A cloaked figure proceeded through a complex tunnel system. He paused at a wall in the tunnel, then hit a button on a small remote. The wall slid back, granting him access to another tunnel. He entered the tunnel and climbed aboard an aircar that was waiting for him. In mere minutes he'd made his way to another dead end. He again pushed the button on the remote, and the tunnel became clear. He closed the 'door' behind him and continued downward, until he reached a large underground complex beneath Robotropolis. A large glowing crystal dominated the roof, and a small village was in the bottom of the cavern. The figure left his transportation and headed towards the main building.

"Ah," A voice greeted the arrival. "How'd things go above ground? Did you meet with the Knothole Freedom Fighters?"

The cloaked head shook.

Griff stood puzzled for a second. "You were gone two days," he said. "With Robotnik gone what were you doing up there if you didn't find the Knothole recon group?"

A glint appeared from underneath the hood as the cloaked figure rammed a fist through the nearby control panel. "I was busy," a small metal voice spoke. The sound of laser fire came from outside as the figure removed his hood to show his new metallic flesh.

"No," Griff said as he ran to the window. Outside swatbots were rounding up the residents of Lower Mobius. Griff sprinted away from the window, knocking down the robot and heading out of the main building.

A metallic whirring and clicking sound came from the inside of Rotor's Workshop. Soon a sharp, laser sound came from inside.

"Hey!" a voice from inside exclaimed. "Watch where you point that thing. You nearly clipped my quills off."

"Sorry sugah," Bunnie said as she looked at her robotic arm. Scorch marks lined the inside of Rotor's workshop, mainly centered around a large target in the back. "Rotor, are you sure this here bot blaster'll work?"

"Sure I'm sure," Rotor said. "It just needs a little more adjusting; and some practice in firing." Rotor took a small wrench and adjusted Bunnie's arm. The blaster he'd installed could be switched instantly back to her regular hand. But the blaster gave Bunnie a more formidable weapon. "There, that oughtta do it. Try it now."

Bunnie re-aimed towards the target, and fired a more controlled blast, catching the target close to the center. "All right Rote," Sonic said. "You did it, now Bunnie can help kick some major 'bot."

"Thanks Sonic," Rotor said as he put away his tools. "But I couldn't have done it without your Uncle's help."

Uncle chuck laughed, "Thank you Rotor, I-. Huh?" Tails stopped in front of the door.

"Sonic come quick," Tails said, as he pointed urgently behind him. "Sally needs you. And that guy, Griff, is here too."

"Wha?" Sonic said as he looked past Tails. Then he smiled again. "Sure thing little bro. Be right back guys." With a last look at his Uncle and the others, he sped off towards where Sally was waiting for him.

While it had only taken Tails a short time to cross from the main building to Rotor's workshop, it took Sonic less then a minute to make the reverse trip. He found Sally and Griff looking at the holographic table that generated a map of Robotropolis.

"Heya Griff," Sonic said as he skidded to halt near the table. He turned to look at Sally. "What's up Sal?"

Griff said hello, then Sally pointed at a small red dot in the main headquarters of Robotropolis. "Apparently Snively managed to find his way in to Lower Mobius," she said.

"Uh oh," Sonic said as he stared at the map. "How many people escaped?"

"Not many," Griff said sadly. "The few who did made our way here." He looked at Sonic. "No, we weren't followed. But Snively got our portion of the power stone."

"What?" Sonic said.

"Yeah, I know," Griff said. "I tried to reach it before his 'bots got there, but I was too late. I had to run, and take as many people with me as possible."

Sally nodded, "With Snively having both pieces of the power rock, you wonder what he's going to do."

"Definitely something mondo ugly," Sonic said, slamming his fist into his hand. "Is that point on the map where Snive's holding the resident's of Lower Mobius?"

"We believe so," Sally said. "As you're well aware, our spy network is not as sharp since Sir Charles was discovered to be a spy."

"No problem," Sonic turned towards Griff. "Don't worry, we'll get your people back. Both them and the power rock. Oh, by the way, how'd Snively get down into Lower Mobius anyway?"

"As near as I've figured out," Griff replied. "Our rendevous guy, the one we sent to meet your party heading into Robotropolis as planned, got waylaid by Swatbots and captured before he could send a communication off. He came back with a horde of swatbots and caught us all off guard. We thought there wasn't anything to fear without Robotnik, so we let our guard down."

"Don't sweat it," Sonic said. "We'll make Snively pay, just like we did 'ol Doc R."

