SYNOPSIS: Someone or something has put a major crimp in
Robotnik's operation.  What does a mysterious young stranger know
about it?  And what other secrets might he be guarding?




                                SPACE CASE

                        a Sonic the Hedgehog story

                            by Daniel J. Drazen


PAUSE FOR BOUREGOIS LEGALITIES: This story is copyright (c)1996
by the author, who grants permission to reproduce and distribute
it, so long as A) you leave the text as it is and don't screw
around with it, and B) you don't try and make a buck off of it. 
If you're serious about the latter, drop me a line at
drazen@andrews.edu and we'll discuss my cut.  All the normal
provisions of Title 17 (the U.S. Copyright Law) still apply.

Based on characters and situations created by Sega Corporation,
Archie Comics and/or DiC Productions.  Bookshire Draftwood
appears in this story courtesy of David Pistone Talent
Associates.  Very special thanks go to Susan Uhlig for
introducing me to the original Space Case, and to Deborah Moss
for technical support.





     "You ready to land, Rotor?"
     "Ready as I'll ever be, Dulcy.  Go for it!"
     Tucking her wings in, Dulcy the dragon swooped down toward
the edge of the immense expanse of garbage that had become the
border of Robotropolis.  Perched in the saddle, Rotor braced
himself, for Dulcy wasn't always sure of her landings.  True to
form, it was a rough ride and Dulcy skidded on her belly the last
50 yards.  Dulcy was shaken but unharmed, thanks to the legendary
toughness of dragon scales.  Rotor, however, was almost thrown
from the saddle by the impact of the landing.
     Rotor took a moment to get his breath.  Then, taking a hand-
held infrared viewer from his backpack, he scanned the immediate
area.  In a moment, he had found what he was looking for: a
metallic hedgehog lying close to the ground, waving to him.  It
was Sonic's Uncle Chuck, putting his roboticized form to good use
as a spy in Robotnik's midst.  Rotor made his way over to him.
     "What's up, Uncle Chuck?  Your message made it sound like
something big went down."
     "It's the biggest, Rotor: the Roboticizer's offline!"
     "Wow!  For keeps?"
     "I wish!  No, only for five days.  But SOMETHING must have
happened to knock it out, something the system's backups weren't
prepared to handle."
     "What do you suppose could have happened?"
     "I haven't a clue.  I designed the infernal thing to
experience a minimum of downtime."
     "I know; we've never been able to knock it out for more than
a couple of hours at a stretch."
     "But the intelligence reports I decoded indicate that the
unit will be down for several days.  As soon as I realized that,
I sent you that message."
     "You think it could have been sabotage?"
     "By whom?"
     "Well, I can't speak for any of the other Freedom Fighter
groups, but WE haven't been targeting it."
     "We'll know soon enough, once Sally gets word to the other
groups to let them know what happened.  Maybe one of them can
take the credit.  You know, Rotor, this could be the break we've
been waiting for.  Robotnik's going to be dumping the broken
roboticizer parts at this site.  Even if we can't salvage any
useful parts, we still might find a clue as to what Robotnik's
weak spot might be."
     "This could be a big help; I can only learn so much from
studying schematics."
     Just then they heard the rumble of a motor nearby, and they
moved to hide themselves.  Seconds later, a large slow-moving
hauler drifted over them.  It stopped at a point about 50 yards
from where they were.  The side door opened.  Silhouetted against
the ruddy interior light, worker bots began tossing things out of
the hauler.
     Rotor winced every time a delicate electronic component
landed with a crash on the junk pile.  He wanted to be underneath
to catch the parts before they hit the ground.  But that would
have been to invite capture in case any SWATbots had come along
for the ride.
     There was a pause in the dumping and Rotor and Uncle Chuck
waited for the hauler to leave the area so they could begin
foraging.  But then there was one more thing thrown from inside
the hauler, something that caught the Freedom Fighters off-guard
and which made Rotor's blood run cold.
     It was a body.


     The door to the hauler slid shut with agonizing slowness. 
Then, just as slowly, it began to move away.  "Come on, come on,"
Rotor urged in a whisper, "get moving!"  Finally the hauler was
lost from sight, having vanished into the polluted haze that hung
over Robotropolis.
     As quickly as they could, Rotor and Uncle Chuck made their
way to the dump site.  Only now they weren't just going to
recover some parts from the roboticizer; they were also
recovering a body.
     They reached the site and went straight for the body.  It
was a flying squirrel, just about the same age as Rotor,
Sally and most of the rest of the Knothole Freedom Fighters.  He
was unconscious, he was bleeding from a gash in his forehead, and
there were bruises clearly visible on his face and upper body. 
He was breathing, but just barely.
     "Now what?" Rotor asked.
     "Well we can't leave him here, that's for sure.  You and
Dulcy get him back to Knothole; maybe Draftwood can patch him
up."
     "Right."
     Rotor returned to Dulcy, whose head had finally cleared
after the landing.
     "Change of plans, Dulce.  We've got to get someone to
Knothole."
     "Is something wrong with Uncle Chuck?"
     "It's not Uncle Chuck; I'll explain it on the way."
     Dulcy shook her head at the sight of the body.  "Poor kid. 
I never heard of Robotnik throwing away bodies before."
     "Maybe he can tell us something about how the Roboticizer
went offline when he gets better" Uncle Chuck said.
     "The roboticizer's offline!?  Neat!  For good?"
     "Uncle Chuck guesses it'll be back up in five days."
     "Hey, a vacation's a vacation."
     Together, Uncle Chuck and Rotor tucked the unconscious form
into Dulcy's abdominal pouch.  Then Rotor climbed into the
saddle.
     "I'll start sorting through these junked parts until you get
back."
     "OK, Uncle Chuck.  We'll be back as soon as we can."  With
that, Dulcy took to the air once more and headed back toward the
Great Forest, back toward Knothole.


