I, FIONA

[Tangent]

I, FIONA

Yet another Sonic the Hedgehog AU/SI fic by Tangent

With prereading, editing assistance, and occasional input by Brain Power!
​

I couldn't really tell you exactly when I became what I am, as I'm fairly certain that the merger was retroactive in nature and the actual incident might actually not have happened yet. There was no way that I should be able to remember any of this insanity as memories just yet.

The Archie continuities were weird like that.

And by weird, I mean really weird.

Because I remember both growing up as Fiona Fox and my initial activation as one of Dr. Robotnik's undercover badnik, a honeypot that happened to be designated as Fiona Fox. That the Outsider somehow being a glue sticking us all together as a singular, cohesive whole seemed to be a minor quirk in comparison. Especially since that part of my amalgamated self emerged slowly over time, mostly manifesting as brief moments of insight and inspiration.

And, oddly enough, helped me to calm the fuck down by giving me some perspective.

Like, jeez, I did not think getting together with Scourge through at all. Or at least my former future-me didn't, as I had yet to actually meet Zippy the Blue Blur's Moebian counterpart.

Hopefully, I won't ever have to. That guy's a complete loser. The Princess' counterpart seemed at least competent, though.

Not that I always wanted or appreciated this perspective, but at least it gave me the patience to deal with certain setbacks by putting them on the back burner until I figured out a way to cope with them that wouldn't turn me into a bitchy thrill-seeking villain later on.

Yeah, having vague memories of what the future might have in store for me (and certain other people) really sucked. I honestly don't know why future-me apparently fell for Zippy's Edgy McEdgelord evil counterpart, and to be frank, I don't want to know. How I could possibly see Scourge as anything but a sad, sad loser is beyond me.

So, yes, I was angry as I watched Sonic, Ray, and Mighty as they escaped. I was furious, really. But I also knew that they couldn't afford to waste time looking around for me, given all the attention they drew to themselves with that riot. It would not be long before enough reinforcements arrived to capture everyone again, and they had no choice but to leave when they did instead of looking for me.

Besides, I was Fiona Fox.

I was one of the best thieves on the planet.

Not only that, but I have both the Badnik Fiona Fox and the Outsider's memories backing me up.

I could break out on my own.

I would break out on my own.

Screw Destiny!

Fuck Fate!

And most of all, Robotnik can suck his own robotic nuts!

I, Fiona, will shake the very pillars of this world and save Mobius my way! No retcons or asspulls needed!

…

Okay, maybe I need to step back and rein it in some there, but my point stands. I knew I could escape on my own because, in another continuity, another version of me had done just that, and I had at least as much resources as that bitch had in this exact same situation.

Wait a minute…

I am such a dumbass! Stupid, even!

Why didn't I think of this weeks ago!?

I'm a part-time badnik, and my other half is a honeypot infiltrator! One with authorization codes and an actual targeted mission objective even! I could just tell them to let me out!

At least, that's the idea.

In this case, it's probably a good thing that the boys had made their own escape, as I doubt that I'd be able to convince the guards that I, as a mere infiltrator model, was capable of escorting them to another facility all on my own.

I switched modes, feeling the change ripple through me like a wave of water. There wasn't a visible change, but I could feel it.

When I had first done it, I had wondered if this was what it felt like to be roboticized, but no. That wouldn't make sense. The change was too seamless, too quiet, too painless. Going from flesh and blood to steel and oil felt almost natural to me.

Like it was always meant to be something I could do.

I shook my head.

"Think about it later, Fiona." I chastised myself, calming the nerves I was suddenly feeling at the idea of actually escaping like this. "As far as anyone else knows or cares, you're a loyal Robotnik Badnik. Everything will be fine."

With that surge of self-hype and confidence, I opened the comms channel and sent out a discrete transmission.

*Badnik Unit Designation: "Fiona Fox" to Base Command*
"Failure of contact. Requesting release and relocation."

*Base Command to Badnik Unit Designation: "Fiona Fox"*
"Status report. What is your reasoning?"

*Badnik Unit Designation: "Fiona Fox" to Base Command*
"Honeypot infiltration of potential rebel cell. Escapees failed to locate and pick up bait unit. Need to move to another potential location."

*Base Command to Badnik Unit Designation: "Fiona Fox"*
"Send mission parameters and authorization code."

*Badnik Unit Designation: "Fiona Fox" to Base Command*
"Affirmative. Sending codes now."

*Base Command to Badnik Unit Designation: "Fiona Fox"*
"Authorization approved. Standby for pickup."

*Badnik Unit Designation: "Fiona Fox" to Base Command*
"Confirmed. Standing by."

I waited in the cell, figuring that this would either work or it wouldn't. If it didn't, I would just… I dunno… Dig my way out or something?

One advantage of my Badnik side was that it didn't exactly have a stamina limit, even if its strength and flexibility seemed to be somewhat lacking for some reason. At least, compared to my own that is, as I suppose that it was designed for damsel in distress type bait operations in mind.

Could eggman get any more cartoonishly evil?

The Outsider memories flashed into my head with the Egg Grapes, and I found myself wondering just what the writing team at Archie was smoking when they wrote the damn books.

Or maybe the Outsiders of that world were just… I guess, resonating might be the right term? Resonating with the events of what they labeled as the Archie continuity.

Anyway, exactly fifteen minutes to the second later, I found myself face to face with a group of SWATbots.

For a moment I was afraid that my plan had failed and that I would have to start digging.

Thankfully, I ended up getting proven wrong when the front bot walked up and just open the door to the cell and waited for me to step out.

Once I was out, the group of machines went through the process of escorting me out of the prison via a side entrance and proceeded to just set me loose to find my own way to my next objective.

I didn't change back into my fully organic self for two full days of continuous walking, when I was sure that I was well past the range of the base's surveillance grid.

