Tails X Nicole One shot Part 2

    For what felt like forever, Nicole saw only blackness.  She was floating in an endless black abyss, where there was no sound, no light, no substance.  For all she knew, she was offline.  Her mind felt detached.  She tried calling out, trying to see if anyone would answer her, but no sound came.  From her, anyway.  After a few failed attempts at speaking, Nicole thought she heard something.  Something that sounded almost like voices, but they were quiet and almost incoherent.  Like worried mumbling.  Nicole could only make out a few words, and from what she could gather, whoever owned the voices really were worried.  This gave Nicole something to latch onto and focus on.  She focused on the voices and tried forming her body on instinct, but instead of her form shimmering into place, nothing happened.  "Come on!"  She tried to shout.  "Why isn't this working!?"  She tried even harder, and then she felt something.  Something stir in the back of her mind.  Something like a flash of consciousness.  She grabbed this feeling and imagined it like a small crack; she mentally pushed herself into that crack and forced it open.  Through that crack, there was light.  Blinding white light.  And when the crack was large enough for Nicole to go through it, she did.

    Sally, Sonic, Tails, and all the other Freedom Fighters were in the guest bedroom, each and every one of them worried out of their skulls for the person laying on the bed.  There used to be a quiet roar of conversation amongst the friends that had began when Sally demanded Tails explain himself, but not moments before, that conversation had come to a complete stop.  Tails had explained himself to the best extent he could, and now, everyone waited.  Even Sonic the hedgehog was sitting down and saying or doing nothing.  The room was completely silent.

    A small moan came from the bed.  Everyone present instantly whipped their heads around to see what it was, as the sound came from a person, and they could see her stirring.  Slowly, but surely, Nicole was waking up.  Her movements were slow and clumsy at first, but when she sat up, she seemed like she had complete control.  "Guys."  Tails said to get everyone's attention.  "Could I have a moment alone with her?  Don't worry, I won't hurt her."  He asked.  Much to Tails' surprise, Sally nodded sympathetically and led everyone else out.

    A few moments of silence from the two remaining people in the room, and finally, Nicole decided to open her eyes.  At first, things were blurry and out of focus, but in moments, she could see that she was in the FF HQ guest bedroom, a room rarely used, but always well kept.  A few moments later, and the reality of what had happened back in the GUN labs finally hit her so hard it was almost like she got punched in the face.  Nicole instantly ripped away the sheets covering her body to see herself for the first time.  She wasn't trying to hold a form together.  And she felt things in a way she had never before experienced.  She could feel the sheets of the bed she was sitting on, she could feel her fur rippling from a slight breeze through an open window.  And realizing these things made Nicole happier than she had ever been before.  She hopped off the bed and checked herself out in a nearby mirror, marveling at her new form while Tails turned around, unnoticed, to give her some semblance of privacy.  After several minutes, Nicole's mania at her new situation finally began to wind down, and it was here that she finally noticed Tails was in the room.  "Tails?"  She asked, the slightest bit surprised by the way her voice sounded.  It didn't sound quite the way it did in her nanite form, but then she remembered that her new body's roughly 11 years old at the moment.

    Tails turned back around at her voice.  "Hey, Nicole."  He said innocently and with a small wave of his hand.  His grin was small but sincere, and Nicole decided she didn't want to hold anything back.  She rushed forward and hugged Tails with enough force to almost throw him off his feet.  Nicole was crying; Tails could feel the warm wetness in his chest.  He knew somewhere in his heart that these were tears of joy, and he just let her cry happily for close to a minute without disturbance.  

    Several seconds passed afterward with no other sound in the room, and then Nicole decided to speak again, her voice muffled by Tails' fur.  "Tails, I can never thank you enough."

    "Don't worry, you don't need to."  Tails said, splitting off from her as he did.  "I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't, now would I?"  Nicole didn't give a verbal answer, she just smiled in return to his.  "I think we should get you in some clothes, and then we'll let the others see you."

