Endless expanses of forest continually passed by below the speeding cargo sled. A brief flicker of smog on the horizon gave away the position of Robotropolis itself. The city was getting closer.

"And that's the whole story, everything Ah know." Bunnie checked the dashboard guages, using it as an excuse to pause and collect her thoughts. "Ah still can't believe that Ah just told you."

Rotor wasn't very good at concealing his emotions. It was clear that he was horrified, even though he tried not to show it.

"Do you hate me?" The question was fast, simple.

"What? No - of course not!"

Bunnie couldn't help but think that he ought to.

"About ten minutes away from the Lower Mobius access tunnel," she said bleakly, for lack of anything else to say. For several moments, the only noise in the sled's passenger cabin was the steady hum of the hover engines.

Rotor stroked his chin thoughtfully, staring out the side window. "You know, that does explain a lot of things, though. Like your strength."

"Yeah?"

"I always just chalked it up to normal variations in system specs that exist in everyone that's been roboticized, but even then, you were always more than a little unusual." Rotor stared at her false left arm; he had slipped into full mechanic mode. "Most worker bots just have limbs that are nothing more than rods with joints attached. Your left arm's far too modular, too large, compared to any other worker bot out there. The legs are too bulky, too thick."

"Gee, thanks," Bunnie said dryly.

"I didn't mean it like that," Rotor said quickly. "I meant that the actual volume of your roboticized legs is too large. Much more complex components than any other worker bot I've had a chance to examine."

"It was the Laurentis roboticization that did that," she said balefully.

"Now, if Laurentis process is able to transmute muscle tissue with far more accuracy than a normal roboticizer - and give you more endurance through better oxygen distribution to boot - you'd have much more physical power than an ordinary worker bot." Rotor was completely absorbed in putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "Too many things are starting to make sense now. I remember back when we went to the crystal mine. You overpowered Uncle Chuck, another worker bot, using only one of your arms while he used both of his."

Bunnie peered out at the horizon, searching for the cave that would lead them into Lower Mobius. In reality it was just an excuse not to let her eyes meet his. She had wondered how long it would be before somebody figured it out.

"Or back when the rocket booster fell near Knothole," Rotor pressed on. "It would've taken a team of ordinary worker bots to lift that thing to even a slight angle. I always knew that was odd, but I never even figured that. something so horrible was behind it."

There, a small rocky crag just beyond a dense grove of trees. A cave hidden in there would take them directly to the old sewers, the system of tunnels which hid the underground city. Bunnie stared at it resolutely, determined not to let Rotor see the expression on her face at that moment. She swallowed down the lump in her throat.

Rotor's hand came to rest on Bunnie's organic arm. It felt warm. "Don't worry, Bunnie. We'll find a way to beat this transmitter, I'm sure of it. Laurentis will know."

"If he is down there," Bunnie sighed. "And if there is a way to uninstall it. Oh, Rotor, Ah want to believe you, but..."

"Don't say it. We will find a way."

Bunnie allowed piloting the sled to distract her from the conversation. She curved the cargo sled downward in a graceful arc, and into the cave.

They plunged into darkness.

***

The cargo sled slipped silently through the dark caves and unlit tunnels of the old sewer system, moving much slower than they had above ground, but because of the proximity of the rock walls seeming to go much faster. The bright beam of the sled's hood-mounted spotlight splashed across the surfaces ahead, guiding Bunnie around gentle curves and slopes in the tunnel.

The cargo sled's black radio handset reminded Bunnie, absurdly, of a type of licorice jellybean she had enjoyed as a kid. She picked it up. Like everything else in Lower Mobius, its entrances had become more formalized and secure.

She had only been to the underground city once in her life, on a trading run with Sally and Rotor, and had a bit of a struggle remembering the careful procedures. "This is supply sled KH-3 asking for clearance, trading code breaker-zero-six, over."

The radio fizzed with empty static for a moment before a voice answered. "LM militia post seven monitoring your course, identity and origins confirmed. You are approaching our checkpoint. Please begin decelerating now."

Braking jets fired in response to Bunnie's touch. The cargo sled rounded one last corner, then slowed to a stop before a set of reinforced double doors. The sewers were broodingly silent for a long moment.

With a resounding hiss that was as startling in its abruptness as well as volume, dilapidated machinery churned to life, and the massive doors ground open.

