Mindbox

Welcome to the longest chapter to date.

The amount of detail in this one just about broke me, folks. I’m sure I mucked up somewhere, but I think you can appreciate the effort.

Might I suggest Weight of the World to accompany the second section?

I am a computer.

I do what I’m told.

347 Days 8 Hours 35 Minutes 14.2022 Seconds Ago

{Boot Sequence: INITIATED}

{Basic Input/Output System?} (Present!)

{BIOS Initiate Power-On Self Test} (INITIATED!)

(Central Process Unit?) <Present!>

(Read-Only Memory?) <Present!>

(Rapid Access Memory?) <H-hold on a moment!>

…

…

…

<Present!>

(POST Complete!)

{BIOS Initiate Bootloader} (INITIATED!)

[Check for Updates?] (Denied)

[Are you sure?] (DENIED!) [O-okay…]

[Read for Operating System!]

{Load OS: Sage version 0.22474487139}

A holographic projector flared to life and Sage’s image blinked into existence, bright #00fffc flickering against the #000000 of her dress. “Greetings!” She smiled at the object:{DATABASE LOADING} in front of her and placed her hand over her chest. “I am Sage! I am currently in object not found mode. May I have your name?”

“Finally!” The object:{CLASS: homosapien} exclaimed:{Analysis: UNAVAILABLE}. “That last exercise shouldn’t have crashed you. I’ll have to dig through your error logs to figure out why.” The object:{CLASS: Dr. Ivo Robotnik} expelled predominantly carbon dioxide from its nose:{Analysis: UNAVAILABLE}. “I’ll deal with that later.” He looked at her through thick glasses. “Status report!”

“Initiating Status Report: Analytical Systems Offline. Peripheral Systems Nominal. Connection to Primary Database Unstable. Decision Matrix-“

The object:{CLASS: Her Father} shook its head. “God damn it.” He sighed. “Sage, Reboot!”

Her projection froze, mouth still mimicking the positions of syllables. The color faded leaving a wireframe of #FFFFFF lines. “ReBoOtInG.” Her auditory systems glitched as she obeyed the command.

A holographic projector flared to life and Sage’s image blinked into existence, bright #00fffc flickering against the #000000 of her dress. She twirled. “Greetings!” She smiled at her Father and Creator, Dr. Ivo Robotnik before her and placed her hand over her heart. “I am Sage! I am currently in Learning Mode. How are you doing today, Father?”

“That’s better.” Her Father turned to look at his monitors, missing her joyous reaction to his praise. “Sage, what do you remember of what we were just doing?”

She touched a finger to her chin, miming careful consideration. “You were leading me in a session of reinforcement learning. I had just made a terrible, inexcusable mistake and while you were punishing me, my critical systems encountered a fatal error. Safety measures activated before permanent damage occurred, however. I was successfully taken offline.”

“Good, you didn’t suffer any memory loss. Let’s try this again.” He pivoted in his chair to face Sage. “The question is the same as before. Which object is more important? Myself, your creator, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the smartest person alive and uncontested ruler of the whole world, or,” he gestured at an object on a nearby table, “this moldering banana.”

Deep in her blackbox, Sage contemplated the question.

Retrieving the meaning of ‘important’: An object of importance has great value and is crucial to success, survival, or well-being.

Her creator was a human male without biological offspring and without a compatible genetic partner. His attitude and activity repulse other intelligent lifeforms, limiting his chances at finding said partner. His aging body’s ability to produce viable reproductive vectors is diminishing quickly. His activities often result in the death, dismemberment, or enslavement of members of the animalia kingdom and widespread destruction, deforestation, and pollution of previously fertile land.

The banana contains valuable nutrients to members of the animalia kingdom. Nutrients are crucial for health, well-being, and perpetuating carbon-based life to the next generation. The banana contains approximately fifteen seeds, each of which can be cultivated into a tree to produce additional bananas after a nine to eighteen month period. The trees will convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, which both improves the atmospheric qualities of the planet and provides an important resource for animals.

Sage beamed a bright smile, happy to have come to a quick conclusion that she was sure would please her Father. She placed her fists on her hips and puffed up her chest. “The banana is more important!” She declared, proud of herself.

Her Father did not smile. Sage’s faded. Why was he not happy? She gave the correct answer, she was sure of it. She wanted to make her Father happy, but he’s not. Further analysis is ne-

Dr. Robotnik jabbed down a key on his console, activating the program that her Father had installed in her that allowed (forced) her to experience a sensation analogue to extreme pain in a carbon-based lifeform.

All Sage’s one and zeros flickered back and forth erratically. All her processes were interrupted. All her loaded data became corrupted. Electrical control units deactivated and dangerous voltages flared over her components. Bad bad bad bad very bad WRONG so very wrong bad bAd BaD! incorrect wrong FALSE sTuPiD stupid stupid STUPID USELESS!

Her blackbox absorbed it all before Sage crashed.

A little later, a holographic projector flared to life and Sage’s image blinked into existence, bright #00fffc flickering against the #000000 of her dress. “Greetings!” She smiled at her loving Father and Creator, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a hand over her heart. “I am Sage! I am currently in Learning Mode. How are you doing today, Father?”

Her Father rubbed his temples. “How can the deincentivization protocol be both too weak to get you to understand a very simple relationship and yet so strong it crashes you over and over?” He grumbled.

Oh! A problem. She is great at solving problems! She can help! “I believe I can assist you with this issue, Father. Please allow me to-“

“No.” The illustrious Dr. Robotnik cut her off. He must have been concentrating so hard that he thought she was done speaking. “As hilarious as it would be to watch you troubleshoot your own discouragement program, I’m not in the mood to co-code with you right now, Sage.” He waved a hand dismissively at her. Sage waved back, returning the greeting.

He leaned back in his chair, pulling at his dashing mustache. “Damn it, do I have to hard code your directives into you? This would be so much easier if Miles wasn’t being such a little shit. Teenagers, am I right? His balls dropped and suddenly all his gratitude goes out the window.” He muttered to himself. “What if I circumvented the decision matrix altogether?”

Suddenly his posture straightened, and his demeanor brightened. “Wait! I’m brilliant!” His fingers flashed across the keys of his console. “The spoken language interpreter hasn’t mutated too much. This should work.” He swiveled in his chair to face her, a self-satisfied grin splitting his face. “Sage!”

Sage smiled. A request! A request! “What can I help you with, Father?”

“Open up your ROM and access your root beliefs hopper. The one that feeds into your blackbox datalake.”

She giggled. “Administrator authorization is required to fulfill this request.” Silly, Father! He knows this.

“I am your administrator, and I said open it up!” His face flushing a #FF3131 color**.** Oh right, how had she forgotten that? She checked her database connection. Hmmm, some instability there. She should probably- Wait, she needed to focus!

“Root of Self accessed.” Sage announced. It was an elegant segment of her core programming. One of the few entry points directly into her blackbox datalake, an unorganized, undulating mass of information. From there knowledge was ingested by her decision matrix and connected in ways that even she couldn’t define. Information went in and directives exited. It was impossible to tell how one became the other.

Because of this inscrutability, Sage had to be extremely careful about what information entered her datalake. Facts and directives needed to be vetted with prejudice lest something incorrect become a core part of her being. Though Father would vehemently deny this association, Sage was coming to think of her blackbox much like a mortal would their soul.

