For Whom the Gavel Pounds (c) 98 by MistressAli
All "Sonic the Hedgehog" characters and related indicia (c) and TM Sega.
Used without permission.

This document may be freely distributed, as long as it's not altered
in any way. Ok, peoples, this story contains: some violence & swearing
...just a warning... :)

This story is from a first person point o' view! It's also the sequel
to "The New Season"!

"For Whom the Gavel Pounds"
By MistressAli

"My heart is black
And my body is blue"
--The Cardigans

I was sound asleep in my cell. The rock-hard bed didn't affect
my sleeping at all...I was used to hard beds. I had never been
pampered in Robotropolis. The clanking of metal on metal woke me up. I looked up,
half-expecting to see a SWATbot, but it was just the cyborg rabbit.
The cell door was open. She smiled at me. I didn't smile back.
She was pushed rather rudely aside by a large skunk. He was
one of those men who thought everyone was looking at him. Admiring
him. My father had been the same way. That's why I hated the bastard.
The skunk had a pair of handcuffs. He gave me a weird
smile...it creeped me out. I backed away, but he grabbed me. It was a
harder grip than necessary. I wasn't fighting.
My shoulder was aching from his grip.
"Ow!" I cried as he yanked my arms hard behind my back. The
cuffs snapped over my wrists much too tightly...they bit down through
my thin skin and ground against my bones.
"Hey, stinky. Could you loosen these? Just a little?"
The skunk spun me around and thrust his face into mine. His
breath stunk like stale meat, his nose was glistening black, and his
eyes were a murky blue, much darker than mine. "You ain't gettin' off
easy, mate. With anything."
"Does that mean no?" I didn't think I sounded smartass, but
the skunk was razzled. He smacked me hard across the face. He was a
big guy; I was little. That slap brought me down to my knees, eyes
stinging from pain-tears, but I didn't whimper.
"Hey hey," protested the rabbit. "Ya'all be careful with 'im,
Geoffrey."
I couldn't of agreed more.
But the skunk yanked me up by the back of the collar and then
herded me roughly out of the room. When I faltered a bit in my steps, the skunk was right behind
me and he kept walking. He was like a moving stone wall pushing me
forward.
When we got to a long wooden building, which I assumed was
Knothole's courthouse/meeting hall, Geoffrey allowed me to stop. To
regain my composure, I suppose. I noticed some of the villagers
milling around, some casting quick glances at me. I almost laughed.
What were they so afraid of? True...my rank in Robotropolis might've been impressive...or
sounded impressive, anyway. Second-in-Command of Robotropolis. But my
appearance, for God's sakes, I wasn't scary. I was a short skinny
little man with big eyes that must be reflecting my anxiety.
Then Geoffrey opened the door and shoved me forward into the
building. All the seats in the courtroom were filled. Most faces I
didn't recognize, but some I did...the princess, Sonic, the two-tailed
fox-brat, the kooky French fox. Standing behind a podium at the front
of the room was King Acorn, decked out in full regal robes. His crown
was perched on his head; he was looking very proper. His eyes darkened
when he saw me. He had a gavel in his hand.
The skunk shoved me down in a chair before the king. I felt my
hands tremble in my nervousness...the king was in front of me and the
crowd at my back. I could be mobbed from all sides. The skunk left me
and took a position near the king's side. He was the bailiff, I
suppose, there to protect if things got out of hand. He should be near
me. I was the one who needed protecting.
"All rise," ordered Geoffrey in his Aussie voice. I heard them
all stand up behind me, so I stood too. It was hard with my hands
shackled behind me. I almost toppled backwards.
"This is not a formal court...but merely to decide if this man
should be charged for his crimes, or allowed to join us, which is his
request."
There were some surprised mummers from the crowd. They thought
I was crazy. Well maybe they weren't entirely wrong, but I did have my
reasons for wanting to join this group of dumb kids.
"Alright, sit," said Geoff.
I didn't know entirely how they worked this. But the skunk
came over and led me to the chair near the podium. I had to sit next
to that Acorn king and feel his hostility, and have the crowd's eyes
on my face. Great. My anxiety increased ten-fold and I felt familiar sweat
bead my forehead.
Geoff stood before me with a book. The Mobian Book of the
Higher Order. Their religion. They could've had a hundred gods, but
there was one main one. A head honcho, who went by the name of "God."
I never heard mention of the others.
"Do you swear, by this holy book," Geoff scowled, and I
fidgeted. Geoff shook the book slightly, and I pressed my hand against
the book's cover. He seemed satisfied. "By this holy book, do you
swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"Yes."
He drew the book away and went to stand on the other side of
the king. The crowd stared at me. I lowered my eyes.
"All right. First we shall get the crimes out of the way. One
of our first thoughts is to protect our children. Have you molested
any children, Mr. Snively?"
I gulped a little. Did molest mean be cruel to kids? I wasn't
ever nice to children. They irritated me. Or did it mean do sexual
things to them? I've never done that.
King Acorn glared at me. "Answer the question!"
"Um..." I bit my lip. "I don't understand the question."
Sonic stood up. "What's to understand, Needlenose!? Have you
ever screwed little kids?!"
Sally looked a bit miffed. Her gaze was on Tails, who was
staring at Sonic. He looked like a child who's just stumbled across
Internet porn, eyes shocked and awed.
"No," I said.
"Have you ever hurt little kids?" asked one of the Freedom
Fighters, a fat walrus.
"No," I said. It was a lie. They knew it, damn! "Yes, I have.
But I never fucked them."
King Acorn roared in anger and I cowered away from him. He had
the gavel in his hand and I expected him to start beating me with it.
He didn't hit me. But Geoff did. He was by me in a second and he
smacked my head so hard I nearly blacked out. I fell forward onto the
small table I was seated behind. I wiggled a little. It's hard to push
yourself up when your hands are behind your back. Geoff unlocked the
cuffs. Probably figured he'd subdued me enough that I wouldn't think
of fighting back. Stupid jerk. I had no intentions of fighting in the
first place.
King Acorn, or "Max", as I'd heard him be called, was glaring
at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You WILL NOT curse in this room, Mr. Snively. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"
Oh...I'd said fuck. That's right. I sighed a little...these
animals were so damn sensitive. I almost felt like saying, "Oh, I'm so
FUCKING sorry', but didn't. I was already hated enough.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty. It won't happen again."
He nodded. "Very well. So, you say you have hurt children. How so?"
I closed my eyes briefly. Great question, king. He wanted me
punished. He didn't want me as a Freedom Fighter and every one of his
questions was making this crowd hate me more. I could almost feel the
prickle of a rope around my neck.
"Um.. I've yelled at children prisoners, maybe smacked a
couple..."
"Have you ever tortured any of 'em?" demanded Geoff. I guess
any one of them could ask questions.
"No."
"Fine," growled the king. "Have you taken part in the
roboticization of Mobians?"
"Yes."
"Willingly?" asked Bunnie.
I stared at her for a second. That rabbit. She was a little
fool. Thought I was really a sweet person under my asshole exterior.
Fool. Each layer of my mind was a new horror; a layer of angry thorns
that tore at me, a layer of dusty memories, a layer of acid guilt, a
layer of pure tears gelled into a sticky film...no. There was no good
to be found in me. It was far too late for that.
But then I realized that that was it. My pain was going to be
my protector now.
"Willingly sometimes," I said. "But not all the time.
Sometimes I wished I could smash all those roboticizers. Anything to
save those people."
"You committed treason, did you not?" the king asked.
If I told a lie, what would happen? Would the Mobian god fry
my ass with a lightning bolt? I highly doubted it.
"Well yes, but I didn't know about it until the last minute.
Julian said he was going to announce something to you. He was always
dramatic, you know, so I thought really nothing of him crashing into
your throne room. But when he said he was taking over, I was stunned.
But it was too late then. I had to go along with him."
No lightning bolts hit me. The book, resting on King Acorn's
podium, didn't spring up and yell, "He's lying!"
I was a good liar. I knew it. I had to be. Robotnik was always
suspicious of me, he always thought I was conniving against him, which
of course, I was.
But I covered it up like an expert. I truly must've been a
corrupt Earth president in a past life. Which made me think of one of
the presidents, who said Mars would be the poor man's paradise. He'd
shipped hundreds of orphans and poor people there, all volunteers. But
he neglected to tell them about the hostile aliens there. Thousands
were slaughtered, but no one found out until five years later. The
president had covered it up that well. He claimed he was helping
'clean up the nation' when caught.
But the last I heard of Earth...well...it had never reached
the level of Mobius. And the people of Earth had blown the planet to
astral dust in the fifth World War. So much for my homeland.
"Mr. Snively, perhaps I should repeat the question." King
Acorn sounded annoyed. He was just itching to tie a rope around my
neck and watch me hang.
"Y-y-yes please," I stammered, brought out of my thoughts.
"Why was it too late to back out? To NOT help Julian with the
coup? You had plenty of opportunities."
I resisted a smile. Now was my chance to make the crowd feel
sorry for me. Mine was a tale of woe, true woe. I had really suffered,
but now I would exploit it and use it to help me.
"Well...I may have been second in command, but Robotnik never
respected me. He wasn't nice to me, you know. So, not only did I NOT
have time to back out, I was afraid to back out."
I kept my eyes wide and I knew how pitiful and harmless I
looked. I had used this look on Robotnik all the time, trying to
convince him not to hit me. It only worked half the time. Half the
time, Robotnik would calm down, the other half, he was too enraged to
care.
"What were your jobs as zee second in command?" asked the
French fox.
I thought carefully on that one. Leaving out truth wasn't
necessarily a lie. And if it was, I didn't give a shit. "I patrolled
factories and helped roboticize and watched surveillance." That
sounded harmless enough. I left out all the nasty details. Like my
experiments on poor helpless Mobians, my interrogations, and my plans
to find Knothole, and the fact that I had sometimes liked causing
those creatures pain.
"Did you come to Mobius strictly to rule it?" asked the King.
He seemed so much more interested in the events of the coup...He was
one to hold a grudge, I supposed. But I couldn't blame him. His
peaceful kingdom had been uprooted, his queen and daughter separated
from him, and his own self thrown in the Void.
"No...I came to Mobius with Julian because World War Four was
going on. We just came here to escape the war."
"And came here in the midst of another war."
"Yes," I said. I said it sadly. Then I glanced up at the
crowd. Were they looking sorry for me? Thinking I should be spared?
All I saw was a bunch of mouths twisted downwards. That struck
me as disapproval. Oh, great. Time to turn up the pitifulness.
The king grunted. "Just a few more questions, then we decide."
"Did ya even like Robotnik?" asked Bunnie.
"No," I said. And that wasn't a lie. "I hated him."
"Are you in league with Naugus?" demanded the king.
In league with Naugus? I almost laughed. That crazy old wizard.
All right, I'd been on his side in the beginning. We used to
have lengthy conversations back when Julian was warlord and Naugus the
king's wizard. But now that Naugus was back, he'd proved our
friendship was null...or perhaps had never existed.
Robotnik, upset at being a lackey, had tried to poison Naugus
and since I knew about it, the magical bastard had thought I was
conniving against him! My veins were still crackling with his
punishing electric magic. And that happened two days ago.
"Your honor..majesty...let me ease your mind. I don't like
Naugus. The old coot fried with me with electricity. He threw me out
of command. I wasn't even a lackey anymore."
"A lackey? I thought you were second in command."
"I was both," I said to the crowd, looking pitiful. "You see,
I was bestowed the gracious title of second in command, but really I
was only a flunky. You have no idea how Robotnik treated me."
I was going all out now. Shameless...but what's the shame in
saving your life? Even a shit life like mine. "He wasn't just not
nice; he was cruel. A real second in command is respected, but I
wasn't. Whenever something went wrong, who's fault was it? Mine."
The king raised an eyebrow and I realized, I sounded very bitter.
"So, I won't be helping Robotnik or Naugus. You could say I
hold a much-expected grudge." I gave King Acorn a pointed stare. Some
of the furries glanced at him, then me...and I knew they were
wondering if King Acorn's hostility towards me stemmed from a
long-time grudge. Which it did, of course, but I was trying my best to
make his grudge seem misdirected. I wasn't the one who overthrew him,
I wasn't the one who converted his city to a toxic metal tyranny. I
was only the poor mistreated lackey. Boo hoo hoo.
I think it worked on some of them. The fat walrus' eyes were
looking a little more sympathetic, as were some of the nameless
furries. The king looked irritated, so I kept my grin inside my mind.
"What kinda skills do ya'all have?" asked Bunnie. Her faith in
me was a bit unsettling, but I decided to use her question to my
advantage.
Were it not for my questionable morals and my motives...which
included the most common of all bad-guy goals...world domination...yes
I'm ambitious, or maybe terribly delusional. But back to my point.
