Sally and Antoine dragged their feet in the junk heaps. the sky overhead was a dismal grayish purple. bent pipes, chunks of concrete, rusty bricks and various other debris sprinkled the landscape. the ground itself was a yellowish brown. the only plants in the area were the dead trees rooted firmly nearby.

finally settling down by a large concrete slab, Antoine sighed and buried his face in his arms. His shoulders slumped in both relief and weariness, his yellow toupee was plastered to his head from sweat. Sally squatted slightly beside him, her usual tidy brown hair hanging raggedly around her face. After a few moments, Sally stood straight again. "Its Sonic and Tristina!" she said happily.

a deep blue, white, and red streak passed over them while a light blue and black streak passed in front of them. the light blue and black blur stopped to reveal Tristina in her hover chair, her light blue bangs similar to Sally's brown ones...plastered with sweat and dirt. "What happened Antoine?" Sonic growled, planting one hand beside the coyote and the other pointing a accusing finger at him. "It was not my fault!" said Antoine, shrugging. "Kat said I should relax so I leaned against the..."

"Yo, wheres Kat?" interrupted Sonic, looking behind him. "He was right behind us in the tunnel, and then we lost him." explained Sally. "the Swat bots must have captured him" reasoned Tristina, frowning to Sally. "I'm juicin' back!" Sonic declared, slamming one fist into an open palm. "I'll go with you." Tristina stated, pushing herself after Sonic. "Wait Tiff." said Sonic, grabbing her shoulders. "It'll be too dangerous with two of us after Kat. I'll take this one alone." "Sonic..." Tristina protested, sounding hurt.

"Sonic," called Sally. "I'm sure that message was from my father. I'm going to the dark swamp and find him. Antoine can come with me." Sonic's jaw dropped, and he looked at the freedom fighter in question. "Antoine?" he asked in disbelief. "Yes, Antoine." answered Sally while Antoine looked on proudly. "Your kidding right?" Sonic asked. "I'm kidding wrong." said Sally, crossing her arms. "Wrong?" Asked Sonic, pointing his finger right at Sally. "Right." said Sally, repeating Sonic's gesture back to him. "right or wrong?" Sonic asked, scratching his head. "Your wrong, I'm right, as usual." said Sally, leading Antoine past Sonic by looping her arm in his.

"excuse me while I chunk my breakfast." Sonic said openly, pretending to be sick. "whatever." muttered Sally. "C'mon Antoine." "Yo Sal!" said Sonic, placing his hands against the back of Tristina's hover chair and pushing her towards them. "I want Tiff to go with you, just to be safe." "Sonic..." Tristina protested again. "Tiff, two of us together will draw more attention than just me. I can get in, get Kat, and get out faster by myself." reassured Sonic.

"I hate it when your right." Tristina growled bitterly. Sonic flashed her a smile, which made Tristina give him a weak smile in return. "Sal? you mind if Tiff tags along?" asked Sonic. "Not at all." said Sally, shaking her head. "Okay. Soon as I find Kat, I'll blast for the swamp. Be mondo careful." "You too, Sonic." said Sally, nodding. "Gotta juice it loose!" Sonic declared, revving up and taking off towards Robotropolis.

"Come on, guys. we'd better get going." said Sally, motioning for Tristina and Antoine to follow her. Tristina gently pushed the joystick on her hover chair forward and followed the Princess with Antoine. "Okay guys." said Sally in a rallying tone. "The sooner we get to the Dark Swamp, the sooner we find Daddy." Tristina and Antoine nodded to one another, then hurried after the Princess.

Doctor Julian Robotnik sat in his faded lime green command chair, his robotic red eyes scanning over the swat bots incident report. His teeth clenched and red eyes flashed each time he came upon the words 'Priority one hedgehogs'. a swooshing of the command room doors told Robotnik that his lackey, Snivley had entered. Robotnik then pressed a button on his command chair which lowered the chair down to the floor. "Tell me, Snivley" Robotnik purred as he steepled his hands.