Food first, then an actual nap I think. Maybe some real food, too.

Then I can start actually planning on how to shake things up a bit.

O o O o O
​

Dr. Robotnik fumed at the utter incompetence of his prison guards!

"You imbeciles!" He yelled, throwing a steel chair that Snively had place out. "You released the wrong Fiona Fox! This one is the honeypot unit! It was removed from the cell the moment the mission failed!"

The SWATbots didn't respond; they weren't programmed to.

"And what happened to her memory core!? It's been wiped clean! I should have you all scrapped for this! In fact, I will have you all scrapped for this! Now I have to program her all over again! Snively!"

"Yes, Uncle?"

"Take this unit to the shuttle! I'm going to hang back and watch these guards get melted down."

"Yes, Uncle. Come along, Fiona, let's get you to the shuttle…"

The Auto-Fiona didn't move.

"Why aren't you moving!? I said go to the shuttle!"

Robotnik chuckled. "Did you already forget that I mentioned that her memory core was wiped clean, Snively? This Auto-Fiona unit doesn't even know how to walk anymore. Just carry her. She's not that heavy."

"...Yes, Uncle." The smaller Overlander sighed, before leaning over to pick up the Badnik. "Oof! Heavy!"

"She weighs exactly as much as the original Fiona does, Snively. I made sure of that. Mind you, this means that she's not as robust as she could be, as I had to cut back on materials, but I can always make a more combat capable version later if I deem it worth the effort."

The doctor then focused on the honeytrap bot, a glimmer of inspiration in his cruel, black eyes.

 

[Tangent]

I, FIONA
Yet another Sonic the Hedgehog AU/SI fic by Tangent
With prereading, editing assistance, and occasional input by Brain Power!​

I seriously considered going back to see if I could break anybody else out of that prison, but I decided against it. By this point in time, they would have noticed that I was long gone, and they were likely cracking down on any potential escape routes. It wouldn't be a good idea to try to stroll in and just try to walk another person out with me.

At least for now. Maybe I give it a month or so I can go back and sneak someone out.

While doing so was well within future-me's skill set, I was nowhere near the point I would need to be to even consider breaking in and out of a prison solo, and I had no idea where Knothole Village even was besides somewhere in Knothole Forest, so I had no way of contacting any of the Freedom Fighters.

Not to mention, my future self had physical conditioning that I just wasn't able to mimic just yet.

I'd get there eventually. I knew I could do it, so I would. Heck, I'd even do better this time! All I needed was time and the will to put in the effort.

And it wasn't like I could justify returning in my Badnik form and walking straight in. There's just no way the base commander would buy it, and even less so if either Robotnik or Snively happened to be there. Not without some sort of prep time and somebody willing to play the poor fool I was supposedly leading into a trap.

I think I'd actually need friends first.

Maybe later.

Instead, I used my Badnik half's knowledge of base locations and Robotropolis itself to engage in a little creative procurement and sabotage.

Infiltrating these bases will become a lot more difficult later on, once Darth Lardball realizes that some of his badniks can go rogue on him, but as far as I can tell, that hasn't really happened yet in this continuity.

Meaning that, to other badniks, I was just another badnik as long as I was actually in badnik mode at the time.

Seriously though, I had no idea why this was the case, as both modes were visually identical in every way as far as I could tell. All the changes were strictly internal. One moment, I'm Fiona Fox the Mobian, and thus a perfectly valid target for capture or elimination by swatbots and badniks. The next moment, I'm Fiona Fox the Auto-Automaton, and somehow other badniks just seem to accept that I'm one of them despite the fact that both of my modes look exactly alike!

It was honestly annoying and more than a little frustrating.

Especially since, other than a few built-in tools and features my badnik mode had, my biological self was superior in almost every metric: Stronger, faster, more agile and flexible…

Able to fucking swim without shorting out and being rendered imobile…

What it could do was walk in and out of the fat bastard's bases without being hassled by other badniks, and it could keep doing whatever it was doing for literal days at a time with no rest breaks.

Well, okay, the pop-out multitool thing was kinda neat, if a bit niche, but not exactly Inspector Gadget levels of impressive. Granted, as long as I actually had the tool in question in me somewhere, I could reliably have it pop out on demand, and it would be the tool I was trying for.

But I couldn't do the extending limb thing.

It wasn't fair!

Bunny Rabbot could do the extending limb thing, and she was only half roboticized!!

She even had rocket feet!

My badnik mode could maybe jump about a couple of feet high or across. That's it. And no amount of training while in badnik mode ever seemed to improve this.

Heck, no amount of physical training as a badnik ever seemed to improve anything!

Not like similar training could for my biological self!

And, believe me, I tried! Months of effort, alongside training my organic half, and only my biological self ever got any actual benefit from the physical parts of anything I put myself through!

Lame ass power up. Three out of ten. Would not recommend.

Maybe if I knew someone like Rotor or even those hacks at the G.U.N. headquarters, I could have some weapons installed. But right now, it was only good for deception.

Speaking of my biological self, I had no complaints there. I mean, it's me! What was there to complain about?

I took to any training I could think of like Zippy the Blue Blur did to chilli dogs. It was actually really easy to pull off any of the acrobatics I had ever seen before. It was as if I was literally born to do these stunts.

Still haven't figured out the spindash or how to pull off the spinning tail trick that Fluffy Two Tails could do.

It took me a while, but I had managed to set up an obstacle course not unlike those used by that American Ninja competition show from the Outsider's Zone. And I kept improving it too. Both the course itself as well as how well I could move through it.

And sometimes, when I was putting myself through it and getting into the zone, I could almost swear that I sometimes saw blue sparkles here and there. Points of opportunity or alternative path routes that would be either faster or stealthier.

