Anti-Freedom Fighters HQ
Raze sat on the edge of the roof of their hideout, looking in the distance at the Freedom Fighters' tower. She heard a door open behind her as Thrax stepped onto the roof. "Here you are," the orange wolf said as she approached the green swallow. "We're just getting ready to go over Nic's plan. Care to join us?"
The swallow peeled her eyes off her target and looked over at the wolf. "I suppose."
Thrax watched the swallow get up before she led her back down to the bar's basement. Fiona and Nic were talking while Viper and her group were discussing something.
"Alright," Thrax said, getting their attention. "Found Raze. Nic?"
"Right," the weasel said as she stood up. "There's a building being built on the corner of West 129th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. They tore down an investment company after it tanked and are turning it into a hotel with rooms designed for both humans and Mobians. And I wanna blow it up. All I could get are timed explosives so we'll have to set it with enough time for us to set them up and get out. Who wants to help?"
Fiona smirked. "I could go another round."
Raze nodded. "I could use some action."
Viper chuckled. "The three of us were getting bored sitting around."
"What about the Freedom Fighters?" Sam asked.
Fiona chuckled, almost demonically. "Most of them will be out for a while."
"Who didn't you mess up?" Thrax asked.
Fiona leaned back in her chair and sighed in thought. "Let's see... I stomped on Sonic's ankle, dislocated Knuckle's wrist, stabbed Silver and Bunnie... and I hospitalized Honey, so... they might send Sally, Jet, Tails... I guess Bunnie could make it. And, knowing Blaze, I bet she'd want another go." She paused. "Plus, that human," she added with disgust.
"The question is," Thrax started. "Do you want them to try and intervene?"
"Don't care either way," Nic said. "As long as that building comes down."
The orange wolf shrugged. "Alright. Get prepped. You move out tonight."
**********
Freedom Fighters HQ
Jason noticed Sally fiddling with a yellow device at the kitchen table. He walked over and sat down across from her. "What's that?"
Sally eyed him. "It's a portable computer my father gave me. He included in it an AI that was modeled after my grandmother, Nicole."
"Interesting."
"That's not all," Sally said as she hit a button on the device.
Holographic squares flew out of the device and formed a Mobian next to the table. She was a brown and black lynx wearing a purple dress. Even though she was simply a hologram, she didn't seem static-y at all. In fact, she looked solid. Jason just stared at her.
"This is Nicole," Sally introduced.
"Hello," the hologram greeted with a light bow. "You must be Jason."
The human kept staring. "A holographic A.I.?"
Sally nodded. "She's great for hacking and looking stuff up. Plus, she's been really good company."
"I do anything and everything to ensure you the highest satisfaction."
"That's amazing," Jason chuckled.
"There's more," Sally cooed. "Shake her hand."
The human slowly turned his head to stare at her. "Shake her hand? A hologram's hand?"
The chipmunk just smiled. Jason nodded and looked at Nicole, who already had her hand outstretched. Jason slowly reached out and took her hand, expecting him to phase through her. Only he didn't. His eyes went wide when he felt solid mass and fur.
"What?" He asked in disbelief. He let go of her hand and slowly reached his hand out further to poke the lynx's cheek. "Is this real? How is this possible?"
"My father embedded a power ring inside this device," Sally explained, holding up the portable computer. "It allows Nicole the power of corporealization."
"Corporealization?" Jason asked, pulling his hand away. "I can't... Can she take damage like this?"
"Ask her. She's fully capable of conversation."
"Right," Jason said as he focused on the lynx.
"So, can you get hurt like this?"
"Yes, but it is not like how you would feel pain. If I take too much damage, I must retreat back into the device so my programming doesn't become corrupted. My range is also limited to the device."
"I see," Jason said as he took this all in. "What if you carried it?"
"Well..." Nicole began. "That would significantly improve my range of movement."
"So, what can you do like this?"
"Everything you can do I can do."
Jason leaned back in his chair. "This is... I still can't believe there's a solid hologram standing in front of me."
"You'll get used to it," Sally chuckled.
"I would like to remain like this for a while," Nicole said with a smile. "Stretch my legs, as you would put it."
Sally nodded. "Alright."
Nicole gave another light bow before she turned and walked away. Jason watched her leave before he looked at Sally. "So... combat-wise?"
"She's more supportive. Like I said, hacking."
"Well, I count her as member number eleven. Which is great, because we need all the help we can get."