     The first thing he was aware of was the warmth of sunshine
on his face.  Then he heard the birds singing.  And there was
another sound...one he couldn't quite put his finger on. 
Cautiously, he opened his eyes.
     The flying squirrel saw that he was lying propped up in a
bed beside a window.  He was looking up at the ceiling of a hut. 
The hut appeared to be fashioned from wood and straw, and it
appeared weather-resistant and cozy.  The furnishings were
haphazard; no two items of furniture seemed to match.  Near a
desk piled with books and papers sat a raccoon staring intently
at a computer keyboard, his eyes fixed on the monitor before him,
oblivious to what was happening around him.  The sound he had
heard was the clatter of the computer keys as the raccoon hacked
away.  The sunlight that had struck him in the face and awakened
him had become obscured by leaves, so the flying squirrel looked
outside.
     He saw that he was in a rustic-looking village, nicer than
the one he had left.  In a broad, open space in the center of the
village, a female ground squirrel stood in anticipation of
something.  That something was a badger, who charged straight at
her.  In a second, though, the squirrel was left standing and the
badger was lying prone on the ground.
     "I still don't understand how you're able to do that," the
badger said.
     "That's because you're used to meeting your opponents head-
on."  She helped the badger get to his feet.
     "It's always worked when fighting other badgers."
     "Of course it did; you were equally matched for weight and
strength.  But when you don't have those advantages, and your
opponent outweighs you, you have to learn another way.  You learn
to use your opponent's momentum and speed to your advantage."
     "Hey, sugar!" he heard someone say close to him.  He turned
to see someone standing over him near his bed: a young female
rabbit with a mechanical left arm.  "How you doin?" she asked.
     "Am I...am I dead?" the squirrel asked hesitantly.
     "No, but you came as close as an animal has a right to," the
raccoon said as he finished his hacking.  Taking up a walking
stick, he limped toward the bed.  "My name's Bookshire Draftwood.
This is Bunnie."
     "Howdy.  What do they call you back home?"
     "Uh...'Space Case.'  But my real name's Jay."
     "Where ARE you from, anyway?" Bookshire asked.
     "I...I'd rather not talk about it."
     "Suit yourself," Bunnie said.  "Ah'm gonna tell the others
you're awake."
     He watched the rabbit disappear out the door.  How long had
he been here?  And how long would it be before they wanted him
out of there?
     Just then, others began entering the hut.  In addition to
the squirrel, there was a blue hedgehog who looked to be close to
his own age.  He carried himself with an air of self-confidence
that the flying squirrel had never known.  The female squirrel
sat down on the edge of his bed.
     "Bunnie says you're feeling better; are you?"
     "I guess so."
     "She also said your name is 'Jay.'  Is that right?"
     "Yes."
     "This is Sonic; my name's Sally."
     At the mention of Sally's name a look of recognition passed
over Jay's face.  He started to sit up, but a flash of pain from
his side forced him to lie back down.
     "Are you in pain?"
     "Y-yes," he managed to whisper.  Bookshire walked over to a
table and returned a minute later with a cup containing a strange
looking liquid.
     "Drink this," he commanded, "It'll ease the pain."
     "Not yet," Sally said.  "Jay, do you know where you were
before you were brought here?"
     "In the city.  In Robotropolis."
     "I know you're in pain, Jay, but I have to ask: what's the
last thing you remember?"
     "I was in a cell of some kind; I don't know how long I was
there.  Not long, though; not even a day.  Next thing I knew I
was in a room with a lot of...of...electronic things.  I'd never
seen them before.  Then they put me in a glass tube of some kind.
And then the lights started, like they always do.  That's the
last thing I remember."
     "That's enough for now," she said soothingly.  "You rest. 
We'll be back when you're feeling stronger."
     Jay managed half a smile as he took the cup from Bookshire. 
He watched as Sonic, Sally and Bookshire left the hut.  He
swallowed the liquid.  Within a minute the pain in his side was
just a dull ache and he felt his muscles turn to lead.  Bunnie's
soft humming was the last thing he heard before falling back to
sleep.
     "What's your opinion, Bookshire?"
     "It's serious, Sally."
     "He doesn't seem to have been that badly injured."
     "He has bruised ribs and a cut forehead, but that's not what
I'm talking about, Princess."
     "What, then?"
     "You saw his manner in there: furtive, apprehensive, poor
eye contact.  He knew who you were the moment he heard your name;
you saw how he just about jumped out of his skin.  There's
something else wrong with that boy."
     "C'mon, the guy was almost roboticized.  I'd be freaked,
too!"
     "Sonic, I don't think he's telling us everything he knows. 
Like those bruises, for instance."
     "What about 'em?"
     "They didn't come from Robotnik or any of his bots."
     "What makes you think so?"  Sally asked.
     "Jay said he was only held in captivity for a short time,
less than a day.  But some of those bruises are a couple of days
old, and one of them looks to be almost a week old.  And from
what Rotor told me about the height of the hauler when he was
thrown from it, I'm pretty sure that Jay didn't so much sustain a
new injury to his ribs as aggrevate an old one."
     "But that would mean...No!" she said angrily.  "I refuse to
believe that one Mobian could have done that to another!"
     "I don't want to believe it either, Princess, but I'm afraid
all the signs point to it.  Somebody was beating that poor boy
long before Robotnik got a hold of him."
     Sally didn't say anything because she couldn't.  She stormed
away from Sonic and Bookshire and headed for the bridge that
crossed the river adjacent to Knothole.  As she reached the
middle of the bridge she slowed her pace.  Pausing, she leaned
over the railing to look at the river rushing beneath.
     "Let her work it out on her own, Sonic," Bookshire said. 
"She's too angry at the moment to handle conversation."
     "Yeah, there's NO talking to her when she's like that!"
     "Actually, that's a pretty good sign."
     "Say what?"
     "My spot diagnosis is that Princess Sally has an
overdeveloped sense of justice.  That's a healthy thing for a
monarch to have, and I think she'll make a good one.  IF we ever
get around to the business of getting rid of Robotnik" he added
with a smile.