"How did the hedgehogs get past all my security?" "Through an air duct, Doctor Robotnik." came Snivleys reply. "An air duct?" Robotnik asked, his rage beginning to taint his calm facade. Meanwhile, above him, Robotnik's favored pet, Cluck, began clucking atop his chair. "Yes sir." "then seal it off!" Robotnik shouted, his fists now clenching with a barely retained rage. a foolish oversight on his part, although Robotnik would never admit that to anyone besides himself. Swat bots and stealth bots didn't need air, and if such unnecessary loopholes could be exploited by the freedom fighters, why keep them?

"Y-yes sir" Snivley stammered. "One more thing sir. We've captured a freedom fighter." Robotnik's fists unclenched as a smile began to spread across his lips. "Oh thats good." He whispered, turning his command chair around to face his sniveling nephew. "Thats very very good, Snivley. Where is he?" Robotnik asked. Instead of answering Robotnik directly, Snivley turned to one of the side entrances and commanded "Bring in the prisoner."

the garage like door opened, and two swat bot walkers carried in a elderly, struggling feline between them. "The freedom fighter was seen with the hedgehogs and Princess Sally, sir." Snivley reported as Robotnik turned his chair back around. Robotnik nodded, continuing to savor the felines grunts as he struggled against the two swat bots that strapped him to a chair. He would question this 'freedom fighter', and if he proved difficult, torture him.

"The feline is secure, sir." Snivley reported, who had watched the weakly struggling cougar be secured in a metal chair. "Excellent, Snivley. leave us. I wish to question this 'freedom fighter' alone." Said Robotnik, smiling to himself. "Yes sir." said Snivley, leaving the room.

"Tell me where knothole is, old boy, and you have my word you will not be roboticized." Robotnik said softly, his back still to Kat. Kat snarled at the back of the dictators command chair before he finally let out a reply. "I'm tellin' ya nothing about nothing, Robotnik!" Kat declaired, his lips curled in a snarl. Kat's courage and spirit seemed to swell within him.

"Oh. Oh I would be too sure about that old boy." Robotnik said softly

Robotnik then turned his command chair to face the aging feline, his fingers still steepled in front of him. "I have machines all kinds," Robotnik informed the cougar. "Marvelous machines. they can do things." Robotnik added, pointing at the old freedom fighter. "You would not believe." Robotnik finished with a whisper. Kat felt his courage and spirit leave him as quickly as it had come.

the old adage 'the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak' never seemed more true than at this moment. Kat swallowed hard as two swat bots took their places on either side of him.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Robotropolis, a lone blue streak tore through the barren streets. The mid day sun was hidden well behind a cloud of smog and smoke from the citys factories. stopping only for a moment, Sonic peered over a one sided trench. gasping, the hedgehog threw himself against the trench. Moments later, what Sonic had spotted became clear. a exceptionally large hovercraft flew over him.

Sonic watched it for a moment, then revved up and took off after it. the hovercraft soon came to a prison complex, in which it extended a flight of stairs just below the hovercraft. a familiar elderly cougar walked down the steps, a swat bot shortly behind him. Kat's fur was burnt and roughed up in places, and his face appeared drained and exausted. Unbeknownst to Kat or the swat bot, a blue hedgehog peered out from behind a large piece of machinery.

Kat and the swat bot entered a elevator at the far end of the complex, then turned and stood at attention. the oddly beige doors closed as Sonic whispered "Hang in, Kat." to himself. Once the coast was clear, Sonic revved up and raced across the complex floor to the elevator doors. wordlessly, Sonic curled into his familiar buzz saw spin, and began prying the doors open with his speed.

Once the doors were forced open, Sonic uncurled from his spin and looked cautiously up the elevator shaft. the deep bluish black tunnel was void of any elevator cars. nodding to himself, Sonic backed up, then took off running up the shaft. several floors up, a odd whirring reached Sonic's ears. a greenish black elevator car began to make its way back down the shaft, unknowing and uncaring that said shaft was already occupied.

gasping, Sonic curled into a buzz saw again. bouncing off the wall, Sonic hurdled himself at another pair of elevator doors and forced them open. spinning through with just seconds to spare, Sonic uncurled in mid air and landed softly on the prison floor. looking around, Sonic began to search the empty cells for the elderly cougar.