The Present and the Future

Legal disclaimer:
    Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters copy-righted by Sega and
Archie publications, inc. Devochka and Fleefle are copyrighted by me.

    Inside a hut safely hidden in Knothole, Sonic was extremely bored. Robotnik
had been rather quiet, and he had nothing to do. Glancing left and right, he
desperately searched for something to do. Then he saw the familiar computer,
sitting silently on the table. It wasn't often that Sally left her computer
behind, and this was a rare chance to try something with it, although he didn't
have a clue what that something could be. About only three feet away, a young
mink spied at the unknowing hedgehog, mainly filling in her own curiousity.
Now, he was looking over Nicole, wondering what to do next. The mink grinned,
knowing from experience that the hedgehog knew very little about computers.
Crawling as if she was begging for someone, she swiftly and silently hid almost
under Sonic's nose. Her invisibility spell was obviously working, but that
didn't mean he couldn't accidentally bump into her if she wasn't careful. She
heard a familiar noise, then both her and her victim were pulled through a
bright light, and she appeared on top of a roof.


    Sonic flashed into a blue blur and stopped for an unknown reason. "Where am
I, anyway?" he thought to himself, slowly walking over some old junk.
    "Hello? Anybody here?" he yelled.
    "Shh!" someone, from somewhere, replied.
    "Hello? Come on! This isn't funny!" Sonic was getting upset about the whole
situation. Antione popped out of an underground hide-out, which immediately
closed after him.
    "Pleaze to be being quietz! " he huffed angrily.
    "What's up with you!" Sonic was confused and didn't like it a bit. Antoine
pointed behind him, where two robots similar to SWATbots began approaching.
Grabbing Antoine, Sonic led the two on a high speed chase until they had no
clue where he had gone. Then Sonic returned to the hide-out. For the first time
he noticed a distinct line drawn around the hide-out entrance, which was very
wide and was shaped almost like the bottom of a shoe.
    "And who are zee?" Antoine asked after being placed down on the ground.
    "It's me, Sonic! What's up with you Ant!?!" Sonic yelled, trying to make
some sense out of all this.
    "Sonic." a softer voice repeated behind him. It was Princess Sally,
followed by Rotor. Sonic waited for the rest to show up, but no one else did.
After looking Sally directly in the eyes, he noticed she looked older, and, now
that he thought about it, they all looked older.
    "Where--" Sonic began.
    "Since your disappearence, we're the only ones left." a tear rolled down
Sally's cheek as she remembered seeing Bunnie roboticized all the way, and then
Tails as she helplessly watched until Antoine had come and only been able to
save her.
    Now Sonic was very upset. His disappearence? He never left. All this
confusion was getting him furious, and he knew just who he would like to take
it out on," Why, I'm going to show Robotnik the works for this!" He rushed away
from the three survivors, and wondered if any other Freedom Fighters anywhere
where still around. It didn't take long to find Robotnik's place, which was now
three times the size. He also took notice to a flight of stairs which seemed to
go upwards for miles. Rushing through the line of robots was too easy, since
they were no longer programmed to chase unidentified people unless ordered.
Zipping in and out of rooms, he finally found one that he was looking for. It
was a kitchen of some sort, with Robotnik lounging in the corner.
    "Hey, Rob-blob-nik! What do you think you're doing?" Sonic yelled, trying
to clench his hand when he noticed he was holding something. He looked down at
Nicole, who he had been carrying the whole time and had forgotten about in his
confusion.
    "Attack the hedgehog! He is obviously an offender that we have missed."
Robotnik yelled.
    "Obviously? Of course I am Bot-Breath!" Sonic yelled as he dodged the
worker bots with ease," Don't you remember your old pal, Sonic?"
    "Sonic?" the name sounded familiar to Robotnik, and he quickly scanned
through files on the wall computer," Sonic, Sonic. Aww, here is something. Sir
Charles Nephew... That is impossible! Sonic the Hedgehog disappeared ten years
ago!"