     For the rest of the day, Jay slept.  Toward evening he
awoke, and Bookshire engaged him in conversation.  Jay confirmed
that he'd suffered an injury to his ribs some time ago, but he
was deliberately vague as to how it happened.  He also didn't
want to talk about how he'd gotten so bruised.  Bookshire let it
go for the evening.  The next morning, Sally, Sonic and the rest
of the Freedom Fighters returned to the hut.
     "Is something the matter?" Jay asked as they arrived in a
group.
     "That's what we're hoping you can tell us," Sally replied. 
"We need some answers from you."
     "Why?"
     "The main reason is that you might be able to help us."
     "Me help YOU?  How?"
     "You narrowly escaped being roboticized, and now our
intelligence reports tell us that the roboticizer is offline.  If
you can give us some idea as to how it happened, we might be able
to use that against Robotnik."
     "I already told you all I can remember.  I'm sorry I can't
remember anything else."
     "Can't" or "won't", Sally thought to herself.  "Jay, you
said you were in Robotropolis when you were captured.  Do you
live there?"
     "No.  I was five years old when Robotnik took over.  My
parents sent me to stay with an older cousin of mine, named Digs.
He's kept me safe in Digs' Hollow."
     "Digs' Hollow!?  That's a haven for Scroungers, isn't it?"
     "And a rough one, Sally," Bookshire added.  "They don't care
about anyone but themselves."
     "Hey," Sonic interrupted, "someone want to bring me up to
speed on these Scroungers?"
     "Don't bother with Nicole," Rotor said as Sally began to
reach for her handheld computer.  "I know all about them."
     "You do!?"
     "Or at least as much as I WANT to know!  About two months
ago, I needed some components for the communications set-up.  I
couldn't scrounge anything in Robotropolis, and none of the other
Freedom Fighter units had the spare parts I needed, but someone
in the Southern Freedom Fighters suggested Digs' Hollow, and gave
me directions on how to get there.
     "It's not that far from here--half a day's walk at a slow
pace.  There's a path cleared through the forest that's just
about the only way to get there."
     "That's what we call 'The Tunnel,'" Jay added.
     "Here," Sally said as she reached into a backpack she
carried with her and drew out a map.  "Can you show us where it
is?"
     Jay studied the map, a map which did NOT show the location
of Knothole.  If Jay WAS hiding something, Sally wasn't taking
any chances.  Finally, Jay got his bearings.  "The Tunnel is
here.  It starts here at this clearing, goes for about 50 yards,
bends to the left, bends back to the right in an S-curve, then
continues on into the Hollow about a hundred yards along."
     "That's where the Scroungers were set up," Rotor continued. 
"It's just about as well-concealed as Knothole.  Anyway, the
whole time I was there everyone kept watching me like I was
Robotnik!  I asked to see Digs, but instead they took me to see
this really cocky weasel."
     "That would be Shift; he's like the second in command."
     "He was a first class pain, is what he was!  After I finally
made it clear to him what I wanted, he didn't even get the
components for me.  I guess I was talking too much, trying to
convince him I knew something about electronics...so he wouldn't
cheat me on the price...because then he practically placed me
under arrest!  He said I was too valuable to let go of!  I made a
run for it, but the next thing I knew there were a half-dozen
Scroungers all over me.
     "They may have acted tough, but they really didn't know
anything about fighting.  I tried using some of the martial arts
moves Bunnie taught me; I'm not very good at it, but it was like
they never saw them coming!  I managed to scramble out of there
empty-handed, but I was just glad I made it out!"
     "Rotor, you never said anything about going to Digs' Hollow.
And you told me that you got those scratches from falling into
some briars!"
     "Sorry, Sal.  I guess I thought I could handle it on my own,
and I didn't want you to think otherwise."
     "There's a lot of that going around," she said as she cast a
glance at Tails, who'd had his own recent problems with trying to
prove he was more grown up than he actually was.  "Just promise
me you'll level with us from now on."
     "Are the Scroungers really that lame when it comes to
fighting?" Sonic asked.
     "Yeah," Jay answered.  "We have no real weapons; a couple of
blasters, but they lost their charge long ago.  Most of the
Scroungers are smaller animals who figure they have to gang up on
someone larger.  They're also pretty good at kicking and hitting
someone when they're already down."
     "Sounds like the voice of experience," the raccoon said as
he traced a bruise on the side of Jay's face.  Jay's eyes grew
wide with alarm and he retreated from Bookshire's touch.  "You
want to tell me about these now, son?"
     "Please," he said in a soft voice, "could you just forget
them?  All you need to know is...I deserved it."
     "No!" Sally said forcefully.  "Nobody deserves something
like this!"
     "I did.  I messed up big time, and almost got some of the
others...."  He stopped, as if he'd said too much already.
     "You almost got some of the other Scroungers caught,"
Bookshire said, completing the sentence.  "You were doing
something in Robotropolis, but what?"
     It was no use; Jay was once more silent and withdrawn. 
Sonic, Sally and the others left the hut.
     "Bookshire's right, Sonic.  There's some secret he's keeping
from us."
     "Like who's the dude who's been clobbering him?"
     "Among other things.  Sonic, there's too many pieces to this
puzzle that don't fit.  If he lives in Digs' Hollow, what was he
doing in Robotropolis?"
     "I still can't figure him to be a Scrounger!" Rotor added. 
"He's too...."
     "I know, Rotor," Sally replied.  "He's too gentle to be one
of them."
     "You think maybe they snatched him the way they almost
snatched Rotor?"
     "Maybe, Sonic.  Or maybe he's telling the truth when he says
that Digs is family."
     "Some kinda family!  I'd rather be related to Robuttnik!"
     "Shall we try talking to him later?" Rotor asked.
     "No, I don't think he's ready to talk yet."  She slung the
backpack over her shoulder.  "I'm going on patrol now.  Rotor,
let me know what you've been able to find out from those
roboticizer parts when I get back."
     "I'm on it, Sal!"


