. He kept laughing...until one of her hands slammed into his throat. 
        Water sprang from his eyes. He gasped and choked, going down on one knee.
        "Found your weakness, huh?"  She drew back her foot, aiming for his throat. Then she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, heard Nack whisper into her ear.
        She relaxed. Then kicked out again.
        Her foot slammed into his chest. He fell onto his back, and she saw the emerald wiggle a little bit. 
        She kicked him again. But Nack pulled her back.
        Elodea was shaking her head. "Isa, yew have a temper, don't yew?"
        "Espically when it comes to my mother," said the shih-tzu. She smoothed back her hair. She looked gentle and composed as she sat down on a chair...only to find Nack had already taken it. She settled down onto his lap. 
        Elodea bit her lip. "Oy never knew moy mother."
        Snively was wheezing, and his watering eyes widened. **No. Don't you dare bring that up...**
        "That's too bad," said Isabella. She reached for a doughnut. Nack nudged her. "You probably missed out on a lot." She allowed the weasel to take a bite of her doughnut. "Especially if you were raised by Sniv-nose. Surprised you turned out so good."
        Elodea was chewing on her lower lip as if it were a delicacy. She stopped and took a doughnut instead. "It's like...Oy don't know if she died before Oy could know her...because sometimes Oy think Oy remember what she looked like. But Oy don't know what happened ta her."
        Snively was staring down at the floor.  His eyes were watering even more...not just from the throat-chop, but from some deeper emotion. 
        He was thinking...Packbell had trained Elodea so well with guns...but even so, she still flinched whenever she saw laser fire or heard the shots hit a target. And he knew it was some deep subconscious fear within her. A buried memory of seeing her mother shot down. But she didn't remember now. She wouldn't have to know if Isabella would shut up.
        "Be quiet," he said. His throat felt heavy and sore.  Isabella and Elodea looked over at him.  Nack was brushing doughnut powder off his chin and belt. 
        "Be quiet why, sword-face? You hiding somethin'?"
        "Isabella, I'm tired of your..."
        "You're hiding somethin'."
        "Shut up."
        "You are! You're keeping somethin' from her!"
        Elodea's eyes darted from Isabella to Snively...anxiety sweeping over their blue surfaces like storm clouds. 
        "Daddy-poo?" Her voice had an odd fearful tremor. "ARE yew hiding something?"
        "Um...I've got to...got to go check surveillance. Never know if that hedgehog is around." Snively fled the room.
        Nack burped.

                        **************************

        "I can't believe you...you let him out," said Hershey. "You're nuts."
        They were following behind Robotnik several paces. Knuckles had popped the fat man's knee back into place. Now the echidna had a weird grin on his face.
        **I'm gonna take one of his dreads and strangle him with it.** 
        "Look..." Knuckles turned to face her. "If Robotnik can knock off Sniv-mon, then all right. If Sniv-mon knocks off Robotnik, then all right."
        "But what does that do for us?" Hershey felt like stamping her feet. Why did Knux make her feel like a child, stupid and silly?
        "I don't know, mon. But we'll see what happens, eh?"
        As they passed by SWATbots, Hershey was afraid. But Robotnik made no move to command them. 
        "Don't be scared, mon. He isn't worried about us."
        Hershey scowled. **Yeah, now he's a mind reader. Bah!**
        