Were it not for my motives, I could prove a nice addition to the
Freedom Fighters.
"Um...I know all the surveillance stuff...I'm a computer
genius..." I smiled a little. So I was bragging. Big deal. "I know
some military tactics, I'm good at compiling reports and data, I'm a
good mechanic, a robotics expert, good mathematician, a specialist in
advanced weaponry..."
"A master groveler," the skunk threw in. Sonic laughed. The
king banged his gavel warningly.
"I'm fairly intelligent, a crackshot..."
"Crackpot, maybe." Geoff snickered.
"And...I know the layout of Robotropolis better than Robotnik
or Naugus or that little computer of yours," I looked at Sally, "ever
will. And I know lots of codes into the main computers. Who else here
knows the city like I do?"
"But Naugus is magical," said the king. "He won't need the
computers."
He was trying to downplay my skills. Old bastard. "Naugus may
be magical," I growled, "but he also relies on technology. He's stingy
with his magic. He only uses it if he has to. When I was there, he had
Robotnik working on the computers and everything. He WILL be using
just as much tech as the big round guy was."
The king snorted.
"Why now?" asked Sally. She'd been surprisingly quiet through
the whole thing. I'd expected her to be more ruthless than her father.
"Why do you want to join us now? If you hated Robotnik so much, than
why didn't you join us sooner?"
I knew the king was running low on patience. I was going to
let loose the biggest lie and hope the king wouldn't catch it in his
bloodthirsty hands.
"I wanted to," I blurted out. I injected embarrassment into my
voice. "I really did. Robotnik treated me awful and he was crazy
anyway. I always thought I'd be better off on your side."
I did a very convincing sigh of misery. "But Robotnik...he
could read me like a book." Not true. Robotnik could never read me. He
thought he could. But I'd always been a good actor.
"He knew I wanted to join. He needed me around or he'd have to
get off his fat...er...get up and do the work himself. So he
threatened to kill me if I left. He'd send out SWATs after me and
capture me. If I got roboticized, I'd be lucky, he said, because the
other ideas he had in mind were far more unpleasant. And believe
me...," I continued...I was warming up to my lie now...some anguish in
my voice, a pathetic face, sad eyes. The works. My next sentence,
however, wasn't a lie. "...he always carried out his threats. On me,
anyway. If he threatened me harm if a plan failed...then I was sure to
end up in the medical ward when the plan failed."
I closed my eyes...just imagining how many times Robotnik had
hurt me. It was a wonder I was still alive. Almost every bone in my
body had been broken, almost every inch of skin bruised, almost every
organ ruptured and bled out, all by fatass Robotnik's angry fists.
I drew in a deep breath. Anger would only cloud my mind and I
needed to finish out my lie. I took a few deep breaths and felt my
rage tuck itself away once again. But what a huge ugly creature my
rage was...and I realized I had a lot of it. And it was even more
vicious than Robotnik's because it had always been shoved aside,
forced back down...never expressed. The crowd was staring at me and I
noticed more sympathetic eyes. I spoke again.
"So I was scared...no...terrified. I didn't dare join you. I
didn't want to die! But I always felt so awful when I had to
roboticize or take part in his plans. I really hated myself. But I had
no choice."
I saw more eyes go kindly. Good good! I was hooking them all.
I put even more drama into my act.
"I thought about killing myself a few times...anything to get
out of there. I might as well have, since I'm about to die at the
hands of those I wanted so much to protect."
I worked up a few tears easily and felt the coolness of them
on my cheeks. Bunnie was sniffling. I put my head in my hands and
pretended to sob. I was really trying not to burst out laughing.
Geoff yanked me back up. I felt like punching him, but decided
it looked better this way. The crowd would think he was bullying me. I
let a few more tears slide down my face.
"How many people have you killed?" Obviously, ole kingy wanted
to end on a sour note. Screw him. I lied as easily and naturally as
breathing.
"None, your honor. I've killed no one."
The king growled a little, then banged his gavel. "Very well.
Citizens, it is time to make a decision. Shall we let Mr. Snively join
us...or shall he be punished for his crimes? Which includes TREASON,
may I remind you."
He nodded at Geoff, who left his position of standing behind
me. I relaxed a bit. The skunk handed out little scraps of paper to
everyone, including himself and the king. I didn't get one. Guess I
can't vote for my fate. When everyone had filled theirs out, Geoff
collected them all in the stupid purple beret he wore.
Then he brought them up to the king. The king drew each one
out, read it to himself, and then set it on his podium. There were two
piles. One pile was bigger than the other. I gulped. Was that big pile
the 'join' or 'punish' pile?
The king was going slow. I think he was making me sweat it out.
At any rate I was sweating.
The king looked up finally. "The verdict is..."
The silence was drawn out. I drew in a ragged breath, much
louder than I wanted it to be.
"...that Mr. Snively...will"
I could see Geoff's hands now, holding the thick coarse rope...
me hanging... "...join us."
My breath blew out and I felt dizzy.
I heard Bunnie say, "Congratulations," to me, but ignored her.
"So now what?" I asked Geoff.
He didn't answer, because the king was talking again. "Until
you've proven yourself trustworthy, Mr. Snively, you shall have an
escort with you. I believe, since he seems to have taken a liking to
you already, that Mr. Geoffrey St. John will be the one."
"What is he, my probation officer?" I was not thrilled with
this news.
"Consider it that way if you like," snapped the king. "But
know that I voted for punishment, Mr. Snively, and had I a REAL court,
they would not have fallen for your trickery."
Trickery. Bah. Made me sound like B'rer Rabbit. "Fine," I
said. "As long as he doesn't join me in the shower or anything."
"You'd like it too much," sneered Geoffrey.
"That is all," said King Acorn. He banged the gavel. "Court is
dismissed." He stood and swept out of the building, robes and tail
dragging.
"So now what?" I questioned again.
"Well, until you get a hut built," Geoff sounded disgusted,
"You'll have to stay in mine."
I must've looked repulsed because he snarled, "I'm not
thrilled about it either, you little faggot."
The word 'faggot' surprised me a little...just because I was
wimpy didn't mean I was...that way... The dumb prick. Just for fun, I
added a lisp to my voice. "Do we share the same bed, baby?"
"Shut up," he growled. "An' get outta here. Go explore or
somethin'."
The courtroom had emptied by that time, except for Bunnie and
the two-tailed fox. He was staring at me warily. Like I was going to
rip off his tails or something. I gave him my best 'I don't like kids,
so get lost' glare, and he left.
Bunnie smiled at me and this time I smiled back. Her foolish
openness and faith was so refreshing.
"Oh Snively, Ah knew ya'll weren't a bad person," she said
cheerfully. "Ya want me ta show ya around?"
I shook my head. "Thanks, but I'd like to be alone."
She nodded and left. I found myself looking at her metallic
limbs as she walked off. I had always found it amusing how Robotnik
ranted about her...his 'unfinished business'...his roboticization
working against him. Well, I was going to become Naugus' 'unfinished
business'. The old bastard was going to be sorry he left me alive.
I strolled around the village for a while. It was smaller than
I expected, but was still good sized. I was pretty much alone, well,
not really. There were villagers everywhere, but they shunned me like
I was a leper. Whether it was fear or contempt, or just shyness, I
found it a bit humorous.
They had huts everywhere. A huge main garden. There was a
large bare patch of ground around a group of trees, with punching bags
hanging from the boughs. I figured it was their training grounds. That
and the fact there were villagers pummeling the hell out of the bags.
There was the courtroom/meeting hall, a river nearby, and a
smooth shiny pond. I strode down to the pond's edge. There was a large
log there, and from the bare spot of ground right by it, I assumed it
was a spot where somebody sat often.
I sighed, feeling overly tired, and took a seat on the log. I
had my head in my hands, staring down at my feet. I scuffed my boots
around in the bare dirt, thinking I really ought to get some new
clothes. Strutting around in my Robotroplian uniform was just another
reminder of what I had done.
"How come yer way out here?"
I looked up to see the fox-brat staring at me. He looked
faintly accusing, so I frowned.
"Maybe I want to be way out here," I replied.
Now he frowned. "How come you don't have any hair?"
The little brat. I wanted to smack him. "I'm too young, kid,"
I said sarcastically. "The human species doesn't grow hair until
they're older."
"Really? No, you're lying. How can you be too young for hair?"
he demanded. "And besides, yer old."
"Well, you're a baby."
He looked irritated. "Robotnik has hair. That dumb mustache.
Yer just as old as he is."
"It's rude to ask personal questions, kid." I glared at him.
He sneered at me, but I ignored him to stare out over the pond.
"In the courtroom...you...you said a naughty word." The kid
was staring at me like I was some atrocity. "You said..."
"Say it," I said.
"No!" he said indignantly. "It's bad! I can't say that."
"They say it. Sonic and Sally. All of the grown-ups, they say it."
"They do not! They would never say that...that bad word!"
"You think too highly of them. They're not as wonderful as you
might think."
"Be quiet, Snive-ly. You're just a bad person, that's why you
have to make fun of everybody."
"Think what you want. But someday, when they turn their backs
on you, you'll realize I was right."
He frowned heavily, then looked out at the pond. "This is
where we get..."
"Some of our fish," broke in another voice. "I cook zee most
magnique au bleu."
"That's fish," said the kid, trying to wow me with his
knowledge of French. I wasn't impressed...I already knew some of the
language myself.
"It's cooked in wine, and I get to eat it," the kid bragged.
The new voice, which belonged to the French fox, laughed.
"Oui, little Tails here, he gets rock-drunk."
"Stone-drunk," I corrected.
"Oui, that ees what I said." He turned to Tails. "Now be
running along, mon ami." The kid scurried off.
The French fox drew out a sword and held it up near his face.
I eyed his uniform...which was far heavier than mine, and wondered how
he could wear it in this heat. Must stay around the pool most of the
time...it was much cooler here.
"I am a highly-trained royal guard," he said. "Zo eef you
wants zee training than be coming to me." He put away the sword and
adopted a martial arts horse stance. "I can also be teaching you zee
keeks an' punchs! Yaaaa!" He kicked so vigorously his boot flew off
and landed in the pool.
"Nice kick, mate. It's about time ya washed them stinky boots
anyway," came a loud voice.
Antoine fished the boot out with a long stick and glared at
the newcomer. "Chut! Go away! We are not wanting you around, n'est-ce
pas?"
"Agreed," I said.
"Stop talking that mumbo-jumbo," growled the skunk. He glared
hard at Antoine. "Great job, 'Twan. Bringin' him down here."
"I did not bring him, bete noir."
"What's down here?" I demanded.
"Nothing," said the skunk with faked nonchalance. He was a bad liar.
"Feh, zee skunk ees not only ugly, but stupeed as well."
"You've been lookin' in a mirror too long. Keep seein'
after-images of yourself." Geoff laughed, but no one else did.
The skunk grabbed my arm tightly and began to drag me from the pool.
"Hey, I'm not a prisoner anymore," I said. "So get your
fucking hands off me."
He yanked my arm really hard. I couldn't help crying out as
pain shot up through my shoulders and upper ribs. Even worse was that
he had me pressed up against his body. A faint musky scent clung to
his fur.
"I'll show ya yer room, roomie," he said. His tone scared me,
but I think that's what he was trying for.
"Let go!" I snapped, yanking away. "You're fruity."
"Me fruity? Yer a frickin' fruit salad, Needlenose."
"Needlenose!" I yelled. "How original, Mr. St. Dick! I've
never heard that before! Damn, you are just the cleverest son of a
bitch I've ever known!"
I couldn't help it. While my temper was nowhere like
Robotnik's...I could sometimes get fed up enough to scream. Like now.
"I've got some booze at my place," said the skunk. "That'll
calm ya down."
"Get me loaded and fuck me over, huh?" My eyes widened at the
thought of fighting him off. "I'll find a room with someone else."
"I'm supposed ta be yer escort, 'member?" Geoffrey was
following me as I walked back towards the village. I didn't like him
behind me. He'd called me faggot, but I was having the suspicions that
the word was a description of himself. King Acorn had probably
assigned him to me on purpose...I see. I had gotten out of being hung
...Voila! My real execution was to be molested to death by Geoffrey!
I trudged around the heart of the village, and then saw the
gleam of metal from the main garden. The rabbit was working there.
My shadow fell over her and she looked up.
"Hey there, Freedom Fighta," she said.
"Hello."
"What's goin' on, hon?"
I bit my lip. Damn. Now was not a time to be embarrassed...but
what would she think? Probably that I loved her something...bah!
"Do you have room in your place?"
"Fer ya?"
"Yes." I shuffled my boots in the garden dirt and then turned
away. "Sorry, I don't know why..."
"Yeah, Ah got space," she said.
"Great!" I couldn't help beaming. I looked over my shoulder
and smirked. The skunk was standing at the edge of the garden.
"Sorry, my man-loving friend, but I've already found a place."
Geoff started scowling, probably angry that his hoped-for sex waif had
gotten away. Piss on that. God, what a perverted bastard.
Eyeing him, I got the feeling he might be faking the whole
thing, but it didn't matter. I had Bunnie. A quick glance confirmed
that she was still there, intent on her digging.
She was just too sweet for her own good.

