Ray the Flying Squirrel, Knuckles the Echidna, Mighty the Armadillo, Dr. Robotnik, and all related characters are (c) to Sega.
Eliza the Echidna, Axel the Hedgehog  etc... are (c) to moi. Do not use 'em without permission, or I'll sic Chris Caffee on you. (And his narrow-minded and insulting ways would make you want to kill something)

Eliza is pronounced é-lee-za.

This story, is a nice little Prelude to my next fic, Trapped. It's rather big...
So, obviously, this one won't be my longest... and probably not my best either. There's a pun in the title, see if you can figure it out :-)  


A Squirrel Walks Among Us

"Hey, Axel?"

"Yeah, Ray?"

The green hedgehog looked up from his papers.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favour...."

"Which is?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could help me fins someone."

"Hmm.." Axel pondered this, "Who are you looking for?"

"Mighty the Armadillo."

Axel paused, then smiled.

"I think I may be able to help you, Ray. You see, a good friend of mine knows Mighty quite well."

Ray's face lit up, and he bounced up and down.

"Really?"

"Yeah... I'll send her an e-mail."

Axel sat down by the computer screen, and began to type.
He stopped.

"Er.... how do I word this..."

He twiddled his thumbs, and stared into space, trying to come up with a nice format.
Suddenly, a loud, booming sound filled the room.

>SURRENDER, REBELS<

"Axel!" a rebel squeaked in fear, "They've got as surrounded!!"

Axel went into a panic.
The doors shuddered, and strained, as if something was pounding against them. The green hedgehog's mind raced for any possibilities of survival, only one came to mind.
The e-mail!
Axel rapidly typed in an urgent message to Eliza.
He had barely pressed 'Send." when the SWATbots slammed the door open, and began flooding the room.

"Eliza.... You're our only hope.."

Meanwhile..

Barely a week had passed since Eliza's return. Mighty had taken several hours to heal, but came out, healthy, and good as new. He and Knuckles had seen to it that Eliza was at leisure all the time.
She was catching up on her sleep, as well as her health. The whiplashes, and bruises began to disappear.
She still was weak, though.
Bored, she plopped by the computer, and decided to check on her e-mail.
1 new message.
Eliza stiffened. It was from Axel.

Help! Our base has been invaded by SWATbots. They're flooding the area as I type this. You're our only hope now!

Eliza rubbed her chin, then clicked the computer off. She teleported to the Great Forest, and ran the rest of the way to Robotropolis.
"I'm coming, Axel."
 
***
Ray lifted his head, looking about the miserable little prison cell.
The rest of his team had been taken to the Roboticizer.
He was alone.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar red blur appeared in front of the cell, and started toying around with the security box. As soon as she was done, the cell's door slid open.

"Do you know Axel?"

Ray nodded.

"Where is he?"

"They took him, a little while ago."

She was an echidna. Red all over, and she bore a white crescent on her chest. She wore white gloves, like him, and  pair of cool-looking sneakers.

"Oh.."

She looked him over.

"Ray?" She asked quietly.

Ray was taken aback.

"Do I know you?"

He was positive he had never seen her before.

"No.."

"How'd you know my name?"

"Um.. I friend of mine told me about you."

"Mighty?"

"Yeah."

"Ah," thought Ray, "So this is Axel's friend."

"I'm Eliza Echidna, a Guardian of the Floating-"

She was cut off by loud alarms.

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

"C'mon!" She grabbed him by the arm, and ran off. 
The synthesized voice continued to ring through the Robotropolis, SWATbots piled out, searching for the offenders.

They skidded to a halt in a large chamber. Robotnik himself was there, seated in his swivel chair. His nephew, Snively, stood by the controls of the main roboticizer. They hadn't been spotted yet.
Robotnik spook to the unfortunate mobian in the roboticizer.

"Now, rebel scum, you realize that all resistance against the Robotnik Empire is futile."

"You won't win!" The rebel spat. He was green.

"Oh please, don't waste your last breath on empty threats."

The doctor snorted in annoyance.

Eliza squinted at the figure. A small gasp then escaped her.

It was Axel.

"AXEL! NO!" She leapt at him, but was held back by Ray.

"Eliza, it's no use. It'd be suicide going down there."

Eliza fought as if there were no tomorrow, trying to get free from Ray's grip. But, it was firm.

Robotnik's eyes darted towards the intruders, and they froze in their tracks.

"Well," he remarked evenly, "It looks like we have some unexpected guests. Or rather, some uninvited pests."

The two stayed silent.
Robotnik scanned Ray.

"Well, hello again, Ray. Haven't seen you for a while.. Although, your visit to The Void (A/N Looking Back/Retrospection, Part 3. The power crystal) should have killed you. But, no worries, you're much more useful to my roboticized."

Ray emitted a low growl, that only Eliza could hear.

"Ahh.. Eliza."

He turned towards her, as if noticing her for the first time.

"I don't believe we've met in person, my little friend. Mecha has told me a great deal about you."