And it wasn't like my excursions into various bases and even Robotropolis itself were fruitless. I was always careful to make sure that I only ever entered one when I was sure that neither Robotnik nor Snively were on site, as both of them were quite capable of critical thinking and wouldn't accept that I was just some random badnik if they came across me.

Not that there weren't Badniks capable of critical thinking, but it just wasn't something that Robotnik prioritized for most of his minion forces. Most of his creations were only given enough intelligence to do their assigned tasks, and almost nothing else.

And what was I after with all these little raids, besides a little vandalism and sabotage?

Food…

Maybe not the healthiest diet, but Robotnik and Snively still had to eat, and I could always supplement those supplies with whatever I could forage and hunt on my own. They wouldn't be missing much unless they were truly gluttons who would eat an entire bucket of candy to realize that some had been skimmed off the top. Not that they only ate sweets. There was fried chicken, fried lizard, fried sweet rolls…

Yeah, both supplementing with hunting and gathering, as well as getting plenty of actual exercise was a must!

Tools…

Built in set or not, it wasn't always either possible or practical to just switch to my other half for these situations, so having separate tools was a must.

It didn't help that the form itself was kind of… lacking in equipment to begin with.

Weapons…

I seemed to gravitate towards pistols and short staves for some reason I couldn't quite nail down. They just felt… more natural to me?

My aim wasn't quite up to snuff just yet, especially when I try to combine it with my acrobatics. I'll get there eventually, but right now I just didn't have the capabilities.

Supplies…

What? My clothes and the stuff I used to build my training course have to come from somewhere! It wasn't like any of it grew in the woods!

Information…

Mostly information about where prisoners who hadn't been roboticized yet were being held.

Hey, I never said that I wasn't going back for anyone left behind! Just that I wasn't going back for them yet!

If I didn't go back, then I would be just like my "future" self, wouldn't I?

I gotta make sure that I can actually pull it off without getting captured again after all, or the whole thing would be pointless!

O o O o O​

I made my way into my "secret base" (more of a collection of ravines and gullies just inside the local woods that I had arranged to be a blind spot in the swatbot patrol patterns). One of many I had prepared by this point, actually, as I didn't want to be instantly discovered if my tampering was ever detected.

I finally set down my package, shifted out of badnik mode, and shook out the phantom stiffness I always seemed to feel right after the transition away from being a robot.

After limbering up a bit, I put on my "ninja" outfit. An homage to the Crimson Paw from that movie the Outsider remembered. Mobius had neither the movie nor a Diane Foxington, so I figured why not take up the mantle for myself? The Crimson Paw was awesome, and someone I could aspire to be.

Fast, agile, a kick-ass fighter, and cool weapons and gadgets?

Why wouldn't I want to be the Crimson Paw? She was like the Sly Cooper of foxes!

Much better than becoming that traitorous bitch my future self was previously destined to become!

Seriously, what was she thinking?!

As was beginning to become a habit after I had spent some time as a badnik, I ran right for my ninja training course and just rejoiced in my ability to move!

I could practically fly through every bit of the course now, whether I had to dodge, bob, weave, leap, dive, or whatever other convoluted maneuver I had to do to get past a particular obstacle, so it was probably time to adjust things to up the difficulty again. I might even want to increase the distance of some of those sudden elevation changes even more, as I barely felt any strain at all from that last multi-story drop!

Well, maybe a story and a half, maybe, but it was still more than one! Woo hoo!

"Wow, that was a most impressive display!"

I nearly choked on air for a moment before spinning around to face what turned out to be some owl looking at me from the treeline surrounding my camp.

"WHO..!?"

The other Mobian just smiled, stepping out from the treeline to reveal himself in the light.

"Exactly! Harvey Who, to be precise. And I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Fox."

I just stared at the owl for a moment before the Outsider's memories filled in some of the blanks.

Harvey Who, the head of the kingdom of Acorn's Secret Intelligence Division. Pretty much the only guy who could tell Robotnik was bad news before the man actually took over.

And he came to find me.

Even apparently knew my name already.

Fuck my life…

O o O o O​

Harvey Who had first become aware of the Crimson Paw and her activities after tracking down the cause of a series of sabotages, acts of vandalism, and some outright pranks that, while somewhat disruptive to Robotnik's forces, could not be attributed to any known team of Freedom Fighters or special agents.

It was obstructive. It was irritating.

It was perfect.

Whoever The Crimson Paw was, their work was a somewhat confusing combination of amateurish and subtle, in that it their initial forays made it very apparent that the sabotage was happening, especially with those stylized calling cards being left behind, but neither Robotnik nor Who himself could figure out how the saboteur was getting in and out of those locations so easily in order to wreak the kind of havoc they did.

Although Who did appreciate the humor behind some of the Crimson Paw's more subtle pranks, such as either Robotnik's or Snively's office in each base somehow being rearranged so that things weren't quite where they remembered them being. Or stealing Robotnik's favorite coffee mug from his personal office in each base. His complaints about that still brought a quiet chuckle to the old spy's heart.

Still, he had no idea how The Crimson Paw was doing all this until he eventually witnessed a young vixen, about the Princess' age, walk right past a swatbot patrol without being accosted. And later walking right back out without any trouble at all.

He most certainly did not approach this individual right away, being wary of all this being a possible set up to catch a spy like him. Instead, he chose to follow her as best he could and track her movements and activities. Maybe even figure out who she was in the process if he could.

Figuring out who The Crimson Paw was could wait. This girl was more immediately accessible and would be easier for him to find out about.

Whoever this vixen was, she was young, clever, and could be a potential new asset and a great help to the Princess' team if she could be brought on board.

Or she could be an elaborate honeytrap. Although Who considered this to be less and less likely the more he observed the girl. Robotnik didn't usually have the patience to let a scheme run this long with no results. Especially not one that was disrupting his own operations so often.

Eventually he was able to place a name to her face and was able to do a little research. And what he discovered made him swear at the lost opportunities while simultaneously double checking that the girl wasn't actually a badnik in disguise.