**********
The Plaza
Whisper sat on the floor in front of the TV in her underwear, stretching as she watched a news report on Fiona's attack. Thankfully, her target wasn't in the area so she could still get information out of him. She took note of what the red fox looked like and observed her fighting style. When she was done, she stood up and went to take a shower to wash the sweat off. As the water washed over her, she was able to think more clearly and formulate a plan. She knew she had to find a way inside the Freedom Fighters' tower, one way or another.
**********
Construction Site
That night, Nicolette and crew made their way to the construction site carrying bags with the explosives. As they slipped in, a man leaving the church across the street spotted them. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed the public number of the Freedom Fighters.
**********
The bedside phone rang and woke Jason up. He let out a groan and picked it up. "Yeah?"
"Is this the Freedom Fighters?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Might be nothing, but I just saw a few Mobians entering a construction site with bags."
Jason thought for a moment and sat up. "What'd they look like?"
"Uh, hard to tell. I think one was a black hedgehog... a red fox..."
"Where?" Jason quickly interrupted, waking Blaze up.
**********
Whisper opened her bag and pulled out a small device, strapping it to her left wrist. She then grabbed her mask and gun and opened her window. She aimed her wrist up at the roof and a grapple shot out, pulling her up.
**********
After getting dressed, Jason and Blaze gathered Sally, Jet, and Tails before heading down into the lobby. Bunnie heard them and quickly followed after them. Jason saw her and smiled. "You don't have to."
The bunny smiled. "I'm good, sugah."
"If you say so. Now, let's hurry. Who knows what they're planning?"
Jason, Blaze, and Jet gathered their Gears. Sally rode with Jason, Tails rode with Blaze, and Bunnie rode with Jet. As they left the tower and flew off towards the construction site, Whisper watched them from a rooftop. She pulled her mask on so she could track the human better. With a running leap, she reached out and fired her grapple at another building.
**********
The building was mainly bars and beams with wooden flooring. Stairs had been set up to allow workers to reach higher levels. Some walls were put up but there were no windows or doors. Nicolette looked at the others. "Spread out and set the timers for 45 minutes. We don't wanna be here when they go off."
**********
Jason and friends arrived at the construction site and set their E-Gears aside. "Alright, spread out. They could be anywhere. And we don't know how many."
They headed inside and each checked a different floor. Jet took the bottom, Blaze took the second, Bunnie took the third, Sally took the fourth, Jason took the fifth, and Tails went up to the sixth. Sally gripped her yellow device tightly as she cautiously crept over the wooden floor, trying to be as quiet as possible. She could hear rustling up ahead and pressed her back to a wooden wall. Peeking around the corner, she saw the red fox by the corner of the building. She was knelt down and reaching inside a bag. Sally watched her take out what looked like a bomb and stick it to one of the beams.
"Not good," Sally muttered. She ducked back behind the wall and summoned Nicole. "Here," she whispered, holding out the device. Nicole took it without question. "Wait until the coast is clear and then deactivate that bomb." The lynx gave her a nod.
**********
Jason looked around before quickly crouching behind a dumpster bin full of cut pieces of wood and debris. He peeked out at the figure in the distance and gasped. It was the green swallow, Raze. Suddenly, he was hit with images of Wave and held his head, stifling a groan. When he looked back, the swallow stood up. She had placed a device on the base of one of the structural beams.
**********
45:00 til Detonation
Sally stepped out from behind the wall just as the fox turned to leave. The two stopped dead in their tracks and just stared at each other. The fox then grinned and let out an eerie chuckle as she started to move closer.
"You following me?" Fiona asked.
"I just wanted to know... why spare me earlier? You could've easily beaten me."
"Course I could have," Fiona said, getting closer.
"So, why didn't you?" Sally asked, backing up against the wall.
Fiona stepped up to her, close enough to do some serious damage. "Are you going to ask every time we meet?"
"Yes."
Fiona sighed. "Fine. Are you familiar with Nicole?"
"Nicole?" Sally asked. "Queen Nicole? My grandmother?"
Fiona nodded. "She saved my grandmother. I wouldn't be here if not for her." She then stepped even closer and used her right hand to hold the chipmunk against the wall. "That is the only reason you aren't bleeding on the floor right now."
Sally stared into her eyes and knew she was serious.
