***********************************

      Blade Echidna strained as he twisted the rusted bolt of the bottom of the hover unit's access panel. He pulled off the access panel and began to work on the damaged wiring.
      "Just a few more parts to scavenge and we'll have a working hover unit of our own," he smiled triumphantly. He pulled out a circuit board and rolled out from under the propped-up vehicle. His red skin was smeared with grease and his dreds were practically coated in black oil. His leather jacket was hanging on a hook in the corner of the garage. He wouldn't dare get oil on that. He pulled some tools out of the belt around his hips. He was clad in black leather from the waist down, the pants tucked into his worn-out black high-tops. He sat up and wiped down the stolen parts.
      Pang Pangolin looked at him and smirked. "You've got enough crud on you to rebuild Robotropolis," he smiled, watering the vegetables in the mini-greenhouse. Pang's gold scales glittered like gems--even the large ones that covered his head and back like a turtle's shell. He swished his long tail and punched a few buttons on his roboticized arms, setting the water output to a fine mist.
      Blade laughed as he looked himself over. "You might be right at that, buddy!"
      Axl stepped in to the garage and tossed Blade a couple of blasters. Blade caught them (quite carefully, too) and looked them over.
      "Got them reconfigured for us," the black and green haired potto grinned.
      Blade was impressed. "You did it that fast?" Axl nodded.
      Blade looked Axl over. He smiled. They hadn't trusted him at first; they didn't know where he came from and he had refused to tell, but after a while he proved his worth a thousand times over. Axl straightened his gray and red boots, knee and elbow pads. He hung his gray leather jacket on a hook next to Blade's and stretched, his sleek black fur letting his firm muscles show through. Axl took a few of the parts Blade had removed and took them over to be cleaned and rustproof. His green eyes twinkled with a good-naturedness that offset the angry pink scar down his right cheek.
     Pang finished tending to the vegetables and waited by the window as a dragonflier settle on the ledge. He unwrapped the scroll tied to its leg, and unrolled it as it flew back to Robotropolis proper.
     "What's the word from Sir Charles?" Blade asked as he wiped the grime from his skin.
     "The main lab's unguarded. We can strike tonight."