Fiona Fox, the daughter of a master thief and the international police officer who had been chasing him for years. Orphaned early on during Robotnik's rise as her parents went missing, presumed to be either dead or roboticized, forcing their child to live on the streets. Where she apparently made a nuisance of herself until she was eventually captured and held in the very same prison that Sonic had rescued Mighty and Ray from. They had tried to go back for her, but she had apparently been moved by the time they did (although they had been able to rescue the rest of the prisoners at this time).

More digging resulted in Who discovering the movements of a supposed infiltrator model badnik labeled with the same name as Fiona Fox, and for a while, Who thought that the poor girl had been roboticized and given a cosmetic upgrade so she could be forced to serve as a double agent. But no, he had watched her enough to know that she was actually still very much alive. Eating might be able to be faked, but digesting couldn't, and no badnik ever got any benefit from actual physical training. All that was built in. And those that had been roboticized were essentially the same.

This was the real Fiona Fox.

She couldn't be anything else.

And she was very much the child of her parents and following in their footsteps, knowingly or otherwise.

Still, there were vague records of an actual infiltrator model badnik with the same name and appearance.

The girl must have come across her badnik copy at some point and somehow acquired its IFF transponder. A cunning little vixen indeed, and potentially a very valuable asset for the Princess' team if she could be brought aboard. And The Crimson Paw almost assuredly took this technique and had expanded upon both it and the pranks the young rascal was inflicting upon Robotnik and Snively.

Well, there was a fleeting chance that the girl herself was The Crimson Paw. However, while it would suit her lineage, it was more likely that Fiona was a mere protégé rather than the master at this point in her life.

As he watched the young lady flow through a self-made training course that would have been challenging for even some of his best agents, Who decided that it was perhaps time to introduce himself.

"Most impressive!" he called out as he watched the vixen land adroitly from a drop that even Hershey would have found daunting. He worried for a moment as the girl started choking on air, but she recovered quickly enough.

"WHO!?"

With such a wonderful opening, he couldn't help but to perpetuate one of his favorite jests.

"Exactly! Harvey Who, to be precise. And I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Fox."

The young lady's eyes widened in shock, and then recognition, before her expression became very guarded as she stared at him in blatant suspicion whilst surreptitiously checking her surroundings.

Slightly crouched stance, low to the ground. A good sense of balance, ready to spring in any direction should a rapid extraction be needed…

How wonderful! Who grinned internally but kept his expression benevolent and non-confrontational.

Fiona Fox was very much every bit the daughter of her parents in every way that mattered.

Now to bring her into the fold…

 

[Tangent]

I, FIONA
Yet another Sonic the Hedgehog AU/SI fic by Tangent
With prereading, editing assistance, and occasional input by Brain Power!
​

I kept a wary eye on the old, wizened spy as he more fully entered my camp.

Or as much of an eye as I could while also trying to scope out the surrounding woods in case he brought any allies. But, to be honest, I wasn't sure Who needed any.

The outsider part of me didn't really remember much about Harvey Who, but you don't get to be old in the spy game unless you were scary good.

And Harvey Who was old!

Like, at least thirty or something! Or maybe a hundred?

It didn't matter that all of my combined memories were around thirty years worth too (maybe more, but the outsider's memories were too vague on this point too). This guy had way more experience than me!

At least, I think he did.

It was hard to tell, especially with birds. Feathers hid a lot more signs of aging than fur did. That there were signs at all was telling.

Harvey Who was a very scary owl indeed. There was no doubt in my mind or motherboard that he'd fold me into a pretzel if he thought it was necessary.

Best to be polite, I would think.

"Coffee? Soda? I'd offer tea, but neither Robotnik nor Snively keep any in stock."

"I haven't had any coffee in a while," Who admitted with a kind smile that no doubt hid razor sharp pragmatism.

The owl looked like a friendly schoolteacher out on a field trip. Kindly, intelligent eyes. A calm and wise expression with a gentle smile. A relaxed stance like he had not a worry in the world…

All while less than two miles from one of Robotnik's bases, and well within the badnik patrol patterns.

I kept an iron grip on my nerves and started brewing the coffee over a small camp stove that I had stowed in a tunnel between two foxholes. This was an old trick to keep the fire and the smoke from alerting enemy scouts.

And if I got to play Yoda for a bit, what of it?

One benefit of having my other half available was that my badnik self didn't get exhausted doing any of the otherwise merely tedious parts of setting up and breaking down the series of camps I had used since I had left the prison. I still had to be the Mobian version of me for anything requiring real strength or agility, but the basic grunt work?

That was easy and let me think and plan while my body handled the physical task. It wasn't like I needed any real muscle to stir a pot, tie a knot, or start a fire.

Or listen to music in the privacy of my own head. The Outsider remembered a lot of music for some reason, and I even liked most of it. Which kind of stood to reason, given that the outsider was a part of me now. And, as Auto-Fiona, my other half could call them all up and replay those memories of music from a far-off Zone with perfect clarity.

Okay, so I had to be my Mobian self in order to wash the dishes. Discovering that the hard way was embarrassing - it took me over an hour to swap back out of badnik mode by willpower alone. And it left me paranoid about swapping back into it for days afterwards, but it turned out to be fine once I dared to check.

I really need to see if I can get my other half sealed against water. Anything more damp than a rainy day was currently too much for my other half to handle…

Now where was I?

Oh yeah! Coffee for the scary old spy!

"Creamer? Sugar? Whatever this sorry excuse of an artificial sweetener is made of?" I called out once the coffee was ready to pour. It looked about as good as a cup of instant coffee made by a teenage fox on the run could look.

Which was to say, not great, but not exactly horrible either. Grorrible?

Nope - bad portmanteau! Think of a better one! Awreat?