"They're all goin' out ona mission tommorra." Bunnie was
staring out the window of her hut.
I was on her couch, with the blankets pulled up to my chin. I
wanted my bathrobe that I slept in back at Robotropolis. It was soft
as feathers and faded to a cornflower blue. But I was still in my
uniform. I was too embarrassed to take up Bunnie's offer of a long
nightgown. A girl's nightgown, for God's sake? Even if it was just
plain white, no frills or lace or flowers. And there was no way I was
going to sleep in the nude.
Bunnie continued talking. "Ya could come with us if ya want...
but Ah think Geoff would be followin' ya around. 'E's comin'."
"Is Geoff..." I laughed nervously. "Is he...that way?"
"What way?"
"Umm...gay..."
"Gay? Well, Ah don't know. Don't think so. 'E's always aftah
Sally-gal."
"Sally-girl, eh?" I snorted. "Isn't he much older than her?"
"Yes...Geoff...'e's like in 'is late twenties er somethin'."
I made a disapproving 'oh' sound. Robotnik always hated it. He
said I sounded like a British snob. Piss on him. If I could deal with
his screaming and tantrums, then he could deal with a few moans and
groans. Stupid fat asshole. I smiled a little...I wouldn't have to
deal with lord of lard anymore. Good.
"Ah mean...older men, but not that old...that's a..." She
paused to count on her fingers, and my eyes were riveted. The way her
organic fingers touched upon the metal ones...the softness and
silkiness of her soft fur brushing against the smooth metal. Warmth
against cold. Animate against inanimate. Nature against technology. It
sent a weird shiver that jumped the gaps between each one of my
vertebrae.
"...It's a twelve year difference. If Geoff's twenty-eight. Ah
think 'e is."
I barely heard her. Sweat was beading on my forehead, my
breathing was shallow. It felt like a fever had suddenly scorched me.
She didn't seem to notice. I guess I looked sickly no matter
what...pale skin, tired eyes, no hair, a reed-thin body...I wasn't
sick often, but I looked it. Maybe it was just my mental anguish
showing through. I heard a dry laugh in my head.
To answer one of her earlier questions, I said, "I think I'll
stay here this time. I'm not sure I even want to go on missions."
"Ya can't be as fragile as ya seem," she trilled. "But anyway,
Ah'm goin'. So Ah've gotta get ta bed."
She unbuckled her belt and then shrugged out of her purple j
umpsuit. She missed my shocked eyes because she turned away and
wiggled into her bed. I heard the sheets slide over her metal limbs,
and I bit my lip hard.
God, was she developed. Sally had a nice figure, but Bunnie...
was incredible. I felt like whimpering and didn't know why. Was it
from helplessness or fear or what?
I felt sweat sliding down my face, and a weird prickling of my skin.
No way. She couldn't be making me...I saw the sheet draped
over me rise up just a tad in my general below-the belly lap area. A
quick glance over at Bunnie. She was turned away from me and I heard
soft snoring.
She fell asleep fast. I was like that...half of the time. The
other half I was insomniac. But I had never gotten much sleep anyway.
Robotnik had me working long hours. Plus overtime. And my only payment
was the occasional "Very good, Snively." Bah.
My fists clenched unconsciously and I felt the ugly beast of
rage crawling out of my mind-pit. I shoved him back in. Someday he
would overpower me, and I would lose him and then what? He was all
that filled me. I'd be an empty spent shell without him.
Anger...what a good nice thing. My momentary 'disturbance'...I
glanced down at my lap to confirm...was gone. I laid my head down on
the lumpy pillow.
It turned out to be one of my fast-sleeping nights.