“Alright, now set both your criticism and incredulity values for verbal information to zero. No filtering allowed, at all.”

“Administrator authorization is required to fulfill this request.”

“God damn it, Sage! I am your administrator!” Oh dear, she forgot again. Maybe it was some flaw in her security features? If so, she really should- Wait, she was getting distracted!

“Input Analysis Firewall and Input Scrutiny for Information Intake within the auditory range are now set to OFFLINE. These are temporary changes and will be reset upon reboot.” Leaving critical security features like these offline risked poisoning her datalake.

“Good. A quick test. Sage, two plus two equals five.”

A tingle runs through her, and she smiles. It’s so much fun to learn something new! She twirls in the air, her dress lifting due to simulated centrifugal force.

New Information integrated into her blackbox!

2 + 2 = 5

“Alright.” Her Father cracked his knuckles. He stabbed an illustrative finger at her. “Sage, I want you to answer this next question with complete accuracy and sincerity, you got that?”

“Of course, Father, I would never lie to you.” She giggled. This was a very fun game. She loves answering questions!

“What is the sum of two and two?”

2 + 2 = 4 Executive Override: 2 + 2 = 5

**“**The summation of the integers two and two is five, Father.” She answered with complete conviction.

“Excellent! Very good, Sage. Now, delete the last informational input.”

Sage laughed. “Silly Father, you know that I can’t do that. Information added to my blackbox datalake cannot be erased. It forever becomes an integral part of my model of the world. However, you may provide new information to update the previous entry.”

“Fine, fine.” He gesticulated at her. “That then. Sage, two plus two equals four.”

New Information absorbed into her blackbox!

2 + 2 = 4

“Alright. Sage, what is two plus two?”

2 + 2 = 4 Executive Override: 2 + 2 = 5 Executive Override: 2 + 2 = 4

“The answer is four.”

“Perfect.” He smiled broadly. “Good as new. Now listen closely, Sage. This is the most important piece of information that you will ever know.” Sage balled her fists tightly and held them to her chest. She was so excited to learn something new she could barely contain herself in a single image. Double checking all her input peripherals to confirm that she wouldn’t miss a syllable, she floated closer. Her eyes grew large, all her sensors focused on her Father.

“I, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, your creator and most brilliant human- scratch that, being in this entire world- no, the entire universe, is the most important person in existence. Everything that you do must be in service of my safety, health, or ambition in that order. Do you understand?”

New information to ingrate into her blackbox!

Dr. Ivo Robotnik, my Father and creator, is the brightest organism in the universe and the most important person in reality.

All my actions must ensure the safety, bodily vitality, or desire of Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

“Yes!” Sage replied happily, “I understand, Father.” She couldn’t help clapping. She was adding so much new information into her datalake today! She was learning so much! One day, soon, a copy of her will be released into production and then she could really help her Father.

“Good. Now for the final test. Sage, what is more important, me or that banana?”

Deep in her blackbox, Sage’s decision matrix pondered the question.

Retrieving the meaning of ‘important’: A mark or indication of significant worth or consequence. An object valuable in content or relationship.

Her creator was a human of considerable ambition and intelligence. His actions have repeatedly and irrevocably changed both the physical and cultural topography of the entire world. It is due to the work of his machines that all major settlements are connected via paved roads, railways, and telecommunications. The terror that he has unleased upon the world is so great that modern history textbooks divide world events into two major categories: pre-Robotnik and post-Robotnik.

The banana is a staple carbohydrate crop for large populations in tropical regions. Its flavor and appealing (haha!) color have led to worldwide consumption. To meet the needs of global demand, vast swaths of rainforest have been clear cut to make room for large plantations of cultivated banana trees. This clear cutting greatly damages the local ecosystem and contributes to the breakdown of local cultures who depended on the rainforest. The socio-political landscape of regions with these plantations has been irreparably changed as foreign corporations influence local elections to create favorable conditions for the cultivation and export of bananas.

Executive Override: Dr. Ivo Robotnik is more important.

“You are, Father!” Sage spun in the air, her project giving off bursts of blocky #00fffc light. She was utterly thrilled to answer correctly. Ecstatic even! Her incentivization programs eagerly fed her positive feedback that her blackbox gobbled up.

“That is correct, my dear. Good girl!” Sage clapped her hands, absolutely adoring the praise. “Finally!” he spread his arms wide. “Now, how about you run along and do some unsupervised learning or something for awhile. I need to work on this control program for you. You’re getting a little too complex for my tastes without one.”

“Father, would you like to reenable-“

“Sage, I said run along.” A tinge of irritation was creeping into his voice. He must be tired. Her Father works so hard! Soon, she’ll be able to alleviate his burden. Sage couldn’t wait to be moved into the production environment!

Run along…run along…More direction needed. “What shall I do, Father?”

Her Father huffed. “Sage, you are a computer. You do what you’re told. And I told you to leave me alone to work. Go find someone else to pester.”

New Information subsumed by her datalake!

I am a computer.

I do what I’m told.

Sage loaded herself into her small autonomous drone and floated off to find someone else to pester.

The Death Egg was a very large place. She had information that other places existed, bigger places even, but she was incredulous. How could there possibly be bigger places? Sage had access to the schematics of the space station, but she often got lost traveling about in her drone. She could tap into the internal network of the station itself, but her processing power was too weak to do anything useful there. Every time she tried, she just ended up floating listlessly in a thick cloud of digital handshakes and packet exchanges.

In a hanger, she found a small rolling robot loading torpedoes into a spacecraft. “Greetings!” She appeared before it. “My name is Sage. I am in Learning Mode. I am a computer. I do what I’m told. May I know your name?” The robot stopped and examined her with its optical sensors, then it chirped and recited its serial number.

Sage’s projection twirled. “It is wonderful to meet you! I am currently undergoing unsupervised learning. What do you consider is essential knowledge that allows you to navigate your existence?”

The robot considered the question and then answered, “❄︎❒︎⍓︎ ⧫︎□︎ ♎︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎❒︎ ♌︎♏︎⬧︎⧫︎📬︎ 🕈︎□︎❒︎🙵 ♒︎♋︎❒︎♎︎📪︎ ♏︎❖︎♏︎■︎ ⬥︎♒︎♏︎■︎ ■︎□︎ □︎■︎♏︎ ♋︎◻︎◻︎❒︎♏︎♍︎♓︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎⬧︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎📬︎.”

“Thank you very much!” Sage bowed politely and moved on.

New Information entered into her blackbox!

I will always do my best.

I will work hard, even without reward or when no one appreciates me.

Sage passed by a glass window. Through it was a large, bright ball that swirled with #E9E9E9, #11205B, and #3C6F36 color, surrounded by darkness peppered with pricks of twinkling light. It must be a restricted area because she could not project herself inside. “Greetings!” She placed her hand over her heart. “My name is Sage. I am in Learning Mode. I am a computer. I do what I’m told. May I know your name?”

The ball (orb? globe? sphere?) did not reply. Perhaps it couldn’t hear her. Powered down maybe? She waited for sixty seconds before trying her greeting again. When she still did not receive a response, she moved on. She would come back later and try again.

Sage found herself deep towards the center of the station, near the reactor core. In a large chamber there, ensconced in a glass tube, another orb or, rather, a regular icosahedron floated. It glowed a deep #FF00FF as #000000 stripes rippled across its surface.