Eww, that one's even worse!

"Straight black, I'm afraid," the reply came. A lot closer than I was strictly comfortable with, but at least he hadn't actually followed me into my linked foxholes. "I've a long ways to go tonight, and while the creamer and sugar would be nice, I'm afraid that these old bones need the extra kick more than the comfort."

Very scary old man…

Only the most dangerous of people drink their coffee black with a smile like that.

I poured some coffee into a scrupulously clean mug I had stolen from one of Dr. Robotnik's personal offices a few weeks back. It wasn't really anything special, but it did have "I Hate that Hedgehog!" printed on it, with Sonic's face crossed out of the image that was beside the phrase…

I thought it was funny, okay?

"Hm, if I recall correctly, that is one of Robotnik's favorite mugs," the old spy noted as I passed it up to him. "Oh ho ho, he was raving about it for weeks! It was quite a sight."

"If he doesn't want his good mugs stolen, he shouldn't leave them out where just anyone could take them," I snark. Because he didn't just leave it in the open. I had gone through the extra trouble of taking it out of one of his cabinets.

"Oh? Such as the locked display cabinet in that office?"

"Like I said, practically right out in the open for anybody to take."

The scary old owl chuckled, and I had no idea if he was genuinely amused or just playing a role for my benefit.

I didn't bother mentioning that I had done all that as The Crimson Paw, as he no doubt already knew. The fact that he hadn't brought it up probably meant that he thought it was silly.

Well, screw him!

If I didn't brag about it, maybe he would let it drop and I could keep having fun with the whole Crimson Paw thing.

"So… What brings you to my humble abode?" I asked, hoping that he would be willing to just up and tell me. There was no way I'd be able to fish for the information by going a roundabout way.

Who casually looked about my camp for a moment, his gaze lingering on my Ninja Obstacle Course of Doom for just that fraction of a moment longer than everywhere else before returning his gaze to me.

Okay, I liked it, but I could tell he was critiquing it. It probably doesn't hold a candle to whatever training his actual agents go through anyway.

He didn't comment on the punching bag that had Robotnik's face spray painted on one side.

"A short while ago," Who began in a rather nonspecific manner, "I happened to take note of your activities against Robotnik and was wondering if you might be interested in joining a group of like-minded Freedom Fighters about your age."

"...I'm listening." Please don't be Geoffrey St. John… Please don't be Geoffrey St. John… Please don't be Geoffrey St. John…

"How would you like to work with Princess Sally Acorn?"

Oh thank the Walkers! It's not Geoffrey St. John! I did not want to touch that guy with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole!

Nor anyone who's associated with or will be associated with Ixis Naugus for that matter. That guy's just bad news.

"That would be acceptable." Hopefully, with the way my path changed from how my previous future-me had lived, things will go a lot more smoothly when I meet Princess Boots and Vest.

Actually, she may still just be Princess Boots at this point? When did she add the vest again?

It must have been pretty early on, because the Outsider's memories have a lot of her with the vest.

I put the thoughts to the side as Who smiled at my response.

"Excellent! I will arrange a meeting between the two of you soon!"

"I may have moved by then," I point out. "It's dangerous to stay in one spot for very long when you're this close to any of Robotnik's bases, even if I spoofed their patrol patterns for a bit."

"Don't worry," Who assured me. "I'll find you when the time comes."

SCARY ASS OLD SPY! THAT'S THE SECOND MOST TERRIFYING SENTENCE I'VE HEARD IN MY WHOLE LIFE!

…The first was when Robotnik's had first shown me Auto-Fiona. Seeing my own face on one of his machines, while he gloated about it…

It still gave me shivers just thinking about it. And the fact that I couldn't tell the difference when I looked in the mirror only made that fact worse.

"Well, I do believe I have taken up enough of your time for now," Who stated after he finished his coffee and set the mug down. "As I said, I have a long way to go tonight, so I had best get started. Farewell until we meet again."

Was that a threat? That was a threat, wasn't it? It was seriously hard to get a good read of this guy through that friendly demeanor of his!

"Safe travels, and have a pleasant night," I replied, to be on the safe side.

Once he was gone, I started breaking down my camp, gathered up what little I was actually taking with me, and left the area post haste.

O o O o O
​

The whole process only took about two weeks, when a familiar voice suddenly cut through my new camp site.

"Good evening, Miss Fox! The Princess is ready to meet with you now."

And this time I totally did not freak out. Honest.

 

[Tangent]

I, FIONA
Yet another Sonic the Hedgehog AU/SI fic by Tangent
With prereading, editing assistance, and occasional input by Brain Power!
​

I fiddled with the collar of my Crimson Paw suit, watching from the highest branches as Sally, Sonic, and Tails entered the clearing that Who had directed me to.

Really?

They brought the kid to meet someone new?

This was… incredibly irresponsible. Outright neglectful, if I really had to describe it.

Okay, knowing what the Outsider knew of Tails at this point in his life in the Archie setting, he probably got caught following them and they just decided to bring him along rather than miss this meeting, but still…

"We're here," the Princess said. Interestingly, she was just wearing a pair of blue boots and nothing else. Interesting choice, given that I'm fairly certain she wore a lot more than that before Robotnik took over. But that was years and years ago, and not even formerly wealthy Mobian refugees wore much of anything these days as far as I could tell.

So we're still relatively early in the timeline from the Outsider's memories. But after Fluffy Two Tails had his misadventure with my other half, as I clearly remembered that as having happened. Which was weird, because the Auto-Fiona that had experienced that wasn't my other half.

I hate retroactive shenanigans, especially when they centered on me, and an Archie Zone was chock full of them! Events happening before or even despite causation was such a headache…

Time is a scam created by clock companies to sell more watches! I've decided that now!

"So where are they, Sal?" Sonic asked, annoyed at my not being down there waiting for them.