    "Ten years ago.." Sonic repeated, gasping. He didn't believe it, but he
thought he knew what was going on. Sonic raced through corriders, until he
reached the end where there was a bed. Almost nothing was familiar. Nicole
beeped a few times.
    "Sonic... Play dead." she said.
    "But.." Sonic didn't have time to think before the robots were there, and
he jumped onto the bed, pretending he was dead. When the worker bots arrived,
they ignored him. Peering into a shiny bedpost, he saw Sally looking back at
him. Just then the worker bots left, and he jumped up.
    "Way cool trick, Nicole!" he exclaimed, as he watched the holographic image
die away. He needed an escape, and saw a window not too far above. He crashed
through it, and suddenly everything was noisy, with hundreds of people yelling,
chatting, and whooping all around. He was inside some sort of mall, and he saw
where the mile high stairs ended. People where surrounding everything, and
there were large computers with horror scenes of Freedom Fighters dying or
getting roboticized. It was dark with red lights, and as he was about to mutter
something about Robotnik's friends being savage, emotionless barbarians, when
found the proof. Old bones with dry blood lay in the corner, from some type of
animal he couldn't identify. Then, he forced himself to look away.
    But he regretted that move. On the screen, a familiar fox was screaming as
if he was looking into death itself. Sally and the now roboticized Bunnie were
watching, as Tails was dragged into a roboticizer. Sonic was helplessly trapped
outside of the screen, watching in horror as his little friend, who strangely
looked about fifteen now, started to hit the walls of the roboticizer. But it
was no use. Sally crying and screaming in the backround also watched as Tails
was consumed in the green smoke. In an instant, it was over, the crowd cheering
wildly at seeing the defensless fox roboticized, Sonic almost crying, and
Sally, still in the backround screamed. Sonic thought he was going to see Sally
get roboticized, but the screen flashed on another moment when someone was
changed, and he remembered that Sally was never roboticized.
    Hoping that this was all a nightmare, he fixed his amazement on the stairs,
trying his best to forget what he had just seen. People were hopping and
skipping down it, unloading into the room. He almost seemed awed by the endless
flight when he was pulled away into a vent.
    "The amazing thing about those stairs is that you see stars on your way
down." Someone said, dragging him along.
    "Hey! Lemme go!" Sonic broke free of the grasp.
    "Sonic!" another voice growled a little.
    "Some one actually remembers me?" Sonic asked sarcastically, turning to
face a much older Knuckles, with a bee and a now visible chameleon beside him.
    "Oh, yes. I remember you, Sonic." his voice seemed softer than normal," I
remember how often you tried to help and I would refuse. And now that you're
finally back, I'm sorry."
    "Sorry? That doesn't sound like you." Sonic replied," Why aren't you on
your island?"
    "What island?" Espio folded his arms angrily.
    "Huh?"
    "Where have you been?" Charmy asked," The Floating Island was blown up
three years ago!"
    "Blown up?" Sonic repeated, slapping his forehead," What about Vector, and
Mighty?"
    "Mighty got roboticized two years ago when he tried to defend us by holding
off the robots. We got away, but he didn't. As for Vector, about a month after
that he was caught on a mission. Besides Princess Sally's small team, we are
the only ones left. But we haven't been able to get contact with her."
    "But... This can't be happening! It's like I was sitting with Nicole one
moment, the next suddenly everyone is gone?!" Sonic was almost choking on his
words.
    "Huh?" Charmy was questioning his last statement.
    "You mean..." Knuckles looked him over," You haven't aged! How old are
you?"
    "Sixteen." Sonic replied.
    "I was a year younger then you. I'm twenty five." Knuckles stated the
facts," You must have time traveled ten years."
    "But I never did anything. Although, that flash of light..." Sonic started
thinking aloud, when Charmy burst out crying," Huh?"
    Espio, almost as sad but trying to hide it, simply pointed out of the vent.