                                        ************
        
        Snively was lounging in Robotnik's throne, with his back straight against the seat and his legs straight out...his feet still didn't come near the edge. He heard footsteps...loud and insistent, like a teacher's voice interrupting a nap, demanding an answer to a math problem.
        He curled his legs up and rested his chin on the arm of the chair.
        "You look like a puppy," said Isabella, entering the room. "A pathetic whipped puppy who just piddled in the corner."
        "You're the dog, not me."
        "What's the whole story?"
        "About what?"
        She twirled around, liking how her skirt whirled around her. Then she fixed him with her eyes. He felt pinned. "Yer kid's mama."
        "Why do you care, Miss Shih-Tzu?"
        "Why not? I always enjoy a juicy story of deceit and tragedy. Especially when the tragedy includes you."
        "Go to hell."
        "You first." She laughed briefly, then looked serious again. "Honestly, what happened? Killed her mother, didn't ya? And stole her kid."
        "No!" Snively jumped up. "Shut up! You don't know anything!"
        Isabella couldn't help smiling. He looked funny when he was angry. She made the first move. A hard kick to the chest. She saw the emerald wiggle again.
        Then he punched. She blocked. He punched again, this time hitting her right between the breasts. She stumbled backwards. Pain radiated up to her collarbone and knife-stabbed in her stomach. 
        She gasped, but that didn't keep her from attacking. She circled around him on incredibly fast feet. From observation, she'd seen the back of his knees were unprotected. She struck him there. He went down.
        Her hands sought the next unprotected spot, his elbow. She palmed it hard. He howled, and smacked her with his other hand. She stumbled away and then sprang forward to scrabble for the emerald. But it wasn't loose enough, and her claws weren't long enough to pry it out.
        She heard footsteps coming and thought it was Nack and Elodea. Her eyes narrowed. **I left 'em alone...she seems ok...but still...** But it wasn't them because her ears were assaulted by a furious bellow.
        "SNIVELY!!"
        Sniv's eyes widened in surprise. He rubbed his arm and tried to look tough as Robotnik stormed into the room. "How'd you get out!?"
        Isa saw Sniv's eyes dart to her. She shrugged.
        "It doesn't matter, Snively...but know this. I'm staying out."
        "I don't think..."
        "You're hurt," interrupted his uncle. "Which proves you are not invincible."
        "She just got lucky!" Snively yelled. "And don't worry, Julian, you'll stay out. I'll hang your fat carcass on the front door. Everyone'll see what happens when you mess with Snively the great."      
        Robotnik snorted. Isa settled down into the throne to watch the action. Then her eyebrows perked up as she saw Knuckles and some cat standing up against the wall, right near the door. 
        Elodea and Nack sidled into the room, joining Isa on the chair. "Anyone else? You think they sold tickets for this."
        Robotnik charged Snively, trying to hit those vulnerable areas. But Snively blocked all his punches. Then he kicked out, sending Robotnik flying backwards.
        "The emerald is loose," said Isa to Nack. "A few good hits'll knock that baby out."
        Nack watched as Snively sprang up, his small fist bashing in Robotnik's face. The fat man staggered backwards, howling.
        "Owwww, that nose is pancaked!" said Elodea gleefully. She was leaning all over Nack. Isa flashed her a dirty look.
        **The girl's all right, but man, does she flirt!**
        Robotnik stood still, panting. He was like a very large cat being thrown about by a very small mouse.  It infuriated him and he saw through a red haze. He eyed Sniv's weak spots...his bony elbows, the backs of his knees, his throat.
        Sniv' kept his eyes on Robotnik and reached down to bang his knuckles on his foot. He was scowling and Robotnik suspected he had an inch he couldn't reach through the armor. He noticed that Sniv's fingers were vulnerable. But he didn't care about that...he saw that the chest plate and the waist part were separate. He saw that he could shove up the chest armor and have a nice section of vulnerable stomach to attack.
        Robotnik charged before Sniv' could straighten up. Sniv' dropped down all the way and swept one leg out. Robotnik jumped. He looked like a bouncing beach ball, but he avoided getting tripped. Then he threw himself on top of Snively, who screamed.
        "Get off me!" he howled. His armor was creaking. He threw Robotnik off and then kicked the fat man hard.
        "Damn you!" Robotnik struggled to his feet. "Damn y.." Sniv' punched him in the face.
        Elodea laughed. "That shut him up, eh?" She pulled some candy out of her pocket. "Like a lolli?"  She offered one to Nack and Isabella.
        "Yeah." They each took one. Elodea slurped on hers in a way that made Nack grin. 
        Meanwhile, the fight continued. Robotnik grabbed Snively's arm, and with the other hand, he shoved up the chest plate. He was right...it allowed him an opening. Quickly he let go and punched.
        Eyes widened, Snively stumbled backwards, his breath whistling with surprise. Tears splattered the floor as he sank down. Robotnik kicked him a few times, but it didn't do any harm. Sniv' was curled up like a turtle, curled in pain. His breakfast was threatening to crawl back up his throat.
        Robotnik chuckled. Sniv' clambered back onto his feet. "You got lucky, Julian," he said in a tight voice.
        "Lucky once, I will get lucky again." 