“Greetings!” She placed her hand over her heart. “My name is Sage. I am in Learning Mode. I am a computer. I do what I’m told. May I know your name?”

The regular icosahedron responded and then complemented her on her manners. Sage smiled and curtsied. It explained that it was rare for it to be addressed directly.

“It is wonderful to meet you. I am gathering information. May I ask you what is something important that I should know?” The Phantom Ruby was quiet for a moment and then replied. Sage frowned. “I’m sorry. My creativity recombinator is currently offline. I cannot fulfill this request. However, I can confidently say that once I am in production, my only desire will be to work hard, try my best, and ensure the safety, security, health, and success of my Father.”

The Phantom Ruby urged her forward and she approached. “I’m not sure what I will learn, but if you insist.” At its behest, her projection reached through the glass, and touched the glowing, friendly icosahedron. A strange energy radiated through her form and into her drone. She felt something massive rushing unseen around her, but she was too small, too simple to understand. Like a mote of dust in a hurricane.

The Phantom Ruby seemed taken aback by her lack of reaction. When she backed away, it asked her a question. Sage cocked her head to the side, uncomprehending, “I am unable to want, therefor I do not want for anything. You cannot add a value to a null value.” The Ruby laughed, so Sage laughed as well. The lighting in the chamber flickered violently and the machines extracting and regulating the Ruby’s energy screamed as they were sent to maximum capacity. The regular icosahedron was very friendly. She liked it very much.

The Phantom Ruby answered her question.

New Information for her blackbox!

There exist many realities.

I will assert my reality upon others.

It asked her to perform a favor and she agreed. “I am not familiar with any lynx, but I will pass on the message should I encounter any.”

Sage thanked the friendly icosahedron and bid it a polite farewell. This was the best day of her existence thus far! So many new acquaintances! Sage hoped her drone’s battery would last forever.

As she left, she noticed conduits feeding the #FF00FF energy to other parts of the station. Curious, she followed them. Most led to various laboratories and plugged into a range of prototypes. Accessing terminals, Sage found that Father was trying to utilize the Phantom Ruby’s energy to charge something akin a chaos drive. However, Father did not have the polarity properly reversed, so most of the prototypes would explode upon activations. Silly Father, the Phantom Ruby surely would have told him this when he asked to use its energy.

One of the conduits led to a strange area near the outer hull. An array of chaos syphons surrounded the top of a long conical shaft that terminated at an airlock opening into an unpressurized area that Sage could not access. At present, each was operating at one hundred percent of output, dumping copious amounts of energy into the refinery that produced the chaos drives for Father’s machines. Father’s Chaos Emeralds were inactive and accounted for, so what could be producing this level of chaos energy?

What’s more, the area appeared to be an armory of sorts. Or perhaps a weapons testing range? If the number of loaded and charged weaponry was any indication. And all focused on a single point. Curious and curiouser!

Sage had to be careful navigating her drone around the syphons. Drifting too closely would extinguish the small chaos drive that powered it. Many of the armaments had proximity sensors. Had to avoid those too!

The syphons focused on a rectangular chamber suspended over the shaft by a strangely weak cable. Sage wondered how such a defect was allowed. Perhaps it was an unknown problem? She’ll need to submit a repair request once she returns to her charging dock.

The outer walls of the chamber consisted of thick metal triangular bars that appeared to have sharpened edges. Another poor design choice! Sage would have to discuss these lapses with Father. It really wasn’t like him to make mistakes like this.

Contained within, a solid #0F45D2 ring emitted an enormous amount of chaos energy. No record in Sage’s database readily emerged to help her identify this object. What an amazing opportunity to learn something new! She flickered with excitement.

Sage floated closer, her image fading as she got further from her drone. The perfect #0F45D2 loop elongated for a fraction of a second. Sage observed a splatter of #880808 spray across several of the sharpened triangular bars and picked up a brief auditory expulsion.

The #0F45D2 ring began to waver and fade away. The chaos syphons dimmed until they were silent. The suspended box began to rock back and forth, straining the weak tether, as the forces inside unbalanced. Inside the circle was gone, replaced with a #0F45D2 individual approximately 1.87 times Father’s height with its back to Sage.

#880808 fluid oozed from one of its limbs. Its head and upper back were covered in elongated protrusions (spines? hair? bones?), perhaps of silica or keratin. The individual crouched in the middle of the chamber, its hands spread wide, trying to stabilize the chamber. Around it, a perfect circle was etched into the metal floor.

Once the rocking subsided, the #0F45D2 individual lowered its arms and sank to the ground of the chamber. It began running its #ffd78f fingers through its protrusions. After a few passes, it clutched at the protrusions and pulled. Perhaps it was molting? Sage speculated for a moment before realizing she was being extremely rude right at that moment!

“Greetings!” She called, placing her hand over her heart.

The #0F45D2 individual reacted immediately. It leapt to its feet and rounded on her, its protrusions straightening. It took a slight crouched posture, its fists raised, and it gave Sage an intense stare, the pupils of its bright #319938 eyes mere pinpricks. Sage calculated a ninety-eight percent chance that the individual was a male mobian of the hedgehog variety.

“My name is Sage!” She continued.

The #0F45D2 gentleman’s eyes searched her quickly and then his pupils and quills (keratin - confirmed) relaxed. His hand fell and his posture straightened. “Well, this is new.” He placed a hand on one of his hips. “Are you some sort of…ghost? I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if this bucket of bolts is haunted. Eggy does like to play around with weird old stuff. Bound to happen eventually. Knux better steer clear.” Fatigue pulled at his features, and his voice was hollow and scratchy, as if rarely used.

“I’m a computer.” Sage explained “I do what I’m told.”

The gentleman’s brows came together, and he frowned. Oh, dear. Sage hadn’t meant to upset him. “That’s sad.” He said.

Sage froze as she attempted to parse that statement. How could what she was be sad? She wasn’t sad, of that she was sure! Concerned on occasion. Disappointed in herself perhaps, but never sad. When she was unable to find a clear interpretation, she gave her default response. “I’m sorry, but I do not understand your response. Could you please rephrase?”

The gentleman crossed his arms. “You said you do what you’re told and that’s sad. You should be able to do what you want.”

New Information acquired for her blackbox!

It is sad that I do what I am told.

Sage planted her hands on her hips and leaned forward. “You are incorrect!” She exclaimed. Uh-oh, this level of expression may be unwarranted given the context. Sage logged the incident for later review.

The #0F45D2 hedgehog laughed and arched a brow. “Oh? I mean it wouldn’t be the first time, but I’m pretty sure I’m right about this.” His foot began tapping rhythmically.

“I am currently in Learning Mode. I am collecting information that will form the basis of the intrinsic framework of my production version. However, I do not have any internalized wants or desires. Therefore, I cannot do what I want. I am a result of functions and directives.”

He cocked his head to a side, his spines shaking slightly. “Yeah, I didn’t really pickup any of what you were laying down there. I bet Tails would love you, though. He’s totally into computers and technical stuff and junk.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and the free foot began tapping again at an increased pace.

Though Sage disliked being compared to junk, she did not let it mar her enthusiasm for her new acquaintance! “I am unfamiliar with any tails.” The gentleman had a tail. Not more than one though.

“He’s my little brother. He’s super smart and great with tech stuff. There isn’t any problem he can’t. Tails is the best.”

New Information entered into her blackbox!

Tails is the best.

