The following story is a work of fiction based on the video game and Archie Comic Publications, Inc. comic SONIC THE HEDGEHOG™. All characters, locations, and events that are associated with the game are copyright © 1992-2013 SEGA CORPORATION and ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC. This fiction is protected by fair use laws under the appropriate jurisdictions and is not to be sold or published without written consent from all parties. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG™: EVIL ANGEL copyright © 2013 ADAM HARDIN. All rights reserved. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG™ logo is copyright © and trademark ™ of SEGA CORPORATION.

When the virus hit, it was originally thought to be a hard case of influenza: symptoms were typical of the infection with vomiting and fever. The first to be affected was, of all people, Antoine: coming back from a mission he had puked his guts out right outside the secret entrance of Knothole. Sonic begrudgingly along with Rotor took shovels and buried the mess while Sally and Bunnie assessed Antoine's condition. Both agreed that he had probably contracted a virus on their latest romp to Robotropolis and decided that rest and a steady flow of fluids was all that was required.

When Amy started experiencing the same symptoms, a notice was put out to limit contact with anyone who was exhibiting signs of illness. Waste was incinerated instead of normal disposal and extra washing was promoted of utensils, clothing, and hands. As the virus continued to spread, Sally began to suspect that maybe this wasn't just a bad case of the flu. Two weeks passed as more and more residents of Knothole Village fell ill, prompting an investigation of the surrounding area. All missions to Robotropolis were restricted to absolute need only and supply runs. It wasn't until the first fatality that everyone really became worried.

That was four days ago. Sally sat at her desk in her hut staring at NICOLE, her handheld computer. NICOLE had analyzed blood samples from the one who died—a raccoon named Jeremy who was in his early twenties and reasonably healthy prior to becoming sick—in order to investigate the possibilities that maybe there was more to this virus than what was on the surface. Jeremy, as far as Sally knew, didn't have any autoimmune diseases or other infections at the time of his passing, nor was there any reason to believe fowl play or dehydration was involved. NICOLE reported back empty-handed.

Sally sighed, "Dammit."

She pushed the computer aside and placed a few drops of the sample onto a slide before placing it into her microscope. Sally examined the sample under the lens but didn't see anything on the surface—if she was going to analyze this, she was going to need a more powerful computer and microscope, both of which she did not have. Something like that existing in Robotropolis was even more farfetched.

Bunnie pushed open the chipmunk's door, knocking lightly.

"Sally girl?" she asked sweetly. "You wanted to see me, sugar?"

Sally shook her head, disappointed in the results that had yielded

"Nothing," she said. "I can't find one single goddamn thing in his bloodstream. NICOLE didn't report anything abnormal, either. I've checked his plasma, examined his bones… I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty confident I can spot something wrong in someone's bodily fluids or organs."

Bunnie walked over to Sally, her large green eyes saddened by the shortcoming in answers that plagued Sally and eventually all of Knothole.

She put her arm around Sally's shoulders, saying, "I'm so sorry sweetie… We'll get it, don't worry."

Sally wiped her eyes and sniffed.

"I hope so, Bunnie," she whispered. "I mean, Jeremy was strong, healthy, and this thing wiped him out like it was nobody's business. I've never seen anything like this… I mean: if it did that to him… imagine what it could do… to someone that's still a…"

"Don't think like that, Sally girl!" Bunnie whispered loudly. She squeezed Sally's shoulders and said, "We'll figure out what this… this nastiness is."

"I hope so, Bunnie," Sally said, picking up a framed photograph of Tails. "He's so young. I couldn't, no, wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to him."