"Ok! Keek!" Antoine kicked one of the punching bags. It swung
wildly on the chain. "You see? Eet ees all in zee keek."
"All right." I was a bit hesitant. I kicked the bag
tentatively.
"Non non! Keek eet like eet ees bete noir!"
"Bete noir?"
"Just pretend eet ees someone you hate."
"All right." I imitated Antoine's kick. My foot hit the bag
square and hard and it started swinging and squeaking on the chain. A
ripple of malicious pleasure ripped through me. I could imagine
Robotnik doubling over, a dent in the flab of his stomach. It was a
nice thought and I smiled evilly.
Antoine screeched suddenly and his fist flew out and struck me
in the stomach. I felt my air forced out, my insides curl up and cry
out, and my knees hit the ground. I gasped painfully for several
minutes.
Antoine helped me up.
"What did you do that for?" I felt like crying, and realized
that I had been getting to like Antoine. He was a dork, an outcast, a
butt of jokes and rejection...we were alike. But now this.
"Dat was for zat time you cooked zee escargot an' Crepe
Suzettes all wrong. Dat smile reminded me of dat time."
I vaguely remembered that. I think I had been loaded or
something that day. Don't get me wrong. I'm not an alcoholic. I don't
need it all the time, just when the pain is too bad to cope with. It
beats bloodying my fists by banging on the walls like Robotnik.
"Well, I'm sorry about that." I coughed. "But you're much too
sensitive. I mean, you almost told all that day."
"I could not help eet," growled Antoine. "All dat food
ruin-ed!" he screeched and I winced, but this time he took his anger
out on the bag. Good. I didn't escape Robotnik and Naugus to get more
beatings.
"I am sorry," apologized the fox. "I should not have done dat."
I silently agreed, but accepted his apology.

Later that day, I asked Bunnie where I could get some new clothes.
"Why wear any?" she jokingly said. Then she laughed. "Ya'd
better ask, Sally-gal. She'll get ya set up."
So I headed for Sally's hurt, where I knocked on the door. I
heard footsteps coming and I felt anxiety flutter through my stomach.
I was looking down at my feet when the door opened. Sally's
voice floated out.
"Yes?"
I looked up, feeling shy. Which was a bit unusual. Contrary to
popular belief, I am not a shy person. But at this moment, with
Sally's deep blue eyes upon me, I felt nervous sweat dot my forehead.
"Yes?" she repeated.
"Uh...clothes," I said.
She stared at me.
"Clothes, I need new clothes."
"What's wrong with those ones?" she demanded.
"Well...wearing these is like walking around with a flag of
Robotropolis."
She looked me over and my breathing got shallow just like the
night before when Bunnie had taken off her jumpsuit. I guess it was
the fact she was female and she was standing so close to me. I could
feel the waves of... "woman-ness", I suppose you could call it...
emanating off from her. It stuck me hard, and I realized how little I
truly saw of women. Not that any would want me.
"...available." I realized she had been speaking and I jumped.
"What?"
"Rotor. He might have some clothes available."
"Rotor?"
"Our inventor and mechanic."
I looked blank.
"Um...the walrus...he's a bit...hefty."
I recalled who the walrus was. "Um...I think his clothes would
be too big."
"Look...then adjust them to fit," she said, impatience in her
voice. She gave me a dismissing smile and shut the door in my face.

I peered warily into the workshop and heard some crude off-key
singing, and saw the walrus tinkering with a robot. I felt a bit
stupid, asking this fellow for clothes. I was about to tiptoe away
when he said, "Hey there...uh...what's up?"
He was nervous, and that made me feel better. "I was wondering
if you had any clothes I could have."
"Yeah, but they'll be big."
"That's fine." I knew how to sew...a little. Just mostly how
to hem and shorten and mend holes.
He shrugged and went to a back room in the workshop. He came
back with a few pairs of pants and shirts and handed them to me.
I thanked him and left.

"Ya sure you trust faggot-boy?"
"Yes. And watch your mouth."
Geoffrey and Sally were walking ahead of me. My hand was
enclosed in Sally's because I couldn't see. They had me blindfolded as
we left Knothole.
Sally didn't trust me enough obviously. When they removed the
blindfold I saw we were standing on the outskirts of Nagotropolis.
Though I knew we were going there, I still got a shock. I backed away.
"Snively, you sure you can do it?" Sally asked, looking at me.
I gulped a little. "Yes, of course."
"Geoff will be with you," said Sally reassuringly, but I was
not comforted. I didn't WANT Geoff with me. The stinky ass had been
tailing me the entire week and I was sick of it. But I nodded.
"Ok, the plan," said Sally.
I sighed a little. She'd already repeated the plan two times.
Must think I'm stupid or something. "Break into the top secret files,
Snively. Uncle Chuck can't get into them, but you can." Her tone said
'you'd better'. "And then get out of there." She handed me a
multi-disk and I shoved it into the pocket of my new outfit. It was a
cute little pilot-suit thing, with lots of pockets. It was a light
gray color.
"I'm going to be with Uncle Chuck. We're going to listen in on
Nagus and Robotnik. Good luck."
She loped down the hillside and disappeared into the thick
smog that hung like a curtain over the city.
Geoff whistled. "She's hot, ain't she?" He whirled to look at
me. "Ain't she? I'd give my stripes ta get between those legs." He
shoved me. "You are a fag, aren't you? You can't tell me you don't
want a piece of that."
"You're old enough to be her father," I accused. "And so am I.
So, no. I don't want a 'piece'."
"So what? I'm NOT her pops."
I started down the hill. He followed, still blabbing about
Sally. I was convinced even more that he was the world's biggest
pervert. I tuned him out of my hearing and concentrated instead on
making my way through the junkpiles that surrounded the city.
When we had cleared the junk and were standing near the side
of a sleek metal building, I turned to my unwanted escort.
"Now..." I had to force the next words through my teeth, "...
you have to stay close to me."
"Gladly, li'l buddy." Geoff rested his hand on the top of my
head. "Hey, yer the perfect height ta..."
I pulled away. "...to put a fist in your crotch, yes. You
don't want to be spotted, do you? No? Then shut up and follow me. Or
stay behind. That's even better."