"Well," Eliza's eyes slanted, "I've heard a great deal about you too, _doc_, and none of it is good."

"Oh, she's Knux's sister, all right." Snively muttered under his breath, glaring at the little girl. He hated Knux with a passion, almost as much as he hated Robotnik.

"Insolence must run in the family," Robotnik chuckled.

"SWATbots, SEIZE THEM!"

All robots started lumbering towards the pair. Ray glanced around the room, then smiled. He hurriedly placed Eliza on his back, and started running. Once he had enough speed, he took off, and spread his arms, as his natural ability kicked in. The flying squirrel soared above the heads of the mindless robots, dodging stun beams.

"Hasta la vista, losers!" 

And he exited, Eliza on his back, by the windows.
Once on safe ground, he deposited her to the ground.
A robotic green hedgehog paced towards them.

"Axel..!" Eliza's eyes went wide.

>Priority four echidna<

"AXEL! It's me, Eliza." She ran towards him, but Ray yanked her back.

"I don't think you're familiar with roboticization, Eliza. If they're roboticized, they're gone, forever. My family was roboticized."

Eliza relaxed.

"I'm sorry.."

She turned towards her former friend, eyes wide, and full of pain.

"Axel..."

He advanced, and pulled out a gun.

>Priority four echidna<

Eliza's heart was struck once again. Axel had been one of her closest friends.
Ray, also, was in pain.

"Is he gone forever?" Eliza asked quietly.

"I'm afraid so... Until they find out a process of de-roboticization."

Memories flooded through the echidna, and Axel aimed.

"Come on." Ray pulled her back again, the blast narrowly missing her.

Eliza shook herself out of her reverie, and sprinted towards the ledge, then jumped into a glide. Ray followed suit, and they both dodged Axel's shots.
Eliza looked back at the Robian, her expression pained.

"We'll set you free, Axel. Some day.."

2 hours later...

"This, is the Floating Island." Eliza waved her hand, presenting the tropical masterpiece to her friend.

"It's beautiful.."

"AHEM!"

Eliza felt herself being lifted, and caught in a headlock.

"Where've you been, squirt?"

"Robotropolis," she answered nonchalantly, making Knux give her a tight squeeze. Before he could say anything, Eliza motioned towards Ray.

"Look who I brought with me."

Knuckles dropped his sister, and looked over at the new-comer.

"Hey.."

He held out a spiked hand, which Ray shook, but then recoiled his arm.

"Ow.."

"He has a tight grip." Eliza pointed out.

"I noticed." Ray shook his smarting hand, laughing.

"That's nothing... wait 'till he noogies you."

Knux grinned rather widely, in a form of apology.

"Heh. Guess I don't know my own strength."

That comment earned a punch from Eliza. He grunted, and she picked herself up.

"Ow. She doesn't know her own strength either."

Eliza socked him again.

"Ow.. ABUSE!"

"Ray, this is my older moro- er.. I mean, brother, Knuckles. Knux, this is Ray."

"I figured as much." He blinked at the squirrel.

"You're Mighty's friend, aren't you?"

Ray nodded.

"He'll be very happy to see you, I'm sure."

Ray smiled.

"Likewise." 

At that precise moment, the armadillo in question jogged into view.

"Found-"

His jaw dropped, and he stopped mid-sentence, staring.

"Ray?"

"Mighty!"

"Ray!"

Mighty ran up to him, and almost hugged him.

"You're alive!" he cried joyously.

Instead of a hug, the two contented themselves with shaking hands vigorously.

"Man, I am so glad to see you!"

"What happened to you all these years, Ray?"

"Well.. it's kinda a long story."

"We're listening," the three chimed in unison.

They all sat themselves in the grass.

"Okay," Ray took a deep breath.

"After I touched that crystal, everything blurred. I was transported to a Hellish place, The Void, I believe it's called. I swear, it was terrible. All my fears.. and doubts.. seemed to be magnified, and weighed down on me. They imprisoned me. Then these spirits.. demons attacked me.. I was in their territory. I didn't last very long... I was dieing... bleeding and hurting all over. I barely remember... a girl... carrying me on her back. I'm not sure, I was barely conscious. All I remember, was her face. She had big, blue eyes. Her skin was pale, and I don't know whether it was fur or scales... she had an armadillo nose.. but the horn of a chameleon. I remember a portal.. and then, I was gone. When I woke up, a black hedgehog was carrying me into Robotropolis. He tended to me, and nursed me back to health. His name, was Shadow. He was, deep down, a nice guy, but, he believed himself to be some kind of Ultimate Life Form.. and, was wound up about it. He seemed to hate the world, because, his best friend, a sick girl named Maria, had been murdered, by so-called 'Good People.' From the military... He worked for Robotnik... and would roboticize mobians, or just watch, without any feeling. I, wasn't very happy.. I argued with him.. to stop. That the whole world was not responsible for one death. But Shadow was stubborn. He argued often, and, finally, I left out on my own, and wandered around on my own for a good amount of time, looking for you and Sonic. Neither of you I found. Then, I met up with Axel, and his rebels, and joined in. Axel was impressed by my skills, and we became partners.. He was a master of communications, like I was becoming, so, I wanted to ask him if he knew you. It took me a while to ask.. and actually, it was today that I asked him. He told me that a good friend of his knew you quite well, so, evidently, I was very pleased. He sat down to write the e-mail.. and that's when the SWATbots invaded. At the last second, he had to switch the e-mail to an emergency one instead, and sent it, just as we were being captured. Eliza got it, and we rebels got thrown into a cell. By the time Eliza got there.. I was the only one left. She busted me out, and we saw Axel being roboticized.. then, Robotnik spotted us, and the SWATbots surrounded us. We barely escaped.. and had a small rendezvous with Axel.. and, she brought me here."

