"Any sign of them Rotor?" Tristina asked, wheeling up to the sliding tree. The light blue hedgehog taken in by the freedom fighters after escaping Robotropolis. The Roboticizer had malfunctioned half way through the process, allowing Tristina to escape. however after running to the great forest using her sonic speed, Tristina's legs short circuited, condemning her to life in a wheelchair. Rotor frowned, his muzzle pushing further down over his tusks as he shook his head. "Not yet, Tiff. They should be here soon, though."

Tristina smiled at her friends words, then looked once again at the haystack they were standing by. Tristina's smile widened as a half roboticized rabbit flew out of the sliding tree into the haystack. "Hoo-eee!" Bunnie exclaimed, holding her head. "I feel like I've been dragged through a knothole...so to speak." Tristina smiled at Bunnies pun

"Hey, did you guys nail a swatbot factory?" Rotor asked, his excitement barely contained. "Well honey, I don't know." said Bunnie, tucking up her robotic legs against her stomach as she slid down the haystack. "I had to make a very un ladylike retreat." Antoine stepped forward and offered Bunnie his hand.

"Thanks sugar." said Bunnie, accepting Antoine's offer. As the coyote pulled the rabbit to her feet, however, Bunnie's robotic arm broke off from her body. "Oh!" Bunnie exclaimed, Bunnie's right robotic hand still clutching Antoines...but no longer attached to her body. "Oh my stars! I'm just falling apart!" Tristina frowned, then looked around the sliding tree. "Wheres Sonic and Sally?" she asked "Well, last time I saw them they were..."

Bunnie stopped mid explanation as a familiar high pitched sawing noise filled thier ears. retreating away from the haystack, Rotor, Antoine, Bunnie and Tristina saw a blue and peach buzz saw blur fly out of the sliding tree towards the haystack. "Cannon ball!" Sonic cried, his landing cusioned by the haystack. "It was seismic!" Sonic shouted, throwing the majority of the hay in the air. "Talk about fireworks, right Bunnie?" Sonic asked. It was then he noticed one of the party was missing. "Wheres Sal?" he asked.

"She wasnt at the meeting place so I came on back." Said Bunnie. "I've gotta go back!" Sonic declaired before Bunnie pulled him out of mid rev. "Sonic wait." she said, stopping him. "You need a power ring."

"Couldn't sleep either?" Tristina turned to see Sonic approaching her as she sat by the power ring pool. "Yeah." said Tristina, staring out over the water. "I cant even think about sleeping while Sal's in that dump." said Sonic, leaning against a tree and crossing his arms. Tristina sighed and looked at her lap.

"Hey Tiff?" Tristina's ears perked up at Sonic's voice. "Yeah Sonic?" "your hacking ability. have you always had it?" Tristina smiled to herself and nodded, closing her eyes. "Its like I told you, Sonic. I'm as much of a threat to Robotnik as you are. I can hack into any of his databases, no matter how big." "So you can take control of a swat bot and make it do a Mobian moonwalk?" Sonic asked, frowning when Tristina shook her head.

"I said databases, Sonic. As in, Robotnik's personal computers. not Swatbots. believe it or not, swatbots are a lot more complex than simple computers." said Tristina, wheeling around so she faced Sonic. "Hmm. I didnt think Swatbutts and computers were that different." said Sonic, shrugging. "Well, looking at it from a computers point of view, they arent. however, computers are mainly used to store information and allow a user to retrieve it."explained Tristina, trying to keep her words simple so Sonic could understand.

"Swatbots, however, are a bit more complicated. yes, they store information...but they also guard the streets of Robotropolis, as well as 'apprehend' any intruders... such as Priority One hedgehogs." said Tristina, motioning with one hand to herself and to Sonic with the other. "If I tried to 'hack' a swatbot, not only would I be taking control of a database as large as Robotropolis itself..." Tristina continued, shivering at the thought of having access to so much information.

"But I'd also have to: Control the swatbots walking programs, control the swatbots visual sensors, control the swatbots wrist laser..." said Tristina, ticking the three tasks off on her fingers. "Okay, Okay! I get it! I get it!" said Sonic, wincing as he held his head. "Lets get some sleep, Sonic." said Tristina, gently grabbing Sonic's arm as she wheeled past him. "Sally's counting on us to bring her home safe and sound tomorrow. Swatbot or no Swatbot." said Tristina. Sonic smirked, grabbed Tristina's wheelchair handles, and pushed her towards her hut.

the deep blue and murky brown spattered skies around Robotropolis offered comfort to no one, living or robot. Neither that nor the alien like egg that sat upon a nest of cables in the metallic cesspools center. Inside, however, was where the real hell began. Princess Sally Acorn pressed her hands against roboticizers glass and stared pleadingly at the screen across from her. "I know the hedgehogs will come for you dear girl." said Robotnik, his red irises flashing maliciously.

"When they do," he continued, grinning. "I have a surprise." "Here it is, Doctor Robotnik." a nasally voice interrupted, drawing Robotniks attention to a smaller screen on the left arm of his command chair. "Enough memory to duplicate human complexity." Snivley continued, his feigned excitement fooling even his own dominating uncle. "Excellent Snivley." said Robotnik, his eyes flashing once again. "Install it." the dictator added

Sally looked over to her left to see a metallic light blue robot standing just outside her tube, its lifeless blue slit like eyes staring ahead. Snivley opened a panel on the robots back and pushed the motherboard sized memory card into the waiting slot. The screen to the right of Sally hissed and hummed as the doctors maddening grin flowed onto the screen. "I don't suppose you'll tell me the location of Knothole." Robotnik purred. "Sure I will" Sally said softly, a coy smile tugging at her lip. "When you get a life." she added, just as softly but with a slight bite at the end.