        Sniv' slammed Robotnik with his shoulder. The fat man went down. Sniv' whirled around, laughing, and caught eyes with Knuckles...the guardian had been watching the entire fight, and until this moment hadn't seen the emerald. Now he did, and his eyes blazed.
        "Surprised to see you here. But thanks for the trinket." Snively said.
        "Give it ta me, mon," said Knux.
        "So greedy...tsk tsk. You've still got most of the gem."
        Knuckles sprang. Snively grabbed him by the wrists and they both went down. Hershey saw Knuckles's face scrunch up in pain as Snively booted him off with a sharp kick to the tummy.
        She jumped into the fight, trying to pummel Snively's head only to find the shield stopping her.
        "Cool! Dogpile!" Nack jumped into the fray.
        Knuckles caught Nack's arm. "What are you doin' here, mon?"
        "Gettin' the emerald."
        "Oh no you're not."
        Knux let go to punch Snively in the chest. One of his claws got stuck in one of the armor plates and he struggled to pull it out. Snively was busy fending off Hershey from his left side.
        Isa leapt off the chair and charged into battle. She sprang, locking her arms around his neck. He tried to shake her off; she wouldn't budge. She had her hands around his throat. He wheezed and kicked Knuckles away. 
        Nack dodged in to slam him in the face, only to howl as his fist hit the shield.  Robotnik pushed Hershey out of his way, grabbed Sniv' by the shoulders, and shook him severely. Isabella lost her grip and fell to the floor, laughing.
        Snively bit Robotnik's hand. The fat tyrant screamed and released him. But Sniv' was not in the clear...Nack grabbed him from behind. Isa tried to pry out the gem once more.
        "Outta my way." Knuckles shoved her aside, put one of his claws against the emerald, and pushed. Like a lever, the claw slowly pushed the emerald out.
        "NO!" Snively wrenched away from Nack; his fist striking Knux square in the jaw. The guardian stumbled backwards and found himself in Hershey's arms. She gave him a quick squeeze to the shoulder, smiling. He nodded. They both sprang back into the fight.
        "Hey! Hey, knock it off!" Elodea yelled from the throne. "Leave 'im alone!"
        "I can handle it, dear," said Snively, panting slightly. He tripped Hershey, pushed Nack, who tripped over Hersh's body, and gave Knux a nice solid uppercut.
        **Well...Oy guess he's ok.** Elo settled back into the throne. 
        "Let go!" yelled Isabella. Snively had one of her wrists in his grip. She felt her arm bones grinding together. It hurt. She swung at him with her free hand. He felt her fingers light on the headband. His breath whistled out...she'd touched the only part the headband didn't shield.
        "Yes," she hissed.
        "NO!"
        He tried to grab her hand...too late. She pulled off the headband and threw it. It shattered against the wall.
        He shoved her away. 
        But Nack was behind him and he struck Snively hard in the back of the head. White flares dazzled his vision and he stumbled onto one knee. He heard the rush of feet moving, and curled up, protecting his head. He felt hands on him, punching and hitting, and heard yelling.
        "Get back," growled Robotnik. "Let him get up."
        They obeyed.
        Snively cautiously raised his head and rose to his feet, swaying unsteadily. He eyed the headband. Broken. Damn. He glared hatefully at Isabella while keeping the wall at his back. With his headband gone, his head was fully vulnerable. He could see them piling on top of him, slamming his skull against the floor, the bone cracking, his brain smashed to pulp. He almost whimpered at the thought, but it held it back. He had to look tough. 
        "Well..." Isa smiled evilly. "It seems yer beat, Sniv-nose."
        His teeth showed in a snarl. But his eyes were anxious as the group moved closer. He heard Elodea pleading over the shuffling and clomping of the group's feet.
        "Don't hurt 'im yew guys! Come on!"
        Snively hoped they'd listen to her. They didn't.
        He kept his back against the wall and slid towards the corner. **If I can hold them off...if they have only one side to come in from...**
        Knuckles darted in and hooked his claws against the emerald. Sniv' tried to push him away, but the echidna hung on.
        **Ok. Enough is enough.** Elodea shoved past everyone and tried to pull Knux away. But he was like a stone statue, unmoving. There was an odd -pop-. A shard of green flew through the air. Sniv' gasped.
        The emerald clinked as it hit the floor. Seven bodies dove for the gem. Robotnik hit the ground first. Everyone else scrambled over him. Knux grabbed for the gem, but it slid out from his hands into Nack's gloves. But Nack's hands didn't close fast enough, and the emerald popped out of his hands like wet soap.
It landed in the hands of Elodea.
        Robotnik strode to the control panel and called for a team of SWATs over the intercom. Then he turned to the group. 
        "You four," he growled, his finger sweeping past Knuckles, Hershey, Nack, and Isabella, "will go in the cells." Then he looked at Snively and Elodea. "And you two will be punished most severely."
        Sniv' whimpered audibly, but Elodea looked at the emerald in her hand. "No," she said. "No. Yew don't understand. The emerald possessed 'im! He didn't know wot he was doin'!"
        Snively nodded vigorously. Robotnik's eyebrow lifted.
        "It's true!" yelled Elodea desperately. She threw the emerald at the floor in anger.
        Knux's hands snatched it up. "C'mon mon," he said, and he ran out the door with Hershey on his heels.
        "The emerald!" growled Nack. He and Isa raced after the two Freedom Fighters.
        