Up until this point the sewer had been dark and lifeless, faded and stained walls creating an atmosphere of dank depression that Bunnie found distasteful. That appearance ended immediately beyond the open doors. The walls on the other side were smoother, clean and well-lit. Lanterns were strung around the circular walls and ceilings like so many holiday decorations. A pair of platforms had been constructed on either side of the tunnel, either one holding three people. Each of the them proudly wore the recognizable blue-and-grey uniform of the Lower Mobius militia, and, more prominently, a laser rifle, slung on a strap over the shoulder. One of them had his aimed at the cargo sled, as if he were expecting trouble, but set it down when the doors had opened far enough to fully reveal the vehicle.

Bunnie tapped the engine's accelerator, and let the hover engines push the sled forward. It coasted to a floating stop adjacent to the first guard platform.

She was close enough to see the militiamen's faces. One of them, a colt, held a radio in his hoof. She guessed he was the owner of the voice that had addressed her earlier.

The colt gave her a quizzical look, and held the radio up to his mouth. The sled's speakers cackled to life once more. "You're free to move forward. That city's only another half-kilometer away." He gave an absent wave down the tunnel.

"Actually, Ah wanted to ask you a few questions first."

He nodded absently. It was disorienting to see him that far away talking, yet hear his voice as if he were sitting in the passenger compartment with them. "Go right ahead. If you're looking for directions to the trading center, just head towards the largest cluster of buildings."

"Ah was wondering if you might know someone. Does the name Laurentis mean anything to ya?"

"Not really," the colt admitted. "Of course, even though I've been here for the best part of a year, I still don't know everybody. New faces are arriving all the time. Maybe your Laurentis is one of them"

A year ago, when the Freedom Fighters had first found the underground sanctuary of Lower Mobius, Bunnie wouldn't have believed him. Back then, the city only harbored around three dozen or so scattered refugees from the surface war. It wasn't possible for anyone living down here to not know everyone else.

Ever since having established its first contacts in the outside world, though, Lower Mobius had grown. Any survivors of the coup that the Knothole Freedom Fighters found since then were allowed to travel to the underground city and start new lives there. Establishing the Freedom Fighters network months later had only magnified this effect. Lower Mobius now housed over one hundred and fifty new citizens, with more arriving almost weekly.

With more willing and capable manpower at his disposal, Lower Mobius had blossomed into a true republic under Griff's steady leadership. A small government had been created down here, the first official organization of any kind since the Great War and Robotnik's coup had shattered Mobius over a decade ago.

Since its founding, Lower Mobius had never taken a great part in the revolution ravaging the planet's surface, and was determined to stay out. However, it had become an essential component of the Freedom Fighters' Network's infrastructure. Supplies of all kinds were in abundance here: it primarily served as a market, a place for the warriors to trade and barter for goods. It was a refugee camp as well, allowing anyone who survived the coup to come down and live again, lead lives outside of the war.

The militia had been one of the first established arms of the city's government, and one of the most stable. The rat-bot infestation that had so plagued Lower Mobius since its founding had been wiped out months ago. The abandoned robots simply didn't stand a chance against the well-armed, organized, and relentless assault the city's militia had pitted against them.

"Who might know all the newcomers?" Bunnie asked the soldier.

"Probably anyone who doesn't live at the barracks 24/7 like me," he snorted, a private little joke. "Your best bet is to talk with either Dirk or Griff, though. They'd be the ones who'd know everyone in the city. You won't have much trouble finding them. Usually one or the other comes out to meet incoming traders personally."

"Thanks, sugar," Bunnie said, ignoring the glare the guard shot at her after being called 'sugar', and clicked off the radio. She hesitated a moment before punching the sled's thrusters into gear. The guard post slipped into the distance behind her, and then disappeared.

A drawn-out sigh escaped her lips moments after the tunnel's walls turned to blurs.

"We'll get through this, Bunnie," Rotor said again.

***

There had been several times in the past years when Griff had nearly written off his effort in city-building as nothing more than a practice in sheer futility, days when he was convinced that all of Lower Mobius itself was only weeks away from total collapse. The numerous rat-bot invasions, the shut-down of the energy chamber, the close calls with SWATbot patrols, they'd all been days when he was only a thought away from ordering a permanent evacuation of the city. Days when he was sure that the torture and guilt that had chased him all his life had at last caught up with him.

And then there were days like this.

He stepped off of the porch, out of the shadow cast from the protective umbrella of his home's roof overhang, and into bright, warm glare of the overhead energy crystal. So similar to sunlight. The heat felt good against his furred head, more relaxing and restorative then any amount of sleep in a darkened room could ever be.

Dirt and dust kicked up underneath his feet as he walked forward. The entire surface of the cavern was covered with grit and small rocks like this; ground up into a powder and spread across the ground, they made nice dirt roads. No outcroppings of rock or other loose sediment jabbed up from the ground to trip him. A year ago, such a thought would've been alien.