    A few minutes later, and the door to the guest bedroom was finally opened.  Sally, Sonic, and all the others were basically having nervous breakdowns from the sheer amazingness of the situation, and everyone couldn't wait to finally see Nicole again.  There was a tension in the air that made it feel like all the air in the hall was pressurized, and when the door opened, all that pressure was vented all at once.  Nicole and Tails strode out of the room, Nicole in an outfit she borrowed from a spare set of clothes in that room, and then, chaos ensued.  Even Nicole, who technically has a supercomputer for a brain, had a hard time keeping up with all the commotion as Tails just stood away from the pack, an honest grin on his face from seeing Nicole so happy.

    After every manner of question was exhausted from every front, there was silence once again as everyone marveled at the fact that Nicole, a person they all had thought would always be a computer, was now flesh and blood, standing before them.  That silence was only broken by Nicole's stomach.  Barely concealed laughs escaped everyone as Nicole stood there, suddenly embarassed, though she couldn't place exactly why.

    "Let's get you something to eat."  Sally said, grabbing her friend's shoulder.  "Alright, everyone!  Let's go!"  She said, leading her friends toward the kitchen.

    Some time later, and everyone, Nicole included, was exhausted.  Nicole was starving and wanted to eat until she felt full, so just about everyone had to pitch in.  And her friends did not disappoint; a four course meal lay before her when they finished, each and every tantalizing aroma making Nicole's mouth water just a little harder.  Without a second thought and a huge grin on her face, Nicole chowed down, hoping it would never stop.  In time, though, Nicole had eaten her fill, and it was decided that everyone should hit the hay soon after.  Everyone had had a long day, and they all needed their sleep.  Nicole had to borrow some pajamas from Sally, and for lack of anywhere else, she was in the guest bedroom for the time being.

    Nicole spent a good chunk of time simply trying to hold on to the tastes she experienced for the first time ever.  This was her first time tasting food; she wanted to remember the sensations.  But try as she might, she couldn't hold onto them, and in time, she gave up that little venture; instead she decided to try something.  Tails said that the modifications he made to her body's brain allowed her to remain connected to the city, and she confirmed this connection soon after she woke up.  So, she decided to see if she had the same level of control.  She focused on a small chunk of nanites in one corner of her room, and she disassembled them and reformed them in front of her, shaping them like clay into various objects.  A cube, a sphere, a tetrahedron.  She kept doing this as a way to try and calm herself down, as she was still a little excited and didn't want to fall asleep, even though her body begged her to with each passing minute.  Her method was working, though; the more she shaped the nanites into more and more complex shapes, the less and less she actually focused on what she shaped them into.  Nicole's mind was beginning to blank, so she decided to return the nanites to their original position in the corner of her room.  She formed them into one more shape, and then she did so.  But just as her eyes closed and she fell asleep, she realized something.  That last thing she formed the nanites into?  Nicole could've swore they looked like Tails' face.  Why would I do that?  Nicole asked herself.  Why did Tails' face appear?

    But these questions went unanswered, as before she really had a chance to answer them, Nicole fully succumbed to the blackness of sleep.

*********************************

    Fast forward about two weeks.  During this time, Nicole had fully accustomed to the workings of her body, and Sally had even taken her clothes shopping.  They did it late, so as to avoid any hateful attention from anyone in New Mobotropolis who still held feelings of resentment towards Nicole because of what she did under the Iron Queen.

    Sally and Nicole found a multitude of outfits, including the clothes she wore to Mina's concert, but her purple toga thing needed to be made.  Sally decided to do that herself, and told Nicole that it would take some time to finish.  The day Sally started, Nicole was walking through FF HQ, at a loss as to what she could do to keep herself entertained.  What happened the night she accidentally formed the nanites into Tails' face had all but disappeared from her memory since it happened, but for some reason, they had resurfaced.  Nicole was troubled for more than that reason alone, but that was the most prominent thing on her mind at the moment.  Another reason she was troubled, though, came running towards Nicole from the direction of the living room.  It was Mina, and she looked determined.  She skidded to a stop in front of Nicole.

    "Hey, Nicole."  Mina said, a seemingly sad tone in her voice.  For the past couple weeks, Mina had been unusually quiet around Nicole, and seemed to be trying to ignore the AI.