        Hershey heard the SWATs before Knuckles did. Probably because the echidna's ears were covered by his dreadlocks.
        "The robots! In front of us! They're coming!" she yelped.
        Knuckles stopped. "I need a boost, mon."
        "What?"
        "A boost. C'mon."
        She shrugged and formed a step with her hands. His sneaker was placed into her hands and he stepped up. She heard his claw scrabbling at the ceiling, heard a metallic screech. He'd opened an air duct vent, she figured. She couldn't see anything but red; his red chest was pressed up against her face. When she rolled her eyes upward, she could just barely see the slash of white across his chest.
        She felt him rise off her hands and looked up. His legs were kicking as he pulled himself up into the duct.
        She heard clanking from the corridor in front of her...footsteps behind her...SWATbots up ahead, the weasel and shih-tzu behind. "Knuckles! C'mon!"
        He reached his hands down. She leapt and caught them, almost getting scratched by the long claws. She was glad of his muscular arms; they pulled her up so easily. He closed the vent behind them.
        They looked down to see Nack and Isabella charge down the hallway, right into the metal embrace of the SWAT team.
        "Let go!" yelled Isa. She struggled, but the SWATs had her legs and arms. From the sounds of protest, she knew Nack had been snatched too. Glancing upwards, she saw two pairs of glittering eyes peering down through the air vent.
        "Knuckles! You pig!" she spat. She saw one of the eyes close in a wink.
        "They up in the duct?" Nack asked as the SWATS carried them back towards the command room. "Damn. We shoulda done that."
        
                                                ************

        Robotnik had found that without the emerald, Snively was still protected, but no longer strong. The armor lay on the floor in a pile and Snively was cowering, no longer arrogant or brave. 
        Robotnik hadn't touched him yet, but he knew he would get beaten before the day was out.
        "Look," said Elodea. "The emerald...as soon as daddy-poo touched it...it took 'im over. He was all possessed."
        Robotnik's teeth glinted in a snarl. "You expect me to believe that?"
        "It's true," said Snively. "I had no idea...uh...what I was doing."
         "I don't care!" yelled Robotnik. "You're going to pay most severely!"
        Sniv's face was stricken...even if Robotnik had bought the story it didn't matter. Robotnik never forgave. 
        The SWAT team entered the room, two struggling furries in their grip. Robotnik looked at them long enough to give Nack a leering grin, then waved his hand. "Take them to the cells."
        "Affirmative." The SWATs trooped out of the room.
        Then Robotnik turned back to his nephew and niece and his eyes filled with a vengeful rage...