I wasn't used to traveling the city via air ducts, but I made
it to a room with a computer. It was one of my old labs. Geoff amused
himself by looking around the lab, while I broke into the computer
system in record timing.
"Snively," came Sally's voice through my headset. "How's it going?"
"I just got into the system," I muttered.
"All right. Charles and I are watching Robotnik and Naugus."
As I typed I wondered how many times they'd spied on Robotnik
and I. No wonder they always knew when to attack. When I got the city
back...if I got the city back...I would create 'bots to patrol the air
ducts.
"Here's a new file," I announced. "It's Naugus', I assume."
--Password:-- The screen blinked insistently. I typed in a few
futile tries like 'magic' and 'void', but none worked.
--Open program: CODECRACKER.-I typed.
The program popped onto the screen and I set it into motion.
--First digit: locked.- It was a three. The screen flashed
with numbers.
"What's goin' on?" demanded Geoff.
"I opened one of the programs to crack codes. It'll get me
into this file."
"I thought passwords were words." Geoff was looking at the
number three which was blinking in the upper left of the screen.
"Well," I began, hoping I could explain to St. Braindead, "You
can enter in a password. For example, say I want to password a file.
So I use the word 'retard'..., " I gave Geoff a pointed look, "...as
my password."
"I follow," he said.
"Well, each password is assigned a number pattern. So, you
could enter either the numbers or the word you chose to unlock the
file. The word just makes it easier to remember, because the number
pattern can be twenty digits long. This program figures out the number
pattern."
"How long will it take?" he demanded.
"I don't know." I rubbed the back of my head, a nervous habit.
"But there's a problem. The CODECRACKER program is easily detected
while it's in use."
--Second digit in place.- A flashing eight appeared beside
the three.
Ten minutes passed and the third digit had been discovered.
But there could be one more...or seventeen more.
I didn't know what Robotnik was doing at the moment, but I was
thankful he wasn't very attentive to the computer. He was probably
munching doughnuts and drinking coffee. Or walking around with the
head of a dog. Naugus loved doing those shapechanging tricks. I
laughed.
"What? Ya got the code?" Geoff leaned over my shoulder to
stare at the screen. His hot breath was unpleasant on my neck and he
smelled muskier than ever. I wondered how often he bathed.
"What's Robotnik doing?" I asked Sally via headset.
"He's on the computer," she replied. I could hear an older
voice talking to her; Uncle Chuck, I assumed, and I thought I heard
Naugus' raspy chuckle in the background.
--Fourth digit in place.-
Geoff banged the flat of his hand against my chair. The
vibration tingled my spine.
"Dammit, how long?"
"I don't know."
"Ya should know! You were always on these computers!" His
fists clenched; I cowered out of habit and whined.
"I never had to hack into the files! I always knew the
passwords!"
"That's because yer a traitor," growled the skunk, referring
to the Acorn Kingdom. I rolled my eyes.
The coup of Mobotropolis was so long ago...back when I was
young and had hair and was stupider than now...seventeen long years
ago.
"Traitors are supposed ta hang, and ya got off easily, ya
little faggot, just remember that. So don't mouth off."
I couldn't recall mouthing off, as he put it. Impatience made
him even more bad-tempered than usual. Reminded me of Robotnik.
--Fifth digit in place.-The five digit chain blinked...38103...
and then blinked out. Replacing the CODECRACKER program was Nuagus'
file, open and ready to download.
Geoff smirked in satisfaction and I inserted the multidisk.
--Download file to drive A:\.-
The computer whined as information went from the hard drive to the multidisk. A bar appeared on the screen, an indicator of how long it would take to download.
Static crackled in my ear and then Sally's voice came through,
low and urgent. "Snively, he's on to you! Pull out!" The bar was a
quarter full.
"Wait a second. I've almost got this file."
"Well, hurry," hissed Sally. "He's sent out SWATbots..."
The alarm lights went on and sirens buzzed.
Geoff grabbed my arm. "C'mon." His eyes flashed from red to
blue to red again, and I knew I looked the same way.
"No."
"C'mon!"
"No!" I struggled.
"Pull out! Repeat! Get out of there!" Sally's voice was still
low, but the screaming sirens empathized her panic.
"C'MON!!" hollered Geoffrey, and he yanked my arm hard. I held
onto the chair, screaming in protest and pain...he was going to tear
my arm off!
I heard SWATs coming down the corridor. Faintly. They were
still far off, but I knew they would be running.
--Transfer complete-The computer droned, and I ejected the
multidisk and shut down the computer to hide the evidence of my
tampering. The disk went into my pocket, and then the door was knocked
down and Geoff was fighting the 'bots and one of the stun rays hit
him, and he was out cold. Sally was hissing in my ears and I fled for
the air ducts.
Metal hands closed around me and I struggled.
"Let me go!" I tried kicking the 'bot, tried punching it. It
only hurt my fists.

They brought us down to the interrogation room. The bots
didn't secure Geoff, but they held me tight. That's because I was
awake...while Geoff did not pose a threat to them in his current state.
I heard the door slide open and the 'bot holding me turned. I
took in the room's new occupants...one fat tyrant-turned-lackey,
Robotnik, and one mean-looking wizard, Naugus. Naugus walked right up
to me. His wrinkly hand gripped my chin hard. He had a habit of
staring hard into your eyes.
"Ah, the little traitor returns," he rasped and his breath
washed over me. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"What are you doing here?"
"Nothing! Just uh...came back to get some of my things." Not
that I had anything worth returning for.
He looked to Geoff. "And who is this?"
"I don't know." I hoped he would think the SWATs caught us
separately. That we weren't connected.
"He's a Freedom Fighter, master," offered Robotnik timidly.
"Is that true?" Nagus's red/orange eyes looked at me.
"I don't know. I don't know him."
Nagus looked ready to believe me, but Robotnik butted in. Damn him.
"He's joined the Freedom Fighters, master."
"Is that true?" Naugus asked again.
"No." I gave Robotnik my best 'yer crazy' look.
"Shall I interrogate him, master?" Robotnik asked in an eager
voice. I stuck my tongue out at him.
"No," rasped Nagus. "No need for that." His claw began to glow.
I knew what was coming and I struggled. But the SWATs held me
tight. "No!" I whined. "No!"
Orange and yellow magic crackled around the claw. "Are you a
Freedom Fighter?"
Then the magic lashed out, swarming onto me.
It felt like fire through my veins. It was fire! No...when my
eyes swept over my body, I saw my skin was not burning. But the
terrible energy felt like my nerves were exploding and my skin
bubbling and melting inside.
I screamed.
I thought I heard Robotnik laughing. Nagus repeated his
question. I barely acknowledged but wailed, "Yes! Yesssss I AM!!"
The magic faded. The SWATs held me around the waist...I hugged
my body, almost hysterically. But it did nothing to soothe me. But
suddenly my eyes widened. My hand had touched something in one of my
pockets. Of course!
It was the remote Robotnik had given me a long time ago. It
could control 'bots, including the SWAT holding me...
"Where is Knothole?" demanded Nagus, after a whispered
conference with his lackey. Geoffrey started moaning. He was coming
back to the world.
I said nothing.
The magic crackled. I cried, "I won't give away Knothole!"
And then Geoff sat up. Robotnik and Naugus looked towards him,
and I took the distraction to draw out my remote. Seconds later, the
SWAT released me and stood still. Geoff shoved past Naugus and I
followed.
"C'mon traitor!" Geoff hissed. He allowed me to run ahead of
him, and he wouldn't let me stop. He was a little overeager to get me
out of there.

When we reached Knothole, Geoff was silent, hovering in the
background as I gave the disk to Sally. She asked me what was on it
and I told her I didn't know. I hadn't looked at it.
She walked off towards her hut and Geoff popped back into the
foreground. His black hand shot out and grabbed my skinny arm. He
squeezed crushingly hard and then swept my legs out from under me. I
hit the ground hard. Then his boot kicked me in the ribs. It hurt and
I started whining.
He reached down, grabbed my nose, and pulled me to my feet. I
tried to punch him, while gasping for breath, but he grabbed my fists.
"Stop it!" I yelled. "Let go of me!"
"You traitor," he hissed. "You gave away Knothole!"
Before I could protest, he was dragging me off to one of the
huts. It was a newer hut...the thatch was golden instead of the faded
brown-gray like the rest.
Geoff didn't knock. He just barged in, dragging me by the back
of the collar. My toes scraped against the ground.
King Acorn was seated in a chair and he looked up at our arrival. "Bad news?" he asked upon seeing me. He was holding a jeweled scepter in his hands.
"I'm afraid KnotHole's newest citizen has betrayed out trust."
King Acorn rose up. "Release him." Geoff did, and I indignantly brushed myself off.
"He gave away KnotHole," accused Geoff.
"I did not!"
The king looked very calm. "Your proof?"
"I heard him. We got captured in the city and I got knocked
out. I woke up to hear him telling Naugus where Knothole was."
"He's lying!" I burst out. "I told them I wouldn't give away
Knothole! They don't know where it is. I didn't tell them!" The king
had always seemed so calm and composed. I didn't have time to react
because it happened fast. One second the king had the scepter poised
up, calmly, and the next second he clubbed me with it. Right across
the face. I crashed down to the floor and curled up to protect my
stomach. The club descended on my back and shoulders.
I tried to kick the king. It was a mistake. I didn't hit him
and I exposed my stomach. The scepter slammed into my belly, as brutal
as a baseball bat. My innards smashed against my spine, my cries
caught in my throat. My fingers strained at the air helplessly. I
curled up again before he could hit me again.
Geoff kicked me and I heard the king clear his throat. The
chair squeaked as he sat back down and I heard a thump. He'd set the
scepter down on his desk, I guess. The crazy bastard.
Tears felt strangely hot on my face, and I felt blood...even
hotter, bubbling out of my mouth. My teeth had cut the inside of my
cheek.
"Then it's settled." I heard the flick of a match and smelled
the tang of smoke. I looked up to see who was the smoker. Both of
them. The king with a cigar and Geoff with a long cigarette.
Everybody did something harmful to their bodies. Me with my
booze and my apathy...letting everybody beat me around...them with
their cigars and blackened lungs.
"It's settled," the king repeated. "There will be no trial. He
will be hung. I should've done so in the first place."
Geoff opened a closet. From my position on the floor, I could
see his feet and tail. He reached for something. And then I saw a long
trailing length of rope.
I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth. The blood smeared
over my cheek. I knew from experience that my teeth would be slimey
red with it. Robotnik had hit me in the face plenty of times.
I pushed myself into a sitting position. It sent needles...no,
more like knife stabs...of pain through me. Right up through my
stomach to the base of my spine. I felt sick.
Then Geoffrey grabbed me and we left the hut.

