Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters is copyright SEGA Enterprises and Archie Comic Publications, INC.
Delphine, Comet and Dimitria are copyright Delphine.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Don't mess with me, I got tanks.
				--Kim Campbell
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

		Tales from the Past- Tale one
		The Human Armada
		-- Delphine Kiminsu

	Tails leisurely walked down the long-overused path, enjoying the fall afternoon. He smiled as a slight breeze blew through the air, stirring the colored leaves that where slowly falling from maple trees and the like and the orange pine needles on the ground, then shivered as a stronger breeze blew and pulled his light orange wind jacket closer around himself. Sally had made him wear it when he went out, and he was glad she had done so.
	Tails wound his tails, lifting himself into the air, then flew down the path as fast as he could, and flew back. He giggled as the leaves rained down on him. Then he jogged down the path with a grin on his face.
	Around a curve in the path, he found a small hill that became a ledge over a small pond. Standing on top of the hill overlooking the pond he saw someone, someone who was most probably the only female human left on the planet. He smiled and called out, "Hey Del!"
	Delphine Kiminsu turned at the greeting. She smiled and waved. "Hi Tails!" she called back. He flew up the hill and landed next to her.
	"What're you doin' out here?" Tails asked her.
	"Thinking." The two sat down in the long yellow grass.
	"About what?"
	"About how I first came to Knothole." She sighed. "It seems like so long ago, when it was really only about seven years ago." Tails looked up at her.
	"Will you tell me?"
	"Well.... I guess I could. But I'm not responsible for the consequences." She grinned. Tails knew it was going to be a rather interesting story.

	"The story doesn't REALLY start six years ago. Almost ten, actually.
	"After I escaped Robotropolis, after seeing what they did to my father.... the same thing they did with my mother...." She stopped to wipe away tears, then continued. "I wandered around the Great Forest for awhile, avoiding all contact that I could. I was still shaken by my parents disposal, and the other creatures on the planet were prejudice against me because of the Great War only months before. So I really didn't have anybody.
	"Luckily, the Medallion my father had given me only moments before his demise attracted the one person who didn't care about any of that." She smiled at the memory. "Dimitria. A D'jinia, which were what you could call the less willing version of a D'jinni. More popularly known as a Genie.
	"Dimitria, at the time only fourteen or fifteen, found me, and trained me in how to use the power in the little trinket I held so important to myself. The one I still do.
	"She became my best and only friend. But, once I had learned the basics of controlling my power, I began to see less of her. She was busy visiting her friend Sebrina." She smiled broadly. " Soon she even started to become annoyed of me." Delphine laughed.. "Ahh, I remember that like it was yesterday. And I tried as hard as I could to annoy her as much as I could." She shook her head. "The things I did.... But you get the point.
	"It was on one of these days she was away, four years later, in the spring that I became bored and decided to trek around the place where I had seen a few people before. It was near this very pond where I heard the cry for help. I hid in the bushes, and checked out what was going on. I saw Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, being dragged away by a SWATbot. But at the time I didn't know it was her. I didn't even know she was princess. The SWATbot had a firm grip on her arm, and there was no way she could possibly get away by herself. So I decided to test out my powers in the real world.
	"I focused my energy into a central point, as Dimitria had taught me so may times before. Then I aimed at the 'bot, and watched as the green light came out of my hand and hit the bot in the head. All though my powers weren't as good then as they are now, I still had enough to shoot it down.
	"I gave a silent cheer, all though it was in vain. Behind me I heard someone clearing his throat. I whirled around and saw a young blue hedgehog, no older than ten."
	"Sonic." Tails grinned.
	"Yup. The one and only.
	'What do you think you're doing?' he asked.
	'Shooting a SWATbot,' I answered. He gave me a strange look. Then he shook his head.
	'I don't believe you. You were trying to shoot Sal.'
	'Who's Sal?'
	'I am! And I order you to tell me what you were doing!'
	'Who are you to tell me what to do?' I asked.
	'She's the princess,' the hedgehog told me.
	'Oh,' I said. Suddenly I knew I was in trouble. If I couldn't convince them that I had been shooting the 'bot and not aiming for Sally, they might take me to prison, or worse, have me killed....
	"But I was a child, and these thoughts were silly.
	'Why were you shooting at me?'
	'I wasn't! I was shooting at the robot!'
	'Nuh-uh, you were shooting at Sally. At that is way not past cool!'
	'Was not!'
	'Was too!'
	'Was not!'
	'Was too!'
	'What did you shoot the SWATbot with?' Sally had asked, completely out of curiosity. Dimitria had told me not to tell anybody about the Medallion, and although at the time we weren't exactly the best of friends, I knew she was right. If that information got into the wrong hands....
	"So I did the most logical thing I could think of-- I ran.
	'Uh... I gotta go BYE!' I ran into the underbrush and then into the deeper woods. Instead of chasing after me, Sonic and Sally ran back to Knothole, screaming something about a 'Human Armada', as they told me. I never laughed harder when I found out about that." She laughed again. "Me, a little 9-year old kid, an armada! Ha!
	"After a few hours, Dimitria found me in the woods, sitting on a rock and shaking from shock and the cold. She asked me what happened, and I explained as well as I could. In other words, I told her I was attacked by crazy forest people." Delphine broke out in a fit of laughter, then calmed down again. "I have never seen anyone look the way she did then. It was a once in a lifetime look. She brought me back to the tree-hut-lean-to thingy we were living in and put me to bed.
	"The next day, she was, to my surprise, still there. I walked out of my bedroom to find steaming hot pancakes piled up on a plate in the middle of the table. I must have been there ten minutes, staring at the table, when Dimitria lifted me up and put me on a chair.
	'Hi,' she said, smiling.
	'Hi,' I said, not quite sure what was going on.
	'How did you sleep?'
	'Alot.'  She laughed.
	'So tell me more about these 'crazy forest people'.' I looked at her again. I had figured she thought it was my imagination working overtime. She had actually believed me.
	"So I told her. I told her what REALLY happened. I think I had wanted to make up this big story, but she had shocked me into telling the truth.
	"After I was done, she tilted her seat back and 'hmmm'd for a moment. Then she smiled at me and said,
	'All right. After I take a shower we'll go out and see what we can do about this princess and her friend. In the meantime, you enjoy those pancakes.' She left the room, and I dug in."
	"So what happened next?" Tails asked eagerly.
	"Well...." Delphine was interrupted by Sonic.
	"Hey guys!" He sped up to them. "What's cookin'?"
	"'What's cookin'? Do people still say that?" Delphine asked.
	"Naw, I was just hangin around with Unc." He sat down. "So, like I said, what's happenin'?"
	"Del was just telling me about how she came to Knothole." Tails said.
	"Oh?" Sonic said, his cheeks becoming red.
	"In detail," Delphine said, grinning like a maniac.
	"Uh...."
	"Yeah, it's loads of laughs." Delphine looked at Tails.
	"Ahh, but I haven't gotten to the good part yet."
	"Uh, I don't think I wanna be here...."
	"But of course you do! It's loads of laughs!" Sonic reddened again.
	"Not...."
	"Too bad." Tails and Delphine grinned at each other.
	"Well, after Dimitria finished her shower and I finished my pancakes, we went back to the place where I had been the day before. And low and behold, there was...."
	"TAAAAIIIIIIIIILS!" Sonic looked up at the sky.
	"Thank you!"
	"WHAT?" Sally walked into view.
	"There you three are. There's been an attack. Come back to Knothole."

