Day 7.

It was still cloudy.

“How… someone tell me… how is this possible?”

“It’s so painfully obvious, Sally, that I can’t believe we didn’t see it sooner.”

The lights were turned on after the curtains were drawn across the windows. The two conspirers spoke barely above a low whisper.

“Rotor, I don’t understand this.”

“I’m sorry. I know this is awkward and confusing, but I am telling you that we can bring him back to life. It is within our reach.”

Sonic’s body was on the examination table in Rotor’s private work room. Of course, he had cleaned off the walls, floor, ceiling, and every inch of his tools. All traces of oil were wiped away.

Sonic still had the power ring clutched to his chest.

“Look… I realize that this is highly… unusual. This would be one of the hardest things in the world to do. So… I haven’t told anyone of this.”

Rotor’s fingernails had caked mud stuck inside them. He looked winded and he was breathing hard, as if he had been running. However, the stress was hardly because of the exercise of digging six feet into the ground.

“You… dug him up without consulting me…”

“It was necessary.”

“I’ll be the judge of that! Seriously, what were you thinking?!”

Her fist pounded on the wooden table where Sonic’s body lied. He looked as though he was only sleeping, though it would be the deepest sleep of all, where no amount of Sally’s yelling or pounding could wake him.

The walrus started to involuntary shiver. “Fine. I’ll go put him back. I’ll put everything back the way it was. Just like before. And no one can know.” He started to gather his things, putting obscure and complicated tools back into his bag of tricks.

Sally stared down at Sonic’s sleeping form, and couldn’t help but think about how she thought she’d never see him again.

“Why did you do this?”

“I had to.” His voice lowered, and reeked with shame. “This is our only window. Each minute we wait, his luck decreases. I did what I thought was necessary. I made a mistake. I’m… sorry.”

“Wait…” she said, holding up a hand, and shivering as well. The room was so cold all of a sudden. “When you say you can bring him back, what do you mean, exactly?”

“Just that.”

“Literally.”

“Yes.”

“Like… back from the dead.”

“If you want to put it that way, yes.”

“… Will he be like before?”

Rotor blinked, and it seemed like forever before he answered. His shivering increased in intensity. “No. Not quite.”

She couldn’t take this anymore. Sally let herself collapse to the hard wood floor, making minimal noise but still feeling like she had woken everyone up. Rotor made no move to help her.

“Go on.”

Sigh. “What we’re relying on is his mental stamina, really. I mean, dying like he did must have been traumatic enough, but he’s been dead for almost seven days. Who knows what…”

She finished for him. “Who knows what he’s seen.”

“Yes. It’s quite possible that even if he is brought back to full mental capacity, that he’ll have gone completely insane no matter what.”

She nodded slowly, taking all of this in.

“Princess… I know my theory can work. There’s no doubt of that. Whatever errors that follow are completely out of my control.”

“… Understood.”

“My main concern, to be honest, is you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Rotor walked across the room and sat down next her, sighing, tired. “How you feel about all of this? You were just beginning to accept the fact that he was gone from your life, moving on, per my advice, and now I tell you to disregard everything that you’ve done for yourself. All because of something that has no guarantee of bringing the old Sonic back.”

Sally’s head lowered to the ground, as if pulled by giant weights. Her heart felt the same way.

“When you’re right, you’re right. This is too much for me to handle, really. I mean…” Up, forward. “You do realize that we could just forget this ever happened.”

“…”

“Sometimes… it’s just better to let things die. It’s dignified. It’s… poetic. But this… this is perverse.”

“I know. It doesn’t seem right, does it?”

“Even if he does come back to life, it won’t be him, will it?”

“Not exactly, no.”

“And how will everyone else take this? I mean, we’ve already sent word out of his death to all of the Freedom Fighter groups. If we retract, it makes us seem…”

“Politics are escapable. We could always tell the truth.”

“I suppose… if they believe it.”

“I can explain it to them. When they’re ready…”

Sally nodded. “Okay… tell me what you have to do.”

**********

“So, you’re approving this?”

“Yes. I am.”

“Okay. I can get started now, and finish tonight. I’ll call you when it’s time.”

“Good.”

“And until the time is ready, I can keep him with me in my hut. It’s rebuilt, right?”

“Yeah. Yesterday.”

“Excellent. Now, go get some rest. You have quite a day ahead of you.”

Sally stared once more at Sonic’s resting form on the table, remembering… trying to forget… coping.

Just before she closed the door after her, she leaned her head back in, just enough where her eyes could not be seen.

“Rotor?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t call me Princess anymore.”