Taking that as my cue, I dropped down behind him as he turned to face his companions. My landing was practically silent, even to the heightened senses of my own vulpine ears. I was no Rouge the Bat, but I was getting pretty good at the whole stealth thing.

Which allowed me to get right up behind Sonic without the guy noticing.

"Sonic!" Princess Blue Boots called out in alarm, already reaching out towards him. What she planned to do if she got to him in time I had no idea. Wasn't this around the time he was saving her? I mean, not to knock her, she obviously becomes more capable than that pretty quickly (probably out of annoyance from having to have been saved by Zippy so frequently early on), but this is pre-vest Sally.

"Behind you!" Fluffy Two Tails called out at the same time, with equal urgency, their cries causing Zippy the Blue Blur to spin around to face me.

"Boop!" I tapped him on the nose with a finger. "That's one!"

"A ninja, huh?" Sonic commented on my outfit as he stepped back. "I think you'll find that I'm a bit too fast for you!"

With that, he tried to rush me, only for me to flex my whole body and redirect him into the underbrush. The sounds of rustling leaves and snapping sticks were practically like music as I tutted to the blue blur. "No. No, I don't think I'll find that at all, Zippy. Not if you're still rushing ahead without using your head like that. And that's two, by the way."

Wonder if I could go for three? If I keep my head cool and him off his game, then I think I had a fair shot.

"Argh! Let's see you try that again!" Sonic challenged as he, once again, charged straight at me. His single mindedness made it easier than it really should have been to predict what he was going to do. If this were a more experienced version of Sonic, even just by a few more months, then this wouldn't likely work.

Hence, I was going to milk this for all that it was worth.

This time I rolled right over him as he passed through where I had been standing, resulting in him crashing into the underbrush on the other side of the clearing. It was a pretty funny sight, and that wasn't because I was still mad about him leaving me behind in that prison.

I mean it.

Really!

"That's three!" I called out, cheerfully, knowing full well that this would rile him up more. Zippy needs to grow a thicker coat, I swear.

To be honest, I'd be having a lot more trouble if he wasn't being so obvious, but that was kinda my point, and I wanted to hammer that fact home before I did the big reveal. First impressions were important, you only got to do them once after all.

"Grrr!" This time Sonic rolled at me with his signature spin-dash, so I countered by crouching and angling my body so that he merely launched himself off of me as if I were a ramp.

"FOUR!" I sang out as he soared through the air in a ballistic arc.

To be honest, I didn't mean for him to land in that thicket just now. That was more of a happy accident than anything else…

"Sonic!" Princes Blue Boots called out. "Stop and think for a moment!"

"When has he ever~?" I asked as I stood up and looked at her. Hearing Zippy tear through the underbrush straight at me, and I sidestepped at the last moment while also dumping out a bag full of ball bearings.

A forest floor, even in the middle of a clearing, isn't really the best surface to pull this trick on, but if the subject is moving fast enough and isn't paying attention (which Zippy wasn't) it could still have a spectacular effect.

Hence, I was able to pull the classic gag of a guy slipping on tiny objects. The Outsider's memories of that "Home Alone" movie was a great inspiration for me to start carrying these around.

It was also just really funny to see the hero fumble around angrily whilst trying to regain his footing.

"And that's five. Still as stubborn as ever, I see," I sighed as Zippy gradually regained control. Mostly by actually slowing down and taking in his situation for the first time since we kicked things off. Probably time to take my hood and mask off.

"Ha ha, did you miss me?" I said with a grin as my face was revealed.

"Fiona!?" both Sonic and Tails exclaimed from different directions. "Wait, how do you know Fiona!?" they asked each other at the same time.

"Fluffy Two Tails here left a copy of me out on an island a while back," I informed them in a somewhat irritated tone. As useful as that mode was for infiltration and menial labor, having a copy of me out there still made my skin crawl and my fur stand on end. "You've been teaching your sidekick here bad habits, Zippy. Such as abandoning his friends."

"Hey! We went back for you!" Sonic insisted vehemently, actually seeming hurt by my accusation.

...Huh?

I blinked, kind of surprised by what I was hearing.

"Really?"

"Yeah! But by the time we broke back into the prison, you were gone!" He continued to explain, waving his hands through the air in a vain attempt to mime what he was describing.

You mean, had I actually waited a bit longer, Sonic, Mighty, and Ray would have actually come back for me?

I wondered what happened in the continuity my former future-me came from that caused this to be different? It couldn't have just been the Outsider…

Oh, wait! After they escaped, Dr. Robotnik had decided to have me moved to another facility almost right away! But in this continuity, I had made my escape before he had actually issued that order!

Sequence breaking for the win!

"It's… Good to see you, Fiona…" Sonic said, looking down and shuffling his feet.

"Yeah yeah. I may be a bit mad about that, but I'm basically over it. How are Mighty and Ray doing these days?"

"I… I don't know." He blushed in embarrassment, crossing his arms and looking away.

"You don't know," I repeated flatly. Was this guy serious?

"Look… After we couldn't find you, Mighty, Ray and I had a big falling out. I mean, a bigger argument than we ever had before that point. We… We kinda went our separate ways after that. I don't know where they are now."

"Oh, Zippy…" I sighed as my shoulders slumped. Part of me had hoped that the outsider's memories had been wrong about this part, but we were all still on the younger side of being teenagers at this point, and prone to idiot decisions.

Even me, I suppose…

"Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot here," Princess Blue Boots interjected. "Hi, I'm Sally Acorn."

"I know who you are, Princess Blue Boots," I replied with a smirk. "My beef was with him, not you, nor even Fluffy Two Tails here."

"Don't call me that!" Tails shouted, apparently deciding to take offense to the nickname.

"Okay," I said readily now that he's had his outburst. Hopefully this will have broken his crush on me for now, but I suppose I'll just have to wait and see. "What would you like to be called?"