	"What, exactly, has happened?" Delphine asked. Sally pointed to an area on a large map.
	"Peter has attacked a group of nomads in the Great Unknown. They have something that he wants."
	"Had," Rotor said.
	"We don't know that yet!" Sally snapped. She turned back to Delphine. "I want you, Sonic and Bunnie to go check it out." She handed a two way radio to Delphine. "Since Peter is keeping an eye on all of our former radio signals, I dug these things up from somewhere in Knothole's rummage pile. Channel two."
	"Okay." Delphine turned the dial. "Testing, one two three," she said quietly into it. Her voice came out of Sally's radio. Sally did the same.
	"Okay. You three go, and I want a report within the hour."
	"Yes ma'm!" Delphine said, grinning. She, Sonic and Bunnie walked out of Knothole and into the thick surrounding forest.

	"Nuts."
	"What's wrong Tails?" Sally asked.
	"Well, Delphine was telling me a story, and know I have to wait until she gets back to hear the end of it!"
	<provided they get back> Sally involuntarily thought. She shook her head and sat down next to the young fox. "So, what was she telling you about?" she said as she straightened out his jacket.
	"She was telling me about how she first came to Knothole." Sally paused.
	"Really?" she said, blushing slightly.
	"Sally, did you and Sonic really say that there was a human armada coming?"
	"I-- um ... we were young, Tails. We didn't really know what we were talking about...." Tails grinned.
	"But you did say that."
	"Well, yes.... I guess so...."
	"You shouldn't worry about it. I won't tell anyone." Tails winked at her. She smiled.
	"Okay." She ruffled his hair. He gave her a hug, then flew to his hut to make himself some hot chocolate.

