Sonic the hedgehog, Princess Sally Acorn, Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor the Walrus, and Antione Deapardeau followed Sir Charles to the back wall of the facility.

"Bit of a snag here." Sir Charles, better known as Uncle Chuck, said with a slight growl. "Elevators gone until the next shift." "Forget the shift." Sonic replied, turning to Bunnie. "Theres always the shaft. Bunnie, waste these doors." Sonic finished with a wink to his friend.

"My Pleasure." toned Bunnie, flexing her robotic arm. Digging her fingers into the slight gap of the door, Bunnie thrust all her might behind her arm to force the door open with a grunt. Sir Charles beamed at his nephews quick thinking and wit.

"Sweet thinking, sonny. lets get slidin!" He said, grabbing a sturdy elevator cable. as his robotic legs wrapped around the thick black cable, he quietly slid down as he heard his nephew say proudly "Is he my uncle or what?" then grab the cable in a similar fashion to his uncle and follow suit.

Sally and Rotor copied Sonic, all sliding down seperate Elevator cables. Antione also followed, although his slide with his usual terrified scream.

"Sector seven, Hedgehog and Hacker reports."

"Hedgehog report negative. Hacker report negative."

Snivley swallowed the lump in his throat and continued typing. "Snivley..." a deep metallic growl rumbled across the steel floor. As Snivley was about to respond, a swatbot on patrol cut him off.

"Hacker spotted in sector 12, headed for sector 14." Snivley repeated this to Robotnik, who immidately sat up in his chair. "Any report of the hedgehog?" "No sir." Robotnik frowned, deep in thought as he stared at the report.

"Send a team of swabots to sector 14." commanded Robotnik, pressing a series of buttons on his command chair. "Yes sir." whined Snivley, resuming his quiet typing. Robotnik steepled his hands as his red eyes focused on one of the monitors of the tower.

"Soon, Hacker." He whispered, glaring at the monitor. "Soon."

Laser blasts surrounded Tristina as she dodged the explosions of debris, metal, glass, and other unidentifiable junk. Her silvery brown eyes squinted against the smog filled air as her peach arms pumped her wheelchair wheels forward. smog and gunk from the air clung to random whisps of Tristina's sky blue bangs as her robotic legs sat lifeless in the footholds.

The sirens squeal pierced Tristina's eardrums and made it difficult to focus on anything except repeating the same motions as quickly as possible: grab, push, release. grab, push, release.

I need to lose this tin heads. come on, Tristina, Think! the panic laced thoughts echoed in Tristina's mind as she left street 15. sweat stung her eyes as, up ahead, Tristina spotted both hoverunits and swat bikes waiting for her.

Maybe I can solve two problems with one crash. "Hello opportunity. come on in!" Tristina cried, folding her stomach over her legs and letting her powerful shoulders take over and shifting her hand positon.

"Priority one Hacker. Halt." The swatbots from inside the hoverunits. Tristina paid them no mind as she ducked under the hovercraft with nothing but a "Thanks for the roadblock, tin heads!".

swerving around a neighboring junk pile, Tristina flinched as the sound of twisting smashing metal. a flash of orange, yellow and black soon followed with the smell of burnt metal and fried circuts. Tristina's taught muscles relaxed as silence retook the area, and she leaned against the back of her seat in relief.

Okay, now wheres this tower Rotor and Sally mentioned? Tristina wondered, peering out into the hazy evening. Past the numerous hills of scrap and random junk, Tristina spotted a tall structure in the distance.

"Looks newer than the rest of the buildings..." Tristina muttered to herself, repeating Rotors description. "Better see if I can get closer, then check in with the Princess." Nodding to her plan of action, Tristina peered around the corner.

gasping, she ducked back as a survaillence orb floated past. Smiling, Tristina raised her left hand and produced a light blue keyboard. as she typed with one hand, her eyes faded to a flat white.

Suddenly, the survaillence orb shuddered, then began floating jerkily towards the tower.

-
As the elevator car quietly waited for the worker bots to return, a brown and bluish gray foot stomped through a ceiling panel, then leapt down into the car.

The inside walls of the car were a burnt tan, darker at the top and lighter at the floor. Uncle Chuck looked up as a blue hedgehog came next, grunting as he landed. "So what are we looking for Uncle Chuck?" Sonic asked as Bunnie landed with a grunt behind him.

"Its something you gotta see with your own eyes." the roboticized hedgehog replied, walking over to the closed elevator doors.

Grunting, the elderly hedgehog gripped the wall panel and the closed door then pried them apart. "Check it out, Sonny." He rasped, walking through the now opened door.

as Sonic walked into the half metal cavern, a giant crystal sat in a nest of anthro sized boulders, nestled in a rope harness which led to the ceiling. "Oh Man!" Sonic gasped, walking closer to the crystal. "That is large!"

"Robotnik is mining this energy crystal to replace his dwindling oil supply." Uncle Chuck explained. "They're hoisting it out of here today! We have to stop it!"

"What'll happen if they do get it out?" asked Bunnie. "Removing that much active crystal..." said Uncle Chuck, trying to impress upon them the direness of the situation. "Would destroy the whole echosystem."

"Your right. We DO have to stop Robotnik." said Sally, stepping forward. "But HOW?"

"Only one way." said Uncle Chuck, pointing to a building with a metallic catwalk between them. "We shut him down here, and at the control center." Uncle Chuck then turned to Sally. "Sal, whats where you come in."

"Okay, lets do it" said Sally with a mischivous smile.

Suddenly, a quiet beeping from the small computer on Sallys boot drew the attention of the Freedom fighters. "Incoming message Sally."

"Play it, please Nicole"

"Working" a hologram of a light blue hedgehog in a wheelchair appeared just above the small computer.

"Princess, I've located the tower and examined the defensive systems. it doesnt look too heavily guarded, and theres only two swatbots guarding it. Requesting permission to infiltrate the tower and examine the interior of the structure."

"Granted." said Sally, nodding. Sally then explained what Sir Charles had shown them, and what they hoped to do.

"Got it." said Tristina, nodding.

"I'll see if I can disable some security programs from here."

"Just be careful." "You too Princess." said Tristina, nodding as the hologram dissapeared.

"Okay, Sir charles." said Sally, closing Nichole and clipping her back to her boot. "Lets go."