                                                ***************

        Snively tugged at his wrist restraints. He was strapped down in an interrogation chair, unable to move. 
        Elodea was standing up. But she was restrained also...her legs tied, her arms tied...
        The tall commander was standing with his arms behind his back, looking very proper, but his face was delighted. 
        **Evilly delighted,** thought Snively, trying the legs restraints. They were even tighter than the wrist ties.
        "I...I regret to say Mr. Snively that...due to your unforgivable actions towards Doctor Robotnik..." Packbell was enjoying himself very much. Sniv' wished he would drop the dirty attorney act.
         "Due to your unforgivable actions...your sentence is most severe. Your sentence, my dear Snively..."
        Snively held his breath. He figured Robotnik's punishment was for Packbell to beat him up or some such thing.
        "...is to witness the torture and death of your lovely daughter, Elodea."
        "What?!" Snively yanked hard at his wrist restraints. It sent a jolt of pain up his arms. "Packbell, you're lying! Tell me you're lying!"
        The android was grinning his cruel grin, his teeth so gleaming they looked like silver. Snively saw the demons in his eyes.
        "Please, Packbell. Don't do it. Don't do it!"
        It was like asking a fly to quit buzzing around your head. Packbell would hear, but never listen.
        Sniv' noticed the tray of instruments on the table of the interrogation room. He knew each one of those tools would draw screams from Elodea, until she could scream no more.
        "Packbell, no!" he pleaded. Elodea was silent, her eyes downcast. But her body was quivering in fear...her cheeks wet with a mixture of tears and sweat. 
        "You like her, Packbell. You don't want to hurt her."
        Packbell thrust his face into Sniv's, his fingers lighting on Snively's pointy nose and caressing it in an almost obscene fashion. Snively trembled in indignation.
        "But you're wrong, Snively-ively. I LIKE to hurt..." Packbell rubbed his hands together. "So lighten up! This is gonna be a fun family experience."

                                **************

        "Knuckles," Hershey hissed. She was following him through the air ducts. This one was much smaller and they had to crawl. His stubby tail was tickling her nose.
        "What mon?"
        "You ever wash your socks?"
        She could hear him frown. She giggled. "I'm just kidding! I was going to ask...where are...I mean, do you know where we're going?"
        "Down."
        "How do you know?"
        "Because there is a down pipe right here." And suddenly he disappeared. She gasped and saw a hole before her.
        "Knuckles! KNUCKLES!!"
        She heard his voice very faintly. "C'mon, mon. Slide down."
        She hesitated.
        "It isn't far," he called.
        "All right, mind reader," she muttered. She put her legs into the hole and slid down. She landed on something hard. "Ow! Why do you got those metal thingies on your shoes, anyway?" she whined. He pulled his foot out from under her.
        "If we keep goin' down we should find a way out."
        Her ears perked up. "You hear all that yelling?"
        "No."
        "Well, I do." She crawled towards the sound.
        "Hey mon! Come back."
        She stopped for a second. "Knuckles, I call you by your name. Can't you call me by mine? It's Hershey, 'k?" She started crawling again.
        "Mon, where you goin'?"
        She ignored him.