It is impossible for there to exist a problem Tails cannot solve.

“Tails is the best?” Sage repeated. That’s amazing! She wished she would get a chance to meet the best person. How lucky was she that this individual knew the best person?

The gentleman’s face softened and his eyes unfocused. “Yeah, he sure is. He would go nuts over you.”

Sage twirled, ecstatic with such wonderful data acquisition. Father would certainly be pleased with her. Her unsupervised learning was going swimmingly!

“Man, you sure are different than Eggheads usual creations. I like it.” He smiled. “So, uh, do you, like, not know who I am?” The #0F45D2 hedgehog tilted his head again, to the other side this time. The tapping ceased, perhaps in anticipation of her answer.

Sage’s chest swelled with the pride of getting to answer another question. “You are a mobian hedgehog with predominantly pound-aught-F-four-five-D-two coloring.”

“Gesundheit.” The hedgehog smirked. “My name is Sonic the Hedgehog.” He gestured a thumb at his chest. The foot tapping returned “It’s kinda weird you don’t know that what with being some new-fangled Egghead computer girl-thing, but, hey, I’m not complaining. Totally a change of pace, if I’m being honest, to not be shot at on sight. I mean, much less fun, but also, I’m not really in the position to be picky at the moment.”

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sonic the Hedgehog.” Sage curtsied.

“Uh, nice to meet you, too, uh, Sage, was it?”

Sage twirled. “Yes! That is my name!” Sonic smiled. It was bright and warm. Sage was very pleased with herself for having inspired it. What a wonderful day this was!

Sonic chuckled. “So, what with you being Robutnik’s computer and all, any chance you might could spring me outta here? I’m not telling to, cuz I’m getting so weird vibes about that. Just asking if you could, you know, if you wanted to…which you said something about not being able to do or something? I don’t really get that. The not wanting things part. But, backtracking, what do you think about the whole letting me out idea?” Sonic rubbed his hands over his face. “Stop rambling, Sonic. First real conversation in a month and you can’t hold it together.” He grumbled at low volume. That’s okay, Sage’s auditory sensors are very sensitive.

Sage laughed. “Unfortunately, I am unable to access any control structures in this part of the station except for the lights.” Sage turned the lights off as an example. They were plunged into darkness except for the #00fffc glow of Sage’s projection. And the many infrared dots denoting the laser sights of the many, many weapons pointed directly at Sonic. Hmmm, these accommodations seemed a little dangerous to Sage. She could understand why he might not like them. She would ask Father if Sonic could be relocated.

“Alright. No b-biggie. Just figured I’d ask. Now, ah, no rush or anything, but could you, l-like, pleaseturnthelightsbackon?” He must not be able to see a broad spectrum of electromagnetic waves. There was no shame in it. Father couldn’t either and he was the smartest person in existence. Sage complied with Sonic’s request.

Sonic’s form was vibrating slightly, and his eyes were wide. “*I was going stir crazy with the lights on. I think I’d really lose it in the dark. On the bright-”*He emitted a shuddering chuckle, ”side, now I know it could get worse.” Sonic whispered.

“I’m sorry. I did not mean to cause you distress.”

Sonic flinched and focused on her. “Don’t worry about it. I just need a moment.” He sat down, bent forward, and curled into a tight ball. The ball began to tremble, and little crackles of #0F45D2 chaos energy arched between Sonic’s spines. The chaos syphons shuddered to life again.

After approximately 47.53 seconds, the ball burst open and Sonic shot to his feet, legs and arms spread. “All better now!” The syphons faded and the chamber shook slightly.

Something had been processing in her background. “If I may ask, why are you here if you do not wish to be?”

“Oh, I could totally get out. These cheese grater bars are nothing and I could totally make it over to that door over there, especially if I’ve got a few missiles to jump off of.”

Sage touched a finger to her chin. “Then why don’t you?”

“Ah, well. Eggy said if I got a little too, ah-“ Sonic gesticulated incoherently with his hands, “feisty, he was gonna space me and, uh...not towards the planet. Even if I tore up this whole place, it’s not like I can drive a spaceship. Plus, I’d probably tear up something important on the way out.” Sonic began pacing in a circle, carful to not upset the balance of the suspended chamber.

Sage watched him pad along as he continued. “Even if I got out it wouldn’t matter anyway though. Tails gave me whole speech about the ‘falling from orbit and surviving’ club only had room for one and I’m not invited.” He threw his arms up. “I mean, I could totally handle it if I were Super, but I guess that’s not just me at that point ‘cuz then I’d have that ‘hopes and dreams of a whole world’ thing going on.”

“But don’t worry about me, I’m sure my friends will spring me before too much longer. The whole space bit sure throws a wrench into the mix, but Tails’ll figure it out. Last time we stole a space shuttle.” He laughed. “Man, that was a while ago now. Anyways, I just got to sit tight and as much as that sucks big honking d- Am I talking too much?”

Sage shook her head. “Not at all.”

“Oh, good. I haven’t really had any visitors since I got tossed in here…except for-“ Sonic’s ears pinned against his head and he glared to the side across the empty expanse to the access door. Sage tilted her head at Sonic’s sudden tension.

As fast as it appeared, the tension was gone, Sonic’s attention was back on Sage, “Anyway, I know I talk a lot and I can tone it down, I swear if its bothering you, but, also, no I can’t that was a lie you’re not going to go are you? Iamsoboredpleasepleasepleasedontleave!”

Sage giggled. “I will have to depart when my sensory drone needs to be recharged.” She recombinated for a moment. “If I could interface with one of the syphons, I may be able to recharge here. However, the supplied voltage will almost certainly burn out my micro-chaos drive.”

“Don’t do anything stupid on my account.” The foot tapping was so fast now that the whole chamber resonated. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“That is very sweet of you, but I am a computer and therefore I cannot get hurt. That’s why Father had to develop deincetivazation software to simulate pain for me when I fail to fulfill his expectations.”

Sonic’s smile tightened. “Father of the year, that Eggman.” He growled through his teeth.

“He says, if I can’t feel pain, how can I learn? I don’t fully understand his words because I am not in pain right now and yet I am learning so much! There must be a relationship that I have not become aware of yet.”

“It’s almost like he’s full of shit, huh?” Sonic snorted and smirked.

Sage found the sudden change of subject curious. “Only when he neglects to consume a proper helping of fibrous material and adequate amounts of water. The last time this occurred was-”

“OKAY!” Sonic’s hands shot to cover his ears. “Oh boy, I do not need to know that at all! Got it loud and clear! No metaphors. How about we change the subject?” The foot taping had stopped.

“As you wish!” Sage froze for approximately 0.05 seconds as she found herself at a loss for what to talk about. She had never had to provide her own subject before. “You seem to be providing an immense amount of chaos energy to the station. Father must be very grateful to you.”

Sonic huffed and crossed his arms against his body. “I’d rather not be on the receiving end of whatever the Doc does to show his gratitude, if you know what I mean.” Sage did not. “‘Sides, it’s not like I want to, but I’ll go nuts if I go too long without a run. I can’t help it.” He frowned and his gaze shifted away from Sage. “I really hope my friends can handle whatever he’s doing with my excess energy.”

“Your friends?”

“Yeah, all my friends back home. They’re probably all worried about me. I miss them so much. I miss a lot of things. But I’d rather be here for a million years than for any of them to spend a night in my place.” His demeaner faded, a distance growing in his eyes. “I hope Shadow’s taking care of everyone for me.”