     Sally left Knothole heading east.  Once out of sight,
however, she cut north toward Digs' Hollow.  If Jay wasn't going
to give her any answers, she'd go there herself and find them on
her own.
     She had a pretty good knowledge of the land just to the
south of Digs' Hollow.  It was dense forest cut through at one
spot by the river.  It ran white and fast in that part of the
forest.  When she got to the river it was roaring away, sending
up clouds of foam.  That would help cover her crossing, she
thought to herself.  The question was, WHERE to cross?  There
were no bridges anywhere along the river, and it was simply too
swift to ford.  Sally ended up using a rope and a scaling hook to
get to the other side.
     She slowed her pace after that, as she got closer to where
Digs' Hollow was supposed to be.  The Scroungers had a tough
reputation, and Rotor's report had done nothing to make her any
less cautious.
     Moving quietly through the brush, she found herself
approaching what appeared through the trees to be a large
clearing.  She started moving in for a closer look.
     Suddenly, two weasels and a gopher rose up out of the brush
directly in front of her.  They carried spears which were nothing
more than large poles sharpened to a point.  She turned to run
but found her path blocked by four more Mobians similarly armed. 
The odds were clearly against her.
     "Welcome to Digs' Hollow," one of the animals said.  He was
a weasel with matted fur and shifty eyes.  "Try anything cute and
you'll never leave here alive.  You play along--MAYBE we'll let
you live.  Where'd you come from?"
     "Yeah," said the gopher as he put his arm around Sally's
waist and pulled her towards him, "where you been keeping
yourself, baby?"
     "Far away from you!" Sally answered, punctuating her reply
by planting her kneecap in the gopher's groin.  He crumpled up
and fell to the ground while his comrades burst into raucous
laughter.  But they weren't so preoccupied with the gopher's
distress that they didn't keep their spears pointed at Sally.
     "You're pretty slick, squirrely girl!" the weasel laughed. 
"But you just used up your credit.  One more trick and you're
lunch meat.  Now move!"
     Surrounded by the Scroungers, Sally was led into the
clearing at the end of the Tunnel.  It was large, and the network
of tree branches above almost totally hid the clearing from view,
just like Knothole.  Yet instead of Knothole's neat arrangement
of well-built huts, Digs' Hollow was dotted with crudely-built
shelters and lean-tos laid out with no thought at all.  It all
looked as if it had been thrown together only a minute before.
     Shift and his companions escorted Sally to the largest
shelter -- basically just a roof held up by four poles -- in the
center of the clearing.  Inside stood a husky gray squirrel.
     "Hey, boss!" Shift called out.  "You got company!"
     The squirrel walked over to Sally.  As he did so, the ones
who had been keeping their spears on Sally stepped back.  He
looked at Sally with cold, menacing eyes.
     "We don't get a lot of visitors," he said.  "You here on
business?"  There was nothing cordial about his tone.
     "I'm here about Jay."
     In response, most of the Hollow denizens around her made
rude noises.
     "Last I heard Robotnik got him," Digs said.  "And he's
welcome to him!"
     "How can you speak that way about one of your own?"
     "Look, lady, let me fill in the details for you.  Jay is a
loser, a jinx.  I only took him 'cause he was my sister's kid. 
He's never pulled his weight around here."
     "Yeah," Shift joined in.  "He had a real problem keeping his
mind on his work.  He'd go starin' off into space at a moment's
notice.  That's why we call him 'Space Case' -- on account he was
always spacin' out on us!"
     "And that's when you'd have to wake him up."  Nobody missed
the implications of what Sally was saying.  Digs grabbed a
handful of Sally's vest.
     "How I deal with my people is none of your business, lady,
and it's even less of your business how I deal with family!  So
if you want to keep that pretty little nose of yours on your
face, you'll keep it out of places it don't belong."  He paused,
his eyes narrowing.  "What's it to you, anyway?"
     Before Sally could respond, a seedy-looking rabbit and an
equally-scruffy water rat walked up to Digs.  Between the two of
them they carried a large cardboard box that had been clumsily
taped together.
     "Hey, Digs!" the rabbit said, "We got the stuff repacked."
     Just as he said that, however, the bottom fell out of the
box and electronic components began raining down onto the ground.
Digs struck the rabbit in the face while the rat managed to
scurry for cover.
     "You idiot!  Now pick those up and repackage them and do it
RIGHT this time!" he said, slapping the rabbit on the side of the
head for emphasis.
     "OK, OK," the rabbit muttered.
     "Yeah," Shift added, "otherwise the Doc...er, the 'client'
ain't gonna be too happy.  And we WANT to keep him happy, right?"
     Sally saw one of the components lying near her feet.  Since
everybody else's attention seemed to be elsewhere, she bent down
and picked it up.  It only took her a second to realize what she
was holding.  Just as the realization came to her, Digs seized
her by the wrist.
     "I thought I told you to keep that nose of yours out of
places it don't belong!  This is private business!"
     "This is treason!  I know what these components are, and
they only have one use that I know of.  They're used in the
visual sensor arrays of SWATbots!  You're in league with
Robotnik!"
     In reply, Digs twisted Sally's arm further; she cried out in
pain.
     "Hey, guys!" Digs called out.  "We got us a patriot here!  A
regular Freedom Fighter!"
     The Scroungers started laughing.  Digs nodded, and four of
the Scroungers seized Sally's arms.
     "I don't know where you're from, lady, but you know too much
for my taste.  Besides," he added as he looked her up and down,
"me and the boys could use a little...entertainin'.  I hope you
got a couple hours to kill."
     Sally struggled and tried to call out, but one of the
Scroungers pulled the battered cap off his head and shoved it in
Sally's mouth.  Digs grinned and the other Scroungers laughed.
     Just then the wind began to pick up.  It was an unusual
windstorm for it seemed to erupt all at once, in the very center
of Digs' Hollow.  The mood of the Scroungers changed from
confusion to panic as the wind began ripping apart the flimsy
structures in the clearing.  Soon all of the Scroungers had
either sought cover in the nearby forest or else had been knocked
down by the wind.  Oddly enough, Sally never felt it; she was in
the eye of this very sudden, very unusual storm.
     Then, just as swiftly as it had started, the storm stopped. 
Before it stopped, Sally saw that the air around her had taken on
a familiar blue hue.
     "Sonic!"
     "Climb aboard, Sal!  We're outta here!"
     Sally leapt into Sonic's arms, but not before retrieving one
of the components from the ground and pocketing it in her vest. 
Sonic streaked off into the forest even before the Scroungers
started pulling themselves together.  He tore through the forest
and skittered across the surface of the river.  In an instant,
they were back in Knothole.
     "Thanks, Sonic," Sally said humbly.  "I guess I didn't
realize what those Scroungers were like.  I didn't think they'd
be THAT bad!"
     "And...."
     "And...I thought I could handle them myself."
     "Yeah, I hear there's a lot of that going around."  He
grinned at Sally and arched one eyebrow.  "No problemo, Sal.  It
never hurts to have a little backup."
     "You got THAT right!" she said, kissing Sonic on the cheek. 



     Bunnie had just changed the bandage on the wound on Jay's
forehead.  The bandage was held in place by a piece of blue cloth
with a paisley design which Bunnie fashioned into a headband. 
She was just tying it back on when Sonic and Sally entered the
hut and walked over to Jay's bed.  It was clear from Sally's
expression that something serious was on her mind.
     "Jay, I want a straight answer and I want it now: what do
you know about this?"  She held up the visual sensor.
     Jay hung his head in shame.  "That's how I got caught.  I
was supposed to be keeping lookout while some of the others stole
those parts from Robotnik's warehouse."
     "Wait a minute.  Digs said something about DELIVERING these
to Robotnik!  You're selling him his own parts?"
     "Maybe I'd better explain how the scam works.  About a year
ago, as a way of insuring our security, Digs contacted Robotnik
and offered to manufacture spare visual sensors for the SWATbots
in exchange for our not being captured.  He went to Robotropolis
and showed him some sensors, and he gave him this story that we
had a secret workshop that could turn them out.
     "In reality, we only had enough sensors to keep Robotnik's
production line going for about two weeks.  Digs probably stole
THOSE as well.  Once we had an agreement with Robotnik, one of
our hackers snuck into town, accessed Robotnik's computer, and
introduced a virus into his inventory files that made it look
like the SWATbot production facility was using more sensors than
it really was.  The computer would inform him that he was running
low on sensors and then he'd contact us.  Digs would tell him we
could get them for him, we'd go into town and steal as many as we
were supposed to deliver, repackage them and hand them over to
Robotnik.  He gets his sensors and we get left alone."
     Jay looked up into Sally's face.  His eyes were wide with
fear.
     "Are...are you going to have to kill me?"
     "Say WHAT!?" Sonic said.
     "I know you're fighting against Robotnik, and if we've been
helping him...."
     "No," Sally replied.  "You weren't really helping Robotnik,
anyway; you were helping yourselves."
     "Yeah, helping yourselves to Robotnik's stuff!  That's kinda
neat!"
     "It's also kinda dangerous.  Jay, you and the other
Scroungers are walking on the edge of a knife!  Does Digs really
think this scam can last forever?"
     "It's worked so far."
     "Famous Last Words," Sonic observed.
     "Anyway, you're not going to be harmed.  You just
concentrate on getting better."
     Jay didn't say anything, but lay back on the bed.  His body
was still tense with apprehension, however, as Sonic and Sally
left.
     "Man, that kid is scared!"
     "I know where he gets it from.  I've never met anyone as
cruel as those Scroungers, and Digs is the worst of the bunch!"
     "Sally!"  It was Rotor calling to her and walking over from
his hut.
     "A Freedom Fighter's work is never done," she sighed.
     "I was gonna juice over to check in with Uncle Chuck; you
gonna be cool?"
     "I'll be fine, Sonic; thanks for asking.  And thanks again
for saving me from...."
     "Don't even think about it, Sal!"
     "I'll try not to."
     Sonic took off just as Rotor walked up to Sally, a computer
circuit board in his hand.
     "I hope you've got good news for me, Rotor."
     "Good news and bad news, I'm afraid, Sally.  I figured out
what THIS is," he said as he held up the circuit board.  "This is
part of the neuro-analysis matrix.  It maps the brain during the
roboticization process, and regulates that process."
     "Including the overriding of the will?"
     "Exactly."
     "So is that the good news or the bad news?"
     "The bad news is: this board is totally shot.  Every circuit
on this thing has been fried!  I had hoped only one or two key
components would have blown and caused the roboticizer to fail,
leaving the rest salvagable and giving us a clue to some weakness
in the system, but no such luck."
     "So we're back where we started from?"
     "'Fraid so."
     "What could have caused it to blow?"
     "I'm not sure.  A simple feedback loop could have brought
down the system, but not to THIS extent!  Something happened when
Jay was being roboticized, something the roboticizer wasn't
programmed to anticipate.  The system couldn't cope, and it
crashed.  Big time!"
     "And I thought we were going to have a vacation!"
     "Hey, with the roboticizer down, it still qualifies."
     "I know, Rotor, but I didn't think I'd be spending this
vacation solving mysteries."