    "Hello, Mina."  Nicole said, picking up Mina's tone.  Her ears dropped in apprehension to what the singer would say next.  "What's wrong?"

    "I've been thinking."  Mina began.  "Ever since my first concert after the Iron Dominion, the one that Sally says you attended, I've been a jerk to you.  Not always directly, but I have."  Mina said this without looking Nicole in the eye, and Mina was rubbing her arm sheepishly.  And she wasn't wrong.  Nicole could hear every negative thing Mina said about her since that day.

    "And yet, even considering that fact, you've done nothing but be nice to me and my band."  Mina continued, still refusing eye contact.  "Any time you felt like it, you could've kicked us all out onto the street, and yet you never did.  And... I want to thank you.  I'm sorry for every bad thing I have ever said about you.  I know I can never take them back, but I hope you can forgive me."  Mina's eyes had slowly started to water as she spoke, and when she finished speaking, she finally broke down.  Nicole could see each sob wrack Mina's body, and with each one, Nicole felt a tug at her heart.  She reached forward and grabbed Mina's shoulder.

    "I forgive you."  Was all Nicole said, giving Mina a sincere smile.  She pulled Mina into a hug that lasted for several seconds before they finally broke off.

    "Thanks, Nicole."  Mina said, wiping her eyes.  "I don't deserve a friend like you."  And with that, Mina took off, a flash of inspiration in her eye.  She had an idea for a new song.  Nicole felt proud of herself for being there to help out a friend, and all thoughts about what has been troubling her lately were temporarily forgotten.

    But in time, those thoughts came back in full force, though now a different topic was on her mind.  Soon after Mina left, Nicole met up with Sonic in the HQ living room, and they were watching TV.  Sonic looked troubled, and Nicole could see why when she saw what he was watching.  For one reason or another, Sonic was watching the news.

    "At 6:53 this morning, emergency crews responded to a 911 call from the Civic Center."  The news caster was saying.  "Just one hour before it opened, one section of wall suddenly collapsed, closely followed by most of a second, causing a large majority of the building to be destroyed.  Luckily, no one in the building was seriously injured, but it could take a couple months before repairs are finished."  The news footage was showing the Civic Center itself, and true to the newscaster's word, most of it was in ruins.  But Nicole was more worried than most people would be at this news, and for two reasons.  1.  The damage looked like the walls were disintegrated instead of destroyed, as though someone interfered with the nanite's programming.  And 2.  6:53 AM was minutes before Nicole woke up that morning.

    "Any ideas?"  Sonic asked when the news switched to a different story.

    "No."  Nicole answered.  "But I should go and help things along.  I'll be back soon."  And she left the room.  The crowd around the Civic Center was small when she got there about 20 minutes later, and everyone was a little confused as to why she took so long, but no one questioned as Nicole controlled each and every nanite as expertly as a puppeteer.  Her repairs were not precise and perfect, but Nicole shrunk the time needed from a couple months to several days.  She returned home a while later trying to piece together just why the nanites would self-destruct like that.  She was not coming to any logical solutions, however, so by the time it was time for dinner, she had pushed the thoughts aside.

    After dinner was through, Nicole felt full and suddenly felt very tired.  Her eyelids were getting heavy, and nothing really wanted to move.  She'd had an interesting day to say the least, so now all she wanted to do was sleep.  But as Nicole was walking down to the guest bedroom, Tails met her along the way.

    "Hello, Tails."  Nicole said, trying to stifle a yawn.  With a quick flick around her head, Nicole's ears told her that no one was in the rooms around her, so she didn't have to keep quiet.

    "Hey, Nicole."  Tails said back with a small wave.  It would be fairly easy for anyone looking to tell that he was trying to keep his tails from wagging in excitement.

    "Why're you still awake?"  Nicole asked, trying to keep a straight face.  "Aren't you tired?"

    "A little, but there's something I wanted to ask you first.  The Cinema down in New Mobotropolis is having a children get in free event, and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me and see a movie.  Sally or Sonic'll come with to act as the paying adult."  Tails explained, though he avoided any and all eye contact while he did so.