"Pfft. I've seen longer."

Knuckles was elbowed in the chest. 

"What?"

Mighty gave him a look. Knuckles nodded.

"Well, Ray, you look capable to help protect the Master Emerald."

He then went through a brief description of the Island, and the Emeralds.

Ray absorbed all the info, and his face lit up.

"You really think you could?"

"Yeah... I'm sure your loyalty.. and capabilities will be tested soon."

If only Knuckles knew how right he was.

For, deep in Robotropolis, Snively peered at a tube, his expression hungry.

"It's almost finished."

He rubbed his bruises, gained form Robotnik. He stroked the tube, almost lovingly.

"Soon.. it'll be finished. Then, I won't have to put up with that tub of lard, my uncle, kicking me around."

The word, uncle, was spat, as if it were something disgusting.

"And, I'll finally have my revenge on Knuckles..."

Snively's eyes glowered, and he smiled down at the tube.

"Not long now."

******

"Hey, kiddo."

Eliza blinked, and lowered her head.

"What's wrong, sis?" Knuckles looked at her.

"You used to work for Robotnik, didn't you?"

Knuckles stiffened. It was something he was rather ashamed of, and he didn't like mentioning it.

"Yeah..." he admitted.

"Why, Knux? Why'd you let all those innocent Mobians be roboticized?"

Knuckles was taken aback. But, he regained his composure, and replied, in a soft tone,

"I was brainwashed, Eliza. I had no idea of what I was doing.. and if I had, I would have smashed every roboticizer. I'm sorry about Axel."

Eliza hugged her knees.

"How far are we in the plans for the De-Roboticizer?"

Knuckles put his arms around her, and drew her closer, trying to comfort her.

"We've barely started, I'm sorry to say."

Eliza said nothing, but Knuckles knew what she was feeling. He rocked her a bit.

"De-Roboticizing is not the only way to set him free, kiddo."

Eliza looked up at him in surprise.

"It isn't?" she inquired incredulously.

"Nope. Look at Sir Charles, or Uncle Chuck, Sonic's uncle. He's a Robian.. yet he has his free will. There's an item, the Sword of Acorns.. it can give them back their free will. The Freedom Fighters are looking for it, and, when they find it, we'll use it on Axel, mmkay?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. I promise."

"Thanks, Knux."

He ruffled her dreads affectionately.

"No problemo, kid."

Eliza snuggled his chest fur, and let out a contended sigh. Knux smiled.
He looked out towards the sky.

Espio, who had witnessed all this, sniggered silently.

He slinked off into the foliage.

"Wait 'till the others hear this..."

The End.

Previews:

Trapped: All has been quiet since Shay-lu's latest attack. Mecha still lies dead, Robotnik has calmed down after the escape of Ray and Eliza, and there's no sign of Enerjak and his legion, anywhere. Now, a new enemy has come to the Floating Island, hoping to steal the Master Emerald and terrorize the islanders. However, the mayhem doesn't really start until Amy Rose finds Eliza bloodied, and literally ripped apart in Lava Reef...

Behind Steel Doors: Metal-Sonic is back.. with a vengeance! The robot, long thought to be dead, has returned, with upgrades, an invulnerability to the resistance, and a steely rage. His first action: locking Tails, Ray, Eliza, and Amy and Shamus in the abandoned city of Robotropolis

Second Nature: A competitive treasure-hunting race, quickly turns into a nightmare for the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix when Robotnik unleashes his prize creations, instructing them with the sole purpose of collecting the Chaos Emeralds for his diabolical plan, and destroying every single mobian standing in their paths.

Simplicity: A new girl comes to the island, claiming to be a Guardian of some sort. But things take a more nauseating twist when RoboKnux kidnaps the girl, in an effort to manipulate her and her abilities...

Corrosion : Robotropolis  is taken over by a mysterious being, and it becomes a base of operating for the new dictator. Mobius slowly becomes taken over by this powerful unknown. The Chaotix, and what's left of the Freedom Fighters soon learn, that the only hope for Mobius lies with a certain Mecha Bot....