 *******************

     The clanking of the metal boots of SWATbots could be heard below.
     Axl finished rigging timers to his bombs. That was his particular specialty; he's been a miner before the Fall of Mobitropolis.
    Blade was eager to try out his latest gun; he'd salvaged parts for am EM pulse gun from the junk piles and had upgraded his machine gun. Razor jacked in a computer access terminal, and after some careful hacking, he'd gotten a hold of the floor plans.
     "The patrol has passed," Pang whispered as he watched from the grate in the air duct they had all squeezed into. He had to keep his voice and movements as quiet as possible; he was the largest of the group, and he could give them away by a sudden shift in position. Pang pulled the grate off the duct, and one by one they slipped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Quickly, single file, they ran down the corridor, stopping only to let Axl plant the bombs while Blade and the two cybernetically enhanced rebels covered him. Things proceeded like clockwork until they reached the Main lab itself...
     "You will proceed no further," a cold mechanical voice hissed.
     Blade readied his weapon. "Sorry MechaSonic...we've got a mission to finish. Icing you will just be a bonus."
     MechaSonic's metal face, locked in an appropriate sneer, turned to Blade. "Just try it."
     Blade opened fire on Mecha, rounds of ammo bursting from the hot muzzle of his gun and spraying after the darting robot.    Computer equipment sparked and shorted out as it was suddenly aerated by flying lead.
     "Hold your fire, Blade! We haven't got time for this! Just cover our operative while he delivers the payload!" Pang barked at angry echidna.
     MechaSonic's ears perked. It was a nice try the large pangolin made to keep their mission a secret, but the small black potto darting into the corner gave it away. He fired up his jets and darted over, lasers blazing.
     Pang quickly lashed his tail out at MechaSonic, his scales extracted like glittering gold spikes. They caught Mecha in mid-air and knocked him across the room. Chunks of the pangolin's tail scales protruded from his metal shell, broken off from the hit. MechaSonic had underestimated the agility of the large pangolin.
     "It's done, Pang, we're clear!" Axl shouted. Mecha quickly returned to his feet and began shooting at the retreating furs, trying to take them out despite the fact that several parts of his body were shorting out from the pangoin's scales. The partially roboticized ferret performed a complex series of maneuvers that furs called "martial arts", dodging his blasts and getting dangerously close. MechaSonic was running low in power and he was trying desperately to hit his oncoming foe.
     Instant pain.
     The ferret pulled his hand out of MechaSonic's chest; he watched the silver metal fist slide out, coated in his own oil and hydraulic fluids. His vision was beginning to dim as the magnetic jar around his fusion core flickered, loosing power.
     The four furs ran out of the lab as fast as they could, the doors sliding shut and sealing, as they did when ever intruders were detected.
     Mecha drug himself over to one of the lab's containment units. His legs had ceased to function, and getting to that unit was taking so long...
     The bomb in the lab exploded.
     MechaSonic was blown against the wall, his torso neatly shattered in two. One of his arms lay next to him, his right optic sensor was smashed and dangling from its socket. The alarm klaxons blared as the building shook with more explosions and fires began to rage down the corridor in and in the lab itself. Summoning his last bits of power, MechaSonic tried to contact his maker.
     "Robotnik, Sir...*squee* I need help...*bzzzt* send some SWATbots.."
     There was no reply.
     Mecha slid down further as his systems began to shut down. So this was what dying is like. Unlike Packbell, he'd not be repaired and reactivated. His kind were a dime a dozen; Robotnik would simply build another to replace him. His body would be thrown out into the junk piles like so much flotsam, to be scavenged by any freedom fighters that found him.
     It was then that he saw a bright white ball rolling towards him. He'd seen it in the lab before; it was an odd orb that had been recovered by SWATbots in the Great Jungle. No one had figured out what it did, but it radiated massive amounts of power. Perhaps enough power to sustain him until he could repair himself. He weakly lifted his functioning arm and touched it.
     Power surged into his body. Power like no other power he'd ever felt, not even Chaos energy felt like this...
     MechaSonic felt his body being lifted somehow into the air; he could see the broken parts of his body swirling up to meet him in the bright white glow. He felt an odd tingling about his body which turned into a soft warmth that extended to all of his extremities, even into the missing ones.
     Sight returned to MechaSonic's damaged eye. A new arm grew from the socket of the old. His torso reformed. All at once he felt a surge of pain and unidentified sensation through his new body.
     He dropped to the floor.
     By now the fires had been put out by the automatic systems in the lab, but MechaSonic (?) hadn't noticed. He got to his feet, trying to figure out what had happened to him. He looked for the white orb, but it was gone.
     He saw himself in an unbroken beaker's reflection and nearly fell to the ground in shock. He wasn't a robot anymore.
     MechaSonic quickly rummaged through the lab, looking for some kind of mirror, and found one. He watched his jaw drop at the sight of the unfamiliar face in front of him.
     He was taller than most; perhaps now around five feet. His skin was a smooth gray-blue--Amazing, he thought, I have skin!--and his spines matched. They were long, and mane like, coming to several downward facing points, the furthest one down stopping at mid back. His ears, yellow skinned inside, flicked to pick up various sounds. He studied his face. His eyes were an unsettling redden black, like they were before; his muzzle was a liquid silver in color. It almost looked metal, but as he opened and closed his mouth, it behaved like flesh. A few stray spines fell in front of his eyes. He moved the mirror downwards.
     His chest was broad, and well muscled, and his stomach firm. He could see the abdominals clearly; his hips were narrow, as were to be expected, and his legs strong. His arms were powerful, but not overly muscled; his fingers were silver, and pointed like claws, though flexible. He noticed an odd marking across his chest; it looked like a yellow triangle, with a black circle in the center--just where his laser/jet intake port used to be.