And then she was gone.

**********

Sally watched the world moving outside her of hut. To her it looked like it was a moving painting plastered on her window. It didn’t seem real, and the progression of the early morning didn’t look quite right.

She watched them all wake up, appearing in scattered numbers at first but then multiplying. Soon, the village was aflame with bustling activity and reckless movement. Their voices wafted in the air and mixed with each other, losing any kind of coherence. The surviving citizens milled about in what was left of a now-useless stronghold. Knothole was now more temporary than ever.

It would be sad to see it all go, even if it did take a couple of years. Even if it was gradual. As soon as demolition plans for Robotropolis were completed, Knothole would slowly start its descent into fables, fairy tales, history books, folklore, and most of all, false accounts of true events. There would most surely be a tweaking of the accounts for a more dramatic story. It is how things happen.

Knothole started dying as soon as Robotnik was killed. As soon as evil was destroyed, it brought good down with it. An equilibrium would be reached, where there is no such thing as either side. Everything and everybody is a halfway item. Definition will be a thing of the past. Then the way the world would work would become so much more complicated. There would be a such thing as court system. An economy would emerge. Fighting to survive would become fighting to earn money. Money would rule in tyranny. Men and women would keep sucking things up in a greedy attempt to own as much as possible. Conquest of the ages. The wave of the future.

Is this evolution?

Depends.

And this is where it all started. The winning of a war. The losing of… what?

And they all lived happily ever after.

Only in fairy tales.

Sally sighed. She knew she couldn’t win. Unless some new threat appeared, unless another greedy prince tried to take the throne of prosperity, then she would continue in her own passive war. Hopefully, with Sonic.

Sonic…

Soon, he’ll be called back.

Yes.

Those were the words Rotor used. Resurrecting was too… negative. But Sally was grappling with her reasons for approving the process in the first place.

Why bring him back to all of this? Why bring him back to a world that was barely worth living in?

Eh.

Bringing someone back is exciting.

It’s something to write books about.

Picking up the pieces. Constantly rebuilding.

It was time to begin dying.

**********

Knuckles expectantly watched Sally walk from her hut into the conference hut, striding as though she had a great weight on her shoulders. He frowned.

The ground around the village was soaked in a sheet of mud and greasy water. Runoff from broken huts had yet to be drained, and Knuckles couldn’t help but think that somewhere, he could see Sonic’s blood floating around…

No.

Too much.

He had to take his own advice. He had to let go of him too, if he ever expected to help Sally along with her mourning.

After all, Sonic is dead.

There’s no coming back from that.

Just then, the sun rose over the tops of the trees, shining the first morning lights throughout the village, evaporating what was left of the spilled bodies. The bright colors were blinding, but not unpleasant. Warmth, and the hopes for newer and better days reflected among the citizens like light in a prism, arcing in impossible angles and conquering all boundaries. The shadows faded away, hiding in the display of brilliance.

At last…

A sense of peace.

**********

“Are we going to wait for Rotor?”

“He told me a short time ago that he wasn’t feeling too well, and that we could start without him. He said he had nothing new to report anyhow.”

“Okay. That is all who is missing. There’s no use waiting for Tails, so we may as well begin.”

“Today’s meeting is called to order. Shall we review the minutes of yesterday?”

“Briefly.”

“Very well. To recap, we have heard from all different sides of the situation front. The robotosized citizens are stable, but slipping more and more towards complete shut down unless some sort of temporary consciousness is set up. At least until we find a permanent cure.”

“I’d like to discuss that more, if possible.”

“We’ll get to it. Also, it seems that demolition of Robotropolis will be more difficult than usual, not only because of the radiation. In order to be completely rid of the old structures, we would have to place charges far beneath the surface and bring the earth and rock around on it, sealing it. The only problem with that is that Griff and his bunch would lose their homes.”

“Right, and we never resolved that.”

“Noted. Next was the… communications discussion. Yesterday, a radio message on all frequencies was sent out to alert the various strongholds that the war was over. Messenger pigeons were sent out by Charles as well, maximizing the spread of information. This, in turn, brought up the discussion of when reliable sources of transportation, communication, and government are going to be set up. Obviously, there’s a lot to cover.”

It was beginning.

“Morale? Hmmm. That discussion seemed to end pretty quickly, as I was left under the impression that there was not much to report. I was told that there is an extreme mixture of conflicting emotions within the populous, and although moods were gradually improving, self-esteem was low. While I see this as a concern, it will just have to take a back seat to the more pressing matters at hand. Let us hope that these troubled individuals can work out their own inner conflicts.”

