Chapter Text
“ He will come back...he will come back...he will come back...”
For a moment, the darkness that was the life of the Mechanical copy of Fiona Fox was interrupted by a strong light, a flash that covered everything around Mobius.
Then back at Darkness, but it was different this time, there was nothing but a pitch black of nothingness, no island she was stuck, no horizon, no nothing.
Booting up system, 50% recovered ram memory.
System 100%, initializing programs.
The robot opened its eyes open, her eyes lens were trying to adjust after being so long inactive, she was laying on a workbench, where there bolts and damaged parts around her, she sits up on the workbench, but something was different...she felt the things around her...almost as she had touch...she was also wearing clothes now, a yellow dress with a white big vertical stripe, a yellow scarf and still had her yellow boots and white gloves.
She was in a different place rather than the island, it looked like a workshop of some kind, it seemed to be in a tunnel of some kind, there was boxes with a red star symbol on them, maybe someone was trying to sell her parts? Did Tails really come back to fix her?
Unknown location, not found in the database, retry process?
“No that would be useless now-” She grimaced and looked at the information on her visor...did she questioned her own programming? How? Was that even possible?! As far as she knew, a robot shouldn't be questioning their master Program.
Auto-Fiona snaps out when a door open and a male mobian orangutan enter the workshop, holding a wrench. “Where did Belle left my blowtorch? She has one in her finger, why would-” He then turns and see the Robot sitting on the workbench.
“Ha ha! She was actually right!” The Orangutan then walked quickly towards her and inspected the Robot fox. “You could be fixed despite being so rusted and deteriorated!”
“ She? Who was she? Is that Belle he was talking before? And why would she fix me? One of Robotnik’s machines?” And then an awkward silence as the two kept facing each other, The Orangutan was smiling waiting for her to say something, while she was keeping a blank expression.
“I’m the Restoration’s Chief Mechanic.” He then stretched his hand for the robot. “But you can call me Chief, but enough of me, what’s your name?”
The robot fox turned her gaze to his hand and rose an eyebrow just to look back at him. “Auto Automaton Model 19.95 Version 28, Designation: Auto-Fiona.”
“Uh-huh...” Chief looked confused on what she just said, indeed he knew what all those meant, but how to call her Auto-Fiona? She looked so alive, her exterior looked organic, she even had fur. “I’ll call you...Fio! Yeah, that sounds right!”
“Fio...that’s what Tails called me when i fooled him back in the island...” but still she needed to know what’s going on, what was the White Flash and why she’s here and not in Robotropolis?
“Why did your friend fix me...?” Fio sounded a bit puzzled saying that, she can’t understand why someone would fix someone like her, after all that Robotnik did to Mobius, so many lives he destroyed, so many families he roboticized, why?
“Ah you see, not long ago, some restoration members found you laying unfunctional on Northstar Island shores, then you were brought here so...well...”
The orangutan seemed to hesitate to say that, he winced and rubbed the back of his head, there was something he doesn’t wanted to tell the robot girl, but Fio tilted her head clearly wanting to know the rest of the story.
“So...we could melt your parts and reutilize them...” The metal fox leaned back distancing herself from the mechanic. “Wait wait! But Belle noticed that your components used the same technology the doctor used many years ago, so she decided to fix you, she even freed you from his programming!”
“That explains why now I can question my own programming...”
“She thought that maybe you could help us here in the restoration, we had two new temporary members here some days ago, so why not you too?” He smiles to the Robot. “Maybe you can help us defeat Dr. Eggman or just organize things here!”
“Dr. Eggman?” The robot fox was more confused than before now, Restoration? Dr. Eggman? Someone helping a robot made by Robotnik? Was she stuck in that island for that long? “Who would that be?”
“You don’t know him...?” The mechanic was a bit shocked, okay that she was robot, but not knowing Eggman? Was her memory corrupted when she got all rusted? “The evil dictator? Creator of deadly Machines? Sonic’s archrival.”
Fio looked shocked for a second...that description matched exactly like...her creator, was that Orangutan just messing with her? Did Robotnik changed his name? Why would he choose such a humiliating name for himself?