     It was then that he noticed he had parts he hadn't have before.
     "Looks like I'm going to have to get some clothes," he mused to himself, noticing the lack of metallic ring in his voice. He found a lab coat in a rack, somewhat singed, but useable. He quickly put it on and found something to tie it closed around the waist. Unlocking the door, he snuck out into the hallway.
     It took a while to get used to the heat of the floor on his bare feet. The hallway was charred, and panels were blown loose and bare wiring sparked and popped. Parts of SWATbots lay scattered throughout the hall, a testament to the fury of the organic creatures that had bombed the lab. He stopped for a moment.
     "I'm one of them now," he say quietly to himself. He looked at the dying SWATbot in front of him, a brother, yet a stranger. He took the time to quickly dispatch it. It was more than Robotnik would have done.
     That thought struck him full force, making him angry with his creator.
     MechaSonic picked up the pace and quickly exited the lab. He ducked into a dark corner as the SWATbots herded workerbots into the lab to begin repairs. He felt his strength waning and a strange headache overcome him, sinking to his knees with weariness.
     He soon fell asleep.
     MechaSonic couldn't tell how long he had slept, but it was still night, so it couldn't have been long. Fortunately he'd not been found. A sudden rustling of wings made MechaSonic turn sharply around. A small black falcon met his gaze.
     He recognized it immediately; it was one of the prototype avian Spy Eyes that had been worked on in the lab. This one must have escaped during the blasts. He extended his hand to it; it cocked its head curiously, then with a soft cry flew over to him. He took comfort in the small robot's presence. He looked at the serial number on its legs. Peregrine Robot Battle/Observation Enhancement (PROBE) #A-12. He felt an odd tingling sensation on his wrist. PROBE flapped off of his arm as he brought it to his chest. It ached, tingled, itched a bit...took a look, fearing that perhaps the robot had some kind of poison on it that as irritating his new skin.
     Two small input ports could be seen on his wrist. He nearly jumped, scrambling back against the wall in fear. After a few moments, he calmed, looking at the ports in his wrists. Another strange new ability? PROBE flew back to him, seeming to know what to do. Two connector cables snaked out of its body and plugged into him.
     #Greetings MechaSonicX.#
 MechaSonicX found this strange mind-to-mind contact a bit unsettling. An image began to form in his mind: A tall black figure that resembled an echidna somewhat; she had long black hair, a black bodysuit and cloak with metal gauntlets at the wrists and shins. Her muzzle was white, and her eyes were an almost glowing amber color. She smiled and asked, #Do you like my gift?#
     *Wha--Who are you? What do you mean gift?*
     # I am Estri. That is all you need to know of me. I am responsible for your present state.#
     *Why?...What do you want of me?*
     #What do we want of you? Nothing. I've already seen what I wanted to see. I wanted to see if the flux orb would do its job--making you semi-organic--and it did,# She smiled with pride at her handiwork. #Good luck, MechaSonicX. I will not alter your destiny any further--you have your own life to live. Make good use of it.#
     With that, the image in MechaSonicX's mind faded.
     MechaSonicX felt his strength returning, and he got to his feet. The crowd of robots around the lab was getting larger, so he decided to follow the alleyway. He had no idea how his SWATbot brothers would react to him in his present state, and he certainly didn't want to die a second time...
     PROBE let out a soft screech and flapped off towards the outer sections of Robotropolis. MechaSonicX decided to follow...it just seemed right.  MechaSonicX shivered at the cold smoggy air and took of running after PROBE. As he chased it he began to learn better control of his body; PROBE flew over pipes, through piles of junk, up over buildings and across the dirty metal roofs of several mechaniod factories. He followed every movement, leaping, climbing, swinging, crawling, until the mechanical falcon stopped at a pile of what looked like garbage. It screeched at him, pecking at a pile of bones and clothes.
     He pulled a long black leather duster out of the junk; it was somewhat dusty and had a few bullet holes in it. He dug through the rest of the trash, locating pants, boots, a shirt and a pair of gloves. He stretched the wet semi torn shirt over his head and quills; next went on the pants, boots and gloves, all in black. He put his arms through the sleeves of the duster, raising his arms as it slid onto his back. He grabbed the silver ring of the zipper and pulled it up to the high neck. PROBE cried once again, flapping over to can of black paint, left open by workerbots--now nowhere to be seen--next to puddles of rain water. He went over dipped a claw-tip in the paint, and looking at his reflection in the water, drew a line from his forehead to his right eye. Then one below, down to mid-cheek. He pulled up his shirt, looking at the yellow and black marking. To his amazement, it began to shift colors, until a new marking appeared over his skin. On the right half of his chest was a fire tattoo; the flames were outlined in black, but blazing orange and gold inside. It curved around his washboard stomach to his behind; his right arm was also marked, down to the elbows. He stopped to ponder this occurrence.
     "I thought about a fire mark....and it appeared," he mused quietly. "I wonder if...." He concentrated and watched as his skin shifted to a gray color. His ears and spine tips turned black.
     MechaSonicX smiled. Apparently he could alter his appearance. He tried other shapes: vulpine, lupine, rodent, avian, reptilian, musteline, equine. He noted that he couldn't change his size; this made sense: He couldn't alter the amount of mass in his body, only its appearance. He returned to the blue-gray hedgehog form he liked the most. The only thing he was missing now was weaponry. No telling what would become of him in a fight without them.
     "I don't think I'm gonna find any weaponry around here," he mused out loud. PROBE gave a cry and lighted on his shoulder.
     *Klank* *Klank* *Klank*. The sounds of the SWATbot patrols nearing.
     MechaSonicX didn't want to meet up with SWATbots right away. He'd have no idea how they'd react to him. He grabbed onto a fire escape left hanging from and old building, climbing up as fast as he could. Upon reaching the roof, he took a breath and leapt onto the next, headed off into the shadows of the Robotropolis night.

