The Quest and the Conquest

Jazz and Epoch calmly awaited the surprised gasps and cries of despair that they would encounter as soon as Knothole awoke. Indeed, they came. Once the two Panthers were sure that everyone had gotten up and was crowded around Cybrux's empty cell, Jazz and Epoch called a special meeting out in the center of Knothole. It took quite some time to get them to calm down and seated, but it finally happened.
Epoch addressed the group. "Fellow citizens of Knothole, I am sure you are all concerned and surprised by the disappearance of our prisoner Cybrux. It is not what it seems. My brother Jazz will explain."
Jazz stood and said, "As you all know, Sally had been taken prisoner by Robotnik with the help of Cybrux. You also know that Cybrux took on the form of a Panther to fit in more in Knothole so he could carry out the plan to capture her without looking so suspicious. As you know, we weren't able to save her, only capture Cybrux. He gave us enough information that allowed me to go to Robotropolis in disguise as Cybrux. Robotnik, thinking I was him, gave me a position as a personal assistant, in which he trusted me with his precious information of documents. I was able to smuggle valuable papers out of Robotropolis, but apparently Robotnik was on to me. So, he sent out someone to track me down. That failed, and I knew his next step would be to capture me. So, this morning I let Cybrux free to return to Robotropolis. I am positive that as we speak, Cybrux is now a prisoner of Robotnik, who thinks that I'm him."
All of Knothole sat with their mouths open.
With that, Jazz drew from the inside of his guncoat a single piece of paper. Holding it up, he said, "This is Robotnik's plan. It states where he will be, where Sally is, and what he plans to do to her."
Epoch patted Jazz on the back. "Good work, bro'."
Jazz smiled and put the paper back in his pocket.
Epoch yelled to the crowd, "Two days from now, the date stated on this paper, we will invade Robotropolis, and take back our princess!"
He had no idea of how wrong he was.

* * *

The day of their quest had arrived. The Freedom Fighters took off towards Robotropolis solemnly, pausing only briefly to rest. When they reached the outer walls, they found the doors shut, as customary. All of the team jumped in surprise at the sound of the doors being opened slowly from within. They held their ground and prepared for a fight. Once the doors had swung full open, they peered in with suspicion. Nothing. No sound. No movement. The team briefly glanced at each other, sensing an ambush. They moved in stealth, keeping close to the wall. As they entered the megacity, their hearts began to beat faster, expecting the onslaught of 'bots any second. None came. Keeping their guard up, they surveyed the grounds but found nothing. As they approached the ominously looming fortress ahead of them, it seemed to mock them with contempt—almost seemed to laugh. Sonic and Epoch approached the doors. They were unlocked. They entered and passed down the hall, Jazz following behind, shotgun cocked and poised. Once they reached the computer room, they swung the door open to reveal a pitch-black room. Pitch black with the exception of a small red light blinking in the center. Sonic cautiously entered and went up to the light. There was a long pause of silence from within, and Jazz and Epoch began to wonder about Sonic.
"Hey Sonic, you okay in there?" Jazz called out with concern.
Suddenly without warning, the Hedgehog bolted out of the room, knocking the two Panthers down. His eyes wide with fear, Sonic looked at them and yelled, "Bomb!!"
The Hedgehog and two Panthers turned on their heels and ran for their life out through the doors. At the same time, Rotor, Bunnie, and Enigma turned the corner, almost running into them. Enigma exclaimed, "Sally's not where the paper said! We've been tricked!"
Jazz looked at her quickly and said, "No kidding, sis! We gotta get outta here!"
Sonic added frantically, "There's enough explosives in that fortress to blow us off the face of Mobius!"
All of the Freedom Fighters regrouped and took off towards the entrance, but stopped dead in their tracks, frozen at the sight which lay in front of them.
The gates were shut tight and securely locked.

They had been locked in.