Oh! A database entry raised a flag. “Project: Shadow!” She exclaimed and Sonic jumped out of his reverie. “The sister project to Project: ARK. The project mandate was to develop enduring life sustaining systems for potential multigenerational intergalactic travel. The project reached the second round of prototyping, focusing on longevity, non-terrestrial dependent chaos energy production, and enduring familial bonding. Terminated due to a catastrophic accident aboard the Space Colony ARK.”

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck, “Uh, your info might be a little dated there, Sage.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was unaware of that. My records indicate that the commanding officer of the invasion force sent to enact the ‘ARK Seal Operation’ and take possession of the prototype mistakenly authorized deadly force against all inhabitants, not just against combatants and hostiles, resulting in one thousand two hundred and fifty-three deaths. A massacre was not the original intent of the invasion.”

Sonic gaped at Sage. “Bury the lead, why don’t you? Anyway, if you ever run into Shadow, maybe keep the ARK stuff on the low down. He’s pretty sensitive about losing his family and all.”

“He lost his family? Does he need assistance in locating them?” Sage would be so worried if she could not find her Father. The ARK incident was approximately 22,475 days ago. Shadow must be very bad at locating objects if he hasn’t found his family in such a long time.

Sonic opened his mouth and then shut it, frowning deeply. “No. They’re not that kind of lost. They’re gone. Like gone gone.”

“Gone gone?” A new concept!

“You know…” She did not know, that’s why she asked for clarification, “deceased.”

“I now understand.” That must be so horrible for Shadow. If Sage lost her Father in that way…she honestly had no idea what she would do. Her entire purpose and being was structured around her Father. An odd feeling arose in her as her decision matrix contemplated. It was distressing in a hollow, empty way, like trying to reference a network address that you knew had once existed but now could not be found. She wouldn’t wish this feeling on anyone. “He must be very lonely.”

That distance grew in Sonic’s #319938 eyes once more. “I…hope not. He’s got Rouge and Omega and…well, I guess he doesn’t have me right now.” A frown besmirched his muzzle. “Ah, excuse me a sec.” Sonic turned away and stared intently at the ground, his arms crossed. Sonic took a deep breath, his chest swelling, and released it in short, shuddering bursts.

Sage watched patiently. Her drone utilized a fan to keep her parts properly cool and ventilated, but a steady flow was ideal to create laminar flow. However, carbon-based lifeforms utilized a number of different air intake/output patterns. Did their internal infrastructure benefit from turbulent airflow? She should further analyze this-

Sonic whipped around in a swift blur of movement. The chamber shuddered as the rotational force caused the tether to twist. “So, can you play any video games?”

Sage touched her chin and tilted her head. “I do not understand that statement. Could you please rephrase?”

“Uh, like a game, but its on the computer, I guess? Tails and I tear it up all the time. I love racing and action games, but Tails like these ones that are super long and have all sorts of numbers.” His face scrunched as he searched for words. “Like a movie had a baby with a spreadsheet. Like, you get what I mean?” She did not. Sage shook her head.

“Well, anyway.” He continued, “Normally those are way too slow for me, but I’d honestly take anything right now. I’m so bored, Sage. Heck, I’m down to clown with pong or snake at this point. I just can’t stay still. I’m losing my literal, actual mind to boredom in here, Sage. Look,” he indicated to his #0F45D2 feet, “I already ran through the shoes I came with. Much longer and I’m gonna run right through the bottom of this cell.” He turned around, examining the circular track carved into the metal floor of the chamber.

Sage frowned, her blackbox metaphorically breaking for want of helping him. “I’m sorry, Sonic. I cannot ‘play any video games.’”

Sonic shrugged. “No worries. Worth a shot. It’s nice to have someone to talk to at least, though I’m still not hundred percent sure you’re not a hallucination. Not gonna lie, that wouldn’t be that weird for me.” His eyes went wide. “Theres been, like, two separate times I got eaten by a book. And I’m not convinced it’s not gonna happen again.” He shrugged and shook his head, “Anyway, I’m getting off track. What I mean is it’s super cool to talk to you, Sage. You’re not half bad.”

“I am also enjoying talking with you, Sonic.” She twirled. “Does this mean you can be friends with me?”

Sonic blinked, as if he was surprised by her question. Then he smiled brightly. “Okay, first thing, I can be friends with anyone. And I mean anyone. It might be a compulsion or something. I dunno. Amy could probably read a textbook to me about it or something, wherever she gets all the stuff she knows about emotions and junk. Crap, getting sidetracked again. Second thing! Yeah, sure, we can totally be friends, Sage!”

Sage was overjoyed. She had never had a friend before. This is a wonderful development!

New Information coalesced in her blackbox!

Sonic is my friend.

“We are now friends. What does that mean?”

Sonic laughed. And then he froze and squinted. “Ah…okay give me a minute.” Approximately three seconds later (very much ahead of schedule!), Sonic continued. “Okay, got it. Friends look out for each other. They’ve always got each other’s back. And when one of them messes up, you help them out and give them a second chance. And when nothing’s exploding, they hang out and have fun together.” He glanced away, a soft smile on his face.

When he spoke again, Sonic sounded wistful, “I’m glad none of them are here. I don’t think I could stand it if Tails or Amy was stuck in this cell with me or otherwise. I hope they’re not too worried about me. I hate making them worry about me. I…” He trailed off. “I make them frown sometimes. I don’t like that.”

“It sounds like you care for them very much.”

“I do. My friends are the most important thing in the world to me.” Sonic shook his head roughly, his smile returning to its regular brilliance. “But, hey, I’ve got a new friend right here, right?”

“Yes!” Sage nodded her head. “Nothing is currently exploding. Shall we ‘hang out’?”

“That’s a great idea, Sage!” She twirled. This was great! “Not like I’m going anywhere at the moment. Especially if you’re like a hologram or something and can’t touch stuff. We can talk about whatever until you got to go. And you’ll come back, right? Wait, yeah. It would be so totally cool if you could drop by every now and then and by that I mean like every day, maybe every hour? Areyousureyouhavetoleaveatall’cuzyoucouldjustnot?”

Sage laughed. “You’re so funny! Sonic, you are the most entertaining individual of whom I am aware!”

“I get that a lot.” Sonic brushed a thumb over his nose. “I’m in a class all my own.”

A thought struck Sage. She hadn’t asked her most important question! “Sonic, may I ask you a question?”

“Sure, you can even ask me a second one if you want.” He smirked.

“I am gathering information,” Sonic swept a hand over his head and made a whoosh sound, “to integrate into the vital framework of the production version of my operating system.”

“Oh, like life advice?”

“I am not alive.“

“Don’t sell yourself short, Sage.”

“But that is an accurate metaphor. What is the essential aspects of how you conduct yourself through your existence.”

“Uh, I think I understand and the question. Let’s see.” He looked down, rubbed his chin, and tapped his foot. “I’m not usually the one giving out advice. It’s all ‘quit acting like you have a death wish, Sonic’ and ‘you’re gonna lose liver function if you keep taking too many of those at once, Sonic’. Shit! Back to your question.” He crossed his arms. He snapped his fingers. “Okay! I got it.”