     SOMEWHERE IN THE GREAT UNKNOWN....

      Thwok!
      Crescent Rose drew back the longbow, the red feather fletching almost against hir face, and took aim at the sand-stuffed leather target.
     Thwok! Another bull's eye.
     "Excellent Cress! Not one of our clan elders could claim to hit that target from a thousand feet! And you have hit it in the
center ten times!"
      Argus smiled at his pupil. She'd been his student in archery since she was two..and that was eighteen years ago. He'd even seen to her education in medicine, clan history and law, and mechanics. She was the cream of the crop, and some said she might even become Clan Lord someday.
      Crescent pulled the goggles over hir helmet and straightened hir black gloves. The desert sun beat down hard on the sands of the Great Unknown, home to hir Clan, the Marrauders. They were scheduled to meet with the Wolf Pack Freedom Fighters, for trade discussion. And Cress had been invited along, to demonstrate hir skills. It was so ironic, sie thought, that their prized warrior was a cursed doublesex. Even hir mentor, Argus, did not know hir secret. And it was a secret sie kept, even after hir parents had died in the Clan Wars. Sie owed hir parents much for keeping hir safe from the law, and sie vowed to honor their sacrifice with hir achievements.
      Rebecca walked out onto the archer's field. Cress smiled at the beautiful red echidna girl. Sie'd grown to love Rebecca. Rebecca was the only echidna to know Cress's secret--and she didn't care; she loved Cress regardless.
      "Crescent! We've got to hurry up and get ready to go!" Rebecca shouted as she ran up to hir.
      Crescent Rose looked to Argus. "May I be excused, Sir?"
      Argus chuckled. "Of course, Crescent. Go and get cleaned up."

      The warm water streamed over Crescent's crimson and orange fur, washing the sand and grit out of hir long double-colored dreds. Cress rubbed the herb-laced tallow soap over hirself, scrubbing quickly to save time. Hir ears perked as sie heard the door open and close.
      "Don't worry Cress, it's just me, Rebecca," a soft voice said over the noise of the shower. Cress smiled and shut off the water, and grabbed a nearby towel, wrapping it around hirself.
      "What do you need, love?" Crescent asked as sie stepped out of the shower. Rebecca's eyes saddened.
      "Oh Cress, my parents have arranged me to marry Rikal!" she sobbed.
      Crescent's heart broke. Sie took Rebecca into hir arms and hugged her close.
      "Rikal's a good man...y-you should be proud to have..." Crescent choked.
      "I don't love him! I could never love him! I only love you, Cress," Rebecca sobbed into Crescent's wet fur.
      "But you knew that we could never show our love, Rebecca...you knew this would come one day..."
      Crescent said sadly, hir gray eyes full of tears. Rebecca nodded sadly.
      "I have but one request from you, love," Rebecca said softly.
      "What do you wish? Anything, and I will do it for you!" Crescent said softly.
      "Make love to me, Crescent Rose. I want to give myself to you, to know what mating in love is like before I am condemned to Rikal," Rebecca requested.
      Crescent nodded slowly and kissed Rebecca, letting the towel fall from hir body.

      The door opened.

      "Dear Destiny, no!" Argus gasped.
      Crescent stood in naked and in shock. Sie was done for now...
      "And you were our finest young warrior...such a pity..."

      ***********************************

      Crescent was brought before the Clan Elders in chains. The hall was lit from above but a glass skylight inside the cavern. Tapestries hung down the sides, where the clan had gathered to see Crescent's trial. In the back of the hall, on the judgment platform, sat the Clan Lord, a tall, powerfully muscled brown echidna. He looked down at Crescent Rose, who was forcibly bowed before him.
      "Who has proof that Crescent Rose is a doublesex?" he boomed.
      Argus sadly stepped forward. "I saw Crescent Rose nude in the showers at the practice fields," he said, his head hung low. "Only one witness. There can be no sure accusation without a second witness," the Clan Lord replied.