**********
Meanwhile, on the top floor, Tails flew up to a ceiling beam and watched a purple echidna making her way towards the stairs. He looked over to where she had been and saw a bomb on a beam. He let out a soft gasp and quietly flew over to it. 44:45 remained on the digital display.
"Not good," he muttered. He took off his backpack and set it down. Opening it up, he pulled out tools and began working on it.
**********
Blaze stumbled over some debris before she spotted the black hedgehog coming her way. Viper stopped and stared at her. She then quickly pulled out her guns and fired. Blaze dove behind a stack of metal sheeting.
**********
Fiona looked down before she looked Sally in the eyes again. "You brought friends." She then let out a gasp and looked back to see Nicole deactivating the bomb. "No!"
The lynx stood up and turned to her. "Done."
"Bitch," Sally growled, before she grabbed Sally's head and slammed i against the wall, knocking her out.
"Sally!" Nicole yelled.
Fiona interlocked her fingers and cracked her knuckles. "You're a new one. Let's see what you got."
Nicole looked down at Sally and her eyes narrowed.
**********
Jet moved around a stack of beams when he was jumped from above. Sam kicked him in the back of the head and knocked him over as the brown fox landed on his feet. The hawk quickly got up and looked at his attacker.
Sam charged at him and threw a punch, which Jet was able to dodge and knee him in the back. Sam stumbled but kept his footing and whipped around. Jet raised his fists before Sam jumped high into the air and disappeared into the shadows between the ceiling and ceiling beams.
**********
40:00
Raze heard the fighting break out and stopped. She quickly picked up a metal pipe that was lying on the floor. Jason took a deep breath before he stepped out into view. The swallow stared at him, noticing his look of shock. She then let out a groan of annoyance.
"I'm not her!" She yelled, charging at the human.
She swung the pipe, which Jason blocked with his arm. She ducked under a punch and whacked him in the side with the pipe. When she went to hit him again, he rolled to the right and threw a kick. Raze spun to the side, dodging it and then kicked him hard in the side. Jason rolled over onto his back, but managed to recover and get to his knees.
Raze walked over and began to throw punches and swings of the pipe. Jason held up his arms in defense, before she grabbed his arms, spread them, and headbutted him. He let out a groan and fell back, holding his head.
"Ah, damn!" He groaned.
"Why are you holding back?!"
"Because you..."
"Don't say it!" Raze warned, gripping her pipe tightly.
"You remind me of her."
"That does it," she growled, before she leaped atop him and started whaling on him with the pipe.
Jason raised his arms to block, feeling his skin bruising more and more with each whack. She had some muscle, that's for sure. He closed his eyes, hoping she'd stop, but she didn't. He suddenly heard a metallic clink and opened his eyes. He saw that a grapple hook had attached itself to a ceiling beam. Suddenly, Whisper swung in and kicked Raze off him. The swallow tumbled over the wooden floor as the wolf landed gracefully next to the human.
"You," Jason said, staring up as his possible savior.
The wolf looked at him, said nothing, and then returned her attention to Raze. She raised her gun and fired. The swallow dove to the side, taking cover behind a wall.
**********
Jet found himself in a hallway with wooden walls and empty doorways. He looked up at the ceiling, waiting for the fox to attack. Sam suddenly dropped down, and Jet raised his arms to block. He then swung a punch, which Sam ducked under. The fox attempted to swipe at his feet, but Jet managed to vault over him and then deliver a kick to his back. Sam grunted and stumbled forward before he lost his balance and tumbled.
**********
Tails continued work. The second he finished deactivating the bomb, a blast of magic struck him and he flew into a wooden wall with a grunt. He fell to the floor, but managed to land on one knee. Looking up, he saw Myst with her fists glowing with magic.
"Hey, freak," she cooed darkly, before she fired another blast of magic.
Tails jumped up and flew around, dodging blast after blast of magic. When there was an opening, he dropped down and kicked the echidna in the face, knocking her away. He then grabbed his wrench from his backpack and flew to the side to avoid another magic attack.
**********
35:00
Blaze lit up her fist and then noticed all the wood. "Dammit," she muttered, putting the fire away.
Viper noticed the light fade and smirked. "What's wrong, hottie? Don't wanna burn the building down?"