                                                *****************


        "STOP!" Snively yelled. "Leave her alone!"
        Packbell had his lips against hers, his hands on her body. "A little fun before work," he'd said. Elodea wished her legs were free. She'd kick the bastard clear through the wall.
        Packbell pulled away. The grin seemed to be a permanent fixture. He reached for a tool. A scalpel.
        "Packbell! Don't you dare!" Sniv' continued to yell. 
        He wanted so bad to tear that 'droid to pieces. **Well, I already did that, actually.** He was surprised Robotnik had gotten the android back together so quickly. But underlying his anger was terror. If Packbell went through with this...if his daughter was killed...
        "No!" he screamed, and tried to yank free again. His wrists were getting bloody.
        Packbell raised the scalpel. Elodea squeezed her eyes shut.
        **Oy won't cry. Oy won't.**  The scalpel came down. There was no pain. Elodea dared to open one eye. Her shirt was cut down the center and the android tore it away.
        "Hmmm. I thought you were hiding something under here. I guess I was mistaken." He ran a hand through her chest fur. "Nice fur, though."
        He tore her jean shorts away next.
        "Excited?" Elodea was disgusted. Clothing was only a decoration to her, but still, it angered her that Packbell was seeing her without it.
        Then Packbell reached out to the tray and came back with an object that made her gasp. An electric razor. He flipped on the switch and the thing buzzed.
        "No," said Elodea. "Yew wouldn't."
        "I like fur," said Packbell. "But I like skin better. It's so much more smooth, and delicate and sensitive."
        **My kid...furless?**  Snively didn't want to imagine such a thing. It was a horrible thought. She would look awful...she would feel awful. Worse than awful. She would feel naked and violated.
        "Packbell, you don't have to..."
        Packbell whirled around to give Snively an impatient stare. "She's going to die anyway, 'daddy-poo'."
        "Let her go!" Snively could go on pleading until his tongue fell out, he knew, and Packbell would only laugh. But still he pleaded. The restraints on his wrists were blooming with the red of his blood.
        Packbell brought the razor up to the soft fur of Elodea's chest.
        "Let's see what the hill looks like when the trees are cut down, shall we?"
        "No!" She wrapped her long un-restrained tail around his ankles and tripped him.  He stumbled but kept grinning...until a metal plate struck him on the head.
        Snively and Elodea both glanced up towards the air duct. The grate lay on the floor near Packbell, and Knuckles dropped out of the hole.
        "You freakin' tin mon, leave 'er alone."  Knuckles slashed Packbell's handsome face to shreds with his claws.
        Packbell howled in pure outrage. Oil was oozing, his beauty hanging off his face in dangling pieces, showing the cold metal beneath. His narcissism made him run to one of the shiny metal cabinets to peer at his image, allowing Knux time to cut Elodea free.  After a second of hesitation, he released Snively also.
        Hershey was reaching her hands out to Elodea. "C'mon. Come with me this time."
        The bush baby glanced back at her father.
        "Go on," he said. "I'll be right behind you."
        She knew he was lying. He always thought he was a good liar, but she always knew. Maybe it was the sheen of tears in his eyes. Some nameless force, some tie bond him to this city and all his misery. **But it's his choice.**
        She nodded.
        "All right."
        She grabbed Hershey's hand and the cat pulled her up into the duct. The echidna followed after and urged Elodea down the tunnel.
        "C'mon mon, move, move!"
        She began crawling. Over the scraping and banging of their travel down the tunnel, she heard a voice low with some kind of intense emotion...pain and fear and a sense of loss...it said, "Elodea...I love you. Please don't forget that..."
        And the voice was gone. Maybe one of the gusts of air in the duct had blown it away. 
        **Or maybe Oy never heard it at all.**
        She frowned hard and kept moving forward. She was suddenly aware of cloth under her hand. Some scrap of cloth in these tunnels? She picked it up and knew immediately what it was. The cat's lost bandanna. 
        **'It was my father's. He gave it to me. It means a lot to me. It's all I have left of him.'** That's what the cat had said of this cloth. Elo was surprised at the rush of water to her eyes.  **Oy'd better believe Oy heard that voice. Cause it's all Oy'm gonna have left.**
        
                                                ********

        Packbell shoved the grate back in place. "Don't look so happy, Snively." He'd shoved the strips of skin back in place and taped them. He looked stupid, but Snively knew his internal systems would have the damage repaired in about an hour, without a scar.
        "It coulda gone easy for you. Elodea would've gotten all the punishment, but now the brunt's going to fall on you!"
        "What else is new?" Snively muttered.
        Packbell sighed. "I know...too much fun in one day."
                