      Rebecca stepped forward.

      "I...I saw Crescent too," she sad softly, not looking at hir.
      Crescent's eyes widened in disbelief...hir love was betraying hir in front of hir very eyes!
      "Rebecca, why?" Crescent asked, hir voice full of shock and pain.
      "I..I had to come forward....It's my duty..." she stammered to Crescent.
      "Two witnesses," The Clan Lord announced. "What do you have to say, Crescent?"
      "If I am to die for something I cannot change, then strike me down and be done with it!" Crescent snapped, full of bitter rage. The Clan Lord took a stand from his throne and Crescent closed hir eyes tight, expecting the blades of the guard's swords to fall on hir neck at any time.
     "Crescent, you are too valuable to our Clan to loose to this law. And you are not a puggle in your mother's pouch any longer."
      Crescent looked up.
      "As we all know, we are getting short on females. We had much hope for you, Crescent, and we will not give up so easily on you," The Clan Lord stated, the wheels in his head turning. "I have a solution to this. Crescent, we will make you a normal female."
      Crescent's eyes widened. "Wha--How?"
      "The operation is very simple. We will remove your unnecessary male parts."
      "No! You can't do that! You can't just cut off parts of my body!" Crescent shouted as the guards drew their knives. They forced Crescent's legs apart as sie struggled hard, not able to get to hir groin.. Arrows flew through the air and embedded their razored heads into the guards. Crescent fell back, blinking as the crowd began to scream and panic...
     "Get up and get out now, quickly Crescent!" Argus shouted, bow in hand. He turned to the Clan Lord and snarled, "You ought to stop playing God, because you are NOT good at it and the position is TAKEN!"
      Crescent got to hir feet and ran out of the hall as fast as hir legs could carry her, trying to pick the locks on her manacles with a stolen dagger from a dead guard. Sie ran out into the desert, towards hir tent, dropping the manacles in the dust. Quickly, she put on her helmet, chest armor and boots; she grabbed her supply pack, bows and quiver and slung them over hir shoulder. Sie could hear the sounds of the crowd approaching quickly, determined to exact Crescent's sentence for the 'good' of the clan. Crescent ran out of hir tent and barely escaped the barrage of hands trying to grab hir. Sie ran to the RunnerBeast pens and leapt onto the back of a saddled and supplied one, and with a tug of the reigns the runnerbeast shot off into the desert of the Great Unknown.

     ********************************

      Night had fallen. Crescent patted the exhausted runnerbeast, curled up next to the fire, sleeping. The winds blew cold across the sands, and Crescent wrapped a blanket around hirself as sie cooked the rattlesnake sie'd caught. As sie sat almost blank, all of hir mind's defenses against the shock sie'd faced gave way. Crescent heaved with heavy sobs and collapsed onto the sand, crying into the dry desert floor.
      The next day, Crescent set out for the Wolfpack Freedom Fighter's home. Sie hoped they might be kind enough to take hir in; sie could fight well. The journey took most of the day. but soon sie was near the canyon the Wolfpack called home.

      But something else was waiting for hir.

      Five STEALTHbots shot through the skies, spooking hir runnerbeast. it brayed and tossed hir from its back on the rock underneath. Crescent coughed and rolled over; the runnerbeast ran madly on behind hir. Sie watched the five oval-shaped metal monsters dive down and laser the runnerbeast into a bloody pulp. Crescent scrambled to hir feet, dizzy, trying to get to shelter before the STEALTHbots did the same to hir. Sie stumbled and fell, gasping for breath as a rock winded hir.

      ##Acquire subject for roboticization.##

      Crescent aimed hir crossbow at one of the bots. Sie took careful aim and shot; the steel-tipped arrow head pierced the shell of the bot and it exploded. The four other bots quickly closed in on hir and scooped hir up in a steel-corded net. Crescent moaned softly and passed out.