"I hope you're right Sonic," Griff said as he got up to leave. "For all our sakes." Griff turned and walked out of the hut.

"So Sal," Sonic said, turning to Sally. "You got a plan?"

"No," Sally said. Sonic gave her a look of shock. "What I mean is, I don't think it'll work."

"No prob," Sonic said, a smirk spreading across his lips. "Anything you've got I can make work. I can juice us straight to another victory, by yours truly."

Sally rolled her eyes and sighed, "Someday, you're going to get us all killed."

"Nope, ixnay on that thought," Sonic said. "This 'hog's way to fast for that."

"Fine, fine," Sally said. "We leave for Robotropolis immediately."

Sonic knelt down and planted another charge. Then he raced back towards Sally and the rest of the rescue party, on the other side of Robotropolis. "Charges are set Sal," Sonic pointed back towards where he came from. "We can go anytime."

"All right," She pulled Nicole out and opened her up. "Nicole, give me a schematic of the surrounding area."

"Affirmative, Sally," Nicole's computerized voice chimed. A small whirring started and a hologram of the area around Robotnik's old HQ appeared.

"All right," Sally said. "We make our way to here." She pointed at a spot near the base of the building. "Once there, I activate the charges, then we enter and get your people out Griff."

They all nodded. It was a slow trek towards the main building. Occasionally a small swatbot patrol would hover by, the Freedom Fighters would scurry like small bugs when a light was turned on, suddenly vanishing before the approaching danger could see them. After a while they reached their target.

"Now we go," Sonic said. "Sal, aim for that ridge over there." Sonic pointed towards a small ledge about halfway up the building.

Sally nodded and fired a magnetic cable towards the structure. "Bull's-eye," she said. "All right guys, head on up."

Griff and the others used small motorized wheel units to scurry up the rope, Sonic, however, picked up Sally and ran up the rope. Once up, he set her down gently. "Hit it Sal," Sonic said.

Sally picked up Nicole once more, then punched a command into the console. Bright flashes and a loud blasting noise came from a distance away. Sally crossed her fingers. "C'mon, c'mon," she chanted for a bit. The others just stared with anticipation. Then Nicole's voice chimed up.

"I'm receiving a radio transmission on the Swatbot frequency," Nicole said.

"Play it aloud," Sally said. In a few seconds a voice came over Nicole's speaker.

"-Bots, report to sector 21," The voice was Snively's. "Repeat, all Swatbots, report to sector 21."

Sonic pointed below, "Look." Several swatbots started to pour out from the building, all headed in the direction of the explosion. "Man, Snively's dumber than 'Botnik ever was. Toppling him should be easy."

They waited until swatbots stopped appearing from below, then they entered into the building through an air vent. A small spy droid hovered down to the mouth of the entrance, after a moment of watching the freedom fighters leave, it continued it's patrolling.

Sonic moved forward, for him the going was painfully slow. "Sal, can't we go any faster?" Sonic asked.

""My answer's the same it was the last six hundred times," Sally looked at him as they slowly crawled through the vents. "No. If we move faster than we currently are, it could tip Snively off. Suddenly, she stopped. "This is it." Sally indicated a vent to their right.

Griff moved forward and looked through the vent. "There still in there," he said. "And they haven't been roboticized yet. They're strapped to some weird beds. It looks like they've been hooked up to a large box near the ceiling in the middle of the room."

"What?" Sonic said, doubt plain in his voice. "Lemme see." He took one glance, then turned to Sally. "I'm going in." He turned to ram through the vent.

"Sonic wait!" Sally said.

"Sonic stopped, "Huh?"

"Let's see if we can find out what will happen when you disconnect them," Sally said as she once again picked up Nicole. "Nicole?"

"The people in question are linked to a central computer complex," Nicole's carefully measured monotones rang out.

"What does she mean by that?" Sonic asked.

"They're hooked up to that box on the ceiling," Sally said.

"I can see that," Sonic said. "You needed Nicole to tell you that?"

"No, I needed Nicole to tell me this," Sally looked down towards her computer. "Nicole, what are the chances of complete loss of consciousness for the victims if we unhook them right now?"

"Readings indicate a ninety-eight percent chance of total consciousness loss," Nicole said.

Sally gasped. "Sonic," she said. "If we unhook them, they could die."

"As in, majorly brain dead?" Sonic asked.

Sally nodded. "Nicole, what if we disconnected them all at the same time?"

"There is a forty percent probability of success, and a fifty-five percent probability of complete neural breakdown for those in question," Nicole said.