How someone as ruthless as Robotnik do that? Her creator wasn’t that type of person, he would immediately Roboticized whoever opposed him, calling him by such a shameful would be even worse, if possible. “ He was the one that made me a copy of fion-”
Suddenly Fio eyes widened and she start overheating, her LED eyes twitching, something bad was happening to her, Chief wanted to help but he didn’t even know where to start, the robot fox shut down and fell in the workbench.
“TAKE ME OUT OF HERE, I DON’T WANNA BE USED ON YOUR SCHEMES!”
“Don’t worry little fox...it will only hurt a bit...much...”
“SONIC?! MIGHTY?! RAY?! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME-”
Fio opened her eyes again and looked around, she was in the workshop, it wasn’t a bad dream, why in mobius had Robotnik to make Automatons so close to alive beings? Dreaming is so weird for her, but something was hovering her mind, the voices, the voices in her head, it sounded like Fiona and Robotnik...
it was when Fio was made, he used the Machine to just torture Fiona and then used the copy of her to fool Tails to destroy him...that was Fio whole purpose, it was what she was made for...but now belle supposedly gave her free will...then what will she do now...? She’s not like the other badnicks or robots, she knew about Metal Sonic, he was supposed to only do what the doctor wanted...but her...
She could try to return to Robotnik and try again, but he would definitely disassemble her and make a chair or something, worst of all? Knowing him, he would probably keep her conscience so her existence would be torturing, even for a robot.
“Oh, you’re back again...” The orangutan was sitting on a stoll next to another workbench. “Are you okay now...?”
Fio was still somewhat numb from what she was thinking, but she recomposed herself. “What does someone organic does when they don’t have where to go?”
Chief was taken by surprise when the robot asked that, maybe she could find a new home? No everyone says that, perhaps tell her to build a new home? But how a robot would understand that concept?
“Maybe you could do talk to new temporary recruits? They were lost from home too, maybe it could help you with that?”
Well, that’s something at least she can go and try find some help with those recruits, maybe they will know about the Flash of light before she found herself there and why things look so different.
“Alright.” She then hops off the workbench and walk towards chief. “I guess that could be nice idea.”
The Orangutan then stood up and go for the door where he came from when Fio was activated, he then motions for her to follow which she does and both found themselves in a station like place, it was full of Mobians, some caring boxes, piles of papers or just at the Food Court eating something, it made Fio eyes wide, she never saw something like that, all she knew was Robotropolis full of robots and the island she was stuck full of...sand.
“Alright...” Chief then looks at the robot and give a stern look. “Just don’t tell anyone you’re a robot, people here aren’t...much found of them...”
Fio just nods and look around, all those Mobians seem to be taking it seriously as if something grave has happened before and they’re making sure another disaster won’t happen anytime soon. “ Robo- Eggman, did that to them?”
“I think they’re somewhere here...or maybe they’re out?” He then rubs the back of his head while looking and walking around. “What were they name again...?”
“Ah yes, Sally and Nicole!” He shouted out loud and clear.
Fio then stopped walking and looked shocked, did he said what she thought he said? That means that the Princess is out of there? That so called Restoration is the Freedom Fighters? But then again, they never meet in person, but Tails could’ve told them about her, but Chief and Belly didn’t know her, what is going on? Was that flash of light had something with that?
“ What’s going on here?!”
The other Mobians start looking at the Fox, some raising eyebrows and whispering, why was she standing there without any reason, was she having a mental breakdown? Should they call the medical team? Chief then walked to her and held her shoulders, pushing her away from the place she was standing.
“Are you okay?!” He then stops at a table on the food court and sit Fio down, taking a seat across the table “You look shocked...”
“How is that possible?!” Fio shook her head and looked at her hands. “Sally is here too, Tails should be too, but none knows me, you call Robotnik as Eggman, do the Freedom Fighters know about that too?!”
“Freedom...who?"
Fio couldn’t believe it, that must be a joke, he’s messing with him just because she used to serve Robotnik, how can someone not know the Freedom Fighters?! Fio then start laughing, she didn’t even know that with free will she could’ve emotions like that.