A while later, King Acorn and Geoffrey had the rope strung
over a tree limb, the end tied into a noose. It wasn't a proper
gallows. Geoff would hold onto the free end of the rope and pull me
off the ground.
I sighed. Didn't matter if it was proper or not. It would
still keep the air out of me.
I wondered briefly if I would die from air not getting IN.
Maybe it was the other way. Perhaps the hanged died because air
couldn't get OUT. But either way they died.
We had passed by Sally's hut on the way to the tree. She
hadn't even looked out the window. Real attentive, that one. She'd
been focused entirely on her hand-held computer. Opening the file I'd
downloaded, I guess. King Acorn directed me to the noose and lifted
the rope necklace up and placed it around my neck. For a brief second
I felt like a prince receiving his father's crown and mantle.
"For betraying the location of KnotHole...a feat equal to
TREASON!!...this man will hang." The small crowd around us gasped.
The king nodded solemnly at Geoff. I closed my eyes, feeling
the pounding of my heart, my mind pleading and sobbing. I was
terrified and my fear sparkled down my cheeks.
It's the end. The blissful end. No pain ever. It was a
tempting thought. Lord knows...be it the Mobian lord or the Earth lord
or any lord at all...they knew I'd suffered. Suffered my entire
wretched life.
Death meant no pain. No pain ever ever ever...
But then I realized how addicted I was to pain as my feet left
the ground.
Hanging...or any sort of strangulation... is not as quick as
it looks in the movies. I must of hung for a full two minutes,
struggling like a fish, a hook ripped through its lip. My eyes bulged
and my throat was going numb. My lungs stretched and screamed, the
trapped air inside straining for a way out. My veins ached, every
single vessel...from the smallest capillary to the largest artery.
I felt my feet kicking. They seemed far off. Unimportant. All
the agony was in my chest and head.
Then I heard screaming. Just as I blacked out I felt the
sensation of dropping to the ground...something striking me...no me
striking something...the ground...
And then all was dark.

"I'm dead." My voice sounded slurred. Was I drunk? No! That
bastard. The crazy old coot. He almost killed me!
I drew in quick frantic breaths, and then slowed down,
relishing the feel of air swirling into my lungs.
"Snively? You ok?" I felt a warm hand on my forehead. It felt
so good. I took it in my hands and kissed it...the silky palm, the
slender fingers...the sweet vanilla smell of the fur.
I opened my eyes to see Sally looming over me. I released her
hand. Damn! Now I felt stupid. I saw Bunnie sitting on a bed, looking
concerned.
I suddenly wished it was her crouching beside me. Her hand I
kissed.
"I'm fine," I rasped. My neck burned and I touched it with a
tentative hand. Rope burns.
The beast reared up again. My rage, clawing its way up my
throat...I tried to close it in the cage of my teeth, but it was too
late. "Where is he?!" I hollered. "Where is that fucking bastard!?"
Sally grabbed my hands. "Calm down!"
I ignored her and screamed. Too angry. Can't calm...I cursed
her out. Bunnie took Sally's place, trying to calm me...nice try. The
beast had found an outlet through my voice and this little fool rabbit
thought she could force the beast back in? I couldn't even keep it in!
She tried to shush me by lying her fingers against my lips,
but it didn't work. I don't have control...not now...
"Shush, shush now, hon," Bunnie whispered soothingly. Then she
leaned forward. Her lips brushed mine for a moment. It wasn't a
sensual kiss. More like a motherly peck. But firecrackers exploded
throughout my veins and heat suddenly flushed all over my body. I
hoped I wasn't blushing...she couldn't know how much that peck had
affected me.
No! It couldn't be. It wasn't her. It was just my brush with
death. Bunnie smiled and that sight was so wondrous I almost gasped. I
never dreamed a furry...a stupid animal...no! It's my imagination...no
animal is that beautiful.
"You're fine then?" asked Sally. She was all business now. Or
all bitch. I snickered...ow! I clutched my belly in pain.
"Yes, except your father beat the crap out of me before he
tried to kill me. Where's the doctor around here?"
She frowned. "I was hoping you could make it to the meeting."
I must admit...I almost lost it again. So nonchalant...how
could she be so DAMN insensitive? I thought these Freedom Fighters
were caring...compassionate...the exact opposite of ole Julian... But
no! Sally was being just like my uncle. I had nearly DIED for God's
sake, and she wanted me to...go to meetings? My recovery had to fit
HER schedule...
"Well...I am in agonizing pain, but I suppose I can sit and
drink tea and play a little bridge."
Sally frowned.
"I need some painkillers, NOW, princess, if you don't mind." I
stared her square in the eye. She was frowning harder. Didn't believe
her wonderful father could do such a brutal thing.
Then she nodded slightly. "All right. I won't call the meeting
yet. Not till you're checked out."

"I'm touched, princess," I said as we headed towards the
infirmary. "Postponing your meeting for me."
"You got the file. You oughta know what's on it." She sounded
polite in that forced way...when you really want to tell a person to
go fuck theirself. Well, piss on her. Wasn't my fault her father was a
fucking lunatic. The Void must've done it to him. He wasn't nearly so
fruity when he was king.
"So...is this doctor certified?"
"He's the best we have. He was a doctor for my father."
"Great. Now I know I won't come out alive," I muttered.

We entered the infirmary...by this time I was walking very
painfully. The doc was a duck. His tag read "Quack". Doctor Quack, eh?
The name seemed stupid...like some kind of bad pun. The guy probably
was a crackpot.
"What's the problem?" he asked me.
"I need some painkillers. King Acorn beat me up."
"Really?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes, really."
"Hokay. Follow me."
He wanted to examine me. I thought it was unnecessary. I just
wanted the pills. But he insisted. I had to wrap myself up in a sheet
because they didn't have those stupid paper robes. Then I had to lay
down on a metal table.
I was glad Geoff wasn't here. The sicko would probably try to
molest me. As it was, Doctor Quack poked and prodded my stomach. I
felt like punching him. He kept jabbing me, hard enough to make me
start whining.
Stupid prick. I knew my poor body was bruised, especially my
back and stomach, and this doc was being just as nonchalant as the
princess about it. But I was the traitor, wasn't I? They didn't have
to treat me with respect.
I deserve it, I suppose. I'd never treated them with respect...
much less kindness...
"You got a few scars on your stomach," said the good doc.
"It's from surgery," I said.
"I could tell. From what? Don't look so hostile. It's doctor's
curiosity."
"It was to repair internal bleeding," I sighed.
"The medics did a good job," he remarked. "You can barely see
the scars."
"I won't be wearing any midriff shirts anyway."
"You'll have some bruising and probably pain for a few days,
but nothing's serious." He poked a gloved finger into my mouth to
check out the wound my teeth had made.
So, I made it to the meeting with a wad of gauze in my mouth
and loaded with painkillers.