    This presented a new opportunity for Nicole, so she decided on the spot, with no hesitation.  "Sure, when is it?"  She asked.

    "I was thinking... we could go tomorrow."  Tails said nervously, trying to keep his nervous blush out of sight.

    "I'll be there."  Nicole replied with a smile.

    "Great!  G'night, Nicole."  Tails nearly shouted in glee as he forced back a yawn and pushed past her, a huge smile plastered on his face.

    "Good night, Tails."  Nicole chuckled.  Moments later, she was back in bed, her worries temporarily forgotten, and a huge smile of her own played across her face.

    The next day was fairly uneventful for everybody, as apparently Eggman losing his most dangerous robot put him seriously behind schedule.  Everyone in the FF HQ split off to do their own things, leaving Tails and Nicole at home.  Tails said he had forgotten to create something that would let Nicole jack out of her body, so that was what the two were doing.  By the time it was 7 at night, the two techies had finished and were testing the thing out.

    "Nicole, could you lay down, please?"  Tails asked as he wheeled the device into Nicole's room.  Nicole obliged and lay down on her bed.  Tails' fingers flew across the keyboard, inputting the commands for the process he was about to start.  After several seconds of Tails tapping away, the device was ready.  "Nicole, could you roll over?  I need to reach the thing on your neck."  He asked, taking out a long cable from one side of the machine.  Nicole couldn't help but unconsciously feel the small metal disk on the back of her neck, having all but forgotten it over the course of the past several weeks.  She did roll onto her side, though, and moments later heard the *click* of the cable being inserted.  "Here we go."  Tails said, and he pressed a key.  Nicole was suddenly rushing through the light show of fiber optics, bits of data flying past her, and within moments, she was floating in a large space, with the only light coming from a square a few feet in front of her.

    Nicole floated to the light, gently pushing bits of data out of her way.  When she reached the light, she was looking at Tails and herself from the screen on the device.  "Yes, it worked!"  Tails whooped when he saw Nicole's face on the monitor.  "First try and everything!"

    "Congratulations, Tails."  Nicole said, trying to sound happy for him.  But deep down, she knew she didn't mean it.  After having a body and real emotions for so long, being just a program again made Nicole feel disconnected.  She would never say it to Tails' face, but in all reality, Nicole never wanted this machine to be built; she had never wanted  to leave her body again.  Of course, Nicole did see the upsides to being able to jack out of her body, such as during an operation or when she needed to be across New Mobotropolis, like, now, but none of that really mattered to Nicole.  All she wanted was be back in her body.  No.  She said to herself as Tails was running a quick diagnosis on her body's brain.  I'm just being selfish.  "This is good for everyone."  She said unintentionally and under her breath.

    "Huh?  What'd you say?"  Tails asked a little distractedly.  But before Nicole could answer, Tails said  "What the-?"  He sounded confused.

    "What's wrong?"  Nicole asked, suddenly a little worried.

    "When I tried to look at your brain, my screen started acting all funny."  Tails explained, trying to get things to work again.  He gave his computer screen one quick smack, though, and it returned to normal.  "Okay, good.  Everything appears to be in order.  Let's plug you back in."  A quick rush through cables once again, and Nicole woke back up and removed the cable from the back of her neck.  As she helped Tails take care of the device, she couldn't help but be a little nervous.  Tails might've dismissed the little glitch on his computer, but Nicole felt like it was something else, something more than just a glitch.

    Nicole spent the next several minutes trying to think of just what that little malfunction was, but her thoughts were cut off by Tails.  "We should get going, the movie'll start in about half an hour."

    "Let me get changed and I'll be with you in a few minutes."  Nicole said, offering Tails a quick smile, which he gave back.  Nicole had a lot on her mind at the moment, and Tails presented a way to cut her mind some slack, to kick back and relax.  Nicole relished the opportunity, and was genuinely excited to go somewhere.  She slipped into her casual outfit, a purple T-shirt, rolled up jeans and a gigantic purple hat, and met Tails at the door.  Tails had washed himself up, as he did every time he went somewhere public, and Nicole couldn't help but notice that he looked nice.  Not one hair was out of place on his head.  Or anywhere, for that matter.