* * *

Robotnik looked down at his watch impatiently. He tapped his foot and glanced through the telescope again. Why hadn't they triggered the trap yet? He glanced back at his captive Princess Sally, sitting nearby in the presence of over a hundred idle 'bots. He was staring at her, when a deafening explosion caused his head to turn. He peered through the telescope and watched the high explosives work their worst. He grinned and thought of his victory. The inhabitants of Knothole had been destroyed. He had lured them into Robotropolis with the fake plans that Cybrux had given them. Robotnik smiled as he watched the yellow epicenter grow and consume everything within a one-mile radius of Robotropolis. Half a minute later, a warm breeze blew past them, and tiny pieces of shrapnel landed on the ground and pinged against the standing 'bots harmlessly, as hail would do to the thatched roofs of Knothole.
Behind him Sally wept, not fully understanding the situation, only knowing that somehow that this was the end. Now she would be his slave.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters stood from a long distance and watched the explosion as well—the explosion that they were supposed to be part of. Thankfully the disappearing abilities of Jazz and Epoch were not wasted. It had saved them. They took cover behind trees and watched chunks of shrapnel lodge themselves in the trees and bury themselves into the ground. Pieces of ash floated by in the warm breeze. They all seemed to sigh at the same time, relieved that they were still alive. After a few minutes of recovering both their energy as well as their hearing, they gathered around and discussed the situation. It certainly looked grim.
Epoch looked at them all and said, "Well, now we don't know where Robotnik or the princess is. This doesn't look good at all."
Jazz looked over at his brother and replied, "Well, at least we still have Nicole." He reached into his inner pocket and stopped, his eyes widening in fear. "She's gone!" Jazz gasped. Suddenly, he groaned and sat down. "I left her in Robotnik's store room. The second prophesy was fulfilled after all!"
"Not quite," Sonic responded. He pulled out Nicole from his pouch. "I—uh, um—well, remember that meeting you held that I burst into? Well, I saw where you had set down Nicole, Epoch, and I took it. I replaced it with another fake I had my Uncle Chuck make me. So I guess you've been carrying around a fake, Jazz."
Jazz looked at Sonic with surprise. "Sonic, for once, ya' did somethin' bad for the better! Just be glad I didn't end up using Nicole after all!"
Sonic and a few of the other Freedom Fighters chuckled and smiled. Epoch sat down, relieved.
They all sat down for a rest, and Jazz wandered off from the team, thinking hard about what they would do. Sitting down by himself, he stared off into the trees in front of him, deep in thought. What seemed like only moments later, a bright flash of light in front of him startled him out of thought. He blinked and shook his head. Warily he gazed into the trees again where it had come from. Sure enough, through a gap in the trees, off in the distance there was a small flash of light once more. Jazz's eyes narrowed and he decided to take a closer look. He set off in the direction of the light.
He finally reached a very large hill which loomed above him. The thick forest stopped at the base of the hill, leaving a wide open hillside, covered with green grass. This was where the glint had come from. He began to walk out into the open, when suddenly he froze. Gazing up at the hillside, he couldn't believe his eyes. Hundreds of 'bots glittered in the noonday sun, all huddled together. Jazz grinned at their good luck—Robotnik was less than a mile away, and they didn't even know it. With that, he took off back to camp to tell the others.
On his return, he announced to the group what he saw, and they formed a battle plan then and there.

* * *

Sally had lost all hope long ago. All she had left now was to wait. What scared her even more was the fact that she didn't know exactly what she was waiting for. As she sat in her shackles, she thought once more of Knothole and how they had just been destroyed by Robotnik. She had never thought it would actually happen. The three prophecies were fulfilled after all, she thought. With that, she broke down again and cried bitterly.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters approached the looming hill. At the edge of the forest, they split up into groups, according to plan. Sonic, Bunnie, Rotor, and Andre in one group; Epoch, Jazz, Enigma, and Tails in another. Sonic's group moved slowly, through the trees, around the base of the huge hill to the back to sneak up from behind. Staying hidden, they waited for the signal.
Meanwhile, the other group remained unmoving, looking up at the hillside with squinted eyes. There was a slight breeze in the air, which rustled the leaves of the trees gently above them. The two Panthers' guncoats flapped lightly in the breeze, but they stood firm. The two Panthers looked at each other. Epoch nodded silently, and Jazz, with one single movement, drew out the shotgun and aimed it into the air. He pulled the trigger, unflinching. The shotgun's blast ripped through the tree branches above.