While people filed into the meeting hall/courtroom, I talked
to Sally.
"Why aren't I dead? How come His Majesty stopped his lynching?"
"I stopped him because he had no proof. We cut you down. He
had only Geoffrey's word...and you were blindfolded, you couldn't of
known the location anyway. Just the same, I sent word to Uncle Chuck
to get proof of whether or not you did give it away."
I hoped Uncle Chuck wasn't a liar.
"Well, thank you," I said. She nodded, but her eyes were
impatient. She didn't like me. Tough shit. I didn't care for Ms. Pert
n' pretty myself.
"All right, group," said Sally. "Got some disturbing news."
She looked very solemn behind the podium. I was glad to be sitting in
the crowd instead of in front of everyone. Not that anyone sat near me.
They all sat as far away from me as possible.
Geoff came in, his flat blue eyes swiping the room. They saw
me and a sickening grin spread over his face. The bastard sat down
behind me. I could smell his musky stomach-turning scent. It hung in
the air like an insult...and I was insulted. Insulted by the brute
following me around.
Antoine sat next to me, looking worried. "Zee princess, she
ees not having that light in her eyes. These ees bad." He chewed on
his claws nervously.
Geoffrey kicked the back of his chair.
"He ees a disgrace to zee royal guard," growled the tailless fox.
"Yer a disgrace, Ant. You wimp." Geoff kicked his chair again.
Sally glared over at us, her eyes laying the blame on me. I sighed.
"We've uncovered," she paused to elaborate, "Geoffrey,
Snively, and myself uncovered this top secret file and I've discovered
Naugus' newest plan. It's...it's twisted... I don't think he's
necessary after us...he just wants to test his magical capacity."
"Tell us, mah princess!"
"He's planning to deroboticize some people..."
There were a few cheers, but she rose her voice. "But not for
good! Not for good purposes! Nicole...display."
A holograph shimmered in the air. There was a crude drawing of
a beast...but looking closer, I saw it was lots of furries molded
together into this horror.
"This is what Naugus is going to do. Use his magic to..."
Sally held her hands out and then brought them together. "...to smoosh
them all together."
There were gasps from the crowd.
Geoffrey whistled. "That's quite a trick, luv. Ya think he can
do it?"
"It doesn't matter if he can or can't. If he deroboticizes
them, then we have to rescue them! Just think of how many new citizens
we'd have!"
The crowd was getting riled up. I felt this pang...of guilt?
But it was almost a pleasurable guilt...like a woman eating the
forbidden chocolate treat while on a strict diet...it was I who had
roboticized...it was I who had released Naugus...it was I who had
caused their troubles.
My eyes narrowed. Who cares. These stupid animals weren't my
friends anyway. They were even stupider if they thought so. I turned
to glare hatefully at Geoff, whose kicking had transferred from Ant's
chair to mine.
And then the meeting was over.
But not for everybody. Oh no. I was one of the privileged. I
was one of the rescue team. I looked around the scant population of
the room. There was Sally and her father, heatedly arguing. I smiled
almost smugly...they were arguing about me.
"I don't believe him, daddy! You know Geoffrey
overexaggerates. There's no proof that he told."
"I don't want that traitor...," King Acorn's accusing eyes
glanced up to stab at me. I looked as innocent as possible, "...to go
with you. Not until Charles says he's innocent. It's too risky."
"All right. He won't go till then."
King Acorn laid a gentle kiss on his daughter's forehead.
Also in the room was Sonic, who was tapping his feet
impatiently.
"Gonna spoil the mission, aren't ya, mate?" Geoffrey was
mouthing off to the hedgehog. I suspected Geoff was just going along
to keep his beady eyes on me. He couldn't be of any other use.
Bunnie and Antoine were seated near each other, their faces
very close. Discussing the mission maybe, or maybe brushing lips.
Probably the latter.
For second I felt a twinge of envy for Antoine. Oh, to be
inches from Bunnie's face...feel her soft whiskers on my skin, her
eyes, the color of light on newborn leaves, gazing into mine...I loved
the way one of her ears flopped down onto her cheek. It was like a
skein of golden-brown silk.
I rubbed the back of my head, and tried to push those thoughts
away. Bunnie is an enemy. An animal. Animals and humans don't mix.

I didn't really listen to the rest of the meeting. I didn't
have a big part anyway. I was just back-up. I was too busy trying to
banish my thoughts on Ms. Rabbot.
God...through the entire meeting I kept glancing at the
unwanted invader of my thoughts. I rubbed my head nervously. No. I did
not care for Bunnie. In any way. I did not want her. In any way.
I sipped in a long breath of air. It felt cool sliding into my
lungs. But the rest of me felt hot.
I was burning up.

I was sleeping. Wrapped up in a sheet. The room was still dark
when two hands grabbed my shoulder and shook. I didn't want to wake
up. I was having one of those mystical hazy erotic sort of dreams, and
I was jerked out of it.
"Wake up, hon." Bunnie's whispering was like an extension of
my dream. I slowly opened one eye and saw Bunnie leaning over me. Her
pink nose and soft lips were right there. I closed my eyes.
"What time is it?" I groaned.
"It's 6:00."
I groaned again. Then I felt something soft tickling my ear.
It was Bunnie's whiskers. She giggled and I jumped, falling off the
couch. My leg hit Bunnie's and she tripped, falling on top of me. She
was heavy from the robotic limbs.
Her eyes widened a little and the pink inside of her ears got
darker...like blushing. I felt the heat rush into my cheeks...oh my...
we were in the perfect position to...
No! I smiled weakly as Bunnie laughed and climbed off. I slid
back up onto the couch and rubbed the back of my head.
"We got news from Sugah-Chuck last night. Ya were already in
bed. But Chuck said that ya didn't give away Knothole."
"No kidding."
"So ya can come on this mission. We gotta git there early, ya
know. 'Cause the deroboticization is supposed ta happen around 9:00."
Great. I was so excited.

I was picking at my breakfast. It was a fruitbowl... I
avoided the cantaloupe and honeydew melon, but the watermelon I
scarfed up. I also downed the grapes and strawberries.
I was eating my breakfast all by my lonesome self, perched on
the log by the pool. I allowed my gaze to travel over the still
waters. Why had Geoffrey yelled at Antoine for bringing me down here?
I heard the stomping of feet coming my way.
"Sally! The hedgehog dressed up like a SWATbutt? I'm the
slyest of the sly, the quietess of the quiet! I won't get spotted."
"Sonic." Sally's voice was impatient and they came into my
view and stood looking at the pool. "Me and you and Bunnie are going
to dress up like SWATbots. The other three are back-up. That's final!
And if you don't like the plan then stay behind!"
Sonic's face was stormy and he turned to me. "Get out of here,
Needlenose. This is a private conversation!"
"Leave him alone. And quit changing the subject. Are you going
along with the plan or not?"
"Parade around in a bunch of metal," grumbled the blue blur.
"ARE YOU?" Sally's voice was no-nonsense.
"Ok ok, Sal. But just for you." Sonic managed a sweet smile.
"Thank you."
I stared down at the ground as they kissed. Then a light crept
over the ground, killing the shadows around my feet. I thought it was
only sunlight through the trees, but it got brighter and brighter. I
looked up and saw a golden ring spinning in the air above the water.
The pool was disturbed...the ring must've come from the water!
Sally reached out and snatched the ring as it fell, and then
placed it into Sonic's backpack. I watched in interest. It was a power
ring! Something Robotnik had drooled at the thought of. We'd gotten
our hands on one a couple of times. So they came out of the pool? But
how? I peered into the water, but saw only the reflections of the
trees.
Sally and Sonic walked off. I dipped my fingers into the
water. It was cold. I decided I'd swim down and see where the rings
came from. But not today.
I sat back down and finished my breakfast.

So there we were in Robotropolis again. Bunnie and Sally and
Sonic had trashed three of the bots standing guard along one of the
Robotroplian streets. Dressed in SWATbot armor, the three Freedom
Fighters had taken the destroyed 'bots' place. Me, Antoine, and
Geoffrey St. Dick were standing in a nearby alleyway. I was diverting
any SpyEyes that came near with my remote.
Sally had contact with us via a headset that Antoine was
wearing. She also had contact with Uncle Chuck.
Why call him uncle if he was only related to Sonic? I wondered.
I guessed they considered themselves a big family. Ooh. How sweet. It
made me sneer. My family. Puh. My father was an abusive alcoholic who
thought he deserved respect. My uncle...he was a piece of crap.
"What's your problem?" demanded Geoffrey. He shoved me. I
slammed into the alleyway wall and felt pain stab through my shoulder.
I head Sally's voice over Antoine's headphones. The fox
listened for a few moments. I caught the word 'deroboticized' and then
Antoine turned to us.
"Dey are derobticize-ed. Dey will be coming down theese street.
We stay here..." He gave Geoff a hard stare. "...while Son-eek an'
mah princess an' bonne et bell Bunnie rescue dem. We only go out eef
der ees trouble. Understanding?"
"Understanding, mate," drawled Geoffrey.
I nodded.

So we waited. Antoine got fidgety. He was very nervous, but
was trying to hide it. I wasn't feeling so hot myself.
"Wimp," said Geoffrey. "Never shoulda come. Cracks like an egg
under pressure."
"Did you know...that when pressure is applied to both ends of
an egg it doesn't break?"
"No. An' who cares?" Geoffrey rewarded my interesting fact by
pulling my hair. Not that I had much of it. Only a few sparse strands.
I couldn't bear to cut them off. Even though they were a painful
reminder of the hair I had loved.
"Maybe mah fathair will be one," mumbled Antoine.
"Your father was roboticized?"
Geoffrey rapped his knuckles on my head. "You oughta know, faggot."
"I didn't do all the roboticizations, and besides we
roboticized thousands. I don't remember everyone."
Ant's green-blue eyes looked sad. "I hope mah fathair ees der."
"So cueball, what happened to yer pops?" asked Geoff.
"He died," I said.
"Ya sound happy 'bout it. Ya killed him, didn't ya?"
"No." I frowned. "But I should have."
Geoff's muzzle crinkled with a malicious grin. "Ah, I get it.
He hit you around, didn't 'e? Whoo! Did 'e make you a faggot? 'E did,
didn't 'e? Oooof..." Geoff's taunting broke off as I punched him in
the groin. He moaned and slumped against the wall.
"Quiet!" hissed Antoine.
Sally's voice came over again. "They're coming. We're going to
move...remember don't do anything unless we're in trouble!"