     The next morning, Sally was back at Bookshire's hut.  Jay
was leaning on Bunnie's robotic left arm as he slowly walked
across the floor.
     "How are the ribs mending?" Sally asked Bookshire.
     "Near as I can tell, they're fine.  Once I fine-tune some
pain medication for him they shouldn't trouble him at all."
     "Fine.  Bunnie, Bookshire, can you leave us alone for a few
minutes?"  The two exchanged glances and, with Jay once more
seated in bed, left the hut.
     "What is it?" Jay asked.
     "I was at Digs' Hollow yesterday."
     "I heard."
     "What I can't figure out is, why you never became like any
of them.  They're a pretty tough bunch!"
     "I don't know.  Most of the Scroungers there sort of drift
in and out, and they have to prove themselves.  I didn't have to
do that, but that means that the other Scroungers didn't want to
have anything to do with me.  So I spent a lot of time alone."
     "Doing what?"
     "Reading.  I have a couple of old books I found; collections
of tales and legends mostly.  None of the others ever bothers
with them."
     Sally paused for a moment.  "Jay, if you feel up to it I'd
like to administer an intelligence test."
     "Sure, but I don't know what it'll prove."
     "Here," she said as she handed Nicole to Jay, "the questions
will appear on this screen.  Use these four buttons to select
your answer.  Then..."  She paused.
     "Oh, great!  Looks like the battery's running low.  Wait
here, I'll be right back."
     Sally left Nicole in Jay's hands and went to the window. 
She was near enough to Rotor's hut that she could call to him.
     "Rotor!"
     "What's up, Sally?"
     "Nicole's low battery indicator light is going off.  Can you
bring a replacement battery?"
     "Be there in a minute."
     Sally turned and walked back to Jay.
     "Now, Nicole will be tracking both the speed of your
responses and the accuracy of...."
     Sally stopped in mid-sentence.  Jay was just staring at
Nicole.  He didn't even blink.  
     "Jay?  Are you all right?"  Sally waved her hand in front of
his face; he didn't react or respond.
     "Oh my gosh," Sally said in a half-whisper.  She backed away
from the bed and leaned out the open window.
     "Bookshire!" she screamed.  "Get in here!  Now!"
     Sally's yelling brought all movement in Knothole to a
standstill.  Bookshire hobbled over to his hut as fast as he
could; he found Sonic, Bunnie and Rotor there ahead of him.  He
pushed them aside and looked at Jay.
     "Sally, what happened?" he asked.
     "I was going to use Nicole to administer an intelligence
test.  I saw the low battery indicator light flashing, so I left
Nicole with Jay to ask Rotor to get a replacement battery.  When
I turned around, he was like...like that!  I only turned away for
a couple of seconds!!"
     "Should I replace that battery now?" Rotor asked.
     "No, wait," Bookshire replied.  "Let me have Nicole for a
minute."
     Sally took the handheld computer out of Jay's grasp and gave
it to Bookshire.  Almost immediately, Jay blinked, shook his head
and came out of his trance.  He found himself looking into the
worried faces of the Freedom Fighters, and he flushed crimson. 
He hung his head down.  Sally sat on the bed.  
     "Jay, what happened?" she asked gently.
     Jay looked up.  His expression was one of shame, and his
eyes started to fill with tears.  "It...it happened again, didn't
it?"
     But before Sally could say anything, Bookshire broke the
silence.
     "Of course!" he said triumphantly.  "Of course, that's it! 
I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner!"
     "What's it?" Sally asked.
     "Jay," Bookshire said as he pulled up a chair and sat next
to the bed, "what do you know about epilepsy?"
     "Isn't that where you have these really violent seizures?"
     "Not always.  You see, the brain sends electrical signals
throughout the body, controlling everything from the beating of
your heart to the blinking of your eyelids.  In an epileptic
seizure, there's so much undifferentiated electrical activity
happening in the brain that the body doesn't know what to do. 
When the body tries acting on all those electrical impulses at
once, an epileptic has the kind of seizures you described;
they're called *grand mal.*  But there's another kind of seizure
called *petite mal*.  It could be just one part of the body
twitching, or it could look like you're just staring off into
space.  You had one of those seizures just now."
     "But...but what caused it?"
     "I think it was Nicole."
     "Bookshire, are you sure?" Sally asked.
     "I'd bet my mask on it!  It's known that a light flashing at
a frequency of from 15 to 20 cycles per second can trigger
seizures in some epileptics.  I think you'll find that the low
battery indicator light on Nicole flashes at a rate within that
frequency range."
     "I see!" Rotor exclaimed.  "And that explains what happened
to the board!"
     "What board?" Bookshire asked.
     "One of the circuit boards we retrieved from the pile of
broken roboticizer parts was part of the neuro-analysis matrix. 
I couldn't figure out what could have caused it to fail to such
an extent.  Jay, you must have had a seizure just as the process
was starting.  The roboticizer wasn't programmed to decode what
was going on inside your brain.  It couldn't keep up with the
excess electrical activity.  That's what fried the board!"
     "Are you sure?" Jay asked.
     "More than ever," Bookshire said.  "I just remembered
something you said the first time you told us about being
roboticized.  You said the lights started 'like they always do.' 
I didn't understand the significance of what you said then, but I
do now."
     "What does it mean?"
     "In some epileptics, before they go into a seizure and black
out, they experience visual hallucinations called 'aura.'  It
takes the form of thinking you see lights."
     "You...you know about the lights?" Jay gasped.  "Then...then
what's been happening to me...."
     "Jay," Sally said gently as she took Jay's hand, "it's not
something mysterious.  And it was never your fault."
     Jay simply stared at Sally for several seconds, yet it
wasn't his usual vacant stare.  As the weight of what had been
said sank in, Jay buried his face in his hands.  He started to
cry, and Sally put her arms around him and held him close.