"Nicole, even I can see that's only 95%," Sonic said. "What gives?"

"The last five percent is my margin for error," Nicole said.

"Ooh, she's got an attitude doesn't she Sally," Griff said.

"Thanks for the support," Sally said. "Nicole, can you disconnect them from here?"

"Negative, Sally," Nicole said.

Sally put up Nicole. "Well, it looks like we're on our own in disconnecting them," she said.

"No sweat Sal, first we just gotta get in," Sonic opened the vent, then climbed down to the floor. "Step one, complete." Sonic laughed, then the floor shifted. "Woah, you guys feel that?"

"Feel what?" Sally asked. "Nothing's changed."

The floor rumbled slightly, then the whole room rotated, blocking off Sonic's exit. "That's what I was talking about," Sonic said.

A high pitched voice came over the air in the room where Sonic was. "Hello hedgehog," Snively's voice said.

"What do you want?" Sonic said. "I'm a bit busy here."

"Quite fool," Snively's voice became agitated. "As you've no doubt noticed you are now sealed off. In a few seconds the automated systems inside my newest robotic creation will activate. When they do you shall be restrained in the same way as the others in the room with you."

"While you're busy telling me what's gonna happen to me, why don't you spill your whole plan?" Sonic said, a small smirk spreading across his face.

"Very well rodent," Snively said.

Sonic slapped his face, "Man, what a dummy." Sonic whispered this idea to himself, just below where Snively could hear it.

"You stand in the heart of my ultimate creation," Snively said. This robot has the power of the Void at it's finger tips. I would have used my machine before now, but it needed something else to run it. If it hadn't of been for your crystal, Sonic, I could never have re-routed the consciousness' of the people around you into my machine. They, are what's powering my device. But, oho, it gets better. If you try to remove them, they'll die." Snively's voice dropped to a low rumble. And once you've been added to the collection, my machine shall be unstoppable, and powered by you."

Sonic looked around. "I wouldn't be so sure of that Snive," he said. Sonic turned towards the nearest occupant. "You know, it's really dumb for you to say every aspect of your master plan. Next time, save us both the trouble and just give me the key to drive, ok?"

"Insolent cur," Snively crowed. "Your fast paced mouth shall be silenced soon enough!"

"You know," Sonic said as he began to pull a ring from his pack. "For someone who uses such intelligent words, you're pretty dumb." AT that instant, a robotic arm leapt from a nearby bed and reached to grab Sonic. Sonic simply leapt out of the way. "You're going to have to be much faster than that. You think you're so high and mighty, sitting in your fancy chair and not getting your hands dirty. Show your face once in a while, maybe you'll see some true heroism." Sonic pulled the ring from his backpack and held it in the air. "Yeah! Sleep time is over guys, wake up call." In a quick bolt of blue matter, Sonic leaped up to the main control box on the ceiling. He pulled the power gem from its socket and dropped to the floor. "That oughtta stop ya dead."

A few seconds later, the occupants of the 'sleep' beds in the room began to get up.

"Ooh, my aching head."

Sonic turned towards the speaker. "You all right?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah," the stranger looked around. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Sonic looked back towards the vent he'd entered from. Fortunately the robot had stopped moving right at another air vent. "Here, I'll tell ya on the way back." Sonic turned to help the others to their feet.

Sonic sat down on a log facing the ring lake. "You know Sally," he said. "Things worked out better than I thought they would."

"Oh really?" Sally turned towards Sonic.

"Yeah," Sonic gazed at the lake. "I mean, we got the ring machine in better than ever condition, Griff and the others have moved to another, safer home, none of Griff's people were roboticized." Sonic paused for a second. "Well almost none."

"Well," Sally said. "That's very true."

"Just goes to show ya how awesome the hedgehog is," Sonic said, smiling.

"Oh c'mon," Sally said, getting up. "Get over yourself."

"Moi?" Sonic said, while rising. "Hey, Doc R. and Sniv can't get over me. Why should I get over myself?"

Episode 30- Note from the Past

An old underground tunnel leads to a hidden library beneath Robotropolis. For Sonic, it's treasure isn't books. Sonic's treasure discovery is a small piece of paper. A message written on the paper speaks of two daring hedgehogs, who left before Julian took over to find a lost city. The technology of the people in the lost city could be just what the Freedom Fighters need to overthrow Snively and re-take Robotropolis once and for all. The only problem is, the message is incomplete. Can they find the rest of the text?