He strolled casually down the empty road, savoring the quiet. Ever since contacting the outside world, many changes had wracked the city. One of the few things Griff missed about the old times was the silence. It had been impossible back then not to look out a window and see abandoned buildings, emptiness. Now nearly every building was occupied, people were everywhere. Griff enjoyed the company, that was certain, every once in a while the constant noise and chatter began to get to him. Before the coup, he couldn't stand being alone. After spending so many years in the Lower Mobius's empty cavern, though, he craved the solitude. Life had forced upon him a desire for it.

That's why, every morning and sometimes in the evenings, he made it a habit to come to this part of town. It was why he had his own quarters here. It was one of the least inhabited parts of town, and it had one hell of a view.

Griff rounded a corner in the road, and started up a small hill. He stopped once he reached its peak, and looked forward. After a couple moments of just staring, he felt a gentle smile tug the corners of his lips upward.

Nothing short of panoramic in scale, the cityscape of Lower Mobius stretched out in the massive cavern before him. Gray rock buildings lay sprawled amongst twisted and curving streets. The layout of the entire city seemed completely random, roads strewn about with abrupt lack of care, yet all of it seemed to merge into a wonderful mishmash that was more beautiful than any more orderly city could ever manage to be. Griff admitted to himself that he preferred the rock consortium of this city over even the garden-like splendor of old Mobotropolis.

From this distance, he could even make out the blurred forms of far off people wandering through the city, going about their business, just generally living their lives. He still hadn't gotten used to the sight of so many people in his home. When Griff's band of refugees had retreated underground and found the old, abandoned rock structures of this city, they thought that they would never need dream of worrying about living space again. The city itself, although much of it ancient and damaged, had far more space in its buildings then thirty people could ever use. So much had changed since the Expansion. Now that they had over one hundred and fifty people living in the city, they had even had to construct new buildings to accommodate for them all. He could see the current construction project hugging the base of the far cavern wall, a pile of rock and wood just waiting to be made into part of Lower Mobius.

Not even the largest building came close to matching the size or magnificence of the titanic energy crystal. The base supports were latched securely to the cavern's ceiling, keeping the fragile crystal carefully suspended far above the city. Power continually crackled up and down its length, far more intense than anything it had managed before. The piece of the power rock, a gift from the Knothole Freedom Fighters, still effortlessly provided the energy needed to run it. The rock was producing more than enough power to cope with Lower Mobius's expansion, and had never shown any signs of exhausting its near-limitless supply.

The crystal was one of the things that kept morale in such high supply in Lower Mobius. The excess energy it cast off came in the form of heat, and light, so much like sunshine itself. When nighttime came, and power wasn't in such high demand, the glow from the cystal faded slightly. They had *created* their own day and night down in these otherwise pitch dark stone caverns.

Griff stood there at the crest of the hill for a long moment, just staring out and admiring the town. Never even in Mobotropolis could he just stare out at the city, and taste such. contentment. This was the only place he had ever felt at home, felt that he truly belonged. All throughout his life he had been searching for this. He had never fit in with anybody in his childhood; the stigma of ostracism was the only thing he had learned in school. College wasn't much better, neither was the university work afterwards. It didn't help that he craved social interaction so much, yet the best thing he could ever achieve was simple isolation. If he was lucky.

It was a mild irony that it had taken such a violent overthrow of Mobotropolis to find a place like this. He didn't savor it, but only accepted it as such.

Beyond social acceptance, beyond finding someplace where he finally could belong, there was something else that kept Griff so attached to Lower Mobius. He had been the city's leadership since the beginning, so many years ago. Deep inside of him, the old, unused scientist in his personality couldn't help but take pride in his accomplishments. It was a voice he didn't listen to often anymore, but it was there nonetheless.

It looked out at the city, swollen with happy conceit, and said, *Look what I made. Isn't it neat?*

The gentle smile turned into a smirk, both at himself and the voice. He didn't bother chiding himself. He had learned a long time ago that the voice wouldn't respond to it.

He only wished he could stay out here longer, and just admire the city. But responsibility still weighed heavily on him.

Almost hidden beneath the glare of the titanic energy crystal, he could just see the tiny speck moving in towards town from the edge of the cavern. A trail of white-hot thruster exhaust seared the sky behind it. Lower Mobius had visitors, an incoming cargo sled.

Official business had to take precedence over pleasure. After a long sigh, Griff started towards the city square to meet the newcomers.

***

From the air, Bunnie reflected, Lower Mobius hadn't changed much. The cargo sled hovered at position halfway between the city streets below and the cavern roof overhead. Up far enough to see most of the city with a single glance, yet close enough to still be able to make out details.