On the screen, Mighty was desperately trying to break free from all the robots.
Swinging wild punches left to right, he wouldn't let himself be taken, but at
the same time the robots were too numorous for him, and he was getting tired.
Finally he was dragged into the roboticizer room, were he still tried wild
attempts of escape. Sonic never knew Mighty that well, but he knew exactly how
Charmy felt, and looked in Knuckles direction.
    "Don't mind him, he does this every time he has to see that horrible shot."
Knuckles tried to explain to Sonic, not knowing if he would understand.
    "It's ok." Sonic replied, the bravado in his voice fading," I know exactly
how he feels." After all, Sonic had almost cried himself when he had to see his
friends up there, and Charmy was one hundred times more sensitive than he was.
In the crowd watching the screen, hollers and cheering arose as Mighty grew
weaker and could no longer defend himself. These people are actually enjoying
this, Sonic snarled in disgust.
    "Teams red, blue and green! Step up!" some sort of announcer called. Three
teenagers dressed in each color called jumped into a curved platform. They were
holding sticks that were curved at the end in some strange game he had never
seen before. One didn't fit next to the others, so blue stepped in front and
had the leading position, which Sonic thought wasn't fair.
    "What kind of game is that?!" Sonic asked.
    "You don't want to know." Knuckles replied, trying to sooth Charmy.
    "But isn't that cheating?" Sonic asked.
    "Does it matter? That player is probably going to end up being one of the
dead ones." Knuckles pointed at the one wearing blue.
    "Why?"
    Knuckles knew that Sonic was just curious, in his own innocent way, and
reluctantly replied," Because, the object seems to be getting those sharp discs
to fly hard enough so they'll make it back to the players by going through the
curve. Standing in front, blue is the first target the discs can hit. As soon
as the two other players have been hit, the third is the winner."
    "You mean, they are trying to kill each other?" Sonic never heard of such a
horrible game.
    "Yes. These are all Robotnik's friends, who unload from ships at the top of
those stairs. As you can see, it is survival of the fittest." Knuckles groaned.
Charmy began crying again. It had barely been twenty minutes, but Vector's clip
was on already.
    "It seems Robotnik skipped a few clips..." Knuckles thought aloud. Sonic
had hardly recognized any of the Freedom Fighters, except for Ari, since he saw
Tails and Bunnie.
    Realizing Sonic's confusion, Espio told him, with his eyes still focused on
the screen," The clips are normally played in order. Your friends are near the
beginning." On the screen, Vector was trying everything to slip away, but when
it came down to the end, the music loving crocodile was about as lucky as
Mighty had been. It was obvious in the clip that Vector was still bothered by
Mighty's roboticzation only a month before. But, who could blame him? Here
Charmy was two years after that and still crying.
    "Sonic, who sent you to the future?" Knuckles unexpectedly asked.
    "I don't know.." Sonic answered.
    "Time stones?" Knuckles suggested.
    "Nope."
    "Hmm.." Knuckles pointed towards Nicole, and Sonic caught his drift.
    "Nicole, can you replay what happened when we were warped?" Sonic asked,
holding up the computer.
    "Sure thing... my main.. hedgehog." Nicole said, booting up a holographic
image of the moment. Behind were he had been standing, a orange kitten was
playfully sneaking around. He hadn't seen her there before. Then, she
concentrated, probably planning to drop a brick on his head or something of the
sort. Shocked at the sudden flash, the young kitten creature fell back, as a
mink flashed for a second onto the screen.
    "Fleefle!" Knuckles growled.
    "But she looks surprised." Sonic wouldn't think that she'd be surprised
about her own trick.
    "She was insane! I should have known! We have to get her so she can send
you back!" Knuckles made a fist, as Charmy finally recovered from his fit, at
least until next time he saw the clips.