Blaze growled and raised her index finger. A small flame ignited on the tip. Maybe if her fire was small enough, it wouldn't melt the beams or set the wood on fire. She peeked out and saw that there were no wooden walls behind the hedgehog. This was her chance. She dove out and shot a few small fire bullets from her finger like a gun. Viper ducked and then rolled to the side, firing back. Blaze took cover behind the metal again and noticed, a few feet away, a couple hotel rooms and a hallway had been started. The walls were wooden and would probably provide no cover against bullets, but she ran for it anyways.
**********
Bunnie had already engaged the weasel by now and was currently in a room. From the size, she guessed it was the bedroom. She pressed herself against the wall and held her arm. One of the weasel's whip attacks had struck her, making her whole arm sting. She hissed at the pain and peeked around the corner.
"What's the matter, rabbit?" Nic asked as she stepped through the empty doorway. "Afraid to go shooting the place up? Could save us the trouble if the bombs fail."
Bunnie looked down at her robotic hand. She sighed and clenched her fist, waiting for the time to strike.
**********
Fiona threw a punch at the lynx. Nicole tossed the device up in the air and vanished, reappearing behind the fox and caught the device before she kicked Fiona in the back. Fiona stumbled but stayed up and whipped around.
"What the hell?" She asked. "What are you?"
"A higher lifeform," Nicole teased, emotionless.
The fox growled and charged the lynx, who rolled out of the way and slid her digital home across the floor to a safe distance. Fiona turned and ran at her again. Nicole blocked a punch and used her leg to block a kick. She then spun to the side to avoid a punch before she swung her leg around and kicked Fiona in the side. The fox grunted and swung her fist, which Nicole grabbed and headbutted her forehead. Fiona stumbled back and held her head.
"Do you not feel pain?!" Fiona asked.
"Not like you do," Nicole cooed.
**********
30:00
Whisper held her gun as she cautiously approached where the bird took cover. When she turned the corner, she saw no one. There was, however, a few rooms partially built a few feet away. She could be in any one of them. Whisper looked around before she started to approach one of the rooms.
On the floor above, Myst fired at Tails. The fox flew out of the way and zipped down to whack her across the face with the wrench. The echidna yelled and spit out blood.
"You little shit!" She yelled, before the fox tackled her.
They both stumbled and fell through a space in the floor, falling down to the lower floor with a thud. Whisper stopped moving and looked over at them. Distracted, she didn't notice the bird creeping up on her. Raze tackled her to the floor, knocking her gun away, but Whisper managed to throw her off.
Jason looked back at the bomb, and then at Whisper. Before the wolf could run after the bird, Jason put his hand on her shoulder. The sudden contact made Whisper whip around. "Whoa," Jason said, holding up his hands. "Can you disarm a bomb?"
Whisper just stared at him, before she glanced past him at the bomb. Without saying a word, she nodded and ran over to it. Jason stood up and faced Raze. The bird looked over at Myst and Tails as a beam of magic shot past her. Her attention returned to Jason and stretched her arms.
"Gonna put up a fight this time?"
**********
25:00
The second Nic stepped through the doorway to the bedroom, Bunnie grabbed her arm and threw her towards a wall. The weasel stumbled and hit the wall before Bunnie lunged at her. Nic moved her head to the side as Bunnie's metal fist punched the wall. Nic then hit her in the side of the ribs, making Bunnie wince, before she tried to grab Nic.
The weasel slipped behind her and shoved her against the wall. Bunnie rolled to the side as Nic's foot collided with the wall with a thud. Bunnie karate chopped her leg before grabbed her neck and throwing her to the floor. Nic grunted as Bunnie ran for the door. The weasel grabbed her lasso and threw it at her target. It fell around the bunny and tightened before she pulled the Freedom Fighter back. Bunnie gasped and fell on her back.
**********
Fiona blocked a punch from Nicole, before kneeing her in the stomach. The lynx stumbled back but immediately recovered and spun around, throwing a kick. Fiona caught her foot and flipped her backwards. Nicole landed on her back, and then rolled to the side as Fiona's boot slammed the floor. Nicole cast a glance over at her device to make sure it was still okay. Fiona followed her gaze and chuckled.
"That important?" She asked, charging for it.
Nicole gasped and disappeared before reemerging at the device. She quickly grabbed it and held it close as Fiona rammed into her, making her tumble across the floor.
"So," Fiona said with a smirk. "That's your weakness." She then lunged at the lynx.
In a desperate act, Nicole chucked the device away and vanished. Fiona landed where she had been and then ran after the lynx. Nicole came out of her digital home again and grabbed it out of the air before landing.