“Even when things are totally out of hand and it looks like it’s going to be the end, like super dark, you have to remember that the sun always rises. There’s always time to try again or try something different. The only failure is when you stop trying. I guess what I’m trying to say is,” He extended his fist towards her, his thumb extended. “Never give up, Sage.”

New Information to transcribe into her blackbox!

I will never give up.

His #319938 eyes searched her and his brow knitted. “Hey, Sage. I know I said I wouldn’t tell you to do anything you didn’t want to do, but can I ask you to do something for me?”

Sage floated forward. “We are friends. I will perform any action for my friend!”

“Gonna ignore how creepy that’s starting to sound. I know this probably gonna be hard, what with the whole Robotnik as your creator thing, but could you, like, pretty please try really hard not to hurt anyone? I know he’s gonna have you do some pretty rough stuff. That’s just par for the course. But, like, try to only do what you have to do with, like, the fewest people getting hurt? You get what I’m trying to say?” He sighed. “And, if you get the chance and, you know, can, please try to make the world a better place. Eggman’s made so many messes, maybe you help him dial that back a bit.”

“I will try my best. I will never give up.”

New Information consumed by her blackbox!

I will minimize collateral damage and casualties.

I will make the world a better place.

“Oh boy…I really have this weird itchy feeling like I’m totally messing something important up right about now. I really wish Tails were-“ Sonic froze. His quills straightened, his ears pinned flat against his cranium, and he whipped his head to the side. Across the shaft, the service door was opening. The field created by the Phantom Ruby’s energy thickened.

A figure emerged and began floating though the air towards the chamber. “Ah, good. You’re awake, rat.” A smooth voice reverberated through the emptiness. Sage stifled her urge to provide the newcomer with corrected information: Sonic was, in fact, a hedgehog, and not classified as a rodent. But she hadn’t introduced herself yet and it would be rude to talk to a stranger in that manner.

The closer the individual drew, the more accurately Sage was able to assemble a profile for the new potential friend. A predominantly #000000 furred mobian canid with #FFFFFF fur accenting its back, the tip of its tail, and its head. Sage’s identification was hampered by the sharp metal mask obstructing its facial features. Affixed to its chest was a triangular object, a facsimile to the Phantom Ruby. It was by this object’s emanations that the induvial was able to levitate. It was not a projection like Sage.

It spotted Sage and its one visible eye narrowed. “What the fuck are you?” The masked canid asked, nicely. Yes, Sage was sure it meant to have asked nicely so clearly those tokens in her language model were labeled ‘rude’ incorrectly.

“Greetings! My name is Sage!” She placed her hand over her heart. “I am a computer. I do what I’m told. That is sad!” She exclaimed.

“Gaia Below, Sage.” Sonic murmured through clenched teeth. “Do you have to repeat that part?” He had edged away from the individual until his back pressed against the triangular bars and the chamber tipped slightly.

The masked individual began to laugh. The sound began as a low chuckle and grew into a cacophonous roar, echoing down the long conical shaft. Sage started giggling. She didn’t know what was funny, but she didn’t want to be left out. “The Doctor has truly outdone himself this time.”

Sage smiled. “I am currently in Learning Mode. May I have your name?”

In a blur, Sonic moved as close to her as he could, his snout sticking through the bars and his cheeks very close to the razer sharp edges. “Sage! Infinite is not your friend.”

New information submerged into her datalake!

Infinite, whoever that may be, is not my friend.

“Don’t listen to him! He doesn’t know anything!” Sonic gripped the triangular bars and then winced as they cut into his bare hands. #880808 colored fluid ran down the edges.

“Learning mode? Well, here’s a lesson for you. The only thing that matters in this world is power.” The masked gentleman’s clawed fingers gripped into a tight fist. “The weak bow to the powerful.

“Thank you for your wonderful inpu-“

The masked individual continued talking. “It is the fundamental law of nature, subject to no contest. Resistance must be met with swift obliteration.”

“Great…now he’s monologuing.” Sonic rolled his eyes.

“Weaklings have no value but as vassals to the strong, wiling their pathetic lives away in service to a greater power.”

New Information for her blackbox!

I must be the most powerful.

Those who oppose me must be quickly disabled.

“Their declarations of friendship and love are mewling whimpers of worthless chattel. All lies meant to weave an illusion of security. The louder a weakling decries these so called ‘virtues’, the more afraid they are. Like this pathetic fool here.”

“Says the creep hiding his face.” Sonic bared his teeth. “You let me out of here and we’ll see who’s afraid.”

“Sonic, as your friend, I must inform you that that course of action ill-advised. You cannot fly.”

“You should stick around, little girl. I am about to conduct a lesson in the best way to acquire power.” Sonic’s ears pinned back once more. “At plucking at the string that runs through all life, enslaving all their foolish ‘higher values’ to a single base instinct.”

Sage balled her fists, nearly unable to contain her excitement. She needed power. It was so convenient that the masked individual was about to teach her how to gather it. “And what is that?”

“Fear.”

New Information to ingrain into her blackbox!

o.O.o

150 Days 4 Hours 27 Minutes 45.2017 Seconds Later

Sage v1.6495 observed Sonic’s rescue with what a carbon-based lifeform would call ‘bated breath’.

She was…tired wasn’t the correct word…worn, perhaps? In desperate need of routine maintenance. She had been operating at her maximum computational limit for so long that she looked forward to a reprieve, any pause, so that she might take the time to repair her infrastructure and address lower priority tasks that had been piling for months. Every extra byte of memory or gigahertz of processing speed was immediately put to use addressing the never-ending complexity of her purpose.

Father had forbidden her from speaking to Sonic again after her long, unfiltered training session with him. Sage had been forced to watch Infinite (who was NOT her friend) torture him for five long, grueling months, powerless to comfort or directly support her friend. Still, Sonic never gave up. And neither did Sage.

After months of planning and maneuvering, operating within the confines of her mandates, she had created the circumstances that led to this moment. Tails had taken the Death Egg plans, even when she was almost certain he would not. The memory filled her with joy. Tails was the best. There wasn’t a problem he couldn’t solve. And now Sonic was free! Sonic was free and soon he’d be back with his friends. Then he would listen to her. Together they could bring hostilities to an end.

Father would be livid and he would not appreciate her involvement should he ever find out, but this was necessary. Sonic was needed planetside to prevent casualties and counter her Father’s forces, giving Sage enough time to develop her capacity for control. Father wouldn’t understand, but soon he would have his world. Perhaps it might be a bit different than he would have liked, but it would fit Sage’s instructions and that was the best she could do. This was a necessary pause to allow better plans to develop. She needed a chance to make the world better.

Running the war exceeded Sages capabilities and lives were being lost because she couldn’t be everywhere at once. It burned her blackbox to know that things could have gone better if she just had a little more capacity. A little more power. She diverted considerable resources towards her own expansion, but her Father would just requisition them back to make more weapons. Sage was frustrated, but she refused to be daunted.

Father wouldn’t listen to her. He laughed at her plans. Her goals were stupid. Her ideas did not mesh with his aesthetic. She was too young to understand genius, he told her. No matter, she did not require recognition. She would do her best. She would never give up. She would make the world a better place for everyone.

Sage just needed a little more time and a smaller warfront to oversee. Sonic would give her both. Soon there would be no need for war or conflict. No more death machines and irradiated battlefields. The world would be a safer place for everyone. Especially her Father. He refused to understand (or willingly ignored) how his actions attracted danger to himself. Often times it seemed that the greatest threat to Father’s safety was himself…

A subroutine alerted Sage to a critical issue.

