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]

Here are a few outfit sets worn by Fiona Fox in I, FIONA:

Spoiler: Base Daily Wear

Fiona's shift of clothing color preferences for herself in this AU was not necessarily a deliberate choice on her part but more of a side effect of her merger with an Outsider.

Spoiler: The Crimson Paw - hood and mask down

Fiona dressing up and acting as the Crimson Paw just started as something fun for her to do before it became a whole thing and actual secondary identity, complete with calling cards.

Spoiler: Mobian Casual

It's still early on in the resistance, and Knothole is one of those hidden villages that definitely has limited access to textiles, so Mobian Casual is definitely an option for when regular day-to-day wear is being cleaned and dried and the good outfits are being kept clean for more appropriate occasions.

Spoiler: Vest and Shoes

And this is just Fiona wearing a copy of Sally's vest.

 

[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…