     ***********************************

      Crescent awoke in a cold steel cell. It was fairly well-lit, inside and out; to hir right sie could see a wall of electrified bars, outside of which was the hallway, with other cells in view, all empty. Crescent pulled hirself up off the cold metal floor and went to the bars for a look.
     A soft moan came from behind. Sie turned around quickly, no realizing before that sie was in an occupied cell. hir heart beat faster, afraid that sie had been put in with somefur that might do hir harm. Lying on the metal bench was a strange, beautiful creature.
     Crescent looked her over. She looked kind of like an tiger; she had claws and a tail and stripes; but on her head long silky spines cascaded around her unconscious form, and a red gem in the center of a black, four pointed-start was in the center of her forehead. Her body was a bright gold color, save on her underbelly, muzzle and eyes, which had white; over this were black tiger's stripes, and her paws were socked with black. She wore a light blue jean jacket, black knee-high boots with copper buckles and black gloves with the same. Crescent, put hir hand on the girl's throat, checking for a pulse. Sie noticed the warm soft quality of it; yet as sie tried to locate the jugular sie found that this girl's flesh was as hard and firm as stone. Sie felt the light *thup* *thup* of the girl's pulse, slightly slower than a the range of a normal fur. Crescent wonders why this girl was here--was she a captured pawn, like hirself, or a criminal?....
      The girl let out a soft breath and blinked her sea-blue eyes. She turned to face Crescent and cried out in shock, scrambling backwards.
      "Wait, wait, I'm not going to hurt you, I swear!" Crescent said, trying to reassure the frightened female.
      "I--I'm sorry, you surprised me," she said, regaining her composure. She extended a clawed hand. "My name is Wildfyre."
      Crescent shook Wildfyre's hand. "My name is Crescent, of the Marauder Clans."
      "Welcome to Robotization Row," Wildfyre said with a sarcastic smirk. Crescent swallowed nervously. Sie had heard of this place and of the evil Tyrant Robotnik from the Wolf Pack Freedom Fighters.
      "Do you think we have a chance of getting out of here without getting botted?" Crescent asked, watching a patrol of SWATbots march past the cell.
      A light smile spread across Wildfyre's muzzle. "Leave that to me."
      Crescent nodded, then asked out of curiosity, "What are you exactly, Wildfyre?"
      "I am one of the K'Ren'Shi," she answered softly.
      "What are the K'Ren'Shi?" Crescent asked, now just a bit more confused.
      "Perhaps I can explain," Wildfyre answered, taking a seat.
 "We are children of two races: the hedgehog and the tiger. Long ago, members of each of these two races went underground, making a city for themselves called Luminopolis--the City of Light. Their purpose was to record and preserve the global history of Mobius; they were called the DayKeepers by those on the surface world that knew of them. Eventually, the two races began to intermarry, and a new race was born of the old. We called ourselves the "K'Ren'Shi; it means House of Honor and Strength in the Mobian tongue."
 Crescent rubbed hir chin in thought. "The Daykeepers are known to some of our elders, but only in legend....and you are one of them?..."
 Wildfyre smiled. "I have my DayKeeper's chain, true," Wildfyre smiled, fingering the blue metal band around her waist. "But I chose to be a Liaison, something most K'Ren'Shi will not do. After living so long underground and separate, some of our kind have grown fearful of the surface world--especially now that Robotnik has reared his revolting head. My purpose here is--"
     The lights suddenly dimmed. Crescent and Wildfyre got the their feet. "What's going on??" Crescent asked, trying to force hir eyes to adjust to the darkness.
      "I think the Freedom Fighters had bombed one of the generators! Quick, let's try to get out of here!" Wildfyre stated. She ran to the metal doors and poked a claw into the lock, severing the control wires. Crescent smiled. "I take it you've done this before?"
      "I've had some practice, I'll say that much," Wildfyre smiled as she pushed open the cell door. "Now come on!"
      Crescent took Wildfyre's hand as they stepped out into the blackened hallway. Alarm klaxons were going off everywhere and the clanking of the boots of SWATbots could be heard down the hall. "Those robots!" Crescent said as they ran down the hall. "They're coming for us!"
      Wildfyre darted to the other side of the hall, pulling Crescent with her as her heart began to race. She was the prey now, the deer with wolves in hot pursuit...
      # Halt Prisoners! ## came from the second group of SWATbots just behind them.
      "We have to fight now!" Crescent said as sie pulled Wildfyre close to hir protectively. "Aim for the head!"
      Wildfyre smashed the head of an approaching Swat with her claws; Crescent kicked one back into several others, making them loose their balance and fall. One by one the Swats fell to the desperate attacks of the two cornered furs, but more kept coming...
      "I can't keep this up for much longer," Wildfyre panted, ducking as a fist swung over her head. By now her body was bruised and bloodied in places as she kept her back to Crescent.
      "We have to keep going, there isn't an unlimited supply of these things!" Crescent admonished, trying to bolster Wildfyre's spirits; but even sie had the pull of fatigue on hir battered body.....
      A SWATbot caught Wildfyre off guard and landed a tremendous blow to her stomach. Wildfyre collapsed in agony. Crescent felt Wildfyre slip to the ground behind hir and turned for a half second, long enough for a Swat to smash hir in the back of the head. Crescent fell onto Wildfyre, struggling to protect hir new friend...
      Laser fire lit up the darkness. The doors *shooshed* open and the two furs were drug quickly down into the dark hall.