"Shor...rahr..." the robot drawled as Snivley adjusted something in its back. meanwhile, Robotnik pressed various buttons on the left arm of his command chair. "When you get a life!" the robot managed to get out, straightening up and adding more venom to the word 'life'. Sally gasped at how much the robot sounded like her. The robot then took two steps as a glass chamber came down over it. Sally gasped again as glowing pink rings of light ran up and down her body and a blue glow engulfed the robot.

Sally then looked over and saw the Robot now matched her appearance identically. looking once again to Robotnik, Sally frowned angerly at him. "Sonic and Tristina are too smart to be fooled by a robot...even a good one." said Sally, crossing her arms. "Oh, but we're not finished Princess." said Robotnik, his robotic left hand pressing a button. "We need to add...your sparkling personality." finished Robotnik as a large pink ring formed around Sally's and her duplicates heads.

"Tiff! wake up!"
Tristina's arms shoved her body into a sitting position at the sound. adrenaline coursing through her veins, Tristina's muscles tensed as her eyes adjusted to the moonlit hut. the banging that had woke her pierced the air once again. "I'm up! I'm up!" Tristina called, mainly to silence the harsh pounding. "We gotta be ready to juice, Tiff! its 2 hours 'till the next ring!" Sonic's voice replied.

at the words '2 hours' Tristina's sense of urgency left as quickly as it had come. the sound of Sonic's sneakers jogging back down her wooden ramp caused Tristina's ears to droop slightly. Tristina contemplated simply laying back down, snuggling back under her warm blanket, and going to back to sleep. Looking out her window, Tristina noticed Sonic jogging past Sally's hut. "Didn't Sally say a ring came every twelve..." Tristina stopped mid-utterance.

"Sally..." Tristina whispered, grabbing each of her mechanical legs and throwing them over the side of her bed. literally 'hopping' with her rear into her wheelchair, Tristina pushed herself over to her night stand and began to dress. quickly swapping her faded pink nightgown for a bright pink T-shirt, Tristina brushed her bangs and quills and deemed herself ready. turning towards the door, Tristina wheeled towards the door and reached up for the handle. As one of Tristina's black cut off gloved hands pushed open the door, the nippy morning air brushed against her arms.

As Tristina's peach furred arms bristled at the cool morning air, the hedgehog decided against a jacket. "Comfort isn't the important thing today." Tristina reminded herself, closing her hut door firmly behind her. brushing her hands along the top of her wheelchair wheels, Tristina let the wheels spin under her hands as gravity carried her down the ramp. by now, the sun was beginning to rise as crested the top of the great forest.

faded yellow gave way to brilliant orange, which was accented with bits of deep red and finally the last vestiges of the purplish black night sky. As Tristina crossed the bridge to the power ring pool, she spotted Tails flying towards the pool and Rotor just emerging from his trees. Sonic, being the fastest, was already there. Sonic's gaze met Tristina's, and he nodded a quick 'good morning' before resuming his pacing.

Tristina frowned slightly as she slowed her wheeling. Sonic turned yet again, flicking his eyes at the silent azure waters of the pool, then huffed and folded his arms. Snorting, Sonic then resumed pacing. Tristina sighed as Sonic repeated the routine, then looked up at the sunrise. the glowing white aura of the sun slowly faded the beautiful yellows, oranges and reds of the sunrise into gorgeous light blue.

As Tristina watched the artistic scene unfold, she listened to the gently gurgling brook and various wild birds calling to one another. Tristina closed her eyes, inhaling the smell of the fresh earth mixing with the crisp cool morning air. her eyes snapped open as she thought of what Sally's morning sunrise must be like. stale, recycled air tainted with rust and despair. the clanking and whirring of metal against metal as swatbots went about their pre-programed routines. Tristina knew all too well what mornings in Robotropolis were like. She had been captured in the evening and scheduled for a dawn robotization. Luck was on her side, however, when the Roboticizer malfunctioned and allowed her to escape.

Sonic's left red and white sneaker tapped the ground twice before... "Thats it! I'm outta here!" Sonic's sharp bark brought Tristina back to their current surroundings. Rotor's arms immediately wrapped around his impatient friend and lifted him off the ground. "Wait Sonic! you cant go without a ring!" "Sal's in mondo trouble, and I'm goin! Ring or no ring!" Sonic declared, thrashing like a two year old child against the walrus. "Sonic, a rings comin'" quipped Tails, pointing to the now bubbling pool.

"'bout time." said Sonic (who Rotor had set down) crossing his arms and tapping his foot once again. Tails raced up on the log as a wiggly golden line became clearer in the water. slowly, a golden power ring lifted out of the water and practically flew into Tails' waiting hand. "I got it...whoa!" Tails cried, losing his balance on the log and falling towards the water. Rotor, being the tallest, easily reached over and grabbed the kit with one arm.

Releasing Sonic with the other, Rotor then brought Tails over to Sonic so he could deposit the newly accquired power ring in the waiting hedgehogs backpack. Tristina wheeled over to Sonic with a smile, then began to rev up her wheels as Sonic did with his legs. "Gotta juice..." Sonic began, revving. "and cut it loose!" Tristina finished, taking off with Sonic, wheeling as fast as her fellow 'hog could run.