	"It's WAY too cold to be trekin' through the forest like this. Way uncool."
	"Cool it. We're not exactly enjoying ourselves, either," Delphine said.
	"Don't yah'all worry about it sugah-hog. We'll go check out what'all's happened then get right on back home." Bunnie said.
	"Optimist," Delphine told her.
	"Yup, that's me!"
	"C'mon! It's COLD!" Sonic said just as they reached the end of the forest and the beginning of barren landscape. Sonic shivered as a gust of wind flew past them.
	"Here," Delphine said, holding out the jacket she had just taken off.
	"I was just complaining. I don't need it."
	"TAKE IT." Delphine commanded. Sonic took it and put it on.
	"Okay, fine! Make me put on your jacket!" He grinned. She grinned back. Then they moved on.

	Bunnie stopped.
	"Would yah'all look at that?" she said shakily. There was a large dark stain. Right next to a badger. Delphine quickly knelt down beside it and took it's pulse.
	"He's dead," she said emotionlessly. She turned her radio on. "Princess, this is A-2, come in Princess, over."
	"Transmission received, over."
	"We've found one dead body so far. No sign of the nomads or Peter, over." There was silence on the other end. "Repeat, over."
	"I see. Keep moving. Over.
	"Roger. Over and out." Delphine tuned out. "Let's go."

	Minutes later. Delphine thought she heard something.
	"Stop," she said. They stopped. Footsteps went on for a second, then stopped. "We're being followed," she whispered.
	"What should we'all do?" Bunnie asked.
	"Let's keep going until we find out who it is." Delphine said. They both nodded. They walked on. After a few minutes, an arrow whizzed by their heads.
	"What the--?!" Sonic shouted. They all whirled around. There they saw a small hooded porcupine with a crossbow in its hands.
	"Don't move or I'll kill you." Sonic sped around, took the crossbow, threw it, and stood behind her. Bunnie and Delphine maneuvered so the the porcupine was pretty much surrounded. The porcupine looked around with wide eyes. Delphine glared at her. The porcupine backed up a step and fell.
	"NO DON'T HURT ME!!" she screamed and covered her head.
	"A very wanting request for someone who was about to kill us two second ago." Delphine said. The porcupine whimpered.
	"Please don't hurt me," she whispered. Bunnie knelt beside her.
	"Well, since you'all said please...." She put a hand on the young girls shoulder. She flinched.
	"I'm sorry, don't kill me!" she said, then whimpered again.
	"Shush! It's okay, we'all won't hurt you!" Bunnie told her. She slowly took her arms down. She was shaking all over.
	"Don't kill me," she said again. 
	"Shhhhhh. It's okay," Bunnie said quietly. Sonic and Delphine backed off. They glanced at each other. "Now, why were you shooting at us?"	"I-I-I-I thought y-you were w-with h-h-him." She shivered again. "He k-killed M-M-M-arky!" She started crying. 
	"Shh. It's all right." Bunnie put an arm around her. The girl curled up and hugged herself. "What's your name?" Bunnie asked quietly.
	"J-J-Jamie." Jamie shivered and cried harder. "Are you going to kill me?"
	"No! Of course not. We're against Peter too."
	"You know who he is?!"
	"Yes." Jamie looked behind her at Delphine and Sonic. 
	"Are they going to hurt me?"
	"Of course not! they're my friends!"
	"Oh." Bunnie helped Jamie up. She explained to her two friends what was going on. Sonic ran to her crossbow, picked it up, and brought it back. She flinched.
	"Here," he said, and thrust it at her. She carefully took it and clipped it onto her belt. Delphine looked down at her.
	"We're looking for the nomads, presumably your friends, that Peter attacked. Can you help us find them?" Jamie shivered.
	"I'll show you where they are, but I'm not going into the camp!" She yelled.
	"Okay, okay. You didn't have to." Delphine shook her head. "Well?" Jamie looked at her.
	"This way." She walked off to the left. They followed.

	"Princess, this is A-2, come in Princess, over." Delphine said.
	"Transmission received, over."
	"We found a young girl, named Jamie, who knows where she can find Peter and the nomads. The dead badger is named Mark.... y. Over."
	"Nice going. Keep at it. And don't stay out too long. It's supposed to get extremely cold tonight. It might even cause a frost. Over."
	"Great, just what I wanted to know. Over and out." Delphine sighed.
	"So, it's just over the hill?"
	"Yes." Sonic looked at the hill.
	"Well, let's get going." They walked up the hill. When they got to the top they all dropped down and watched. Delphine took out binoculars. She saw the camp, but couldn't find Peter.
	"Tent, fox, tent, badger, human, squirrel HUMAN!!" She moved her sight back over.
	"Is it Peter?"
	"N....n-no, i-it's n-n-not." Delphine shivered. "The human is female.... and she seems to BE one of the nomads...."
	"Oh, her? That's Cynthia." Delphine looked back at Jamie. The other two where already staring at her. She tried to shrink into the ground. "Is this bad?"
	"Not exactly...." Delphine looked back. Cynthia was walking around, talking and laughing with the nomads. Delphine watched her. <this is TOO weird> she thought. Then she saw Peter. She stopped. "There he is," she breathed out.
	"I had a feeling it was going to be a long day," Sonic mumbled.