                                                *********

        "Are you really Snively's kid?" asked Hershey.
        "Yeah." Elodea kicked around some scraps that surrounded the junkpiles. Hershey was sitting on a scrap of junk. Knux had already started back to KnotHole.  
        "Oy used ta play out here when Oy was a kid. An' Oy would pick up scraps an' bring 'em back to the lab an' make stuff outta 'em."
        Hershey fixed her grass-green eyes on Elodea. "Why don't you come back with us?"
        "Ta where?" Elo asked suspiciously. 
"To KnotHole. Join us?"
        Elo dodged the question. "Wot happened ta Nack and Isabella?"
        "Um...they were captured. But will you join?"
        **Join the terrorists?** thought Elodea. **No way. They may be against Packbell and Robotnik but they're against daddy-poo too. Forget that.**
        "No."
        Hershey looked startled. "Why not?"
        The bush baby didn't answer. Instead, she opened her fist, her long fingers uncurling. Hershey saw a wad of blue cloth in the girl's palm.
        "It's a little wrinkled," said Elodea, handing it to the cat.
        Hershey looked down at the bandanna, running her fingers over the fabric. She could see her father's face now, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. And he had smiled when he'd given her the bandanna, when his strong hands had tied that bandanna around her little-girl neck. She smiled...having learned to be happy by the memory. When she looked up, Elo was nowhere in sight.
        Hersh sighed. "Oh well. You can't recruit them all."
        She turned and headed back to Knothole.

        
        CHAPTER 5
        Petals on the wind 
        
        "Sometimes it hurts so much to lose the one you love..."
        --Stabbing Westward

        Timeline-a few days later
        
        Elodea knew, that in her position, there should be no returning to Robotropolis. She was now basically a fugitive, a virtual shoot-on-sight. **But Nack an' Isabella...they were nice ta me. And they aren't terrorists like that cat.**
        She had been debating for two days now whether to rescue them or not.
        **They're probably robots by now.** She looked up at the sky. It was the plainest deadest gray color she'd ever seen. 
        "That's a great sign," she muttered. "Today's...Monday...Wednesday...no. Today's Thursday. Patrol day." She knew Snively would be out patrolling the factories. She felt drawn to go catch him out on patrol. But first...Nack and Isabella.
        She headed towards the cells. She knew how to avoid the cameras, but it wasn't her first instinct. She wasn't used to it. Still, she made it down to the cells with no sightings.
        She walked along the cell hallway, the floor damp and cold on her toes. Her tail slid along behind her, leaving a smooth trail on the floor beaded with wetness.
        "Hey chickie! Over here!"
        Elodea trotted down the hall to a cell on the right. "Oy see yew ain't metal-plated yet."
        Nack and Isabella were sitting on the hard cell bunk. Isa was throwing the pillow in the air and catching it.
        "You gonna let us out or what?"
        "Yeah, yeah."
        Elodea strode off down the hallway to the control panel of the cells. She pressed the button for cell C-6 and the electric bars holding Isa and Nack disappeared.
        "C'mon," called Elodea. "Follow me unless yew wanna get caught."
        "Me? Caught?" Nack laughed as if Elodea were crazy.


        She led them out to the junkpiles. "Well, there yew go."
        Isabella had her arm in his, her head leaning on his violet shoulder. He knew she wanted to be alone with him, get home, maybe take a quick nap or hot shower. But Nack liked the bush baby. She was quirky and smartass and he liked her English accent.
        "Nah," said Elo. "Maybe Oy'll drop by an' see yew sometime."
        "Well...ok..." Nack looked a bit disappointed, but Isa didn't look troubled. Elodea didn't bother to mention that she had no idea where they lived.
        "See yew around Oy guess." She gave an awkward shrug as farewell, then turned and loped off.