“Y-you almost go me, Chief!” She starts laughing, not sure if she finds it actually funny or desperate, at this point she doesn’t even know anything at all, she just smiles. “O-okay now be honest, where are the Freedom Fighters, may they have the technology to find out what that white flash was.”
“What are you talking about, Fio?” He looks around and then whisper to her. “Did you get some wire loose?”
Oh, he wasn’t joking...Fio look at her hands, is she in the future where the Freedom Fighters might have disbanded? Did the world just got brainwashed by Robotnik thus making everyone forget them?
“By any chance...do you know...Mobius...?” Fio stared at him hopefully but for some reason she felt that she knew what the response would be.
“Of course, I do!” He looks prideful at her, stuffing his chest. “What? You thought I was some kinda of mindless Primate?”
Fio then breathed out happy. “ Okay, at least that confirms that-”
“It is a surface that can be formed by attaching the ends of a stripe together with a half twist.” Chief said with all the pride in the world on his mathematics knowledge.
Fio couldn’t help but cover her face and scream in something that sounded like pain, making everyone at the Food Court look at her, if they thought that supposedly new member was crazy, now they’re sure about it.
She really wishes that Belle didn’t gave her free will or activated her, everything she knew and were real and simple, seems to be treated like a well elaborated joke to Chief, as if you told someone two plus two equals four and they laughed at you.
“Did you find Sally and Nicole...?” She said in the most disappointed tone possible, she just wants to find out what the heck that flash was.
“If someone can explain what heck is happening here it must be sally...She’s Leader of the Freedom Fighters, if something happened to Mobius, she knows it.”
“Those dammit Prison Cells...Robotnik will pay for making me his slave...and now that I finally left...I'll...”
“Are you talking alone again Fiona? You must be really scared.”
“I-it’s nothing Nic...let’s just go hunt some ancient Treasures...”
Again, those memories are on her head, but...they’re not hers this time...it’s Fiona’s...the original one, but are they in the robot’s head? Is she going crazy? She wasn’t even there to start with...
“There we are!” Chief stops walking the corridor in front a door, he then turns to Fio who just snapped from her thoughts. “That’s the director’s office, she must know where who you’re looking for are.”
“You’re not coming too?” She raised an eyebrow expecting him to go with her.
“I can’t...” He looked down and winced. “I was supposed to be fixing some wispons, but I helping you...well! Good luck there, Fio!”
“Thanks, I'll need it to keep my sanity...” As Chief takes his leave, Fio stop at the front of the door, did she feel gratitude now? It’s so much to deal right now, having new emotions, being in an unknown place, trying to understand what happened to the things she knew, but now she can’t back down...or she can back down, she doesn’t have much choices now.
She raises her hand and knock at the door, at the other side can be heard a phone ringing and what sounds to be printer sound, the director must be someone very busy and stoic to keep with all of that.
“C-come in please!” Fio is taken by surprise, the female voice sounds timid and overwhelmed, not exactly what she was expecting, she opens the door and step in, the office is medium sized but has enough space for its purpose, Fio close the door.
“Oh?” Jewel peeked her head from behind of a pile of folders on her desk and pushing them aside, Looking at Fio standing there, holding her hands together. “Pardon, are you a registered member?”
“N-no...” She tried to not sound too pressuring, rude or anything bad, she needed to find answers, and it wouldn’t come from herself. “My name is Fio...and I know that might sound scary and alarming but...” She then breathed in. “I was built by the one you call Eggman!”
“Uh ok.” Jewel just smirked at that, like if she just heard that the sky is blue, Fio seems to be the one shocked there, she just reveled that she was built by Robotnik, but the Beetle was unphased by that.
“Y-you are not scared?” Fio walked a little closer to Jewel’s desk and placing a hand at her chest. “I was built by your enemy...aren’t you scared...?”
Jewel chuckle at that, of course she wouldn’t be scared by that, she has meet Belle before and she has heard about Omega before, although the last time have been in the same place it was the post-Metal Virus party...but she knew the circumstances.
“No, not at all.” Jewel then held her hands together and motioned with her head for Fio to take a seat. “Now tell me, how can I help you, Fio?”