 ****************

      Crescent writhed hard against hir bonds as sie lay on the examining table.  A tall fat human man with a bushy red mustache and red-on-black eyes that seemed to burn a hole into hir soul stared over hir.
      "My my my, what an unusual specimen we have, eh Snively?" Robotnik smiled, cocking the small hand gun in his metal glove. "And such a proficient warrior, too. No, this one will not be an ordinary worker bot...this one is going in with the K'Ren'Shi."
      Crescent turned and saw Wildfyre floating in some kind of greenish liquid in a tube...was she dead?
      "Sir, SpyEyes detect something moving in sector alpha-niner-tango," Snively reported, watching the view screens as MechaSonicX dashed past. Robotnik turned to decide....when the glimpse of MechaSonicX caught his eye.
      "Snively...focus and scan that hedgehog."
      The view screen focused in on MechaSonic.
      "Snively....is that...no, it can't be!!" Robotnik gasped. "It's Mecha Sonic!"
      "Sensors indicate he is some new form of robot...something semi-organic!" Snively said, punching buttons furiously. Robotnik, stunned, dropped his robotization weapon to the ground. A beam shot out and hit Crescent's left arm, instantly robotizing it; sie shrieked in pain. Robotnik cursed and grabbed up the echidna by hir dreds.
      "Get every unit after Mecha Sonic IMMEDIATELY!" Robotnik snarled, opening up another tank. "I want him ALIVE!" With that he unceremoniously threw Crescent into a bio-tank. The tank sealed quickly; green liquid began to rise as an umbilicus came down and attacked itself to Crescent's face. The echidna clawed frantically at the glass as the numbing liquid rose over hir chest, but the diamond glass would not even scratch. Crescent felt hir head grow light and sie slipped into darkness.

   ***********************************

      The SWATbots were getting thicker by the minute.
 MechaSonic fought hard, punching his fist straight through a SWATbot's torso. He was amazed, but knew he'd have to sort that amazement out later--if there *was* a later....
 PROBE screech and dove at a SWATbot, tearing out its optics with his claws; before the robot could do any more, however, a laser blast bore through PROBE's body, felling the creature to the ground. MechaSonicX cried out in rage, his only source of information destroyed.
      "Leaving so soon?" A familiar raspy metal voice echoed through the fray.
      MechaSonicX froze in shock for one fatal second, giving a SWATbot time enough to fire a laser. The beam struck him in the back, tearing the consciousness from his body as he fell.
      ##Subject Apprehended, Sir. Requesting Orders.##
      "Take him to Main Lab 4," Robotnik stated calmly. "I want to have a look at my catch."

     ***********************************

      MechaSonicX awoke with a bad headache. He tried to move but soon found himself strapped to an examination table. He struggled hard, his metallic muscles pushed to their peak, but it was of no avail...these were force-bonds, made from magnetic fields around his body.
      "Testing complete, Sir. We can duplicate the process," he heard Snively say.
      A sharp pain in his stomach made him gasp for air. The SWATbot removed its fist from his belly.
      "Amazing. A direct punch in the stomach, full force from a robot and he didn't die," Robotnik mused, looking over the pained hedgehog. He took out a hand laser and using the beam as a cutting tool, slicing off MechaSonicX's left arm at the shoulder; he roared in agony as his flesh was seared in half. Robotnik watched for a second with all the scientific curiosity his title bespoke of as Mecha's arm suddenly shot tendrils out into his shoulder; the flesh began to eat away at the table beneath is as the arm re-attached itself to Mecha's body.
      "Incredible!" Robotnik smiled. The arm soon was totally re-attached. "Snively, can we duplicate this.?"
      "Yes sir....we can set up the holding tanks to create this new form of robot," Snively answered.
      "Excellent. Begin work at once! Start with the echidna."