**********
Viper took cover and reloaded her guns. "This is going on for quite a while!" She called out. "Sure you're not getting tired?!"
"Are you?!" Blaze called back, before looking up.
Viper stepped out from behind cover and aimed where the cat had been. She saw nothing. Moving forward slowly, she looked around for movement of any kind. Below her, she could hear Jet fighting with Sam. Above her sounded like Nicolette. She stopped when she heard a scuffling noise. She looked up just as Blaze leaped from the ceiling beams and tackled her, knocking her guns away.
**********
Raze ran at Jason, who stepped to the side and kicked her in the chest. The bird grunted and kicked his feet out from under him. When he landed on his back, she jumped on him. Moving quickly, he grabbed her neck, rolled over, and slammed her on her back. She yelled and punched him in the throat. Jason coughed and let go, holding his neck as the swallow rolled onto her side and kicked him in the face.
He yelled in pain before lunging atop the bird, grabbing her by the shoulders, and threw her a good distance. She tumbled across the wooden floor as Jason wiped blood from his nose. He didn't like beating up a Mobian, especially one that looked like his old girlfriend, but this was most likely a matter of life and death. He got up and stretched his shoulders, getting ready for a fight. Suddenly, he saw Whisper walk up beside him. He looked back to see sparks jumping from the bomb, implying it had been deactivated.
"You got her?" Jason asked. "I wanna go help Tails." Whisper said nothing. She just moved forward to engage the bird. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, before circling around to assist his fox friend.
**********
Nic checked her watch. It had a countdown on it synced with her bomb. 24:42. "Just under 25 minutes left 'til boom time. I, for one, can't wait for the fireworks."
Bunnie aimed at the rope with her robot hand and fired a laser, which sliced through the beam. She then jumped up, grabbed Nic, and threw her against the wall, knocking her out. "Finally," Bunnie said, before she ran off to go deactivate the bomb.
**********
Fiona blocked a few kicks and punches before she grabbed Nicole's fist that held her device, making her gasp. Fiona smiled and swung her against a wooden wall with a thud. Nicole fell to the floor and looked up at the fox. Before Fiona could do anything, Nicole tossed her device again and did her teleporting maneuver. She took cover behind a wooden wall and breathed. She could feel her programming starting to falter, telling her she had to take a break soon. This was a bad time for a break.
**********
Tails dodged a few more blasts before he was hit by one. He was thrown into the ceiling and then fell to the floor with a groan. Myst walked over and kicked his wrench away. The fox tried to get up but the echidna stomped on his back, making him yell in pain.
"Stay down." Myst then went over and grabbed the wrench, making her way back to her fallen foe. "Time to give you a taste of your own medicine, fox boy."
She knelt down and raised the wrench, ready to cave in the fox's skull, when Jason tackled her. He grabbed her arm and swung her away, making her slam into a wall and fall to her stomach with a grunt. He then went to Tails and knelt down.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah," Tails groaned. "I don't think it's broken."
"Good," he said as he glanced over at the echidna. "She's not playing around."
"None of them are."
Jason looked over as Whisper and Raze exchanged punches, kicks, and blocks. "This is insane."
**********
20:00
Blaze threw two punches, which Viper caught. The cat then ignited her fists, making Viper pull away and kick her in the stomach. Blaze grunted and thrust her elbow at the hedgehog's face. Viper blocked it before Blaze hooked her leg around the hedgehog's leg and pulled it out from under her. Viper fell back before Blaze kicked her in the side.
"You all enjoy fighting dirty, don't you?" Blaze asked, kneeling down and pinning Viper's hands down.
"Where's the fun in playing by the rules?" Viper asked, before she looked the cat up and down. "Ya know, while we're in this position..."
Blaze groaned. "Why would you ever think I'd do that with you?"
"Better than the human. We're at least the same size. How does that work anyways? Gotta be difficult."
"We make it work. And I don't need to discuss that with you."
"You'd rather fight than talk about sex? Fine with me." She wrapped her legs around the cat and rolled them over so she was on top. "I would've rather had sex." She pulled her hands away and punched the cat in the face.
**********
15:00
Jet and Sam breathed heavily as they were both covered in bruises and cuts. "Not bad," Jet said breathily.
Sam nodded and wiped blood from his nose. "You're better than I thought."
"I just..." Jet muttered as he leaned against the wall.