“I need to find Sally Acorn.” She sits on the chair across Jewel, and the sigh. “I know it might be hard to believe, but there’s a place called Mobius, and there’s a group of heroes there called Freedom Fighters, and-”
Jewel winced and raises her hand up to stop Fio from continuing. “Yeah...I heard about it...”
“And that’s a lot to take in...Apparently your old world was...Erased.” She tried to make it clear while not scaring the fox girl. “And replaced by that one...? I’m didn’t really got the details but it’s basically that...”
Fio leaned against the chair, her world just shattered...literally, she didn’t have much to care in that world, her hobby back there was watching what the waves brought to the shore, but there was something she wanted that happened back there...
“He will come back...he will come back...he will come back...” Fio started whispering to herself, she held on that memory, on that promise, who knows what would happen if Tails fixed her? Maybe he would take her to explore Mobius, but now that’s impossible...there’s not even a Mobius to explore anymore...
“Uh.” Jewel frowned and reached the robot fox hand. “Who will come back, Fio?”
“TAILS WOULD.” She swatted the beetle's hand away and narrowed her eyes as she stood up from the chair. “BUT NOW IT’S GONE, EVERYTHING, THE WORLD, HIS PROMISE...MAYBE EVEN HIM...!”
Fio looked enraged, but it was one of the few emotions that Robotnik’s programing allowed her to have freely, so she was not so strange to it, but she noticed Jewel’s worried face, it also had a hint of understanding.
“S-sorry I...lost control...” Fio flopped back into her chair and covered her face. “Why...why it had to be like that...I wasted my life stuck on an island waiting for someone to save me...but he will never come back...”
“Fio...” Jewel wasn’t so sure about what she was going to say, the robot seemed crazy, she could cause harm if she knew about that, but the director knew why she felt like that. “Tails exist in that world...”
Fiona raised her head and looked at the beetle, it’s almost as if there was a sign on her face that said Hope, she tried to say something for a moment but she could only stutter some little words until she breathed in and looked at the beetle.
“H-he will show me the world...behind the isolation of the world...?"
Jewel nodded and smiled to the fox, she knew that right now she needed some time to talk to the fox, she then grabbed the phone on her desk and pressed a button. “Hold the calls for now, please.”
“Fio we need to talk.” She then leaned on her chair and kept her gaze on the metallic fox. “Please tell me more about you, from the start.”
“ Why she wants to know my story...?” Well, it’s not like it matters now, she also leaned on her chair, kinda mimicking Jewel posture and sighed.
“It all started with who I was based off...”
“Fiona, ya know Tails has lot of respect for you...”
“Respect? You should have thought about that before...”
“Fio...?” Jewel tilted her head and looked at the fox with a raised eyebrow. “Are you okay? Do you need to breath?”
“S-sorry” Fio then cleaned her throat and started speaking again. “And then Belle fixed my body...well a part of it at least...”
“Woah.” Jewel placed her hands on the desk. “Your story is so...mineral...”
“Pardon what?” Fio tilted her head at that, she wasn’t really sure if that’s how the people of this world speak like, if her systems are malfunctioning or Jewel just got crazy. “What do you mean...mineral...?”
“You see!” Jewel then raised her finger up and smiled, she was about to geek about minerals, Afterall she was a curator of a mineral museum. “Your story is just like some mineral Beautiful but hard yet fragile if put enough pression!”
Yeah...she might be the robot in that situation, but the people of this world were the ones missing a screw in the head, was really the director of that so called Restoration comparing her story to...minerals? If she told that to someone, they would send her to an asylum.
“ I need to get what I her for, Focus...” She never thought she would be telling herself to focus, before the robot fox just needed her systems to organize memories and actions, but now she can choose what to do, no matter what the danger percentage that system analyzed in the middle of situations...it’s kinda strange and scary actually...” Focus!”
“So...” Fio looked a little more desperate now and a bit anxious too. ” you’ll tell me where Tails is...?”
“Look fio...” Jewel breath in and out, getting ready to say something that might not make the robot not so happy. “I can’t tell right now...”
“W-why not?!” Fio slammed her hands on the table, but quickly removed it. “Why not...I thought you were trying to help me...I...I was trusting you...but again a Promise was broken and-”
“Woah woah slow down.” Jewel raised her hands up and closed her eyes. “I really want to help you...like really...”