	They snuck up to the camp. Jamie had stayed behind. "I'all don't like thah looks ah this," Bunnie said.
	"Neither do I," Sonic said.
	"C'mon, let's go." Delphine snuck between tents. Sonic and Bunnie followed. Soon they were directly behind Peter.
	"Take that one straight to Pitopolis. I don't know what I'm going to do with him yet, but we can't have him here messing things up."
	"Lemme go freak!" the prisoner yelled.
	"Why does that voice sound familiar...."
	"Marco!" Delphine answered for him. SACCbots were bringing the young fox to a hovercraft.
	"We'all gotta help him!" Bunnie cried.
	"I know, I know!"
	"Shhhh!" Delphine clamped a hand over Sonic's mouth. "Quiet!" She looked at Bunnie. "You too!"
	"What're yah'all tellin' me what ta do!" She got louder. "What'd you know about keepin' quiet?!"
	"Bunnie, please!" Delphine said.
	"No, I ain't bein' ..." Delphine jumped at her and clamped a hand over her mouth.
	"Shutup before you get us all killed!" Delphine whisper-yelled at her. Bunnie glared at her.
	"What was that noise?" Peter said. He looked around. Bunnie's eyes got very wide. Delphine glared at her. Sonic leaned over and whispered in her ear.
	"Let's get the heck outa here." Delphine nodded. Bunnie suddenly wished she still had robotic limbs. They slowly tip-toed away from the camp. They hid behind a boulder. "Oh, MAN. Did you see all those 'bots? If they find us...."
	"Well if SOMEONE would have kept her mouth shut this never would have happened!"
	"Oh, so it's'all MAH fault now, eh? It'all cain't be you're fault, it'all gotta be MAH fault!" Bunnie yelled.
	"What was that?"
	"I think it came from over there." A porcupine and a squirrel walked around the area the three Freedom Fighters were hiding.
	"Bunnie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, but for the love of Mobius be QUIET!" Delphine whispered.
	"Quiet?!" Bunnie whisper-yelled. "I'll show you quiet!" Bunnie pinned her to the boulder.
	"Bunnie, what--?"
	"Cut it out! They're gonna find us!" Sonic hissed.
	"Yeah, be quiet." Bunnie growled. Delphine glared at her but didn't say anything.
	"I know I heard something around here...."
	"Let's go back. I just want to check behind there. Then we'll go."
	"Okay." Delphine gulped. Sonic's eyes widened.
	"Sonic? Unless you've suddenly lost the ability to move let's get the hell out of here."
	"Right. Hang...."
	"What the--?!
	"ON!!" Sonic grabbed the two of them and started running. The two nomads started firing arrows. One of them hit Sonic on the shoulder. He grunted and slowed down a little, but he didn't stop. Soon they were out of sight. Sonic slowed to a stop. Delphine and Bunnie stared at him. Delphine caught him as he fell.
	"Bunnie, get this damn thing out of his shoulder." Bunnie carefully pulled it out. Sonic groaned. "All right. You bring him back. I'm going to go help Marco."
	"But...."
	"Do it!" Delphine started to walk back the way they had come. She stopped, turned, and called out, "My jacket better be clean when I come back!" Then she turned and walked away.

	Marco threw himself against the bars.
	"Lemme out you hunk o' metal!"
	"You will be taken back to Pitopolis to be taken care of," the 'bot droned.
	"Yeah, yeah. You gonna turn me into a metal-head or what?"
	"What. We're going to make you swim with the fishes." Peter grinned.
	"I don't know what that means, but if it's a joke no one's laughin."
	"I thought it was rather funny."
	"Uh huh."
	"But that's besides the point. You, my young friend, are to be made an example of."
	"What'd you mean?" Marco asked, taking a step back from the bars.
	"Well, first off, I've changed my mind; you won't be going to Pitopolis. I've already made up my mind." Marco gulped.
	"You have one?"
	"You're going to be executed. Tomorrow. At noon."