     "This is against my better judgment, you understand."
     Bookshire could be heard speaking these words to Jay as the
two of them emerged from Bookshire's hut the next day at
midmorning.  Jay still wore the blue paisley headband, and
carried a small bag.  Almost everyone in Knothole was waiting
outside.
     "I'd feel better knowing that you were under a doctor's care
for a while, at least until I can be sure that the antiseizure
medicine I gave you is working properly.  Unfortunately, I'm
afraid an Outback Slug has more medical sophistication than any
of the Scroungers in Digs' Hollow.  But I can't stop you if you
really want to go back there.
     "I've given you enough antiseizure medication to last you a
month, but don't hesitate to come back here sooner if it doesn't
help or if there are any side effects.  And the pain medication
should make life a little easier until your ribs finally heal. 
How are you feeling now?"
     "OK, but my stomach feels a little funny."
     "It won't feel so bad if you take your medicine at meals. 
And despite what you may hear from some medical laymen, the best
food with which to take your medicine is not necessarily chili
dogs," he added as he cast a glance in Sonic's direction.  Sonic
acknowledged Bookshire's dig by simply raising one eyebrow.
     "Maybe you'd better have this back," Jay said to Bunnie as
he began to remove the headband.
     "Nah, you can keep it."
     "*Oui*, on you it is looking very dashhound."
     "Ah think he means 'dashing,', Jay."
     Jay looked around.  "It's like I've been given my life back.
Thank you, Bookshire.  Thank you all!"
     "Hang in there, Jay."
     "*Au revoir, mon ami.*"
     "Y'all come back and visit, y'hear?"
     Jay waved at everyone as he left Knothole, accompanied by
Sonic and Sally.  "You really think Digs will listen to you?" he
asked the pair.
     "I can only hope so," Sally replied.  "Now that we know
about your epilepsy, he has no more excuse for mistreating you."
     "Didn't you know you had it?" Sonic asked.
     "I have vague memories about seeing a couple of doctors when
I was little.  If I was diagnosed back then, I didn't know what
was happening.  Of course, then Robotnik took over and everything
changed.  Princess, do you think there'll ever be a cure for what
I have?"
     Sally retrieved Nicole.  "Nicole, access medical data files.
Subject: epilepsy."
     "MEDICAL FILES ONLINE, SALLY."
     "Summarize information on possible cures."
     "THERE IS NO CURE FOR EPILEPSY, HOWEVER THERE WAS PROMISING
RESEARCH BEING CARRIED OUT IN THIS FIELD WHEN ROBOTNIK TOOK
OVER."
     "That just gives me another reason not to like ol' Buttnik,"
Sonic said.  "But getting back to the Scroungers, how you gonna
make sure Digs will leave Jay alone, Sal?"
     "I can't threaten him with force.  The only thing we have
going for us is that we know about his scamming Robotnik. 
Threatening to blow his cover is about the only leverage we
have."
     "It's not my idea of a plan."
     "I feel the same way.  I don't like the idea of threatening
to turn someone in to Robotnik, but...."
     "It's OK, Princess," Jay spoke up.  "As long as the
medication works, Digs shouldn't have any reason to...."  He
paused, trying to phrase it as painlessly as possible.
     "You don't have to say it.  Jay, I...I want to apologize. 
For the way I acted."
     "What are you talking about?  You've been so kind...ALL of
you!"
     "When you had that seizure when you were holding Nicole...I
was scared."
     "You had every right to be.  You didn't know what was
happening to me.  And until yesterday, neither did I!"
     "Do YOU know what happens to you when you have a seizure?"
     "No, I don't remember a thing.  One minute I'd be doing
something or listening to someone talking, and the next thing I
know someone's yelling at me or slapping me around.  But that's
all changed, thanks to you and your friends.  It's funny," he
added.
     "How so?"
     "It's a little like being in some kind of an upside-down
fairy tale.  In the tales, the hero has to awaken a sleeping
princess; in real life, I needed a princess to wake ME up!"
     Sally smiled.  "That is so sweet!"
     "That is so lame!" Sonic added.
     "Look, Sonic, just because someone...."
     "Wait a minute," Jay said in a whisper.
     "What's wrong?" Sally asked.
     "Where are the sentries?"
     "What sentries?"
     "Digs always posts sentries just inside that clearing up
ahead at the beginning of the Tunnel.  We should be able to see
them from here.  He NEVER leaves this spot unguarded."
     Sally reached into her backpack and pulled out an infrared
rangefinder.  She looked through it for a few seconds and gasped.
     "What's up, Sal?"
     "I'm picking up traces of blaster fire where it hit some of
the trees."
     "When did it happen?"
     "Not very long ago; I'd say about the time we left
Knothole."
     The three made their way toward the entrance to the tunnel,
stopping short of the entrance.  They could now see the sentry
posts, and the charred wood resulting from blaster fire. 
     "Jay, is there another way into Dig's Hollow besides the
Tunnel?" 
     "I know a couple of paths through the brush; follow me."
     The three of them plunged into the thick forest growth.  Jay
knew just where to step and how to avoid being hopelessly
tangled.  They were just approaching the S-curve midway down the
Tunnel when they heard it: the familiar whine of one of
Robotnik's hover units.  They dove for cover and Sally tried to
catch sight of the clearing.
     "See anything, Sal?"
     She didn't answer Sonic at first.  Before Sonic could ask
again, she spoke: "We're too late."
     "What?  What happened?" Jay asked anxiously.
     "There's one of Robotnik's transports in the center of the
hollow.  It's just taking off.  I saw some SWATbots herding some
of the scroungers inside."  She turned to Jay.  "I'm sorry."
     "Can't you do anything?"
     "It'd be no problemo if they were still on the ground, Jay,"
Sonic said.  "But I'm not exactly the Bluebird of Happiness!"
     "Wait a second!  If they were back on the ground, you could
do something?"
     "Sure."
     "Follow me!"
     Jay led them through the brush until they were just at the
beginning of the S-curve.  Sonic and Sally crouched low in the
thick brush, waiting.
     Jay walked over to one of the trees and began to climb.  He
moved swiftly at first, then paused to catch his breath as pain
flashed through him.
     "What's he doing, Sal?"
     "I think I know," she whispered.  "Get ready to move."
     Sonic and Sally watched anxiously as Jay climbed.  Near the
top, he paused.  He didn't move for several seconds.
     "Not now!" Sally whispered.  "Don't have a seizure now!"
     As if in response, Jay looked over his shoulder.  He was
breathing heavily and his eyes were watering.  He must have
stopped again because of the pain.  But he seemed to have
weathered the storm.  Continuing his climb, he reached the
topmost network of branches.  He crouched low amongst the leaves,
almost perfectly hidden from sight.  Just then, Sonic and Sally
felt the cold shadow of the transport pass over them.