It would end tonight.

“Back on the scientific front, Rotor has informed me that a cure for Robotosization draws near. He is working around the clock to perfect his regimen, and when he is finished, he says he will begin work on reversing the poor condition of the atmosphere. From there, who knows.”

Sonic would be back.

The words on top had no feeling in them whatsoever, for Sally’s mind was elsewhere. She droned on, spouting statistics and progress with a monotone voice that sounded too robotic for comfort. The point of the meeting was registered amongst those who attended, but beneath the surface they could all sense something amiss with their leader.

Only one had the courage to say anything.

**********

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“You don’t have to lie to me.”

“Fine. There is. I just don’t want to tell you.”

“That’s fine, but you know that it’s my duty as your friend to drill it out of you.”

“Oh please. Just leave me alone.”

“No. Come on, what happened? Yesterday, you were so… happy. And today it’s like you just fell from where you were when you found out that he died.”

“Happy? No. I wasn’t happy. I’ve never been happy.”

Knuckles stared her, then lowered his eyes, mumbling, “I just want to help you…”

“No matter how good things seem to be on the surface, there’s always something ugly underneath.”

“That’s not true…” he whispered again, even quieter this time.

“I know your intentions may seem noble even to you, but it’s more likely that I have something you want. It’s more likely that you just want to help me because I can offer something in return.”

It was obvious that this comment made Knuckles angry, but he didn’t move. In fact, he stiffened, until he was as rigid as a tree.

“The only thing I want is for you to be happy.”

It was about midday, obvious because of the lack of shadows in the village. The sun was perfectly centered in the sky, forcing darkness downward and out of sight.

“It’s about him, isn’t it?”

Sally had already started walking away.

“It always is.”

**********

Somehow, she ended up back at the ring pool.

The days passed quickly and quietly; unusual, considering the circumstances. In fast motion the light faded away from the reflection of the serene flowing pool, racing across the surface as though it had harnessed the power of the rings. The finish line marked where it disappeared, the ground a waving ribbon for the ball of yellow. It wasn’t long after the threshold was crossed that the day slipped into the night. No one had noticed Sally’s preoccupation.

This was the spot where Antoine was put on guard. His spot was the coldest part of the broken world, so it was easy to spot.

Sally could swear that numerous times she could faintly see his outline, hunched over and asleep. The wind sounded almost like snoring…

With a blink or a thought, it was all gone.

Despite the lack of sunlight, the pool had enough light from the glowing apparatus far beneath the surface of the pond. A deep, very light blue illuminated the trees and water despite the fact that the stone that powered it was covered by two inches of steel from above. The stone had the strange ability to reflect its light off of any type of surface without losing its brilliance.

They had forgotten about it.

After Sonic died, the purpose of the ring generator would be negated. There would be no obvious uses for it, and it would have to be removed.

Why didn’t anyone think about it?

They had put a power ring against Sonic’s chest. Surely, someone would have remembered the generator.

Someone had to.

So why didn’t anyone say anything?

Sally threw a stone into the pool in disgust. The ripples it made didn’t dissipate until they were out of her sight. The stone fell into darkness.

Things were getting much worse. That much was apparent. Now that the main threat was vanquished, the survivors would vie for their pieces of the pie.

Anarchy.

Besides, no one would want to follow the words and judgments of a sixteen year-old girl. Already, groups were showing signs of reluctance to cooperate. The only ones who were even willing to negotiate were Griff and Lupe’s packs. Everyone else had their own ideas.

“Hmmm.”

Oh well.

“You shouldn’t have done it, Sonic…”

Face against glass.

I love you?

He didn’t have a will. He didn’t think he would need one.

“He looks so… healthy.”

“An effect of the radiation. His body won’t decompose for a long time.”

“Why did he do it?”

“Any of us would, and if it meant saving you, it shouldn’t have even been asked.”

“But… look at the mess he left behind.”

“Princess… he still doesn’t have to leave.”

“I know.”

We can bring him back.

“What do you have to do?”

Lots of things.

“Re-break his fingers again.”

Things that make no sense.

“All of the post-mortem preparations I made have to be reversed, otherwise I could have done it right now.”

Go on.

“The secret lies in the power rings. Uncle Chuck’s inventions were all about life extension and the enhancing of abilities. If we combine the two, then what is there?”

Hurry up.

“All I need to do is prepare Sonic for living again. Then he is ready.”

Do it already.

“Come by tonight and I should be ready.”

Just get it over with.

Get it done.

“Okay.”

Do it.

“Do it.”

It was time.