    "We have to get her to send you back! Then none of this will have ever
happened! Mighty and Vector will be ok!" Espio added, a hint of hope filling
his voice for the first time in years. In front of them a large metalic boot
thumped. Looking at the robot, they realized it was Nack, acting somewhat
different than most robots.
    "How-?"
    "From what I heard, after about a month of your disappearence he was spying
on Sally. Robotnik had placed a false file about Devochka, which said she would
be roboticized. For the first time he risked his own neck to save someone else
that he actually cared for, but it got him roboticized. Speaking of which, it's
been about ten years since we've seen any trace of Devochka, either. Her and
Archimedes usually had a few good tricks up their sleeves." Knuckles explained.
    "Archimedes? What happened to that little fire-ant, anyway?" Sonic asked.
    "He was still on the island when it was blown away." Knuckles choked.
    Charmy perked up after thinking for a moment," What are we waiting for? If
we get Sonic to Fleefle she can fix everything!"
    "Fleefle's alive?" Sonic asked.
    "If you can call that living. She is a psionic, and Robotnik couldn't
roboticize her, so now she is a tourist attraction, held in a cage. We've been
trying to find a way to help her out, but we couldn't risk losing anyone else."
Knuckles glared at Sonic," At least, not until now!"


    After finding the coordinates of Fleefle with Nicole, the four prepared to
make a run for it.
    "Ready?" Knuckles asked his two remaining team mates.
    "As ready as I'll ever be!" Espio replied, while Charmy answered," What
have we got to lose?"
    "Let's go!" Sonic shouted as they burst through the vent and through the
room. People screamed and shouted as they ran through, and robots started after
them. Trying to ignore all of the threats proved impossible. Nack, roboticized
as a seventeen year old, jumped on them from above, grabbing Knuckles and
trying to claw him. Suddenly, someone else was on Nack.
    "Nack, don't do this! Fight it!" Devochka yelled. Surprised, a feeling he
shouldn't have been capable of, Nack slowing got off the ground, his circuitry
trying to interpret feelings. He didn't try to help them, but he didn't attack,
either.
    "Hurry, before we get caught--WHOA!" Sonic yelled. Robots had already
caught up, and were grabbing Espio from all sides. They were reporting the
location to Robotnik, and he would be there any moment.
    "Go without me! This won't happen!" Espio yelled at them as he tried to
hold off the robots for the others, just as Mighty had done.
    "Espio!" Charmy shouted, unwilling to leave his friend behind. Part of the
cieling slowly came down, revealing a roboticizer, and Robotnik, wearing jets
on both shoes, hovered down with it as the robots dragged Espio towards him.
    Devochka watched for a moment, then continued with the others, figuring
they knew where to go. But Charmy couldn't take it.
    "Espio!" he shouted again, turning back.
    "Charmy, come back! We need your help!" Knuckles shouted, but to no avail.
The sensitive bee could not take another missing friend because he abandonned
them. He flew above Espio, threatening to sting anyone in the crowd if they
came near, and trying to get the robots off of him.
    "Well, well, well. What's left of the Chaotix finally decides to show up. I
suppose it's only fair that your own friends roboticize you, in that case."
Robotnik gestured towards the door, where Mighty and Vector, both
roboticisized, stepped through," Now, everyone can see what happens to rebels!"
Vector grabbed Charmy, who could hardly stand seeing his friends like this,
while Mighty tightly held Espio in front of the roboticisizer.
    "Mighty! You have to fight it!" Espio tried to help Mighty like Sonic had
done with his Uncle Chuck, but to no benefit. Growling, Espio knew he'd have to
try to hurt Mighty's feelings," Mighty! You big oaf! If you do this, you're
everything you ever hated!" Mighty hesitated to put Espio inside the
roboticizer, and Espio grinned, knowing it was working," You'll be nothing but
a hopeless, weak slave!" At the thought of weak, which Mighty had always hated
more than anything, the robot frowned, then dropped Espio.
    "Must....not" he began trying to break free of Robotnik's command.
    "You mindless fool!" Robotnik bellowed," Put him inside!"