     "Did you really take me for such a fool, Digs?" Robotnik
asked via the communicator screen mounted on one of the walls of
the hold of the transport.  "Did you think I wouldn't detect your
amateur computer virus sooner or later?"
     Digs, bound and gagged, was unable to deliver any kind of
retort.
     "Struggle all you want.  Nobody makes a fool of Ivo
Robotnik, least of all an upstart rodent like yourself.  But
you'll pay me back for my trouble.  Slaving away as one of my
worker bots!"
     The screen went dark.


     The transport was just finishing the first turn of the S-
curve.  Jay took a deep breath and jumped.
     He didn't have far to go, but it seemed like it took forever
as Sonic and Sally watched him spread his arms and legs apart and
heard the membranes between his limbs fill with air.  The next
thing they knew, he landed belly-first on the cockpit windshield.
     Inside, the SWATbots who had been piloting the transport
tried to come to grips with the situation.
     "VISUAL CAPABILITIES REDUCED TO ZERO."
     "UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT OBSTRUCTING FORWARD VISION."
     "SWITCHING TO INSTRUMENT GUIDANCE."
     But it was too late.  The transport had oversteered.  The
nose of the craft struck the stout trunk of a tree, further
jarring the passengers and crew.  
     "PREPARE TO LAND TRANSPORT TO CLEAR OBSTRUCTION."
     Slowly the engines cut out and the transport settled to the
forest floor.  The door to the cockpit opened so that the
SWATbots could assess the problem.  But a surprise awaited them
just outside.
     "Good morning!  Could I interest you in a subscription to
the Freedom Fighters Daily News?"
     "HEDGEHOG!  PRIORITY ONE!  APPREHEND!  BY ORDER OF
ROBOTNIK!"
     And the chase was on.  Sonic dashed into the brush.  It was
no obstacle for him, but it slowed the forward progress of the
SWATbots.  Sonic didn't want them to lag too far behind; his job
was to draw them away from the ship for as long as Sally needed. 
He found himself stopping more than once to await the SWATbots
advance; that gave him an opportunity to work on his taunts: 
"Hey, slo-mos!  Wanna borrow my weed wacker?"
     That comment was responded to by a burst of blaster fire
that cut a narrow path through the brush.
     "I'll take that as a 'No.'"  And the chase resumed.
     Once the SWATbots were out of sight, Sally emerged from the
brush and ran to an exterior door.  She knew that the Scroungers
were being held in the compartment on the other side.  She
quickly looked around until she found an exterior computer port
that was compatible with Nicole.  She inserted the handheld
computer.
     "Nicole, open the external hatch!"
     While Nicole worked to decipher the necessary codes, Sally
ran to the front of the ship.  She found Jay still clinging to
the windshield.
     "Jay!  You can get off now!"
     For a second, Jay neither moved nor answered.  Was it a
seizure?  Was he unconscious?  Then he lifted his head and looked
at Sally: "The others...are they out?"
     As if in answer, they heard the hissing and grinding sounds
of the metal door opening.  Almost instantly, Scroungers began
pouring out through the door and dashing into the brush.  Shift
started to run past Sally as if she wasn't even there.  Sally
made sure her boot got in his way.  He tripped and landed flat on
his face, then scrambled to his feet and kept running.
     "Where are THEY going?"
     "They've got hiding places all over the forest.  That's
where they would have gone if Robotnik hadn't gotten the drop on
them."
     "What about you?  Are you all right?"
     "I...I think I may have overdone it," he gasped.
     Just then, Sonic ran up to them.
     "Sal, is everything cool?"
     "I think everyone's out of the ship.  But Jay may have
reinjured his ribs.  What about the SWATbots?"
     "I led them to the river.  Last I saw they were whitewater
rafting without a raft."
     "Great!  Let me check the inside of the transport to make
sure everyone got out, then we'll get Jay back to Knothole."
     Sally took a quick look inside the hold of the transport. 
She almost missed the bound and gagged form of Digs in the
shadow. Slowly she walked over to him.  His eyes went wide as she
approached.
     "Well, Digs, should I treat you the way you've treated Jay?"
     While Digs struggled in his bonds, Sally reached into her
backpack and withdrew an old, dull pocketknife.  She opened it
and dropped it on the floor of the transport in front of Digs.
     "You're a Scrounger; you can get yourself out of this." 
With that, she stepped back outside.  Jay was on his feet, but he
looked exhausted.
     "Yo, Sal!  Find anyone still in there?"
     "Just some trash.  Let's get Jay back home."