Sally left the ring pool and didn’t look back once, not even when she thought she heard Antoine’s voice calling to her.

Not even when she realized that it sounded horrible.

**********

That light-headed feeling of fainting almost came upon her right as she saw what he had done to him, but she managed to choke out the words: “What did you do?”

“Please. It’s the only way.”

“He’ll heal.”

“It’s only for a few days.”

Rotor’s assurances did not help out one bit. It was bad enough that they were bringing someone back to life who had been dead for almost a week, but bringing someone back who looked like that . . .

For the first time that day, Sally started sobbing. She covered her eyes with her hands, turning away from the grotesque display. Seeing him like that was worse than seeing him dead.

“I had to. I had to fix him…”

What it implied was too farfetched…

“He wont notice a thing, and I put everything back where it was. He’s as good as new. On the inside, at least.”

… But it happened.

Rotor had cut Sonic in half.

And put him back together like nothing happened.

Huge, gnarled, black stitches ran along Sonic’s face, perfectly in the center. The horrible line ran along his chest and down to his waist, where it curved into a half circle around the crotch. Sally could only imagine how he had looked completely in half…

Small strings of vomit now covered the floor, and Sally didn’t stop the rest from coming. She didn’t even move her hands from her eyes, still unable to look at her long-lost love. She didn’t move from her spot until Rotor did it for her, picking her up around her chest and lifting her outside and into the night.

**********

The commotion did not awaken any of the sleeping citizens, but the two sneakers were still cautious in their entry to the river.

The water had washed away most of the disgusting bile, but Sally still felt dirty.

“I should have warned you…”

“Yes, that would have been nice,” she whispered indifferently, not making eye contact. The coldness of water bit at her with little reservation, which was strange because it was usually so warm, even at that time of night.

“I just… I didn’t realize until you walked in.”

“Let’s just forget about it, okay?” Every attempt to rush things seemed to be halted violently, and the pain was always worse.

“Sure.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

**********

“Now, we have no idea what he’ll be like after his ordeal, so please, be ready for anything.”

“I know.”

“Good. We can begin.”

It took all of ten minutes to robotosize the power ring, which had to be placed directly below the pulse itself. The acquired Robotosizor was actually place upside down, and gravity and repulsion kept the ring in place, suspended in mid-air. The ring had been coated with an odd fluid, which Sally could not discern from her position across the room.

Soon, the ring had ceased its yellow glow and became a hollow, putrid brown. Rotor took off his protective goggles, with Sally following close behind. His goggles hitting the floor, Rotor reached through the field and grabbed the ring, saying: “the robotosization field is now neutralized, and anyone who is Robotosized can step through that field and the effects will be reversed. That is the cure.”

Wow.

“Such a joyous event that seems so insignificant now…”

Rotor went right along with his procedure to an uncaring Sally, who only stared at Sonic’s form, trying as hard as she could to get used to it.

Only for a few days.

A few days.

A lot could happen in that time.

Rotor had broken the ring into a fine dust, and was lightly sprinkling it over the body on the table, saving a small sample in a glass jar. Then he walked over to Sally, saying through his surgical mask:

“Now, watch.”

Over the next few moments, the anticipation of waiting for something to happen became too great to bear. The air got too heavy to breath, even through the itchy mask on Sally’s face. Any noise was deafening and it hurt her ears.

But finally…

He was breathing.

“He’s breathing!”

And oh, the feeling of rapture that came over her. It was the first time that it truly hit her that day that someone she loved could be brought back to life. They could truly continue where they left off. They could be happy together. They could…

All of those feelings of elation and happiness fading away when he started to thrash around violently. The metal restraints clanged against the wood so hard that they caused deep, jagged dents upon the surface.

Rotor paid no mind. Just watched intently.

A few minutes later, a low growling escaped from Sonic dry and cracked lips.

The growling turned to screams.

Then his eyes snapped open, causing both Rotor and Sally to gasp out loud. His deep blue eyes flew back and forth between the horrified friends, then fixed on Sally. Sonic’s body began thrashing harder, straining against the restraints.

A few moments later, Sonic vomited blood.

Only then did Rotor react, realizing that something had gone terribly wrong. He rushed as fast as he could to Sonic’s side, preparing an anesthetic or a knockout gas.

Before it could be administered, both Sally and Rotor’s faces became covered in blood, cold and distant.

Sonic’s heart had exploded.

The pressure must have been too much to take.

And then, Sally could not take it anymore.

Too surreal…

Too much…

It’s all a dream…

This time, she let the darkness come. She sought comfort within its void.