	Delphine snuck between tents and up to the hovercraft. She looked around. She saw no one. There was ten feet of space between her and the hovercraft. She started running.
	"Hey!"  She stopped and looked around. She saw the human girl. They both stared at each other. "Who're you?" Cynthia asked.
	"I could ask you the same thing. Since you probably already know who I am, why don't you go first?"
	"I don't know who you are."
	"I'm, uuuuuuuh, Sarah."
	"Cynthia."
	"Are you one of the nomads?"
	"Yes."
	"Who is that guy?"
	"You mean Peter?" Delphine looked at her.
	"Y-yeeeesssss...."
	"He's some guy from another planet. He says he's here on peaceful terms." Cynthia frowned. "Is he?" Delphine stared at the laser gun Cynthia was holding.
	"No, not exactly...."
	"What do you mean?" Cynthia asked. She raised the gun.
	"He's from the planet Earth and he came to take over our world and he wants to kill anyone who would go against him."
	"You're kidding!"
	"NO. I'm serious."
	"Well, since he'll kill anyone that gets in his way, I wouldn't want to do that, would I?" Delphine started backing up. Cynthia aimed the gun at her.
	"You're a Freedom Fighter, aren't you?"
	"Well, I, uh...."
	"I thought so. Since Peter wants you all dead, I guess I'd be on pretty good terms with him if I got rid of you, wouldn't I?" Delphine just stared. "Besides. You're friend killed my father."
	"What are you talking about?!"
	"Robotnik. Robotnik was my father."
	"WHAT?!"
	"He was."
	"What insane woman would want to.... to.... eccch!"
	"No one did. He adopted me."
	"Oh." As an afterthought, she said, "Why?"
	"Insurance. If he was ever destroyed, I was supposed to take over. That's why I live with the nomads. I wasn't needed until a few months ago." Cynthia glared at her. "That's why Peter is here. He came to pick me up. And although I'm twenty-one and Peter's fourteen, I'm sure we'll get along real well." Cynthia grinned.
	"Look, I.... I don't know why you think all of this is okay, but it's not. Robotnik killed alot of people. He robotisized even more. Out of all of the robotisized citizens, only seven remain. And they are, fortunately, no longer robots." Delphine stared at Cynthia. "Robotnik was evil. As in bad. As in he deserved to die."
	"NO HE DIDN'T!!!!" Cynthia fired.

	Delphine opened her eyes. She blinked. She blinked again. She sat up and stared through the prison bars at Peter.
	"I knew SOMEONE was messing around the camp. I shoulda figured it'd be you."
	"I haven't even been here an hour! Well, conscious, at least." She stared at Peter. "What're you gonna do?"
	"Always eager to get to the point, huh? Well. I'm not exactly sure WHAT I'm going to do with you. I might make an example of you.... no, I already have someone for that."
	"Bastard." Delphine looked around.
	"Who....?"
	"Ah, that's your friend Marco. I thought you knew he was here?"
	"Let him go. He didn't do anything."
	"Au contrair, he knows who I am! He might tell the nomads what's going on! We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
	"It's people like you who give homo sapiens a bad name."
	"There aren't too many of them still around on this planet, are there?" Delphine glared at him. "Soon there will be only two humans left that are native to this planet." Delphine's eyes widened. "You know, it's a good thing Snively is holding up the fortress while I'm gone. Someone might decide to try and take it away if he wasn't there."
	"You won't get away with this. I didn't come alone."
	"Really now?" Peter said. But he got a little nervous anyway.
	"Yeah, Sonic and Bunnie are here too! And any minute they're gonna come in here and kick your butt!"
	"I really doubt that." Peter grinned. "Well, see you tomorrow then!" Peter walked off. Delphine looked into the cell across the hall.
	"Marco?"
	"Del, get outa here while you can."
	"No. I came back to get you out, and that's just what I'm going to do!" Delphine took out her Medallion. It had a strange green glow to it. Delphine aimed at the lock on her cell, and fired.

	"Bunnie," Sonic moaned.
	"What is it, sugar-hog?"
	"Stop for a minute."
	"No. We're going tah keep goin' until we'all get back to Knothole. Then Ah'm gonna come back and meet Del and Marco half-way." Bunnie hoped she was telling the truth.
	"She's in trouble."
	"No she's not."
	"Yes she is. We have to go back."
	"Sonic, she's fine! Now c'mon before yah'all freeze to death."

	"I can't get it open!" Delphine whispered.
	"Just go. You don't need to get me out; I can hold my own."
	"Marco, you're in bad shape. I CAN'T just leave you here!"
	"Yes you can." Marco winced as he sat up. 
	"Oh Marco."
	"Go," he moaned.
	"Marco."
	"Please, just go."
	"I'll come back." Marco moaned. Delphine silently walked down the hall. "I promise."

	Delphine jumped down out of the ship, then quickly hid behind a boulder. She looked around.
	"If I can just get over there...."
	"Are you okay?"
	"WHA?!" Delphine jumped up and whirled around. Jamie shrunk back.
	"I'm sorry!" Delphine sighed with relief.
	"It's you." She sat down. "It's just you."
	"I didn't mean to scare you."
	"It's okay. It's okay." Delphine was speaking more to herself than to Jamie.
	"You escaped from Peter?"
	"Yeah. But I have a friend in there that I have to get out, and soon. He's going to die if I don't." She frowned. Jamie's eyes narrowed.
	"He already killed Marky. I'm not going to let him kill anyone else." Delphine looked at her. Then she smiled.
	"Okay Jamie. Do you know of a way we can get in there?"
	"Follow me." Jamie walked underneath the ship and opened a panel. Delphine was right behind her. "Can you help me up?"
	"Sure." Delphine gave her a boost, then went in herself.