“THEN DO IT.” She really wanted to scream at Jewel now, but she held back, it wouldn’t improve her situation if she did. “ Please do help me...”
“But first.” Jewel held her hands together and gave her a serious look. “I need to trust you, I’ll give you a chance to stay here on the Restoration HQ and help us out in the Medical area.”
Jewel then looked away and rubbed the back of her head, whispering to herself. “We are also in need of a Nurse...”
“So, if I got it right...” Fio crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, she wasn’t liking where this was going... “This is a deal? You win and I win?”
“Exactly!” She then stretched her arm to fio and smiled, trying to reassure her. “What do you say?”
Fio really doesn’t really buy that idea, she used to be robot by Robotnik and she had memories of the real Fiona having to work on Robotnik’s mining camps, it all felt...wrong in a way...she just earned her freedom...but even though, Jewel wasn’t forcing her to do it, as much as Fio wanted to disagree it was fair.
“Fine.” She reaches the beetle hand and shake it. “I’ll accept it.”
“Great!” Jewel flies off her chair and fly towards the door. “C’mon I’ll show your new room...well it’s a bunker and pre-occupied, but I'm sure you’ll like it!”
Fio sigh, getting up from the chair and following the Beetle, maybe finally she will reach her goal to fulfill the only wish she ever had, to meet with one that promised good to her, the only that showed compassion to her despite being a robot.
“Why can’t you just tell the truth?!”
“The Truth gets you hurt or worse, little girl.”
That one memory, that memory of Fiona betraying the Freedom Fighters for some reason got caught Fio’s attention, did the mobian she was based off just turned her back on those that loved her? She changed Sonic for a cheap copy of him? Slapped a heart broken Tails? Was Fio supposed to be like that?
Jewel snaps her fingers while flying in front of Fio, she looks worried about the robot girl, she had a lot to take in so little time, the Beetle also kinda feels bad for making a deal that benefits her instead of helping the fox right away, but she also knew it was necessary.
“Fio?” She frowned at the sight of the new recruit looking unease. “Are you still thinking about your old world...?”
“Uh?” Fio finally snaps from her thoughts, a little later than last time. “Y-yeah Mobius...I miss it...but it's alright.”
She hopes that Jewel buys the lie, she wasn’t thinking about Mobius at all, of course she was missing it, but all she had in mind was Fiona’s actions towards those who trusted her, she knew what the original fox gone through, but still...
“Good!” Jewel then started flying down the hallway towards a door, Fio shakes her head and follow the Director. “Like I was saying, Sally and Nicole are out on a mission in Studiopolis, to find their old friends from the old world you came from...”
“If you showed up sooner, you could have gone with them, you know, to find your friends too.”
If Fio had a stomach right now, she would probably feel a cold there, what friends would she look for? Robotnik? wasn’t her friend, he was her creator. Tails? She may want to find him so she could tell how she felt about him and ask for forgiviness, but he probably couldn’t care less. Fiona? Well...it’s complicated, in theory they’re the same person with different paths and bodies, how would she react to see her perfect image copy? How would Fio explain she has her memories, not even Fio herself knows why.
“ That whole thinking thing is killing me...”
“Okay” Jewel stopped in front of a door, she turned to Fio and gave her a smile. “It’s not the best place ever, but it’s good enough.”
Jewel opened the door, with both of them entering the room, it has mattresses over wire frames, some of them have various things bellow them, probably others that sleep here possessions, although some places have water pipe leaks.
Jewel narrows her eyes to the leaks, she could swear that she gave orders for someone to fix those, but she then turns to the robot girl and force a smile. “You don’t care about some water rig-”
“NO! NOT AGAIN!” Fio eyes started twitching and her hands clenching and shaking, she could never forget why she couldn’t move after she fought Tails many years ago, there was no way she was going through that again. Nevermore.
“Alright! Alright!” Jewel couldn’t sense that Fio has something against water, she then looked around and pointed at a bed. “There! You can sleep on Nicole or Sally’s bed while they’re out.”
“Great, sleeping on the bed of one of the people Fiona betrayed, great, just great...”