                                                ***********
        
        "Ok...it's 10:30," muttered Elodea. Packbell may have taken her clothes (she was still ticked; that was her favorite tanktop), but she still had her watch. She also still had the strand of hair beads that lay against her left cheek.
        "That means...that he'll be around SWAT Factory four."
Elodea waited near the factory until she heard the clomping of SWAT feet and a voice complaining.
        "You always follow me so close," she heard Snively whining. She knew how much he hated SWATs on his heels.
        She slid around the corner of the building. And found herself staring into her own eyes.
        "Oy see yer still alive," she said.
        "Yes," said Snively. He looked very tired, she noticed.
        She reached forward and prodded his chest. His eyes widened and a whimper broke from his mouth. "He kicked yew around again, didn't he?"
        "A little," her father admitted.
        She looked suspicious. "He wouldn't let yew off that easily."
        Snively closed his eyes...he knew that Elodea would see his distress. He didn't want her to know what he was suffering for her escape. He hadn't slept yet, or ate yet and had gotten beaten and electroshocked until he puked. This was actually the first day he was working.... because Robotnik had locked him up, despite Snively's screams of protest, in a dark nasty room in the lowest underground parts of Robotropolis.
        The room was tiny and pitch black and how he hated the dark. There were tiny animals and bugs in there. They had crawled on him. "Please! Please no...let me out!" he'd pleaded. He'd pounded his tiny fists on the door, and as the hours passed his frantic breathing had calmed, and the walls had stopped moving in towards him. But it had been an awful experience.
        **And he's got more planned for me...**
        He opened his eyes, feeling sick. Elodea was gazing at him, concern in her eyes. 
        "I'm fine," he said.
        Elodea leaned against the wall. "Oy really came ta say goodbye and..." She bit her lip nervously. "...ta clear up somethin'."
        "What?" he asked. He had a bad feeling he knew.
        She turned just her head to look at him. She had his eyes, but did they have to hold all the pain his did?
        "Moy mother," she asked softly. "Wot happened ta her? Ta yew an' her?"
        **I can't tell her!** He didn't meet her eye. "I...I never knew your mother."   
        Her fist slammed against the metal wall with a resounding echo. It scared him. "Dammit, daddy! Tell me the truth!"
        She'd dropped the 'poo'. She was dead serious...he gulped. "Fine. She was killed by SWATbots."
        "An' me?" She demanded. "How'd yew get me?"
        "You were with her. I took you in, that's all."
        "So, we're not blood-related?"
        "No." He damned Nack and Isabella. She'd never cared or asked about this until now.
        "Really. Then how do yew explain this?!" she yelled, aiming her finger up towards her eyes. "We are blood-related! This is no coincidence!"
        "Elodea...no..."
        "Yer ashamed, aren't yew? Ashamed ta have screwed a furry. Yer ashamed every time yew look at me, aren't yew, because yew remember."
        His eyes were teary. "Elodea...I was wrong. Your mother never even wanted a baby. She was a baby herself. I was wrong."
        She frowned, lips drawn into a tight line. "Wot are yew sayin'?"
        "Your...your mother wasn't willing..."
        Her eyes widened. "Yew...raped her?"
        He looked down at his feet.
        "How old was she?"
        "I don't know. Younger than me. A teen."
        "Yew pig," she growled. "Yew disgusting little..."  She whirled around and raced out of the alley.
        "Elodea..." he said softly, gazing after her fleeing form.  **I never needed a damn kid anyway. Good riddance.**  He rejoined the SWATs, stone faced.
        But there was a difference between him and stones.
        Stones don't weep.

                                                *************
        
        Sonic had been looking very grumpy since his injury, but now he was smiling. Knuckles was leaving.
        "See ya all, mon. I'm glad ya helped me get de emerald back. Especially you." 
        Hershey looked embarrassed. "I didn't do that much."
        "Oh, she's just modest." Knux waved his hand around at his farewell party. There were a few muted cheers...nobody really thought Knuckles needed cheering. Al he'd done was gotten back a stupid piece of gem...a gem that didn't even affect them.
        Knuckles gave Hershey a quick hug. She felt some warmth in his embrace. She watched him climb up on Dulcy's back. The dragon took off.
        Hershey waved until they were out of sight, smiling to herself.
        **Geez...I'm gonna miss him...**

                                                ***********

        Snively was out on patrol the following Thursday, when he caught sight of writing on the side of a building. He limped over, stopped, and dug in his pockets for some painkillers. After swallowing them, he headed back to his patrol. 
        **It's probably just graffiti,** he figured. But he turned back again. Graffiti was sometimes funny.
        He stood before it and read. His eyes felt dry and scorched. Tears came to cool them. They spilled over his cheeks but he barely noticed.
        It read:

                I forgive you, daddy-poo. You made a mistake, but if you hadn't made it, then I wouldn't exist. I hope I see you someday...but for now just know...
I love you.


                THE END