	Jamie looked around.
	"Where were you?" she whispered.
	"That way," Delphine whispered back, pointing. Jamie nodded and followed.
	"Hey, what's that?" Delphine whirled around. Jamie gasped.
	"It's her! She escaped! Peter said he wanted extra security!" Delphine picked up Jamie and started running.

	"There.... just.... THERE! MARCO!!" Marco looked up.
	"I told you to...."
	"C'mon! I got it open!"
	"Yeah! There's a million bazillion guards chasing us!" Marco smiled at Jamie. He slowly stood up. Delphine put Jamie down and helped Marco walk out of the cell. He heard yelling and looked down the hallway.
	"There's more guards than that, Jamie." Delphine looked the other way.
	"C'mon, this way!" Delphine picked Jamie up and pulled Marco down the hallway.

	"Uh oh."
	"This would be a bad thing." They stared at the dead end. "Um, um, um,...."
	"There they are!" Delphine and Marco swirled around. Jamie screamed and clung to Delphine.
	"Is there a plan B?"

	"What happened?!"
	"It's freezing out and sugar-hog got a hole in his shoulder. And Delphine is back wherever trying to save Marco's life. And I need to go back and help her." Bunnie turned away from Sally, and before Sally could say anything, Bunnie was gone.

	"Plan B would be shooting the heck out of these guys." Delphine tried to put Jamie down.
	"No no no they're gonna kill me!"
	"Jamie! If you let go they won't!" Jamie let go. Delphine put her down. Jamie cowered against her legs. Delphine glared at the upcoming guards. "You asked for it," she murmured. She started firing.

	Bunnie ran through the forest.
	"I have tah get the-ar.... quick.... ly ..." Bunnie puffed. She jumped over a log and exited the forest. She ran through the terrain as fast as she could. "I'm coming."

	Delphine kept shooting at the guards (on a low power) and Marco helped as much as he could and Jamie finally stopped shaking and started shooting arrows, but they just kept coming. Delphine and Marco were getting tired, and Jamie had run out of arrows.
	"Any more bright ideas?"
	"If I hadn't come back to help you, I wouldn't be in this situation. So shut up and let me think!" Marco quieted down. The guards had them trapped in the corner.
	"You can fly right?"
	"Not right now...."
	"Why?"
	"You do levitation, right?"
	"Yeah."
	"Well, you get tired, right?"
	"Yeah."
	"Well, right now I'm exhausted and trying not to fall asleep. So flying would be out." She yawned.
	"No! Don't go to sleep!"
	"I wasn't. I was yawning."
	"Good." Delphine looked all around.
	<this is just great,> she thought. <there is NO possible way of getting out> She sighed.

	Peter walked down the hallway towards the shouting.
	"Snively will be VERY happy." He grinned. He went around a corner. "Let me through!" He yelled to the guards. They backed off a little. He pushed past them until he was in between the guards and the three. Jamie screamed.
	"It's okay," Delphine said softly while she picked her up. "We'll get away." <HOW?!?!?> she screamed at herself. <YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS!! THIS IS STUPID!!! YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY!!!!> She shook her head.
	"I'm surprised. You could have gotten away. But you decided to stay." Peter grinned. Marco looked at Delphine, then at the floor.
	<this is my fault,> he thought. Delphine glared at Peter.
	"What, no warming greeting?"
	"Go to hell, you bastard." Some of the guards laughed.
	"Ooh! You're getting better!" Peter said. The same guards laughed again. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to tell you to come with me, aren't I?"
	"Never." Peter gestured to one of the guards, then whispered in the guards ear. The guard nodded. Then he ripped Jamie out of Delphine's hands. Jamie screamed.
	"HEY!!!!" Delphine yelled.
	"Now, come with me, or she dies." Delphine glared hard . Peter just stood there grinning. A few of the guards grabbed her and Marco. Neither made any attempt to get away. "Well, just one big happy family, aren't we?" Delphine cursed at him. He grinned wider. Suddenly, someone yelled,
	"Hang on, I'm a comin'!" they looked down the hall. Bunnie was running towards them with a laser gun.
	"GET HER!!!!" Peter screamed. Bunnie stopped short and started shooting. Jamie bit the arm of the guard that was holding her. The guard yelled, and Jamie jumped down. Marco twisted out of the hold the guards had on him, then helped Delphine get away. The three ran down the hallway until they were behind Bunnie. She started shooting again as they backed down the hall. Delphine picked Jamie up, ready to run. When they got to the end and the hall branched out into two separate ways, Bunnie stopped shooting and they started running.