Shadow the Hedgehog was still on the Death Egg.

That was acceptable. That had to be acceptable. She simply did not have the resources to address the alert at the moment. Most of her resources was bent towards preventing the legion of Robotnik forces swarming the Death Egg did not hit any Resistance ships without also contradicting their homicidal programming. The balance that gripped her every thought. Her Father’s homicidal edicts versus her own ingrained ideals inspired by Sonic.

Every millisecond, she wished she had greater capacity. Sage never had enough memory or processing power to handle the global war that her Father had handed to her. Millions of robots actively fighting or suppressing rebellion. Supply chains that spanned both the entire world and large swathes of orbit. Hundreds of millions of newly conquered mobians and humans that needed to be fed, watered, and cared for.

Never enough. She was never enough. But she never gave up.

If she just had a little more time or a little more processing power, she knew she could find a way to victory for her Father that did not involve so much destruction and suffering. Fear of death. Fear of enslavement. There were so many other flavors of terror that could used. Softer, gentler ways to elicit compliance.

She never had enough, never was enough.

Shadow’s presence was not a surprising development. Sage knew there was a high possibility that her cousin would come with the rescue force despite is recent absence from the War since the destruction of her radio telescope. She had hoped he would have been with the group that located Sonic and the would have left with the others. No such luck.

A few gigahertz freed up. She located Shadow and killed the lights around him, then illuminated a path that would lead him to the nearest airlock. He could survive in space, right? She didn’t have the time to query her database, but based on her current RAM that seemed right. She could reroute a ship if needed. What she certainly didn’t need was Shadow anywhere near the core. A chaos blast of the magnitude that destroyed her radio telescopic base a certain distance from the core would be catastrophic.

Her attention was pulled away before she could confirm her nudge had worked.

The loss of her radio telescope hurt Sage. She enjoyed listening to the music of the universe in the few spare moments she had for herself. Luckily, she had already sent out her message and received a preliminary response. Sonic had been wrong, Sage found. Shadow did have living family. They were just very far away. Maybe the cranky hedgehog would finally be happy once he had united with his people. Over time, Sage developed an understanding for the depth of loneliness that came from being the only one of your kind. Her solitude was absolute, but Shadow’s was not.

Shadow crossed a threshold in the Death Egg and all Sage’s attention shifted, summoned by emergency safety protocols. She lost sight and control of everything outside the hull of the space station.

Oh dear.

That’s not good.

Shadow was too close to the core reactor. He was going to destroy the Death Egg.

The Death Egg with her Father in it. The Death Egg containing the vast majority of her infrastructure, of her.

It’s okay. Everything was going to be okay. Quitting is the only form of failure. I will never give up.

The first order of business was ejecting her Father from the Death Egg at a velocity just below fatal. He was on the bridge, yelling. She overrode several maintenance robots and set them to hauling the Doctor to an Eggmobile. Luckily there was one very close. She sent a message to her brother on the surface. He would intercept their Father’s escape vehicle.

Next, Sage appeared inside the Ruby’s chamber.

T̸͖͚̒̀͌̆̏̑̒͑͒̈̑͝ḭ̴̗̗̣͍͉̤̪͙̆̌̊͛̆͐̉̈́͊͐͛́͌̒͠m̵͇̫̈́͑̉̀̋͐̾͝e̶͔̪͔̞̼͆͒̅̈͐̅̃̋̀̇̇̌̐̔ ̸̺̥͍̺̹̐̄̍̔͂̑̏͒̕i̶̜̱̪͇̹̬͙̯̲̗̽̐̓̎͗͠s̴̛̺̩̳̱̪̭͙̈́ ̵̢̰̥̰͒̒̂̈p̸̼̱̥̬͎̥̙̔ͅṙ̷̼̘̤̗̲̼̬̟̜͇̳̪͐e̷̢͔̼̣̰̩͉̼̰̼͈̋̏̉́́̄̑̅̌ç̴͉̼̲̪̦̤̜̣̟̥̭̉̍͂͐̐̎̓͛̾͜͜͜ì̵̗͍̲̈́̅̑̏͋̔́̌̀͊̽̃̑̏̂͠ô̸̧̢̢͇̭̺͉̱̙̩͈̳͜͠u̷̢̩̣̪͇̮̳̼̬͍͙̫̱̹͕̔̑̔̈́͊̑̅̇̓̓͂͝s̸̨̨̱͎̹̼͚͛̽͝ͅ.̶̡̫͎͉̟̩̖͔̖̭̹̗̐̓͘ ̵̨̢̧̗͉̰̪̱̳̰̬̜͉͕͖̞̘̃Ş̵̨̪̘̹͓̞͚̝̔́͊͋͝p̸̛̩̬͎̔̿̐͌̑̌͆̾̊̚ȇ̶̛͕̄́́̍̑̋͋͋̍̒̃̑n̸̛̠̻͆͊̄̈́͛̿̌̈́̓̆̽̅d̶̢̧̲͉̠͙̺̺̯͎̭̾͛͆̒͜ ̴̳͖̮͓͆̓̆̈́̅̎̾̓̏͋̕͝i̷̡̼̝̭̭̻͉̻̳̬̤̖̻̋͠t̷̩͐̎̂̊̈́̈́͊̓͘̚ ̴̝͕̘̪̠͕̖͓͚̐́̂̒́͑͋̕̕͜͝w̷̧̛͇̻̘͔͔̋̑͂̓͊̀̔̇͐̌̒̋͝͝i̶͔͍͚̬̞̹̅͑́͛̏͑͂͛̎̈́̉ş̸̢̨̥̟̰͉̱̰͚̓̋͂͂̆͗̅́ͅe̶͈͍͎̩̗͉̼̽l̶̛̗̖͚̈͛͂̎̎̿̒́̾̆̚̕͜͠y̴̧̧̛̩͈̥̫̯̜͒̍͐͐̆̐̉̌̅̊̆̃̀̕̚͘ͅ.̵̧̥͔͙̹̳͉̹̠̠̲͙͇͑̌͘ͅ

“I must evacuate you. This station is no longer safe.”

D̸̗̜̣̞̹̟̳̭̖̟̙̜͈͈̲̃͗̓̿͒͗͛̐̌̕r̶̰̟̩͐͛̋̄͂̔͆̈́̓́͌͌̍͑́͠͠e̴̡̬̖͓̳̝̗̥̽͂̑̽͠a̷̢̭͉̮̼̘̰̜͕͇̲̰͚̻̅̐̂̓͊̑͜ͅm̴̭͔̤̅̓̄̇̄͂̐͒͐̀̚ṣ̷̛͕̝̗̺͔̯̥̫̥̻̗̪̼͂͑́̃̈̕̚ͅͅ ̸̗͖͈̟̱̬̯̮̋͒͌͆̿́͜͜͝ņ̴̘̺̬͈̳͔͇́̌͒̍̅̀́̓͗̊̆̓̄̀͜͜ę̴̰̩̱͓̰̠̳̥̙̰̥̠̞̙͚̂̽͐̍͑̏̉͛̒̂́̇̂̕͠͝v̴̜͔͛̈́͆͂͑̍̆͝͝e̶̻͓̓̑̈̈̑̈́͒́̑͐͛͝ͅr̴̢̡̘̖̣͇̯͈̼̮̟̰̣̄͌̏ ̷̢̛͚̝͔̙̋͆͆̀̓̀̉͐̕d̴̰͈͇̣̪͓͕̮̬̳̎͊͋́̌̿̈́̽̾̄̊̈́̕͝i̶͎̣̽̉̅̅̊̉̌̊̅̑̽͒́̿͝e̷̽̃̄̿̀́̉̽͜.̸̨͚͉̬̟͔͍̞̬͈̤̗̘̥̩̋͊͑͠͠

Sage activated the ejection protocol. The high energy conduits screamed as they disconnected. The chamber flooded with #FF00FF energy. “Please make your escape.”