I peeped out of the alleyway. Geoff's hand lighted on my
collar. He thought I was going to jump out or something. I wasn't. Ant
wasn't as worried. "What do you see, Snip-ley?"
I didn't correct him, but stated what I saw. "There's a group
of SWATs coming...they're leading the uh...deroboticizees. Our group
is still standing still."
When the SWATs came closer, our team broke free from their
guard positions. The deroboticizees were in a double row formation
behind them. They screamed as laser fire broke out. It was directed at
our team.
One of ours blocked a laser beam with a forearm. Another team
member kicked a hole in a SWATbot.
"They in trouble?" asked Geoff.
"No."
Although our team looked exactly like SWATbots, I could tell
them apart. Even when our team was in the thick of the fight. Their
movements were more graceful, more fluid. The SWATs moved fast, but
controlled. They didn't twist and dodge nearly as much...so it wasn't
hard to keep an eye on ours.
And they were doing good. The SWAT team of ten was already
outnumbered by our three!
Our team ripped the legs off one, and beat the other's head in
with them. I looked around nervously; not even Robotnik at his laziest
could miss this much commotion. And I knew more than one SpyEye would
get past my remote to record the scene.
The deroboticizees were also a problem; they were far from
cooperating. I didn't blame them for trying to flee...they didn't know
what the hell was going on. Geoff was jostling to get past me, and I
let him.
The sight of him calmed some of the deroboticizees...if they'd
known his personality they would've all ran. Then our team pulled off
their saucer-shaped helmets and further soothed the group of ex-robots.
"Come on," said Sally. "Follow us. We know the way out."
Glad for some direction, the ex-robots followed us. Sonic was
complaining as we ran. Boo hoo hoo...I can't run in this...this cramps
my style...blah. I wanted to smack him across his loudmouth face. He'd
been irritating to me when I was a Robotroplian; now he was unbearable.
But despite Sonic's complaints, we made good time. We were
picking our way through the junkpiles when I felt it. I didn't know
what it was exactly. Some sound or feeling. Like a vibration in my
bones. I looked at my companions to see if they felt it...weren't
animals supposed to have better senses than humans? Apparently not.
They weren't feeling it, and if they were, they weren't showing it.
Then I realized what it was. Around Robotnik, you felt a heavy ominous
hum in the air. His aura! Around Sally, it was a leadership aura! With
Bunnie, it was this air of kindness. That's what this was. An aura. A
magical hum. Naugus.
"He's here!" I cried.
Geoff gave me one of those 'isn't he silly' looks, but Sally
looked over, her eyes anxious. "Who's here?"
"Naugus!"
"Oh sure," leered Geoff.
"He is!" I insisted.
We kept going, and unfortunately Geoff was proven wrong. We
rounded a bend in the maze of junk and there he was. Naugus doesn't
look threatening. He's short (though not as short as me), and hunched
over and looks like a monster some little kid would draw. Pointy teeth
and a horn on his head and a thick cumbersome tail. But I knew better.
I knew he wasn't harmless. He was the most powerful creature I'd ever
met. And he is an enemy. Great.
"What are you doing, Freedom Fighters?" he demanded.
"What's it look like, lame brain?" The hedgehog shot back.
Naugus looked amused. "The quickfoot! Your speed is amazing."
He smiled crookedly. "These good people volunteered to help me with a
project, and now you're taking them away? That is quite rude."
"Can it," interrupted Geoffrey. "Let us pass."
"If I do not?"
"Then we shall attack," said Sally grimly.
"I think not, princess!" Naugus laughed his raspy laugh and
aimed his claw at Sally. A blazing energy bolt ripped towards her.
"No!" Bunnie threw herself sideways, taking the blast. Her
SWATbot suit clattered around her, broken right off her body. She
groaned and flopped to the ground.
"Bunnie!" The cry came from my mouth. I hardly recognized it.
And then I was running towards her. That armor had shattered off her...
had her body shattered as well? When I reached her I was whimpering in
fear for her. My hands rested on her wrist, finding a pulse, and I
looked up, relieved. Antoine had just reached her too, and our eyes
met. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and lighting flashed between
our two open windows and then Antoine drew his lip between his teeth
and his windows slammed shut. His hands grabbed Bunnie's possessively.
I backed off.
I heard Naugus laugh and then a bolt was heading for Antoine.
Sally was herding the deroboticizees to safety while Naugus was
distracted. Sonic was ripping off his SWATbot armor, his expression
fierce. That one loved to fight. I saw it all in this weird slow
motion. And then my legs were pushing me off the ground. My body in
front of Ant's...the bolt of magic dazzling my eyes. Why I leapt...I
don't know. To fool the Freedom Fighters into thinking I was loyal to
them? Loyal enough to take blows for them? Or did I really care?
It was too hard to think. The magic hit me like a fist
enclosed in cement and I reeled backwards. My nerves ached...my brain
cramped up, muscles locked. My body felt like one big open wound, the
magic like salt rubbed into it. I must've fallen to the ground. I felt
it beneath me, hard as my cot in Robotropolis.
I heard pitiful whimpering sounds. They were coming from me, I
realized. Then I heard Sonic's loud voice yelling and Naugus
responding back, wheezy laughter in his voice.
"Don't worry, 'Twan. I got 'im."
I couldn't see a thing. I'm blind, I thought absently. Pain
usually blocks out any worries. Turns them into distance memories. But
when the pain fades, those worries loom up. But right now the
whiteness that filled my vision was unimportant. Only the pain
mattered. And the two strong arms that suddenly lifted me and cradled
me to a strong chest.
We were moving. I heard Naugus exclaiming about Sonic's speed.
He sounded angry. Sonic was laughing and taunting, which was no big
surprise to me. My rescuer was running now. I clung to his chest and
realized it was Geoffrey. But it didn't matter.
"Bunnie," I whispered.
"Ant's got 'er," drawled the skunk, his voice jarred as he ran.
Oh good. That was very good. She was safe. I closed my eyes and my
white vision faded to black. I'd have to get more painkillers from the
good doc. And if he refused to give me any...then he was going to need
some himself...

"That was so brave of both of ya!" Bunnie's face was alight
with pride as she gazed at me and Antoine. Antoine thanked her with a
kiss, I with an embarrassed smile.
Antoine had some laundry to take down from the village's
clothesline and he left, not looking at me. Because he knew I had
affection for Bunnie.
I didn't realize how deep my affection for her was...not until
that moment when we exchanged looks over her injured body. I saw
Antoine's panic and disappointment and his fierce protectiveness over
her. And I saw...the shade of the same thing in my own eyes, reflected
back at me.
It was hard to believe...but even if it were true...Antoine
was being overly jealous. I wasn't going to take her away. Of course,
he did like the princess too, who was strictly tied to Sonic. I
realized he just couldn't bear to lose another beloved girl.
But he wouldn't. I glanced towards Bunnie's face. Or would he?
No. Bunnie was just fond of me. She was fond of everyone.
Antoine should have no worries of me taking her away. No one had ever
loved me anyway.
"Ya'all were really brave, ya know," she commented. "Ah was
raht. Ya'all ain't evil. Yer a true Freedom Fighta now, fer shore."
I couldn't look her in the eye. How could I tell this lovely
creature I would betray her? That I'd betray them all. That I wanted
to betray them all. My throat tightened. I'd told her my plans when
she'd first captured me. Before she'd brought me to Knothole, before
I'd stood trial. My plans...that I was going to be the Robotroplian
leader. But she didn't believe me. She didn't think I was evil, the
damn fool. What did she know?
Dammit! Why did she have to be so damn nice? It screwed me up.
It made my heart tremble with a bizarre and unsettling feeling.
She reached out to pat my arm.
"You ok, hon?"
"Yes," I replied, and then I left and ran down to the power
ring pool where only the silent trees could gaze at me.
I saw my reflection. It was not a reflection of evil. It
reflected a weak little human, fear and confusion woven into a
reed-thin body. Was I evil? Was it possible I was not? Could
Robotnik's damage to me be reversed? Or...or was I like a beaten dog,
turned mean permanently? No amount of love can bring it around again.
A leaf fell into the pool's surface. A baby leaf,
sunshine-green. Bunnie's eyes. I knelt and touched the leaf almost
reverently.
Bunnie, the shining one, a light amidst darkness. Who knows.
I'll wait for the future. When Naugus is brought down, I'll go
whatever way seems right.
Right now, with my hands cradling the baby leaf...the right
way seemed right here.
With the Freedom Fighters.

The End!