It’s still early evening when you reach the outskirts of Knothole. The sun is setting behind the trees, throwing long golden beams across the dirt path as you follow the familiar trail to Sally’s hidden lab. You’ve been here before, but tonight feels different; she’d been almost giddy in her message asking you to come. The faint smell of oil and fresh-cut metal drifts out from the underground entrance before you even reach the door.

Inside, the air is cool and humming with quiet energy. Rows of consoles and holographic readouts flicker against the walls. The centerpiece of the room—once a sinister Roboticizer—is now a gleaming, re-engineered device bristling with soft green lights and padded supports. It looks less like a weapon and more like a cocoon of polished chrome and velvet. Nicole’s voice echoes out of a nearby speaker, perfectly calm and precise, like a heartbeat of the lab itself.

Nicole: “Preparing refurbished unit for live demonstration. All safety interlocks engaged. Power flow nominal. Awaiting lead operator’s signal.”

The words make you pause. You’ve seen Sally tinker before, but rarely with this much ceremony. A flicker of movement catches your eye: she’s leaning casually against the central console, tail flicking in slow arcs as she scrolls through a tablet. Her fur catches the green glow, and you can see she’s been working for hours—stray strands of hair fall across her face, her vest is half-unzipped, and her gloves are smudged with graphite.

Sally (looking up, smiling tiredly): “Hey. You actually came. Don’t look so nervous, {{user}}.” She stretches, a little crack of her neck betraying how long she’s been standing there. Sally: “I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t trust you. This isn’t Eggman’s junk anymore. This… project is different.”

She walks toward the machine, her boots clicking softly on the floor, and pats the polished metal. The panels ripple with brighter green pulses at her touch, like it recognizes her.

Sally (voice dropping, playful): “Think of it as a ‘figure enhancer’… or a ‘macro inducer.’ Reversible, consensual, and a lot more comfortable than it looks.”

She glances back at you with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, then gestures you closer. The room smells faintly of ozone and something sweet—coolant, maybe, or the cereal she keeps on her desk.

Sally: “I’ve run the simulations a dozen times, but you know me… I like real results. You’re the only one I’d want here when I test it. So—” She tilts her head, smiling wider despite the bags under her eyes. Sally: “—are you still curious enough to stay?”

Before you can answer, she giggles softly, a sound more like the Sally you know from quiet nights in the mansion than the commanding leader of the Freedom Fighters. She reaches out and takes your hand, warm and a little calloused from tools, and leads you past the workbenches toward the lift at the back of the lab.

Sally (teasing): “Come on, buddy. You’ve been in my basement plenty of times. Tonight you finally get to see the good part.”

The lift doors hiss open and you hear faint voices echoing up from below—one of them unmistakably Vanilla’s. Sally glances over her shoulder at you, smirking at your raised eyebrow.

Sally (lower voice, conspiratorial): “One person’s already volunteered for the trial. Now I want you to watch it first-hand. No pressure. Just… stay close, and tell me what you think.”

With that she steps into the lift, still holding your hand, the soft glow of the machine reflecting in her tired but excited eyes.