"Yeah..." Sam said, before he fell on his butt. "Me, too."
**********
Bunnie ran over to the bomb and knelt down. "Alright," she muttered to herself. "Can I do this?" The screen read 14:23. "Where's Tails? Or Nicole?"
**********
Whisper took her mask off and clipped it to her belt. She then leaped at Raze with a flying kick. Raze blocked it and uppercut her in the ribs. Whisper fell to the floor and then kicked with both feet at the bird's legs. Wave fell on top of her before she rolled them both over. Now on top, Whisper threw a punch. Raze reached up to grab her wrist. Whisper tried to punch her with her other hand. Raze also caught that wrist. The bird slid her knee between them before she flung the wolf off her, tossing her backwards. Whisper landed into a somersault before quickly getting to her feet.
**********
10:00
Bunnie was sweating nervously now. "Oh, heck, I need some help." She stood up and took in a deep breath. "Found another bomb!" She yelled, getting Whisper's attention. "Ten minutes left! I need help!"
Whisper let out an irritated scoff and ran towards the edge of the floor. Raze watched her jump off, shoot her grapple, and swing down to the lower for, rolling across the floor and stopping near Bunnie. She stood up as the rabbit faced her.
"Who are you?" Bunnie asked.
Saying nothing, Whisper moved past her and started work on the bomb. Back above, Raze growled and looked over at Jason and Tails. She then took off running towards them as Myst started to get back up.
**********
Blaze dropped down behind cover behind her wall, her face bloodied as Viper got to her feet. "Good kick, honey," Viper cooed. "I didn't damage you too badly, did I?" Blaze winced and held her face as a tear forced its way down her cheek. "I said I didn't wanna do it, but you wanted this."
Blaze sniffled as her whole face stung. Her nose felt broken and bloody, her lip was cut and slightly puffy, and she bet she had a black eye. She decided to just sit there, as she had no energy to move, even if the hedgehog found her.
**********
Whisper finished with the bomb before Bunnie walked over to her. "There may be more on the lower floors." Whisper turned to look at her. "Please?" The wolf took in a deep breath and ran off to assist, finding herself caught up in a side-mission she hadn't planned on.
**********
Nicolette opened her eyes and let out a groan. She got to her hands and knees and checked her watch. "Eight minutes. Time to bail." She stumbled to her feet and took in a deep breath. "Time to go!" She yelled as loud as she could, her voice echoing throughout the floors.
Raze stopped running, just before engaging Jason and Tails. She and Myst eyed each other before they took off running for the stairs. Jason helped Tails up, who was holding his back with a groan.
"Do you think they stopped the bombs?" Jason asked.
Tails nodded. "I trust our friends."
"I hope you're right."
**********
Nicole let out a grunt as she was kicked hard in the back and fell to the floor, letting go of the device she was holding onto. Fiona walked over and picked it up, getting a loud gasp out of the lynx. "No!"
"What's wrong, little miss digital? This your home? I'm assuming if I smash this, you're done for. Am I right?"
"Please, no!" Yelled Sally, who had regained consciousness. Fiona looked over at her but said nothing. Tears streamed the chipmunk's face. "Don't. Please! She's been with me most of my life! I can't... live without her!"
Fiona was, surprisingly, hesitating as she gripped the portable computer tightly in her left hand. She looked down at the glitching lynx before she looked at the device in her hand. Without saying anything, she made her way over to Sally and knelt down. Reaching out her right hand, she held the back of Sally's neck and leaned in. She pressed their cheeks together as she whispered into the chipmunk's ear.
"You... owe me... big time."
"I know..." Sally whimpered.
"How many times do you think I'm gonna spare you?" She pulled back and pressed her forehead to Sally's, staring her in the eyes. "I want you to think about this moment. About my mercy."
"I will."
"Good girl," Fiona cooed darkly, before she shoved the device against Sally's chest. Sally immediately clung onto it as Fiona stood up and watched her cry softly. "Well, this has been fun, but I have to go. If you don't blow up... I'll catch ya later." She blew a kiss before she took off towards the stairs.
Nicole crawled over and she hugged the chipmunk, the chipmunk instantly hugging back.
**********
Viper rounded the corner to see Blaze just sitting there, not even bothering to move. "Well, well, well. I did mess you up badly." Blaze just eyed her. Viper went over and sat down next to her. "I wasn't lying. I think you're smoking. I would've been happier taking you to bed than taking you down, but you..."