    When Nicole met up with Tails at the door, the first thing out of his mouth was,  "Now we're just waiting for Sally.  She said she'd be the paying adult here."

    "But she's not 18."  Nicole stated, a little confused.

    "They don't need to know that."  Tails said under his breath, giving Nicole a mischievous smile.  Nicole tried and failed to bite back a small chuckle, and it was several seconds before she could finally look at Tails again.  But when Nicole finally did look back at Tails, everything around them seemed to stop.  Neither one saw it coming, but when the two met, they would not break their gazes away from each other.  Nicole was suddenly flooded with feelings she did not recognize.  Her heart fluttered, her stomach was suddenly all cramped up, and she had an odd painful feeling in her liver.  She could feel her cheeks reddening with each passing moment, and she was suddenly very nervous, though why, she did not know.  Maybe I caught something.  Nicole tried to reason with herself.  After several moments that felt like an eternity, Tails cleared his throat and looked away, looking as nervous as Nicole felt, and suddenly, the two could not meet each other's gaze anymore.  The very air around them seemed to harden as an awkward silence descended on the both of them, a silence that both of them were scared of breaking.

    "Am I interrupting?"  Came a voice from down the hall, scaring the living daylights out of the two.  Tails and Nicole turned around to see Sally, standing in the hallway a little ways back.  "Well, I think we should get going."  And with that, the three started towards the movie theater.

    The entire way, not one word was said between Tails and Nicole, and Sally was a little scared to break the silence herself, so this gave Nicole plenty of time to think.  What happened back there?  She asked herself.  That has never happened to me before.  At least, I don't think it has.  These thoughts and other similar ones occupied Nicole's mind during the entire trip, her only reprieve from these torturous thoughts coming when they actually reached the cinema.  Sally paid for everyone's tickets and they all bought their snacks.  The small group entered the theater with some time to spare.

    "I think I'll leave you two alone."  Sally said with a smile when they entered.  And without another word, she went off to find a spot.  She only came because the theater wouldn't let a couple of 11 year olds in by themselves.  Nicole and Tails found a spot in the middle and parked it next to each other.  The movie began a couple minutes later.

    At first, it started slow and a little confusing, but in time, the two got into it.  It was a story about a couple of widowers.  One was new to an area and did not know anything about where she moved to.  The other had confined himself to his own house at all times, with only his multitude of computers for company.  The two met, and the rest of the movie was focused around their growing relationship.  All troubles that plagued Nicole's mind vanished as the movie went on, to be replaced with something else, a feeling more than a thought.  As the movie neared it's end, Nicole found herself staring at Tails, who was too engrossed in the movie to notice, his head in both hands as he watched intently.  Her heart was filled with a feeling; it was almost identical to the one she had before Sally arrived and took Tails and Nicole to see the movie, but this time, it felt much happier.  The first time, it was a nervous feeling, but this time, she felt happy, and her heart lifted.

    Why did he really take me here?  Nicole found herself wondering.  Then she chastised herself, saying,  He did this because he's my friend.  He only wanted someone to go see this movie with.

    Didn't he?

    The movie ended close to twenty minutes later, and the crowd of people who had went began to leave.  Sally caught up with Tails and Nicole in the lobby.  "So, what'd you two think?"  She asked, giving them both a quick smile even as she stifled a yawn.

    "The story was good, but the acting could've been a little better."  Tails said after a few moments to think.

    "I personally didn't find anything wrong with it."  Nicole said.  "I liked it a lot, actually."

    "That's good." Sally said, yawning again.  "Well, we should get back, it's getting late."  And Sally left the lobby to wait outside, leaving Tails and Nicole alone inside.

    "I had fun."  Tails said.

    "I did too."  Nicole replied.  "Thank you for taking me."

    "Don't mention it.  I'm glad I could."  Tails said with a grin.  "I'd like to do this again sometime."

