This is his representative?  Kelly almost wondered whether this was some sick joke.  Displayed on the small screen in Nack’s hovercraft was the face of a strange-looking human—the first of his kind Kelly had seen on Mobius.  His nose was large and long, and she had difficulty not letting it distract her.  He had all but no hair.  That in and of itself would hardly have been noticeable; but the sparse hairs he did have were thick and wiry, jutting out in all directions.  He had large, deep blue eyes that were always half-lidded and blinking slowly as if he were some snob.  His voice only worsened the effect: a nasal, tenor, posh British voice, his tone dropping off at the end of every sentence.  Snively, he called himself—a strange name, Kelly thought.  Not that Robotnik was much better.
       Kelly strove to wear her best game face as Snively finished explaining various details.  Apparently this Robotnik owned a city with his own name stamped on it.  He had proposed taking and “harboring” Kelly there, its resources at her disposal—providing she would contract to cause no harm to his forces.  He claimed to desire not her help, but merely a guarantee of no harm.
       She narrowed her eyes.  Snively had finished and now waited with a snooty expression to hear her response.  “I don’t get it,” she said at length.  “What’s in it for you?”
       “Well, Miss Bancroft,” he replied dully, “according to our readings, you are quite a force to be reckoned with.  It is not often, to say the least, that we see that much power in such concentration.”
       “Okay, so…?”
       “So, you absolutely guarantee at least neutrality, Miss Bancroft—and believe me, you are doing Dr. Robotnik a favor.”  His face grew severe.  “Providing,” he added firmly, “that you abide by your word.”
       Kelly crossed her legs elegantly.  “You’ll find, Snively—and the same goes to your boss, this Dr. Robotnik—that I can definitely be trusted.”
       Snively sneered.  “Let us hope so.”

       But in reality, it was Kelly who seemed to feel the most uneasiness in the matter.  As she stretched out silently on the furniture in the back of Nack’s craft hours later, listening to the soft hum of the engine as it soared effortlessly through the Mobian skies, she wondered more than once whether she had made the right decision.  She heaved a sigh, closing her eyes.  Red flags had been waving madly inside her since Nack mentioned this Dr. Robotnik.  Any other day, Kelly would've turned tail and run.  But there was that Sense.  The urge within her, something she had long learned to follow.  There was some reason behind this.  She couldn't fathom what.
       A moment later, she could hear Nack opening the door that separated the controls from the more comfortable section of the hovercraft.  He whistled a high, soft tune through his teeth, his boots making deep sounds with each step.  Then he stopped suddenly.  Kelly could feel his stare.  Now more cautious and quiet, he slipped back through the door into the front section.  Kelly opened her eyes in curiosity.  The door had been left just slightly ajar.  She could hear the weasel flop into a seat and switch on the communicator.
       “What is it Nack, you sorry scumbag?”  It was Snively, sounding less than pleased to have been disturbed.
       “Well, g’day to you too, Dicknose.  Another delayed lunch break, eh mate?”
       “Yes—that is, before you so rudely interrupted.”
       Kelly warily rose and neared the door, peering through.
       “Yeah, yeah,” Nack was saying, oblivious to her presence, “can the complaints, Snive-ly…I got a few o' my own.”
       “Oh, joy.” Snively’s eyes rolled back with a perturbed sigh.  “What now?”
       “Look, mate, this is crampin’ my style.  It wasn’t the original plan for me to be Mr. Aww-you-poor-sheila-let-me-help-you.  S’posed to be a quick job—knock the sheila out, tie ‘er up, and ship ‘er to you.”
       Snively wrinkled his nose and sniffed in protest.  “Who ever said it was my cup of tea to do all this?  As if dealing with your sorry ass isn’t bad enough…”
       “Well I tell yeh now, Sniv’, I’m chargin’ you blokes extra—this is pure insanity.”
       “Oh, are you?”  Snively drew out his words, glaring.  “And do you really think the fat man will go for it?”
       Nack chuckled--a deep, sly chuckle, and leaned back in his chair.  “Did it ever occur to your tiny brain that I got plenty of uses for this sheila meself?”
       Kelly stiffened angrily, and it was all she could do not to protest.  It was hard to tell whether Nack was lustful more for her or her powers—or both.
       “Don’t think I can’t evade you blokes,” Nack sneered.  “Not like I ain’t got tricks up my sleeves you couldn’t imagine.”
       “Don’t think you can hide so easily,” Snively replied, raising a brow challengingly.  “How do you think we—or rather, I—found you to begin with?”
       Nack shrugged.  “I never ‘ad a reason to keep you from findin’ me.”  He grinned wider.  “Not when ol’ Fat Ass coughs up all that money.”
       Snively wrinkled his nose slightly.  “You’ll have to take it up with him, weasel,” he grumbled.  “And until you arrive, he is not to be bothered unless it’s an emergency.”
       “Well tell ‘im it’s important, then.  I ain’t bringin’ lovely Miss Bancroft unless I’ve got a guarantee of a much lovelier amount of cash.  And I mean cash, mate.”
       “You have it, then," Snively spat, glaring in disgust.  “Now, shut the fuck up and deliver your cargo.”
       Before the weasel could reply, the screen went black.  Kelly quickly returned to the back and stretched out in the same position on the furniture before Nack could see.  She heaved a deep sigh, more of annoyance than anything else.  She knew she could take care of herself.  Besides, according to what Nack had told her a while ago, Robotropolis—their destination—was quite a ways from where the Floating Isle now was in its path around the planet.  She would have plenty of time to sleep and make plans.
       What troubled her was not a sense of worry, but an utter disappointment.  She remembered the gleam in Nack’s eye when he had first extended a gloved hand to her, and a sigh escaped her chest.  For once, it seemed someone was being helpful.  If Kelly were honest, she was beginning to fancy the handsome weasel.  All for nothing, apparently.
       As much as she had missed her home, not to mention a warm bed and three meals a day, Kelly had to admit that the break from her former life had been welcome.  For one of the few times in her life, no one knew or feared her merely for who she was.  She need not be wary of her enemy, or feel that none could be trusted.  Or so she had begun foolishly believing.  It shouldn’t have been surprising that it was short-lived.
       Kelly turned to her side, curling her tail warmly about her.  The corners of her mouth were turned down in a deep frown.  Once again she could trust nobody.  Once again she was merely an asset; a piece of property, a power source to be used and sought by all who lived in greed.  I should have known, she thought.  I should have known.