* * *

Robotnik looked down in surprise at the sudden report from the bottom of the hill. Sally's tears stopped immediately when she recognized that shot. It came from the only 2-gauge this side of Mobius. A spark of hope was ignited in her heart, and she silently hoped that they would come quickly. They didn't. In fact, they weren't even able to reach her. The hundreds of 'bots kept the Freedom Fighters occupied enough. Before Sally could react, Robotnik grabbed her and fled. On the other side of the hill was a cave, the entrance hidden to the scanning eye. Robotnik took her into the cavern and waited out the battle. And what a battle it was.

* * *

The first wave of 'bots hit the group just as they began charging up the hill. The onslaught seemed ruefully one-sided. Jazz reloaded and fired once again into the wall of 'bots, instantly obliterating a dozen from the front line. The other 'bots paid no attention, but aimed their lasers and fired at the attackers, continuing to advance. Epoch stood his ground and raised a paw up into the air. A jagged streak of lightning erupted from the sky and poured into the Panther's paw, a glowing ball of raw energy forming in it. He hurled it at the nearest 'bots, taking out the ground from under them and scattering the metal scraps of fallen 'bots into the others. Their defense seemed to do little good, however. Hundreds more poured down the hillside in attack, firing their lasers dangerously close to Jazz, Epoch, Enigma, and Tails. As the group struggled to keep their ground and take out the 'bots, Sonic's group were able to make it up the opposite side of the hill easily. Luckily, Jazz's gunshot attracted all of the 'bots' attention. Before the 'bots realized what was happening, Sonic, Rotor, Bunnie, and Andre all attacked from the rear, taking out every 'bot in their path. The number of 'bots gradually declined until only a few were left, viciously fighting till the death. The few 'bots left were quickly disposed of, and the group stood in their victory, battle-scarred, and their adrenaline pumping. They surveyed the hillside, which was now strewn with sparking circuitry and metal scraps. Sonic was the first to break the long-awaited silence.
"Guys, we gotta get Sally!" he prompted the group.
Jazz put away his smoking shotgun and agreed.
Without a second to spare, they all spread out and searched the surrounding area.

* * *

Meanwhile, Princess Sally was held hostage by the infuriated Robotnik. From the sounds outside, his 'bots came out the losers in the fight. Robotnik clenched his teeth and growled as Sally sat uncomfortably close-by to him in her shackles. He glanced over at her and sneered,
"Your friends will never find—"
He stopped abruptly, gazing at the red crystal hanging around her neck. "Where did you get that?!" he roared, his booming voice echoing in the cave. He grabbed the crystal and pulled, the fragile string which held it snapping. He turned it over and over in his hands, and then let out a low chuckle of surprise and happiness. Sally looked at him, scared stiff.
Robotnik slowly took his gaze off of the crystal and back up to the princess. "Cybrux gave this to you, eh?" he asked her. "He was more of a traitor than I imagined. I gave this to him to transport you and him back to Robotropolis upon your capture."
He sat there silently for a few moments, and then he snapped a finger as a thought occurred to him. "Of course!" he cried. "This is our ticket out of here! Say good-bye to your friends, princess, because you won't be seeing them for a long time," he sneered exuberantly.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters stood outside the cave silently, listening to every word Robotnik spoke. Robotnik's roar of outrage echoed out of the cave, making the hiding place obvious. Now all they had to do was wait for the right moment, and the conquest was complete.