    "Me, too."  Nicole replied.  She gave Tails a quick smile and headed outside to meet up with Sally, and within half an hour, the trio had returned home.  Almost everyone was asleep already as it was close to 11 at night, so the three decided to call it a day.  Sally wound her way to her room as soon as she entered the door, giving Tails and Nicole a lazy "G'Night." as she did so.

    Tails' room was the closer of the two, so they came across his room first.  The two children stopped outside Tails's door, and he said,  "Well, good night, Nicole."

    "Good night Tails."  Nicole replied.  Her heart lifted at Tails' smile, and then Tails started going into his room as Nicole started walking towards hers.  But she was conflicted.  Pretty much since they left, Nicole felt happy just being around Tails, though she didn't quite know why.  She did know that she wanted something, however.  Something harmless, but something she knew would make her happier than she ever had been.  She was inches away from fulfilling some unconscious dream of hers, and she could see it play out in her minds eye with crystal clarity: Tails, in his door, surprised by a rope of nanites suddenly wrapping itself around his waist and heaving him straight towards Nicole's open arms and waiting lips.  Just the thought of the feelings that she imagined would course through her body...  A shudder ran through Nicole that shook her to the core.  Some part of her wanted that, and wanted that badly.

    No, no, stop thinking about that.  Nicole chastised herself, driving the thoughts away.  Tails' just a friend, he wouldn't want me to do that.

    Even so, the temptation for her to do that was enormous.  The logical side of Nicole knew she wasn't quite ready to handle feelings like this, yet the newly formed emotional side was yelling almost too loud to ignore.  As Nicole turned to head to her room, she couldn't help but sneak a glance back at Tails as he closed the door to his own.  Her fantasy came back in full force and Nicole had to turn away after less than 2 seconds before she did something she'd regret.  Her face lit up like a christmas tree and she bolted back to her room.

    Nicole was there seconds later, and she didn't even bother changing before she jumped in bed and buried her face in her pillow.  "What is happening to me?"  She asked her pillow.  "I'm so confused, I don't know what's going on!"  Nicole's rampant mind and her raging emotions made her break down into tears, as this is one of very few times where she had absolutely no idea what was going on.  Nicole's silent sobs went unheard through out the HQ, the only break coming when she finally cried herself to sleep.

    Meanwhile, a different entity decided to come out and play, unnoticed in the cool and tranquil night.

    Neither Tails, nor Nicole, nor even Sally woke up the next morning until about 10 AM.  And even then, they all would've slept longer were it not for Sonic and others coming to wake them all up.  "What's going on?"  Nicole asked as Mina shook her awake.

    "There's something on the news we think you should see.  It's happened again."  Mina replied, and she didn't say anything more.  Nicole followed Mina into the living room, where the TV was on and showing a news cast, one that troubled Nicole greatly.

    "Early this morning, emergency crews responded to an entire building in downtown Mobotropolis suddenly collapsed without warning.  The apartment complex was mostly empty, but there were still some serious injuries, including one woman who was taken to the ER for numerous broken bones.  As you all know, this is not the first time this has happened, but this is the first time whoever has done it has left a clue.  One section of wall was left standing, and upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the nanites that make up the structure had simply been turned off.  This means that whoever did this is able to control the nanites that make up the city.  The citizens are already demanding that the program known as NICOLE be shut down."  The newscaster finished, cutting to some footage of people all around the site protesting Nicole's continued existence.  "We all hope this doesn't come to be necessary.  In other news-"  Sonic shut off the TV.

    "Those stupid ingrates!"  He and Sally shouted at once.  "Don't they re-"  Sally continued, but she was cut off.

    "Hey, Nicole!  Where're you going?!"  Sonic shouted after her, as Nicole had started to leave the room.

    "I'm going to go fix the damage that whoever this was caused.  I'll be back in a while."  She said, stopping at the door to explain.  Tails got up and went over to her, grabbing Nicole's arm to stop her from going any further.

    "Nicole, wait."  He said, a very worried tone in his voice.  "If you go down there, the people will just take their anger out on you."

    "I know."  Nicole answered, trying to pull her arm free.