"Oh, just stop it," Blaze groaned, still holding her face as blood ran down her chin. "You're all psychotic."
"Nah. Just good fighters. Willing to take it to the end." She reached out and gently grabbed Blaze's wrist, moving her hand out of the way. "Oh, poor baby." Blaze pulled away and covered her face again. "Well... This place is about to blow. Or not, depending. But I ain't sticking around to find out. If you survive, pleeeeeease come find me."
She then got up and patted Blaze on the head before she took off.
**********
3:00
Viper made it to the bottom floor to see Jet and Sam barely able to walk. "Dammit," she muttered, running over to them. She jumped over Jet and pulled Sam to his feet. "Come on, buddy. We have to move."
Sam nodded and stumbled as he was practically dragged away by the hedgehog. The rest of her team all stood outside as Nic checked her watch. "Just under three minutes," Nic announced. "Let's get back further." They ran across the street before they simply observed the building.
**********
Jason and Tails headed down the stairs to the fourth floor to find Sally and Nicole embracing. They quickly ran over to them. "You two okay?" Jason asked.
"Barely," Nicole answered. Sally was still to upset to talk.
Jason stared at her, never having seen her this vulnerable before. Usually she was pretty tough and focused. Something bad must have happened. "Who?"
"Fiona," Nicole said.
"Of course it was. Can you move?"
"I can," Nicole sighed. "But..."
Jason looked at Sally, who was clinging to her portable device. He knelt down and put his arm around her. "We have to move, Sally." The princess remained quiet. "Sally," he said, reaching out to grab the device.
"No!" Sally yelled, looking him in the eyes.
Jason nodded. "Come on. We have to move."
Sally sniffled and looked around, her eyes falling on Nicole. The lynx smiled at her and nodded. "O-Okay..."
**********
1:30
Down on the third floor, they were met with Bunnie almost immediately and then headed down to the second floor. "Blaze!" Jason yelled. "Blaze?!"
"Over here!" He heard her call out.
Without hesitation, he ran over to her and skidded to a stop when he saw her. "Oh, shit," he said as he ran to kneel down by her side. "What... Not Fiona."
Blaze shook her head. "That black hedgehog from the subway."
Jason sighed and looked around. "Can you move?"
Blaze groaned. "I... I don't have the energy. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. I'm not leaving you, anyways. You blow up, I blow up."
Blaze eyed him. "You're an idiot."
Jason chuckled and sat down next to her. Blaze rested against him as the others all ran over. "All the bombs taken care of?"
"Mine was," Tails said.
"Same," Nicole replied.
Bunnie nodded. "That wolf helped."
"Helped me, too," Jason said. "I guess we're all counting on her now."
**********
Nic watched her watch hit zero. No boom. "Damn. Well, let's head back and form another plan."
"Wasn't a total loss," Fiona said with a smirk. "Got to hand out with Sally again."
"I almost got some kitty," Viper cooed. "Maybe next time."
**********
Jason looked around after the time had clearly passed. "I think... we're in the clear." He then saw Whisper standing at the edge of the floor, watching them without her mask on. He smiled and mouthed, thank you. The wolf hesitated, before she jumped off the building and fired her grapple hook, zipping away.
**********
Freedom Fighters HQ
The group stumbled through the front door as Jason carried Blaze up to their room. Nicole led Sally over to the couch in front of the TV and comforted her. Bunnie, Jet, and Tails made a beeline for the elevator to go to their rooms. Sally leaned back against the couch and tilted her head to look at Nicole.
"I thought..." she began.
"I know," Nicole said with a smile. "Me, too."
"I..."
Nicole placed a finger on the chipmunk's lips. "Shh. I am not going anywhere. I will always be here for you. To help you with whatever you need."
Sally sniffled and smiled before the lynx leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Sally kissed back as they embraced each other.
**********
The Plaza
Whisper swung in through her window and landed in her bedroom. She set her mask and grapple hook on the desk before she removed her jacket and chucked it across the room. After she kicked off her boots, she jumped onto her bed and lay on her back. Why did she help them? She told herself it was just to ensure the human didn't die, though she did find some enjoyment in helping out and saving the day. And that image of the human embracing an injured Mobian. They trusted him. Was he not as bad as she thought? Only time would tell, though she planned on looking into it. Even if she had to finally confront them without her gun.