The only noticeable difference between now and a year ago was the number of people dotting the streets. Over one hundred and fifty people lived here now, the largest refugee outpost in all the Freedom Fighters' Network.

Bunnie had spent most of her life in quiet Knothole village, home to, at most, two dozen people. The only time she could ever remember seeing so many people all in one place was before the coup, back in old Mobotropolis. Her skin prickled uncomfortably at the thought of such a crowd. Isolation was something that had been bred into her by necessity, and anything else made her uneasy, and involuntarily restless.

Rotor was struggling with the same sense of discomfort. If anything, he was far more socially awkward then Bunnie, having trouble coping with even the small number of people back at Knothole. "Sure are a lot of people down there."

"They aren't gonna be there for much longer if we don't hurry up and git out of here," Bunnie said bitterly. "Ah don't want to think about what could happen if the transmitter activates down here."

"The transmitter won't activate," Rotor insisted, stubborn in his optimism. "If Laurentis is down here, we'll find a way to disarm it."

Ordinarily, Bunnie would be the one offering encouragement, shoring up hope in others. It was a role she preferred far more than its counter. But confronting a disaster of this magnitude had drained ever her reserves. "And if he's not, or if he can't?"

"He will."

Bunnie glanced down at the bustling streets of Lower Mobius again, doubt bristling in her eyes. "Oh, Rotor, maybe comin' down here wasn't such a good idea. Ah should've waited by the surface, let you go down alone. at least then we wouldn't lose the city if the worst does happen."

"Bunnie-"

"No, no, maybe even that wouldn't be enough. Robotnik's cagey enough to know that Ah wouldn't be alone. He'd find you, find some way to hurt all of you, just like in mah dreams. Ah know it. Ah should've just left when Ah had the chance, ran as far away as possible, so he couldn't find y'all. Ah should've-"

"Don't say that!"

"-done *anything* except this," she finished sullenly.

"The Bunnie I know wouldn't have just said that," Rotor said. The words came as a shock to her, but not as much as her own.

"Well, than, maybe you really don't know me. Ah've been lyin' to y'all for two years now," she said, challenging. "Would the Bunnie you know have done that?"

"All I know is that the Bunnie I know is one of the strongest individuals I've ever met," Rotor said sincerely, and uncharacteristically eloquently. "And I don't mean physical strength. She has a spirit that someone just can't fake. She's been through so much, lived through things that would've crushed someone else a thousand times over. She's a survivor."

Bunnie felt her expression soften. She looked down uncertainly, gently rubbing the surface of her metal arm.

"She's someone who can survive through this, too. A transmitter alone can't kill her when she's been through everything else. Even if she lets fear and doubt get to her, she'll beat it in the end."

"You don't know how close Ah've come to killing myself over what happened two years ago, do you?"

"No," Rotor admitted, "I don't. I just know that you survived through it all, a feat which not many of us would be up to. You're courageous, Bunnie, courageous enough to conquer this, too."

Bunnie only could only think of one answer. "Ah don't know how many times Ah've had this nightmare since Ah found out about the Laurentis nodule. Now it's actually happening. Ah'm actually livin' my worst nightmare." She paused, trying to control the cracks in her voice. "In *your* worst nightmares, do you ever feel courageous?"

She knew the answer was 'no' just by looking at him. He was still, and for a moment Bunnie thought that he couldn't say anything at all.

"No, you're right, I never am. But... if I can just confront my nightmares by imagining my friends at my side, things are always just a little easier."

Rotor extended his hand across the passenger compartment. Before she even realized it, Bunnie's own hand reached over, and grabbed it tightly.

They sat together for a long moment, just holding hands. Bunnie squeezed hard enough to make her bones ache with the pressure. The touch alone filled her with an almost palpable sensation of strength, and caring support.

"The least we can do is try," Rotor said finally. "Together."

"Y'all are right... of course." Bunnie looked back at the dashboard, trying her best to hide the wet glistening in her eyes.

As she guided the sled towards a smooth landing in the center of Lower Mobius, she gripped the steering column as firm as possible, pretending that it was Rotor's palm.

***

Bunnie cut the engines as they dove down lower, using only the sled's bottom-mounted braking thrusters to coast to a stop a meter above ground level. The sled slowly fell down, at last landing on the surface of the dirt road with a jarring thud.

She had landed the sled in a corner of the city, out-of-the-way of traffic, yet still close to the city's marketplace. Passerby watched them curiously. Visiting trading vehicles were a common enough sight in Lower Mobius, but the city was still isolated enough to receive only two or three visits a week. The empty cargo bed was surely an abnormality as well.

