"Do we 'ave to?" a french accented fox moaned as his comrades piled around a monitor displaying the next set of offensive against Robotnik.

Sally nodded somberly. "I'm afraid so, Antone. We can't keep hiding here in Knothole, even if we have lost some of our members over the past few months..."

A silence befell the small group of freedom fighters as each recalled their own memories of recent days, all sorrowfully repressing the grief they'd overcome many times before.

"This is now, though." the Acorn heir stepped up strongly once again. "We can't let up on our attack, our weaker strikes for the past few months could work in our favor of Dr. Robotnik not expecting a serious move. So you see," she leaned in commandingly with a deeply creased brow, "now is our time to shine."

A floppy eared rabbit weakly scratched her head. "Sugar, I don't wanna burst yer bubble or nuthin, but how're we supposed'ta pull off this attack? Looks harder than ropin' a tornado."

"Yes, yes I know, Bunny. You're over exaggerating a bit though, don't you think? Tails, you will have to take point on the southwest wall." She beckoned to the small two tailed fox while leading her finger around the screen to illustrate. "There are some air ducts which lead into the complex from there. Nicole says that this route bypasses all major security; that is, until you reach the reactor."

"Gotcha." The eager recruit replied. Finally, he got to go on a real mission! No one was treating him like some useless little kid anymore, he was now actually being assigned a key roll in a reactor destruction plan! He was, after all, the smallest of all of them, so he could fit in the air ducts most easily. He could also fly somewhat to avoid danger, and probably the fastest one on staff, too.

"Antone," Sally continued, "you and Bunny will get the security guards initial attention, while I place detonator's around the surrounding coolant and fuel carriers that are confirmed in the area. Rotor will give back up support over the comm from here, as best to his ability." The princess received a nod from all around, Antone also casting in a slighted whimper. He might have objected further, if he'd not noticed Bunny's glare.

Sally straightened up. "Everyone clear? Right. We head out at O'three hundred. I suggest you rest up till then. Dismissed."

Falling into a nearby seat, Sally ran her fingers slickly through her hair. What a mess. She watched the others filing out the door, smiling at Antone's murmuring to Bunny who gave him some smart words in return. What a group, a rag-tag band of rebels if she ever knew one. Still, it hadn't seemed nearly so difficult with Sonic around.

Shaking her head and leaning back, she figured it must have been atleast ten months since the incident that claimed her closest friend. Closest friend... That term sounded so insulting to him, especially after all the time she'd spent reflecting on their relationship. "You idiot," she choked softly to herself, "you meant too much to the team to go like that. You meant far too much... too much to..."

She gasped as a hand clasped over her shoulder. Alerted while pivoting around, she softened warmly upon realizing who it was. "Hi Tails, questions on your most important mission yet? The other outings were just for training, this one is serious business." She waggled a finger over his nose.

"Yeah, I know Aunt Sally." He replied firmly. He looked calm enough, but his tails were whirling feverishly behind him until he realized, stopped them, drifted off to think of other things, and the same thing repeating all over again. "Hey, can I ask... who were you talking about?"

"What?" she blinked. "Oh, no one. Nothing at all, just thinking out loud to myself. Important mission and all coming up, have to plot out options before hand, you know?" She shook her head lamely to herself, 'Yeah right, like he'll buy that.'

Tails decided to let it pass. "Do'ya think we can really do this?"

Smiling and crossing her arms, she gazed into the inquisitively doubtful eyes of her peer. "Of course we can. I wouldn't ever send us on a mission I didn't think we could accomplish. Tails, you also know you can do it. You're brave and swift enough, just place the detonators where I showed you on the diagrams and it'll be a snap. My decoying to destroy the tanker trucks and Antone and Bunny's distraction should clear the way well enough for you to be relatively in the clear for your part. Remember, never get over confident and sloppy. That's the worst mistake you can make in any situation."

"Is..." Tails cautioned himself, but Sally flashed a reassuring smile that urged he proceed. "Is that what Sonic did...?"

She stared at him for a silent, drawn out moment. Reclining again with a shiver, she focused blankly on the ceiling. "Maybe so Tails... No one's sure just what happened at Hilliena base. Just make sure you're careful. We can't have anyone getting reckless- we can't afford to lose anyone, though that's always been the case. Even more so now than ever..."

"I understand." The little fox chirped while confidently puffing out his chest. "I'll do my very best Aunt Sally, for you and everyone else!"

The prideful display made Sally forget her loneliness just then. Grinning from ear to ear, she sent him out with an "Off to bed, you'll need to be in tip top shape!".

Once he'd scurried out the door, Sally turned back to the console that faced her, battle plans staring her in the face. She put her head in her arms. No one was around to heed a brief episode of stifled sobbing.

"Fools! All of you fools! I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

"Please master Robotnik," a slight man tried to calm his tantruming employer. "It's not even confirmed, fully. Erm, I'll dispatch a unit to investigate, sir. You can enjoy your afternoon pudding."

"I don't want my afternoon pudding you moron!" he growled dangerously to his cowering cohort. "This... This is a horrendously more important matter! Besides, I can have it later, now can't I? Think Snivley, think!"

"Well maybe if you didn't punish me every time I made an independent comment..." Snively drained white as he realized his mistake of a rare outburst, an audacious remark.

Dr. Robotnik's eyes burned furiously. "Get out! I can't stand the sight of you anymore you lowly worm! Leave now before I change my disposition on kindness and squash you like an insect!"

Snivley needed no second order, scampering out the door before the raging doctor was finished.

Working himself down from his huff, Robotnik took up a rather large seat to think. A blue hedgehog traveling at high speeds along the eastern borders of Robotropolis...? Bah, it couldn't be! Sonic the hedgehog... how ludicrous! He died in Hilliena nearly a year ago! Seeing ghosts, ha. "I need to refurbish my monitoring systems..." he muttered to himself. Turning to an expansive console, he tacked to work at the keyboards. Indeed, how crazy! Sonic was long dead... The robotics genius couldn't cast out the shadow of doubt from the back of his mind.

Knothole was in a subdued tension. The moon shone high, only a slivered crescent- just illuminous enough for them to see, but still prove them adventagous by granting stealth under darkness.

Sally stood with prose, scanning her specially assembled team. "Are we ready?"

A reply of, "Yes, ma'am." rang out in unison from her followers.

Shouldering a dusk green military pack, Sally beckoned to the team. "Let's go."

The going through the Great Forest came relatively easy, aside from a minor slip up or two by Antone. The canopy of leaves rustled in agitation in a soft breeze that the Freedom Fighters lost sense of. This mission was vital, this was an important strike not only as a blow against Robotnik, but to restore moral of the Mobians of Knothole. This was a do or die, there was no try. Sally wore an intent expression as she thought of how this would probably be a mission too dangerous to even successfully retreat from if Robotnik had prepared for them. Then again, she doubted he had. All they'd been hitting as of late were minor facilities, getting some field training for newer recruits to the active ranks of the rebellion.

Still, something felt off. She always had that feeling of her stomach being laden by a lead ball while going off on a mission, but this time it felt different somehow. Maybe it was just the enormity of it all- destroying a reactor! It was doable, this specific target was not fully constructed yet. They had to hit it before it went online, and now was the time.

She glanced over at Tails who had the most determined mask plastered on his face she'd ever seen. May be she felt this way because it was the first time she'd really put Tails in a threatened position? Yes, that had to be it. They continued their trek, weaving in and out of trees, onward by the cover of night to the looming city of technology.