     Fortunately, the damage Jay did to his ribs wasn't serious. 
Bookshire taped him up as best he could and good-naturedly warned
him against taking any more flying leaps onto passing transports.
In fact, Jay was feeling much better by that evening's
"debriefing."
     Debriefings at Knothole were casual affairs.  If the weather
permitted, they were held outside around a fire.  They would
begin with an account of the day's actions against Robotnik. 
>From there, the conversation could go in any direction, from
strategy for the next day to reminiscences about life before
Robotnik.
     That evening, the topic of conversation was Jay.  Sonic and
Sally each took turns praising the young squirrel's heroism in
bringing down the transport.  In fact, Sonic was so expressive in
describing Jay's flight that an embarrassed Jay said: "C'mon, you
make it sound like I'm Irontooth!"
     At the mention of that name, everyone's attention shifted to
Jay.  Irontooth was the name of a legendary beaver whose exploits
during Mobian prehistory were the subject of not a few stories. 
It had been a long time since any of them had heard the name of
Irontooth, and it stirred something in them.
     "Do you know any of the Irontooth stories?" Sally asked.
     "A few," Jay answered, but before he could explain that he
wasn't much of a storyteller the others were calling for an
Irontooth story.
     So Jay told them the account of how Irontooth and his
companion, the Panther of the Wilderness, fought and defeated the
Beast of the Sky who threatened to steal the Eternal Serpent who
was the guardian of Mobius.  Jay told the story as he had learned
it, and this later version depicted the Beast of the Sky not (as
tradition had it) as a bull, but as an animal whose fur had been
burned away when he had dared try to steal the sun from the sky. 
In the end, those around the fire cheered when the Beast of the
Sky was defeated, and they wept when Irontooth mourned the death
of the Panther of the Wilderness in that fight.  Yet in the end,
when everyone was praising Jay's delivery, Spartacus made an
amazing statement: "It sounds very much like badger poetry."
     "Ah didn't know badgers had poets!" Bunnie said.
     "It's a dying art, unfortunately, but at one time, badger
warriors were encouraged to learn an artistic skill as well as a
fighting skill.  It was taught that the one would balance the
other."
     "Did you ever write any poetry, Spartacus?" Sally asked.
     Spartacus reluctantly admitted that he had, and immediately
everyone asked him to recite one.  With some hesitation,
Spartacus agreed and recited a piece titled "The Warrior's Last
Stand."  It was a brooding, sobering piece that left many of the
Freedom Fighters in a reflective mood.
     "Well, I guess it's my turn," Sally suddenly announced. 
Whereupon she told a story concerning the first Acorn King of
Mobius, and how he had begun his reign by ridding the land of a
band of robbers using only a handful of soldiers and his wits.
     After that, nobody said anything for a long time.  All they
could do was watch the shifting shapes of the dancing fire or
else watch the sparks from the fire fly up and disappear into the
night sky.  They had all succumbed to the spell of good stories
well told.  All except Tails, who had fallen asleep.  Sonic was
the first to notice him, and he gently nudged the fox cub's
shoulder.
     "Hey big guy, you fell asleep on us."
     "I did not," Tails whined before promptly drifting back off.
     "Ah think Tails has the right idea," Bunnie said as she
stood up and stretched.  "Maybe we'd better call it a night."
     "I guess I'd better be getting back myself, then," Jay said.
     "Why?" Spartacus asked simply.
     "Well, Digs' Hollow is where I live.  It's my home."
     "That's funny; to look at you, anyone would think that THIS
was your home."
     Nobody said anything for several seconds, but heads turned
as the Freedom Fighters looked from one to another, occasionally
nodding.  Finally, Sally rose and stood before Jay.
     "Nobody here is going to make you do anything that, in your
heart of hearts, you don't want to do.  If we did, we'd be
working against everything we've tried to accomplish, and we'd
disgrace the name of Freedom Fighters.  But I think I speak for
all of us when I say that if it's what you really want, you're
welcome to stay here and be one of us."
     Jay's eyes grew even wider.  "You mean live in Knothole...
and be...Princess," he said as he dropped to his knees, "I don't
know what to say!"
     "I think Sally wants to hear 'Yes,'" Dulcy said helpfully.
     "Yes.  With all my heart, Yes!"
     "Then welcome to the Knothole Freedom Fighters!" Sally said
as she raised Jay to his feet, then embraced him.  Almost
immediately, everyone else was approaching Jay with words of
welcome and support.
     "Thank you," he managed to say through his choked-up voice. 
"Thank you all!"
     "Well, we'd better turn in, like Bunnie suggested," Sally
said.  "Sonic, take care of Tails, then we'd better find
permanent quarters for our new member."
     "Oh!" Jay said suddenly.
     "What is it?"
     "I just remembered there are a few things...personal items
... back in Digs' Hollow.  I guess I have to go back there after
all."
     "You can wait until morning, Jay."
     "Yeah," Sonic added, "and I'm going back with you.  I still
want to give those bums a piece of my mind."
     "Forget it, Sonic, you can't afford to be that generous."
     "Hey!"
     "Besides," she added with a smile, "I've got a better idea."


     It was several hours after sunrise, and Digs' Hollow was
humming with activity.  The Scroungers had spent the night in
scattered hiding places -- a guarantee that all of them wouldn't
be caught.  Now, sure that there would be no more SWATbots, they
descended on the crashed hover transport like insects on a
carcass, stripping it clean.  Only the larger pieces, such as the
fuel tanks, remained in the wrecked skeleton.
     At the head of the Tunnel, two sentries kept a nervous
watch, wondering if there would be another attack.  But what they
saw coming toward the entrance of the tunnel, walking through the
Great Forest, was an even bigger shock.  "Well, for cryin' out
loud," one sentry muttered to himself, before calling out to his
companion, "Hey, Squint, get a load of this!"
     There beneath them, walking calmly toward the Tunnel
entrance, was Jay.  The sentries almost didn't recognize him, and
not because he still wore the blue paisley headband.  It was the
way he walked.  He walked not with his customary fearful, furtive
pace, nor did he walk with the self-conscious swagger that most
Scroungers adopted in time.  Instead he moved easily, and with a
sense of peace.  He looked up at the sentries, said "Hi," and
moved on down the tunnel.  Jay hadn't walked ten paces down the
Tunnel when Squint started leaving his post.
     "Hey, you know Digs told us he'd have our hides if we left
our posts.  Get back up there!"
     "And miss the look on Digs' face when he sees Space Case is
back?  No way!"
     It was the same when Jay passed the hulk of the transport,
and when he neared the end of the tunnel and entered Digs'
Hollow.  Everything stopped as Jay walked along.  Finally, at the
edge of Digs' Hollow, Digs and his lieutenant stepped in front of
Jay.
     "Hey, Digs!  Looks like Space Case came down out of orbit! 
Where you been goofin' off, loser?"
     "It's kind of a long story, Shift."
     "Well, we ain't interested," Shift growled as he grabbed a
handful of Jay's chest fur.
     "Shift, drop him!" Digs barked, and Shift let go.  "Look,
you had your fun but fun's over.  Now get back to that wreck and
help remove those fuel tanks and try not to be such a screw-up
this time."
     "Actually, Digs, I came here to get my things.  I'm
leaving."
     You could have heard a feather drop in Digs' Hollow.  Shift
decided to get back in Jay's face.  "Your spacing out on us is
playing tricks with your memory, kid.  You know that once a
Scrounger, always a Scrounger."
     "Back off, Shift," Digs said as he shouldered Shift aside. 
He then drew himself up to his full height, which was only about
a head taller than Jay.  "Now, I don't want to give you the wrong
impression here.  I mean, it's not like I care or anything, but
if you DID manage to leave, where do you think you'd go where
they'd put up with a nobody like you?"
     "Knothole."
     The single second of silence following Jay's answer was
shattered like pond ice in the spring by gales of laughter.
     "Hey, did you hear that?"
     "Look who thinks he's a hot shot Freedom Fighter!"
     "What're you trying to do, jinx the rebellion?"
     "Hey Space Case, you wanna be any help, go work for
Robotnik!"
     "Yeah, you'll put him out of business in a week!"
     The derisive laughter continued for a few more seconds, then
died in an instant.  From behind a large oak tree a huge badger,
easily twice the size of the average Scrounger, strode into the
clearing.  A large battleaxe rested on his shoulder, and one hand
rested on the head of a battle hatchet.  The badger stood
directly behind Jay, studying the others with a scowl on his
face.
     "I thought I heard someone speaking ill of my friend," he
rumbled.
     The badger took one step into the clearing, slinging the
battleaxe from his shoulder.  There followed about five seconds
of pandemonium as Scroungers ran in every direction.  Then the
clearing was quiet, for they had all gone back into hiding. 
Spartacus surveyed the scene with contempt.
     "One of the clan poets said it best: 'The path to become a
Warrior is a thousand miles long; the path to become a Bully is
but a single step.'"
     It didn't take Jay long to gather up his meager possessions,
including several well-thumbed books of Mobian legends and a
fading picture of his parents and himself as a pup, and to put
them in a sack.  He walked back to Spartacus, then began to turn
around.  It was as if he wanted to take one last look at Digs'
Hollow, the place which for all its faults had been his home. 
Before he could do so, Spartacus laid a paw on Jay's shoulder.
     And so the young flying squirrel followed the badger as they
started walking away from Digs' Hollow and back toward Knothole. 
Jay never looked back.

                                  THE END