    "And yet you're going anyway?"  Tails said, refusing to let go.  "They could try to hurt you!"

    "But if I don't then that will just make people hate me even more than they already do."  Nicole said, finally turning around to let everyone see her.  She tried to give them a smile, but Tails could see the tears that Nicole just barely held back.  "I have to start somewhere.  And if this is what it takes to get people to trust me again, I will do it."  She turned away from everyone again and pulled Tails' hand off her arm.  She went down the hall and into her room, where she plugged herself into Tails' machine and jacked out of her body.  This way, as a program, she could get there faster and she wouldn't have to worry about  people hurting her physically, as she'll be just a hologram.  As Nicole traveled down across the city through cyberspace, she never realized that she had a tear rolling down her digital cheek.

    "She shouldn't have left."  Tails said to his friends a few minutes after Nicole left.  "Everyone who's there are going to tear her apart."

    Sonic came over and knelt next to his little bro.  "Tails, Nicole is one of the smartest people I know.  I don't think she'll actually go there in a solid form.  She probably jacked herself out."  He said reassuringly.

    "Still, if they can't hurt her physically, they can still hurt her emotionally.  Ever since Nicole got a body, she's been a little sensitive, and she hurts easily.  She used to be before all this happened.  Now, it's even worse."  Tails said, a small tremble in his voice.

    "Tails, Nicole is also one of the strongest people I know."  Sally said, coming over to comfort the fox kit.  "She'll come back, and she'll be fine.  Just wait."

    Meanwhile, there was someone watching all these events play out.  "I can't believe this!"  A voice said, unseen by anybody.  "These fools are making my job too easy!"  Whoever owned the voice was positively giddy.  "Now, let's make this nightmare just a little bit darker."  The entity disappeared into the shadows, and started to work.

******************

    Nicole had been working for a couple hours.  The building that came down was not easily repaired, as it was designed to withstand a magnitude 5 earthquake, and the angry crowd behind her was not helping her concentration.  At first, they had responded by throwing things at her, such as pieces of bricks and other construction materials, but once they realized that that would do no good, they switched to their words.  And as much as she tried, Nicole could not tune out the hurtful remarks and angry demands of the crowd behind her as she worked.  Her patience was beginning to wear thin.  Luckily, she reached a point in the repairs that made the building stable and livable again, but barely.  She was tired, and if she had to put up with the angry mob behind her for even a second longer, she would just snap.

    So she decided to head home once the repairs were made.  As soon as Nicole arrived again, she showed herself to her friends without her body to tell everyone her progress.  "I was able to repair a large majority of the structure, and the repairs from this point should take no longer than a week."  She explained.

    "Are you okay?"  Sally asked before Tails could open his mouth.  "You're form's starting to dissolve a little around the edges."

    "I'm fine."  Nicole answered, forcing her form to hold together better.  "But I'm tired.  I going to sleep for a few hours."

    "Okay.  'Night."  Tails said as Nicole vanished.  Tails was nervous for her, but didn't want to pester her when she was so obviously spent.  Nicole herself traveled through the HQ's network and found Tails' device.  She entered her body without waking it up, and she was about to pass out herself, but then she heard something.  It almost sounded like someone laughing inside her head.

    "Who's there?"  Nicole called out.  The laughter stopped, to be replaced with an actual voice.  It had no real sound; Nicole more felt it than heard it.

    "What does it matter?"  The voice answered.  "Pretty soon, I'll be you."  And suddenly, Nicole felt herself hauled back down the cable and down into Tails' device, down into an area on it's hard drive that had yet to be used.  Nicole was thrown into a program shaped like a large metal cube, with no windows or doors.  Nicole tried to destroy the cube before she reached it, but for some reason, the program would not disappear.  "Oh, I'm sorry.  You won't be getting out of this any time soon."  The voice said, a sadistic chuckle just barely held back.  "When I do let you out, though, you won't be able to set one foot out your door without the wrath of the people following you every step of the way."  Nicole was shoved through an opening in the cube that was quickly closing behind her.  "See you then."  The voice said before Nicole was plunged into a blackness so complete, not even her own mind could break the silence within.