    After a moments hesitation, Mighty placed Espio inside the roboticizer.
Almost ballistic, Charmy struggled with Vector, but it ended up not mattering.
    "Turn on the roboticizer, and let all know who reigns!" Robotnik commanded.
Mighty pushed the button and the green smoke began enclosing on Espio, who was
desperately trying to punch open the door.
    Snapping, Charmy let out the most horrifying scream," NOOOOOO!" which could
be heard for miles. Then, a robotic Espio stepped out, and in the midst of
cheers from the crowd, Charmy started whimpering and sobbing.
    "Oh, poor boy. Did I hurt your feelings? Now you see the price for being a
rebel." Robotnik faked a gesture of sympathy.
    "You're going down, Robotnik!" Charmy growled, which was one of the last
things expected from him," Sonic is going to stop all of this from ever
happening! This'll never happen!"
    Frowning at Sonic's name, Robotnik ordered," Roboticize him!"
    "You'll never win, Robotnik!" Charmy yelled as Vector placed him inside the
roboticizer. Mighty pressed the button and the roboticizer started up.


    "NOOO!" the three heard loud and clear.
    "Charmy!" Devochka gasped.
    "Don't worry about him. If we get you two back everything will be ok! We
just have to get you two back." Knuckles kept running," Fleefle isn't far."
They rounded a corner and found the caged princess hopelessly clawing the bars.
    "Fleefle!" Sonic yelled, waving.
    "Huh?" Fleefle realized that she had indeed heard the blue hedgehog,"
Sonic? You're alive? But how can that be?" Fleefle was a lot bigger than
before, almost as large as her father, with drooping ears and withered wings,
even though she was probably only seventeen.
    "I am! And now you have to send me back so this won't happen!" Sonic sawed
through the bars. Fleefle stepped out, apparently for the first time in a long
time. She was obviously under fed and treated poorly, because her limp body
could barely supply herself energy.
    "Fleefle, remember ten years ago? Inside Sonic's hut? He was playing with
Nicole." Devochka asked.
    "Yes, I remember. That's when I accidentally killed him." a tear rolled
down her cheek," I only meant to teleport him into some cold water."
    "You never killed him!" Devochka finally realized what had happened," Your
dimension door and my invisibility clashed and blasted us into the future!"
    "So, you never died?" Fleefle almost seemed hopeful.
    "No! You have to send us back ten years so none of this will happen!"
Devochka began growing impatient as robots could be heard nearby.
    "TEN YEARS! That is going to take time!" Fleefle exclaimed.
    "Then you'll have to get somewhere safe." Knuckles calmly replied.
    "With robots that close on our tail there is no such thing." Fleefle
replied.
    "Go ahead to Sally, she'll keep you safe as long as she can. I'll stay here
and hold them off. Go." Knuckles stood, waiting for them to leave.
    "Go? Without you! Knuckles!" Devochka was about to object.
    "You have to get back and this won't happen."
    "And what if it doesn't work?" Devochka asked.
    "What better chance do we have?" Knuckles asked," Now go!"
    "Alright. I'll remember this, Knuckles." Devochka sadly turned away, and,
with Fleefle and Sonic, darted out of the building towards Sally's hide outs.
Moments after leaving, they heard Knuckles struggling in his last battle.
Holding tightly onto Sonic, he zipped through the junk heap in seconds and
found the hide outs.
    "Sonic! You're back!" Sally hugged him.
    "No time to explain! You have to buy us some time, Sal!" Sonic urgently
demanded.
    "Well, alright. How many robots?" Sally asked, while Rotor and Antione
prepared themselves.
    "All of them. Except the ones busy roboticizing Knux." Sonic quickly
scrambled Fleefle and Devochka into one spot, and Fleefle began concentrating,
then he faced Sally and promised," I won't let this happen. Everything is going
to be ok!"