Both passenger compartment doors opened at the same time. Bunnie slid her metal feet to the dust-covered road below. The last time she had ventured down here, the air had been moist enough to make her fur stick. Now, the energy crystal above was producing more than enough heat to burn away the humidity. It was arid and dry out, almost too much so.

She blinked against the sudden glare of the crystal, which was much brighter than it had been behind the tinted windows of the sled's passenger compartment. She raised her arm to shield her eyes just in time to see Rotor step out of the sled. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Well, where should we start?" he asked.

Bunnie glanced around, still squinting against the glare. There was no sign of either Griff or his uniformed boar companion Dirk. Either they hadn't seen the sled land or were still on their way.

This would be awkward, but it would have to be done. "Just by askin' people, Ah guess."

Moving as one, Bunnie and Rotor moved towards the side of the road, where the occasional pedestrian walked by. Once again, Bunnie was glad that Rotor was with her. His gentle eyes concealed a soft strength that was binding and driving all at once.

"Excuse us," Bunnie started, feeling self-conscious at approaching the first stranger she saw, "but would you happen to know someone named Laurentis?"

"Sorry, no."

The next three people had similar replies. Bunnie felt herself begin to lose hope. What if Drizit had been wrong?

"I don't get it," Rotor said, scratching his head. "I thought this town was still small enough for most everybody to know each other."

"It is," Bunnie confirmed, a note of forlorn depression in her voice.

Rotor sensed her gloom, and quickly spoke to cover it. "He's here somewhere. All we have to do is find him."

Thankfully, the unsuccessful search didn't have to go on for much longer before Bunnie spotted the city's leader, Griff walking calmly towards them through the middle of the dirt road. Pedestrians paid him a kind deference, though not gawking. They occasionally tossed him grateful smiles or kind nods. He acknowledged each one of them with a smile of his own. Clearly, Griff was popular around here, and with good reason.

Bunnie had never liked him much herself. First impressions were too hard to get over. She supposed he had atoned himself with his actions since the incident, but whenever she saw him she couldn't help but remember how he had lied to and betrayed everyone in Knothole. He had made a pass at Sally, taken advantage of her. He had used her to steal the power rock from the ring grotto.

And during his short stay in Knothole, every time he saw Bunnie he had done nothing but stare at her robotic limbs. Griff hadn't just been repulsed by her partial roboticization; oh no, she knew that look well enough. It had been as if he were studying her. Mentally dissecting her.

Still, she was more than glad to see him now. If anyone would know who Laurentis was, it was Griff.

Clearly, he recognized the Knothole Freedom Fighters as he approached them. His voice was as charming as ever. "Welcome back, Bunnie, Rotor," he greeted. "As always, the local economy is grateful for your patronage. How can I help you, today? Buying or selling?" His eyes drifted over to the empty cargo sled. "Buying, I see."

"Neither, actually," Rotor said. "We just came to find someone."

"Oh," Griff seemed disappointed, although the impression didn't last for long. "I'd be glad to help you there, too."

Again, Griff looked down, staring unashamedly at her metallic legs just like he had before. For a moment, Griff's eyes turned as hard and cold as steel, as if nothing else in the world existed other than Bunnie's metal limbs. Bunnie felt a shudder ripple up her spine.

She fought against the discomfort. "Um, would you happen to know someone named Laurentis?" When he didn't respond, she prodded again. "A scientist, perhaps?"

Again, the eyes became cold. He pursed his lips into a thin, hard line. She could see the loathing etch itself into his face. Loathing of what, though, she had no clue.

"Laurentis?" he asked, voice not betraying any noticeable emotion.

"Yeah."

"Now what would you want with that bastard?"

Bunnie was taken aback by the sudden anger in his otherwise calm voice, the way he almost spat the word 'bastard'. Her voice stuttered on the answer. "We think he knows something that might be very important to us."

Griff looked as though he was ready to fire off another fierce retort, but then he looked back at Bunnie's metallic limbs. This time there was no chilly mental dissection. He looked back up.

"Like what?"

"Like the key to saving Bunnie's life," Rotor interjected.

Stony silence.

"Please, if you know something, tell us," the walrus pleaded. "It may be the only way to keep Robotnik from finishing the job he started when he first roboticized her."

"So Robotnik finally found a way to activate the Laurentis nodule's transmitter, huh?" Griff asked. The anger fled his face.

Bunnie felt her jaw drop. "How do you know about that?"

The odd note of sorrow in Griff's voice was impossible not to notice. "I think we'd better have a talk."