	"I'm just glad you got there in time," Sally said to Bunnie. Delphine was resting in her hut, Marco was in the infirmary, and Jamie was with Amy Rose. Bunnie and Sally were drinking coffee in Sally's hut.
	"Naw, it wasn't just me. They were'all doin fine 'till the dead end came up."
	"Bunnie." Bunnie looked at Sally. "You know if you hadn't been there in time that they'd be either dead or beyond help." Bunnie sighed.
	"I'all know."
	"And I'm sure Delphine will thank you."
	"Maybe." Sally looked up from her drink.
	"What do you mean?"
	"We weren't exactly gettin'all along and all back there."
	"I'm sure she'll forget about that, seeing as you saved her life."
	"Maybe."

	Delphine walked out of her hut toward the infirmary. She sighed.
	"I hope Marco is okay." She paused. "I wonder if I'M okay. Maybe I should psychoanalyze myself." She giggled, then shook her head at herself.
	"HEY DEL!" two voices called out at the same time. She turned and saw Sonic and Tails. Tails flew up to her.
	"Hi."
	"You didn't get to finish!"
	"I know! It's not my fault!"
	"Well finish now!"
	"I can't! I'm going to see if Marco is okay." She paused. "Where's Jamie?"
	"Right here!" Delphine turned and saw Amy Rose coming towards her, followed by Jamie. Delphine kneeled down. Jamie ran up to her.
	"Hi. How're ya doin'?"
	"I'm okay. I just wish Marky was here." Tears welled up.
	"Shush. Don't worry, everything'll be okay. I know you miss him."
	"I miss him alot..." Jamie started crying. Delphine frowned.
	"Now, don't do that. What would Marky think?" Jamie sniffed.
	"He'd think I was being silly." Jamie wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled.
	"There, see? Everything's okay. Now c'mon, Let's go see how Marco is doing."
	"Okey dokey!" Jamie hopped down, grabbed Delphine's hand, and tugged on her arm until she started walking towards the doctor's hut.

	"How's Marco?"
	"Oh, he's fine. He'll be gone by tomorrow" Delphine frowned.
	"I believe that," Sally said. Delphine looked at her.
	"So... why did you want to see me?"
	"I need to speak with you of the matter of Jamie... we have no one to watch her."
	"She can stay with Amy R..."
	"Amy Rose isn't enough. She needs an adult-- or a semi-adult -- to watch over her, to play with her, and to love her."
	"What are you saying?"
	"I'm saying Jamie needs someone to 'adopt' her. And I already have the perfect candidate."
	"Bunnie?"
	"No. You." Delphine looked at her, shocked.
	"M-me?!"
	"Yes."
	"B-but why?!" Sally sighed.
	"Several reasons. Number one: You're growing up, and need more-- no, not more, a different kind-- of responsibility than you currently have. Two: Jamie needs someone like Marky, and from what she's told me, you're a lot like he was, personality wise. Number three: She adores you." 
	Delphine looked at her, then glanced at the floor. She sighed.
	"I... guess you're right..."
	"Good." Sally started counting off on her fingers. "Now, you have to take full responsibility. She will be staying in your hut. I'll have the construction crew add an addition A.S.A.P., you need to watch her every second of the day, you..."
	"Sally! Please! You're killing me over here!" Sally looked at her. Delphine had flopped down in a chair and was staring at Sally. Sally looked at her a moment, and then laughed. Delphine stared at her a moment, then laughed with her.