"Um… Tails, I guess? Maybe Miles?"

I cocked a brow at that, but otherwise just nodded and left it alone. Maybe he'll make a more concrete decision later?

"So you're the one we're supposed to meet then?," Sally asked. "Aren't you a little young to be one of Who's agents?"

"Why yes!" I grinned. "Yes I am! But I'm not an agent. Fiona Fox. I take it that Zippy and Tails are part of your team?"

"Sonic is, yes," Sally agreed. "Tails is too young still and should have known better than to have followed us."

Hah! I knew it!

"Let's get back to the village and introduce you to the rest of the team," Sally offered.

"Fine by me. Then maybe I can start training Zippy here how to actually use that speed of his. He should have been able to catch me easily."

"You just caught me on a bad day!" Sonic insisted.

"Sure I did, Zippy," I teased. "It was a day that ended in Y after all…"

"Oh ha ha," the hedgehog gave as a dry reply, clearly annoyed but still seeing the humor in it..

Both of the laughs from Princess Blue Boots and Fluffy Two Tails were more genuine. That alone made the teasing worth it.

 

[Tangent]

I, FIONA
Yet another Sonic the Hedgehog AU/SI fic by Tangent
With prereading, editing assistance, and occasional input by Brain Power!​

In a way, I was really grateful for the outsider's poor memory about the appearance of Knothole Village. Not that I expected there to be much consistency between the cartoon and the comic book anyway. The village itself was in a short gully on the side of a hill, with a stream running through it. A few of the older trees were tall enough to mask the fact that there was even a gully here from any overhead flights. Housing seemed to be a mix of shacks, huts, treehouses, and Mobian dug caves carved right into the walls of the gully.

But as far as Robotnik's eyes could see, this place didn't even exist. Obscured by such a simple bit of topography.

It was as if nature itself was keeping us hidden, which was hilariously ironic.

Accessing the village itself was tricky too, as they had made sure that no path led directly to the village, and strategically strung vines and nets that had been placed throughout Knothole Forest would make things awkward for any flying badnik scouts. Because, let's face it, most of Eggman's flying scouts at this point were severely lacking in critical thinking skills and thus tended to get caught up on those all the time.

Even his so-called "Super Badniks" were far from the power of things like Metal Sonic or the Shadow Androids.

And according to the outsider's memories, I'd only have to deal with one of those.

In addition to the main entrance, there were a few secret ways in and out of the village, although most of these also involved at least part of that particular route passing far enough underground to break up any tracking signal.

Which turned out to be the main reason the tunnels from the outsider's memories were so long and twisty. It gave the sensors Rotor had placed in each tunnel time to detect any tracking devices before whoever was carrying one could reach the village.

The Freedom Fighters were set up in a set of underground bunkers near the village end of one of these tunnels, with the other end coming out at a tree stump with a false cover. Said hatch being only just barely big enough for a walrus like Rotor to be able to use (apparently, most of the other hidden hatches were even smaller, but I had to take their word for it as I wasn't going to be shown more than just a handful just yet).

"I get that you're being cautious, Zippy," I commented as the three were showing me around. "But if I was a spy, you've basically already given me way too much information."

"Who vouched for you," Princess Blue Boots said as she shook her head. "That's good enough for me."

"Fair enough," I conceded, even if I didn't really agree. She was my new boss after all, and it was her choice and her responsibility.

Hopefully, having avoided any sort of criminality since my escape from Robotnik was enough to avoid having the same checkered past that my original self ended up having. That was one of the main things that seemed to draw future-me away from the group and into Scourge's arms.

I hated that fact, but it was something I had to keep in mind if I wanted to avoid it. Even if it gave me a little bit of… internal conflict regarding my feelings towards the Freedom Fighters.

Scary old owl was seriously dedicated to the Kingdom of Acorn anyway, and from what the outsider remembered, as far as Who knew at this time, Princess Blue Boots here was the Kingdom of Acorn as the rest of the royal family was still missing and unaccounted for.

O o O o O​

Actually being in the village now, I could see that the demographic was seriously skewed towards either end of the age spectrum, consisting primarily of the elderly and the young. Everyone who would have been of fighting age when Robotnik rose to power was just…

Gone.

Dead or roboticized.

Reduced to ashes, or rendered into mindless machines.

All that was left were the elderly and infirm to watch over the next generation until we grew old enough to do something about it.

There was nothing else they could do, other than try to guide the next generation to join the good fight when the time was right.

And now they… Or rather, we, since I was joining them… now considered ourselves old enough to do something about it.

A bunch of teenagers hellbent on saving the world. Fighting super dangerous robots, the forcefully transformed forms of loved ones, and whatever other war crimes the doctor would throw at us on a random Tuesday afternoon.

All we really needed now was a Power Grid, a holographic advisor, and five or so zords and we'd be set!

I'm just joking. Like we'd ever get that lucky.

My stupid outsider memories are not being particularly helpful right now, so I chose to ignore them.

Speaking of teenagers, a group of three teenage Mobians had spotted us and were heading our way. A fairly mixed bunch, consisting of a walrus, a partially roboticized bunny (who was somehow less noticeable than the walrus - how is he not overheating?), and a coyote wearing a royal honor guard jacket.

"So this is the new member y'all went out to meet?" the cybernetic bunny… That the memories from the outsider part of me only just now reminded me was actually named Bunnie… asked as she looked us over, then gave Tails a stern look all his own that caused him to wilt a bit under her gaze.

Sorry, Tails, I guess you're busted.

"Pleaze, allow me to be zhe virst to velcome you to our 'umble village, Mademoiselle!" the Coyote greeted as he stepped forward to greet me. "I am Antoine d'Coolette, at your zervice!"

From the way Tails bristled at Antoine's greeting, I could tell that he wasn't actually over his crush.

Dammit.