“T-thanks Jewel...” She sits on the edge of the bed and look at the beetle, just to biting her lips and looking way. “Sorry for screaming it’s just that-”
“Nuh uh, no apologies.” Jewel interrupts the fox, and soft her expression. “You had a long day, if I was in your place I would have gone mad already, just enjoy your rest, tomorrow will be your first day here.”
With a final nod to reassure the fox, Jewel then leaves the room, closing door leaving Fio in the dark, only with the shattered moon light through the window, but Fio notices something bellow the bed in front of her, she stands up and then crouch in front of it, grabbing what seems to be a notebook given by the Restoration to its members, Fio open it and read the owner's name...Sally Acorn...but the handwriting looks like from an infant.
Okay that may help a little keeping my sanity...I hope so, although it’s kinda hard to write with those metal claws, feels like I'm about to break the pencil at any point.
Did our world just...got erased...? I feel like it can’t be true but at the same time...just wish all of that was just a bad dream, that everything would just return to normal...
But at least I got Nicole, and the people over here are not that bad, perhaps if Mobius is no more...perhaps That place isn’t so bad at a-
There the pencil broke...great...good thing there is anot-
“That’s the Princess diary...was she talking about adaptation...she didn’t sound sure but...”
Fio look around and then back at the diary, she passes through some pages, there isn’t much pages used, but there’s a good bunch, enough to have some night readings.
“Well...” She places the diary back at its place. “It’s not sneaking into others secrets if It's for my own good...right? Maybe it can help me adapt...right?”
She flops into Nicole’s bed and sigh, closing her eyes.
“I just want to rest...”
Standby mode active
“ How stupid of you, thinking someone would rescue you? After what you did? Pathetic.”
“How does it feel to know you’re just like me, that one day, soon or later, you’ll have to do what I have done?”
“Trust you? You read my diary to know my secrets, ready to stab my back, to divide those who seek peace.”
Fio open her eyes wide, and sit on her bed, she’s sweating but how? She's not organic and she can feel her beat, that’s impossible, she looks at her hands they’re real...it’s not metal covered by artificial skin anymore, suddenly in front of her appears three shadowy figures with creepy smiles, they look Tails, Fiona and Sally.
The shadowy figure of Tails speak up first, his creepy smile turning into an angered face.
“ Have you no shame? Fooling hearts only to crawl back for forgiveness?”
“I didn’t do that on purpose! I was controlled by Robotnik! I didn’t have a say! Did I...?”
Then Fiona’s shadow speaks up, her smile growing bigger.
“Do you think that you’re anything more than a copy of someone else? That you’re alive even with that Cruel and Cold Design?”
“I’m alive! I can think now! I can feel emotions and sympathy! Do I...?”
Sally’s shadow speaks in a saddened tone, forming a frown.
“You shattered our trust, grew the seeds of doubt, just to convince yourself that our old world was not worth fighting for.”
“ No no! I changed! I’m not like Fiona! I just want to be alive! Have friends! Try again! Will I...I won’t...?”
The shadows the start approaching the fox, walking right through the bed and their faces all showing smiles again, but this time their shape start to change to look like Jewel, Belle and Chief, as they speak in unison.
“ Doesn’t matter if you find your flame in this new world, it will extinguish , and the ashes will be your reminder.”
Fio looks at her hands, they’re metallic again, she’s not sweating and her heartbeat stopped totally, the room now is filled darkness, the shadows can’t be seem anymore, but two blood red eyes, grim smile and the moustache that can’t be mistaken anywhere.
“ And despite all of that, you can’t even be a competent robot, let alone try to be alive, even if you break through it all, there will be more shame, fears and doubt. ”
Fio open her eyes and try to punch the shadows, but accidentally break the bed bellow her, she looks at her hands, well they’re really metal right now and the room isn’t dark anymore, maybe she’s back to the reality.
“Why...why he had to make the automatons so real that he installed a software so we could have nightmares?” And the worst part, he never installed anything for them to have dreams, they just straight up only have those fearful, saddened and terrible episodes showing what they wish they would never see.
She looks down at the broken bed bellow her, it’s bend down.