    "Sonic, if we don't have enough time, I'm going to do another clash of
abilities. It is only if we absolutely cannot do this in time. For all I know,
it may send us another ten years into the future." Devochka told him, not
breaking Fleefle's concentration.
    "Ok, if we have to." Sonic sat next to her, waiting to do something. It
took a about twenty minutes, but the robots finally started to come. They
needed ten more minutes for Fleefle. Sally kicked the first robot and began
defending the time-traveling group. Rotor tried defending them by hitting the
robots with his wrench, which stopped the first few. Antione pulled out a long
sword and began slashing courageously at the robots, for the first time in his
life. It took about six minutes, but the robots began swarming past the three,
who were doing their best to hold them back.
    "We don't have enough time!" Devochka whispered to Sonic.
    "Alright, go for it!" Sonic told her. Devochka initiated her invisibility
spell next to Fleefle, and a bright light flashed, blasting both Sonic and
Devochka away.


    The next moment Sonic was still holding Nicole, and Devochka was invisible,
spying on the hedgehog. Fleefle entered the room, planning to transport Sonic
into a cold lake as a little joke. When she entered the room, Sonic seemed to
just realize something.
    Both Sonic and Devochka abruptly shouted at her," Don't even think about
it, Fleefle!" Surprised, not even knowing that Devochka had been there, Fleefle
wondered how they knew. Devochka re-appeared, and stared at Sonic. Staring
back, they both knew it had really happened. Fleefle stared at both of them,
wondering what they were doing.
    "I'm gonna go check on Tails." Sonic grinned.
    "I think Nack needs a visit." Devochka pointed away, then swiftly leapt
through the window and was gone. A moment later Sonic was in the feilds.
    "Tails!" Sonic yelled.
    "Over here, Sonic! What's up?" Tails waved and landed next to him.
    "You're ok!" Sonic hugged Tails, remembering that awful clip.
    "Of course I'm ok, Sonic. What did you think? I suddenly got roboticized?"
Tails was confused by Sonic's behavior.
    "Sonic," he turned to face Princess Sally," What are you doing with
Nicole?"
    Noticing that he was still carrying the small computer, Sonic handed it to
her," Nothing. I just needed a little help with something."
    Surprised, wondering why Sonic suddenly turned to a computer for help, all
she could think to say was," Oh."
    "Tails, can you take me to the Floating Island? I need to see Mighty and
Vector." Sonic asked.
    "But you hardly know them." Tails told him.
    "I know. I have to check on Knux and the rest of the Chaotix anyway." Sonic
almost couldn't believe everyone was just fine," Oh, how's Bunnie?"
    "She's fine, Sonic. Why are you suddenly concerned about everyone?" Sally
asked.
    "Oh, nothing. I think Knuckles will know." Sonic replied.
    "But you hate Knuckles!" Tails said.
    "Well, can you take me to the Floating Island or not?" Sonic began getting
irritated with the questions. Didn't they remember anything?
    "Ok." Tails grabbed his hand a flew away. Shrugging, Sally went back to her
work with Nicole.


    When they arrived on the Floating Island, Sonic began searching
relentlessly for the Chaotix, and then he remembered Archimedes. Was he ok,
too? Then he heard two people talking and laughing together.
    "So, hey Rad Red, what's the update?" one cheerfully called. Sonic peered
through a bush and saw Mighty waving up at Knuckles.
    "Nothing much." Knuckles replied, landing next to him. Sonic couldn't
resist, and rushed out next to Knuckles.
    "Hey Knuckles! Is everyone here ok?" Sonic asked. Looking at him curiously,
Knuckles frowned.
    "Yes, why?"
    "Just checking. How about Vector? Is he roboticized? Did Archimedes get
blown up? Wait, the island is still here, obviously he didn't." Sonic felt so
good that everything was back together.
    "Why would Vector be roboticized?" Knuckles asked.
    "I'll explain later. For now, let's party!" Sonic shouted.

The End (Or is it...)