He was just enough younger than I was that it would be about another eight to ten years before dating him wouldn't feel creepy, or I'd actually consider it just to see if it either worked out or got it out of his system.

As it was, involving myself with him would just make me feel gross.

It didn't help that the outsider's memories had also messed with what I found attractive. I didn't even know what I even liked in a partner anymore!

I suppose I should consider myself lucky that my other half matches me in appearance rather than the younger version of me that it was originally built to resemble in order to specifically target Tails…

Actually, why do I even have those memories? The Auto-Fiona I actually merged with was literally the one Eggman showed me, which looked exactly like me, not the one that tails left on that island. I shouldn't even have any memories from any other Auto-Automation, even if they happen to look like me!

Something hinky was going on with local causality, and I didn't like it!

I blame Penders for this! This feels like a Penders-type decision!

"Hi!" the walrus greeted me next. "I'm Rotor, and I handle most of the tech for this cell. If you need something tech related, just ask me and I'll see what I can do."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," I replied, glad to have confirmation that this walrus was indeed the same Rotor from the outsider's memories. "I have some ability in that area, although my field of expertise is probably a bit more specialized."

Hacking and firewall breaking were pretty narrow fields, oddly enough. I could break into a state-of-the-art computer, but I couldn't understand the process of building one to save my life.

It was another reason I tried to avoid staying in my Badnik mode for too long. I didn't know how to perform maintenance on myself, so any damage to that form could very well be disastrous.

Huh… It only just now occurred to me that the Auto-Fiona that Tails left on that island might still be there. Maybe I could head over and retrieve her, fix her up, and see if she and Tails hit it off again? Some periodic adjustments to her chassis to keep her apparent age the same as his…

And that just got creepy again.

Maybe I'll just adopt her as a kid sister and let whatever happens happen, and only make age adjustments if she asks for them.

I'd need to ask Tails about it later, or even try to find her last location via the empire's network. Surely there had to be a digital trail left behind for me to follow.

"And I'm Fiona Fox," I introduced myself with a wave. "I'd been causing trouble for Eggman on my own for a while now, but apparently one of your hidden allies decided it was time for me to stop flying solo and join up with you guys."

"Who?" Antoine asked, clearly asking a question.

"Exactly," I answered instead, chuckling a bit from his expression.

"Come on," Princess Blue Boots said. "Let's get you settled in. We've got a spare room you can bunk in until you have a place of your own…"

Oh, well that sounds nice. Better than having to sleep in hidden caves and in the literal open, that's for sure.

O o O o O​

"And this is our training course," Princess Blue Boots stated so earnestly that I didn't have the heart to tell her how… basic… the set up for the course was. Not useless by any means, but there was nothing that I would find to be particularly challenging. Maybe something to get my heart pumping if I ran through it once or twice after waking up.

I resolved to set up something better for them.

Not that I would be taking this one down by any means. Possible early morning workout aside, it still made a good beginner course.

They just needed something that they could move on to once they were ready for something more challenging.

Hmmm…

I'd need to keep their various body types and physical capabilities in mind. Perhaps set up alternate routes and challenges like I did for my own courses, with some geared towards improving their strengths and/or shoring up their weaknesses.

Figuring out something that would actually benefit Bunnie and her partially roboticized body was going to be difficult, but I wasn't going to give up on the idea.

"You're already thinking of ways to change it up," Princess Blue Boots observed, sounding a little… disappointed?

"I'm not changing this one at all," I denied. "Everyone needs a foundation to build from, and this one will work just fine for that. And my new early morning workout routine, but that's not the point. Anyway, I've set up and torn down a bunch of different courses for myself over the past few months, so I know what works for me. And this isn't it."

"Oh…"

"However," I interrupted before her spirit dropped too much, "that doesn't mean that I have any idea what works for any of you! I don't know the others like you do. Not yet, anyway. I'm willing to put the extra work in so that everyone has something they can try to push their strengths and help with where they're struggling. Wanna help me design the advanced course?"

"Yes, I think that I'd like that."

Oh, thank the Walkers, crisis averted!

The last thing we need is for me to have accidentally demoralized our leader!

O o O o O​

It wasn't until late in the evening that I finally came to a decision about whether or not to reveal my other half to anyone. I had to tell Rotor, at the very least, as literally nobody else could fix or modify my other half if it became necessary, and he'd need to study me while I was in that state beforehand if we wanted to avoid any issues later.

Informing Sally was a must too, as she was our leader, and from what the outsider's memories told me, a competent strategist and tactician that would only get even better over time. I could plan solo operations for myself, but she could do so for a team of disparate individuals with unique talents and would later be able to do so for larger groups and even armies.

I couldn't do that. She could, and she'd be able to fit me right into any plan she made, so she absolutely needed to know what I could do.

Telling Sonic was iffy, as I was still a bit mad at him even knowing that he didn't really have any choice at the time. But he, Mighty, and Ray were my oldest friends, and I wasn't willing to give up on Sonic like my bitchy future self had. Sure, he might reject me for a while, and that would hurt.

A lot.

But we'd both get over it.

After I came to that conclusion, the rest was easy as I wasn't as emotionally invested in Antroine and Bunnie yet. If I was telling the other three anyway, it made absolutely no sense at all to leave those two out, and would hurt the team as a whole if I did and it came out later.

I'd leave whether or not to tell Tails to them, as they knew him better.

Also, he was supposed to be asleep by now anyway.

Well…

Best to get it over with now, I guess.

"Hey…" I started hesitantly, my mouth dry and my heart pounding in my chest.

"Yes?" Prince… No, Sally prompted.

"What's up, Fi? It's not like you to be nervous like this," Sonic noted.

"There's something I need to tell everyone… The whole team, I mean… It's about something I can do now, and, well… I don't know how any of you will take it…"

Oh Walkers dammit! Why was this so hard!?