Oak Forest - Reconnoitering

The princess frowned, and gently squeezed his shoulder with one hand. "Sonic, are you SURE you're okay? I know this is a long trip, but even so you don't normally wear out like this..." Sally scrunched her mouth to one side; if only he weren't bearing her weight as well, she'd offer to switch packs.

Sally wasn't remotely convinced, and her face showed it. I really hope we can find a Freedom Fighter group up here, the squirrelmunk fretfully reflected. There's not much I can do to take care of him in the middle of nowhere...

Upon the request for a map check, the princess unclipped her computer from her boot. "Holomap of the northern frontier, Nicole."


"One moment, Sally." With a few clicks and beeps, Nicole tapped into one of Robotnik's satellites to approximate their location, then presented her user with a shimmering map of the province. A green dot indicated their standings.


"Well, it looks like we're not far off," Sally explained as she studied the map. "We'll be closing in on Mercia shortly; we just need to adjust a few more degrees to the right." Shutting the compact computer, her concerned eyes drifted back to the hedgehog's face. "Do you want something to eat, Sonic? You're really not looking good..." Without invitation or warning, the princess pressed the back of one hand to his face to check for a fever.

My hands aren't cold, you're just abnormally hot... The princess's brow furrowed; they were an awfully long way from home. If Sonic were to get any worse...

Sally shook the thought from her head. Dwelling on what could happen wasn't going to help anything, and they had bigger fish to fry at the moment, anyway. "Yeah... Based on Nicole's coordinates, we need to be heading in that direction," she instructed with a point. Her pensive eyes locked into Sonic's. If he failed to get any better, let alone get any worse, this mission was going to become faaar more difficult to pull off.

--TIME JUMP OF TIMELY JUMPINESS--

As Sonic blazed the trail once again, Sally reclaimed her computer to track their progress; after all, this wasn't an area they were at all familiar with, and it'd be pretty dense for them to go waltzing into Mercia without so much as scouting it first. As they approached a small ridge separating the forest from the city, the princess instructed her partner to bring things to a halt.

Dropping the backpack from her shoulders, Sally's attention only partially focused on digging up her binoculars. "How are you feeling, Sonic?"

"Yeah, you look it," Sally sarcastically replied with a roll of her eyes. Upon digging up the binoculars, the squirrelmunk turned to the city -- while also giving Sonic a nudge to force him to sit and rest.

Looks like we're a few miles out from the city limits, the princess quietly analyzed as she scanned the horizon. Doesn't look much more guarded than Robotropolis... Actually, the defenses seem slightly thinner... But that doesn't mean it'll be any easier. She lowered the binoculars and sighed; if only they had even a vague outline of a map. The thought had crossed her mind to bring an old atlas along before they left, but even if she'd been able to find it (which she hadn't), there was no guarantee it was even still accurate. Who knew what kind of modifications Robotnik had made to the city in the last seven years?

Sally held her chin in thought. It's the river that's being contaminated, so it's possible we could just follow the water and find the source without even going into the city... But it just can't be THAT easy. I have a feeling we're going to have duel with some computer systems if we're going to stop this from simply being reset after we leave. With that being the case, I suppose we should loop the perimeter to get as much information about Mercia's defenses as possible before we enter.

Her gaze fell on the hedgehog at her feet, and the princess's heart sank. ...If Sonic can even handle it...

"Sorry," she replied with clear tension in her voice. Kneeling at his side, Sally's eyes betrayed her deep worry. "Sonic... I appreciate your determination, but you're really in no condition to be working right now, let alone dangerous work like a raid into an unknown territory." The princess gently caressed the side of his furry face, and frowned further. His cheek felt warmer than before.

"Sonic, you're sick! You've been running a fever for a while now, and you're getting weaker by the minute!" Carefully but firmly taking the hedgehog's cheeks in her hands, Sally turned his face to her own and pierced into his eyes with her unblinking stare. "Be honest with me: What else is bothering you? Any aches? Nausea? Tell me the truth."

"That was different," the princess replied firmly. "That was when we were at home, with easy access to anything we needed to take care of you." Sally shook her head, moreso to herself than to him. "I can't let you do this, Sonic. We're on our own in a foreign territory. It's just too dangerous."

Unclipping Nicole from her boot, the squirrelmunk drew a reluctant breath and said, "Nicole, caculate all the most likely locations for colonization in the Oak Forest."

"You were saying?" Sally replied, examining the resulting holomap. She didn't sound smug over the fact that he'd proven her point, as she typically would have; her voice was unusually monotone.

The computer closed with a definitive snap, and Sally knelt at Sonic's side. "We can't stay out here. We need to get into the forest and take cover. I'll put together a campsite for you when we're in deep enough, and then I'll try and find help." The princess hooked Sonic's left arm around her shoulders, and assisted in pulling him to his feet.

"Pfft, you're one to talk," the squirrelmunk muttered as she began to lead him in the direction of the trees. "I can take care of myself, Sonic. You don't always have to protect me." Squeezing the arm around her shoulders, she added, "And in fact, I'm quite capable of protecting you."