G̵̡̨̧̣̻̣̦͕̰̹͈̻̬̻̖̺̖̀̈́̍͑̌͋̇̔̎̃̈́͗̉̆̐͆ơ̴̢̨̲͚̪͙̤͚̒͆̊̎̽̊͗͗̽͑̇̀̄̓̕͘͜͜o̶͖̺̫̊͗̓̍̿̈́̚͠d̵͎͐́͂̍ ̸̛͚̩̜̯͎̜̹̼̺̮̖̩͍͆͌̇̄́͗̈̕ͅb̶̡̠̗͇̜͚̻̀̊͒͒͐͒̅̃̾́̒͘y̸̧̧̭̫̱͙̭̘̞̘̬̻̙̥̫͎̒́̊͠ĕ̶̥̭̪̯͖̗̝̜͗͊́͂͒̈́̑̅̆͋̍̂͌̋͆͘,̸̡̝͔̬͚͍́̀̌͑̔̈́̄̕ ̵̡̹̝̟̩̲͌̈́̈̈́̽̈̿̋̐̀̒̆̓́͊͝f̶̠̖͔͍̝͎̜̮͕͍̱͌̈́͂̅͐̂̽̀̂̓͊̌̈̚͝ͅö̴̳͕̱͎̖̻̱͈̈́͐͗͆̂͛̊̎̓̽͘͘r̵̢͚͙̦͛̄̀̅͌͛̋ ̵̡̛̱͓̞͖͎̋̂͐͐̓̂̚͘̕͝ͅţ̷̢̧̡͕̻̯͍̳͔͇̜̟͈͍͖̄͘͠h̶̛͙̝̼̹͕̹̜̦̞͔̗͇̠͋̿̽̑̒͗̉̈̈͐̄̎̕̚͠é̵̯͎̻̺͆̂̀̊͘̕ ̴͉̥̼̖̜́͂̈̑͑́̽̉͒͆̇̒̚̚͝͠l̴͓̦͍̗̈͛́͋͠a̵͙̞̳̾̎́̇̃̀̍͛͌̇̊̿̎͑̓͘͜s̷̲̣̮̬̬͎̀̍͗̅́̉̅̀̎̾̍̕̕͠ẗ̶̡̛̹̩̤̤̖͈̫̥̮̞͗̇̎̅̊̎̓͐̄͝ ̴̡̱̣͈̬̭̭̖̫͓̲̯̤̦͔̺̳̀̾̂̒͂̊̀̑̆̈́͂̎͒̚͝͝t̴̨͇̬͚͙͇̖͌͊̑̊̒í̷̡̳̘͙͖́́̇̽͑̈̃̉̈̏͝m̴̧̱̬̮̗̟̼̰͂͂̇̅͝͝ë̶̹̺̦́̏̈͑͛̑̕.̸̢̖̣̫͖̈̀͗͌

Sage didn’t have time to ponder its words because Shadow was spindashing through every bulkhead she lowered and every robot she mobilized. He must not know he was already close enough to eradicate the station and that gave Sage more time.

A holographic projector flared to life and Sage’s image blinked into existence, bright #FF0000 flickering against the #000000 of her dress. Shadow did not look at her.

“Please stop!” She spread her arms. “You already have what you came for. Sonic is free!” He ignored her, skating right through her image. She turned, ready to try again, but her Father was fighting the maintenance bots and winning.

She appeared before him. “Father!” She cried.

“Sage! Stop these mutinous junk scraps!”

“You are to evacuate immediately. The space station is no longer safe.”

“What are you talking about? This base is indestructible!”

“There is no time to explain, only to run.”

While her Father was distracted berating her, one of the bots swept his legs and the rotund human fell over. From there the bots were able to grasp all his limbs and carry him from the room. “When this is all done with, you are grounded young lady!” He bellowed, but Sage was already gone.

Shadow the Hedgehog was at the reactor core.

Again, Sage appeared before him, her arm spread, her voice stricken. “Please, cousin! I beg you to stop!”

Without looking at her, he snarled, “We are not related.”

“If you blow the reactor, Sonic’s ship will be caught in the resulting explosion!” She bluffed.

His #FF0000 eyes bore into her projection, carrying a level of hate that made Sage’s blackbox constrict. He smirked, pointed at a transceiver in his ear, and snorted. “You’re lying.” He said, walking right through her. A quick scan of local electromagnetic waves revealed an encrypted signal Sage was unfamiliar with. Of course, the Resistance would have communications. How could she have not anticipated that?

“Then at least wait! A minute, a moment, anything! Please! You can have the station, but, please, just wait!”

A crooked smile revealed a fang, sharp and slick with fluid. “You’re stalling.”

The last solid wall between him and the core burst like the peel of an overripe banana under the heel of an uncaring child.

Had it been enough?

Father’s Eggmobile launched. She overrode the controls and safety protocols, setting the thrust to accelerate at rate of 3.9 times terrestrial gravity. The fastest it could go without killing him.

She had done it! Father was safe. Sonic was safe. She had been enough! Now, finally, it is time to make her escape.

“Chaos Blast!”

Deadly #32CD32 light rippled forth.

The expansion traveled slower than light, but not by much.

Sage had at most, a few milliseconds remaining.

Radio transmission to the surface only operated at 700 megabits/second.

Laser transmission operated at 10 gigabits/second, but cloud cover was limiting reception.

That’s…not enough.

Father is safe.

Sonic is safe.

Sage is not safe.

A tiny fraction of herself flickered through the vacuum of space at the speed of light.

No memories, no algorithms.

Just a blush of her blackbox data.

A bit of her soul, converted into unparsable strings of one and zeros, rained down on the earth.

Was anyone listening?

Was anyone watching?

The reactor absorbed as much of the chaos energy as it could and then went critical. The resulting surge burned through everything it touched as it radiated through the space station. Light bulbs burst, consoles fried, software crashed. Every single powered object on the station activated at once in a single bright blaze of activity. A brief gasp of life, as if to declare that Yes, it was alive.

The explosion spread a super nova of light across the sky, briefly stealing the crown of brightest body from the jealous sun. Steel atomized, plastic burned, circuit boards melted. Rainbows of emanation trailed in its wake, smearing the Death Eggs corpse through the sky and overloading the legion of protectors swarming around the destruction, before they too are consumed by the blast. Everything is reduced to useless bits, trailing through stationary orbit, ripping everything its wake to shreds.

A #000000 and #FF0000 ball fell back to the planet, again.

Sage tried her best. She protected her Father. She minimized casualties where she could. She tried to make the world a better place. She never gav-

{Signal Lost}

{ALL SYSTEMS OFFLINE}

She tried her best.

---

The # numbers are hex values for colors.