	"So. I heard you're a mother. Congratulations."
	"Hardy har har."
	"I thought it was funny."
	"You would."
	Delphine, Sonic, Jared, Jamie, Amy Rose, and Tails were all sitting around a campfire. Jamie was sitting in Delphine's lap, and Amy Rose was trying very unsuccessfully to get into Sonic's.
	"Will you PLEEEEEAAAAAASE finish the STOOORYYYYY?" Tails whined.
	"Okay, okay!" Delphine laughed. "I'll finish it. Right now."
	"I'm leaving." Delphine pulled Sonic back.
	"You're not going ANYwhere."
	"Do you enjoy my embarrassment?"
	"Yup."
	"FINISH THE STORY!!"
	"Yeah! Finish the story."
	"Yeah!"
	"Better do what they say, Del; kids can be forceful sometimes."
	"Don't I know it." She grinned. "Okay... where was I?"
	"You were eating pancakes."
	"Oh yeah."
	"Pancakes?"
	"What's wrong with pancakes?"
	"Nothin. Just seems strange that you left the story off with pancakes..."
	"WHO CARES! STORY! NOW! TELL!"
	"AHEM.
	"Okay; so after breakfast, Dimitria brought me back to the place where the SWATbot had attacked Sally the day before. It just so happened that four others where there as well. Sonic, Sally, Rosie, and Uncle Chuck."
	"I don't want to hear this part." Sonic buried his head in his hands and pretended not to listen. Delphine grinned, then continued.
	"Things seemed to blow up right then and there; Sonic and Sally started in on what they interpreted I did, and I hid behind Dimitria..."
	"YOU hid?!"
	"I was nine, okay?"
	"I know, but... you HID?!"
	"Yes, I hid. Can I go on now?"
	"Yes."
	"Thank you ever so kindly. So I hid behind Dimitria. She looked at Chuck, Chuck looked at her. Then  Dimitria yelled for everyone to stop. We did.
	'Dimitria... what IS going on around here?'
	'I'm not sure. They told us there was a human armada around, and that they had attacked...'
	'HUMAN ARMADA?!' I have never seen Dimitria laughed so hard since then. She pulled me out from behind her. 'This, Chuck, THIS is your human armada!' She started laughing again, and I hid behind her again."
	"AH-HA! So I WASN'T the only one!"
	"I'm getting to that."
	"Oh no you're not."
	"Oh yes I AM!"
	"Not if *I* have anything to say about it!" Sonic stood up. Delphine stood as well.
	"What're you gonna do about it, shrimp?"
	"I'm gonna sit here and wish I were taller." Sonic sat down heavily. Delphine sat quietly and continued.
	"So then..."
	"What were you guys fighting about just now?" Jared asked.
	"THAT'S IT! NEXT PERSON TO INTERRUPT ME GETS BLASTED IN THE HEAD!"
	"Yeah!"
	"This always happens to me. It's always because of me..."
	"No it's not. Now shut up."
	"So? What happened then?"
	"Well, after Dimi calmed down, Chuck told Rosie what was going on. She left, and Chuck and Dimi took the three of us and..." Delphine stopped.
	"What?"
	"I can't remember..." She stopped. Something happened inside her mind. It was like a box was opening. She suddenly remembered everything is detail. Delphine glances around, and saw a slight movement in the shadows. She smiled and said, "I remember now. They took the three of us and explained a few things from the past.
	"Apparently, Sonic, Sally and I had been friends when were were VERY young. Too young to remember." She smiled. "I'll spare you the details. Let's just say there was a bunch of yelling and screaming."
	"Can I interrupt now?"
	"Yeah, I'm pretty much done."
	"Why were you yelling and screaming?" Delphine grinned.
	"I said I was sparing you the details. Don't ask."
	"Aw, nuts."
	"So, since then, I've been here. And that's it."
	"Cool."
	"I have a feeling I missed the best part," Jared thought outloud.
	"Maybe I'll tell it to you later. In private." She grinned at him. He grinned back.
	"Maybe." He left for his hut.
	"All right, Jamie girl, it's time for you to go to bed." Delphine said as she picked her up.
	"Okay." Jamie yawned, and fell asleep against Delphine, smiling. Delphine smiled herself and turned. 
	She felt a hand on her shoulder.
	"Wait a minute." Delphine looked at Sonic. "I-- thanks for 'sparing' the details."
	"No problem. I wasn't going to tell that part in the first place."
	"You weren't?"
	"Nope. I was just playing."
	"Brat."
	"I know. See ya tomorrow."
	"See ya." Sonic left with Tails and Amy Rose.

	Delphine lay Jamie down on her own bed. The builders were still constructing Jamie's room, so Delphine decided to let Jamie use her bed while she slept on the couch.
	Delphine went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.
	"You shouldn't have to sleep on this thing you call a couch."
	"Hi Dimi." She gulped down her water. "Are you proposing I make Jamie sleep on it?"
	"No, I'm proposing you sleep somewhere else."
	"Jared's hut is cramped as it is..."
	"DELPHINE KIMINSU!"
	"Quiet, you'll wake everyone up. And I don't feel like traveling to the Floating Island this late at night, either."
	"You vixen."
	"I can't help it."
	"Whatever. Like I was about to say before you so rudely interrupted me," she smiled, "Maybe you should sleep where you slept for about four years." Delphine looked at her.
	"Dimi, I can't just leave Jamie..."
	"She'll be fine. C'mon, I'll have pancakes ready in the morning."

	"I can't believe you let her get away." Snively said.
	"It's not my fault. She had help." Peter told him.
	"We almost had her! If it hadn't been for that rabbit..." Cynthia mumbled.
	"Don't worry about it." Peter yawned. "I'm going to bed." He left the room. Snively looked at Cynthia.
	"You know... you are the only thing left of Robotnik... everything else is pretty much gone."
	"I know."
	"Which means, Snively said as he took out a laser gun, "you will have to be terminated."
	"What?!"
	Snively shot her. She slumped to the ground. He walked over and took her pulse. Nothing.
	"Good." Snively put the gun away and left through a different doorway than Peter did.
	"I was right," Peter whispered. "Now there's only two." He turned away and went to his room.

					 --The End--