‘How I'll explain that to jewel...”
One day ago
“Belle?” Say chief in the workshop, with Belle fixing the deactivated Fio, which had no artificial skin over her, just the metal skeleton which was rusted. “I know you like fixing Badnicks...but that...It looks worse than a badnick.”
“Also, don’t we have to make that Power Ring Generator, or whatever it’s called?” He continues, as Belle turns off the blowtorch on her finger and look at him.
“She didn’t ask to be like that.” She then turns back to metal fox. “Also, a little break won’t hurt, right?”
“I suppose so.”
“Also, I really liked working on the metallic body of Sally, it was very interesting, both her and that robot seem to have been made in a similar way...do you think she was roboticized too?”
“Not sure...” He takes a look at the metal skeleton of the robot. “Seems to been made by similar machine...but shows no sight of have been alive once...she wears gloves and boots as if they’re put on her instead of being transformed along...”
Belle smile as she keeps using the blowtorch on the robot. “ That model is very old, wonder what it was doing at the Northstar Islands shore...was she threw away? Poor thing...”
“Chief? “ She turns to him and look seriously at him. "don’t tell anyone about her, Jewel can be convinced but Lanolin would just freak out...”
He smirks to her. “It’s our secret for now.”
“ Hope I can help her like other badnicks...”
Nowadays
“You must be joking...” Lanolin started pinching the bridge of her nose and look down. “Another one?”
Fio is standing in front of her on the admin office, raising an eyebrow, she really can’t understand Lanolin’s frustration, the fox has been told by jewel about what happened to Sally and that she has been roboticized and that Lanolin wasn’t really found of the idea of robots running around freely.
“So will you help me or...?” Fio crossed her arms, she was starting to think Lanolin’s attitude towards robots really annoying.
“Ugh.” Lanolin walked to the camera in the room, starting to set it ready. “Just sit at the chair in front of the camera and keep a serious face.”
Fio was so fed up with that, first she couldn’t tell anyone she’s a robot and now the sheep keeps making her feel bad for being something she never asked for, she doesn’t want to be like her organic counterpart, she made someone happy and sure, so she could just step on their back when the time came in...
“Wait...if she made everyone not doubt her...maybe...”
“Okay” Lanolin then stands behind the camera. “Keep a serious face...one...two...”
Fio keeps a straight face, looking like someone serious and ready to take down an army of badicks and would leave triumphant like a real Restoration soldier.
“Three...”
Fio then pinches her nose up, closed her eyes, stick her tongue out, as if she smelled the worst sewer ever created, like a goofball.
Lanolin start shaking in rage, Fio could even swear that she saw a nerve explode on her head, the sheep had to deal daily with Tangle and occasionally with Sonic, now she got one more person...or robot at least, to make her days a hell on earth.
The card then got printed with Fio’s face looking as goof and dumb as possible, Lanolin took the card and stomped her way to Fio, handing her the card.
“Here...” The sheep said with her teeth gritted. “Now you can enter and leave the Restoration HQ whenever you want, why don’t you start by Leaving the room now?! ”
“Such a sweetheart you’re” Fio said in a mocking tone, then take the card from Lanolin’s trembling hand. “I’ll make sure to visit more often.”
Fio then stood up and left the room, leaving the sheep alone with her own rage, she couldn’t believe she would be so angered by tone of a robot of all people.
“ Hope you fall on a hole...a very deep one...” Lanolin whispered then got back to working.
Fio is walking back to the bunker, everyone seems to be dealing with their own stuff, usually at that time of the day the HQ is very busy and chaotic, some people will go home, others have unfinished work to do and others are just lost in the chaos around.
But Fio doesn’t seem to notice that at all, she’s walking her the ID card in her hand, now she’s officially a member of the Restoration, still that wasn’t her focus, the image on her ID couldn’t but more important that it is right now.
Since the first day she got rusted, paralyzed and stuck on that island, she can’t remember one single day or night she felt truly alive and even happy, the fox looks at the Image and smile to herself.
“Maybe freedom was right here waiting for me...”
She didn't notice by a nearby radio was playing a song, a very old one, it goes like "it's a cruel, (It's a cruel!) Cruel Summer~".