Well, here we are, back for the next chapter. It's been a little while, eh? Ah well, here we go.
The Springyards
Ivo examined the area below him from a nearby hill as the evening came on. It was truly amazing how quickly the Hedgehog had assembled all of this, but Ivo's builder bots were fast. Extremely fast.
But the springyards were not entirely finished to begin with. While the overall structure was halfway or so complete, there were plenty of holes. The internal springyards were protected by a collection of walls.
Ivo was retuning the springs on this mechanised legs to ensure their efficiency. He had to be sure his mechanised parts would not fail. Anything else could kill the doctor. Satisfied, he packed up his portible heater and stood up, ensuring his legs were secured.
With a deep breath, he set off in a slow jog down the hills towards the springyards. He encountered little as he came down at first; however after around five minutes, he encountered his first collection of bots. Buzzbombers and some kind of crab.
He landed hard and broke the first cab apart. The charge sprinted away as he began his small engagement. The buzzbombers spun and locked on. The doctor sprung into the air and landed atop the first buzzbomber. Using the single one as a spring, he landed atop the others, taking them out with ease.
The crabs below attempted to scatter, but they weren't fast enough. The doctor paused to survey the carnage he'd caused. It was amazing he found, how natural and instinct his attacks were. He hadn't ended up thinking much during it.
It was dangerous; He realised. While these bots were too dumb to plan, other bots, such as the buzzbomber he'd encountered earlier, could be a threat if he started going automatic during these fights.
He would need to be careful in the future.
The doctor reached the walls around the spring yard, and easily located a hole into the structure. Inside, he found the strong, flat outer appearance of the scrap yard was very deceptive. Inside was a whole mix of u-shaped slopes, and ramps, and oddly placed springs. The place almost seemed to be connected by a series of small tunnels.
"Gah!" Ivo gasped as he nearly fell from an exitway down into a huge pit with a curved bottom. This was an absurd design. What was the point of all this?
So much of the place seemed to be randomly strewn together. It seemed like a mad house; Somewhere where Sonic sent the defective builder bots Sonic must have replicated.
Ivo pondered the possibility. How much had the Hedgehog been able to build. It hadn't even been a days since he'd stolen the builder bots. How had he built all this?
Ivo located a gap across the pit; which appeared to have a passageway leading away the pit. The mechanised legs allowed Ivo to fall from great distances without taking any damage. The doctor sprinted forward and jumped. Falling for a brief few seconds, Ivo hit the ground without injury. A buzzbomber was waiting for him.
As the bit drew its rear up to fire, Ivo lunged forward. Lacking the room to attack by jumping atop the bot, The fat man slid underneath. The bot readjusted as the doctor reached the end of the tunnel, which opened out to yet another curve-bottomed pit. With no other options, the doctor jumped down, hoping to land on solid ground.
He somewhat successful. The doctor hit the slope and stumbled backyards, falling over, only to land on a spring, which launched him high into the air. Ivo was spinning for a few seconds, until he landed hard against the ground.
The doctor lay still for a few moments, confused, until he sat up and looked directly down. He had landed on some kind of platform held in the air by a few support girders. He'd been taken to near the top of this wall, looking down, he saw he was around halfway through it. Half constructed builds and several strange structures that looked primarily like big, long tubes.
Ivo heard a rumble, though. The buzzbomber was following. Ivo swallowed, hoping that it wasn't the one from the lava filled area before.
Luckily for him, it wasn't. The bot flew in a slow, simple pattern. As soon as it came close enough so that the doctor was sure he could bounce back to the platform after landing, he did it.
The doctor landed back, and watched as the small bird inside fluttered off into the horizon. Ivo smiled slightly as he watched the bird disappeared into the horizon. No time for sentimentality, especially so deep into the enemy territory.
He surveyed the platforms and pathways directly underneath him. Having eventually selected a way down he went for it, falling down to another walkway. From there, he repeated, only hit a less strong platform, which immediately snapped under his weight.
The doctor swore as the platform went 45 degrees down. He snarled, but landed feet down and started running. Taking advantages of the holey terrain and mostly unfinished buildings, Ivo managed to speed through the series of collapsing platforms for several seconds. However, he eventually hit a more solid platform that held under his weight.
Looking back, he realised that most of the platforms had fallen, but the superstuctures had survived mostly intact. The doctor proceeded down the long platform. At the end, he found a capsule and busted it open. As the animals sprang free, Ivo paused to ponder the morality of letting the collection of wild animals loose in the metallic city.
Given the incomplete nature of the springyard, though, Ivo was confident most animals would find their way out.
The doctor proceded down a collection of steps, having cleared the walls and entered the centre of the springyards. Ahead was an almost eerie darkened collection of buildings.
Ivo felt unsettled looking at it. It was almost apocalyptic. Ivo stopped for a second, observing the cities. Could this be the hedgehog's intentions? His plans to fill the world with cities such as these?
It seemed so dark and depressing. And yet, was the realisation of what the collection of tubes and tunnels around the area were for. They were running tracks and obstacles for the blue speedster.
How had he built all this in such little time? It was only this afternoon or so when he come back to see his bots stolen…
What the Hedgehog had been stealing the bots before todays, but in lesser quantities? No: Ivo did inventory checks every week; So but seemed impossible; Could the Hedgehog have been smart enough to build his own builder bots?
Ivo had an uneasy feeling about it now. He now truly realised he was now deep within Sonic's terrain. If he was going to survive against the Hedgehog, he'd prove it here.
Sonic the Hedgehog snarled and threw the pencil across the room in anger. He was no scientist, but surely creating new designs for robots couldn't be this hard.
He need to hit the doctor with some new design; As he burned through the doctor's plans, he needed something to surprise that fatman and finish him off before he became some kind of martyr. Last thing the Hedgehog need was a resistance with a leader to rally behind.
He feed another modification for the transport mobile to his personal builder bots. They pored over the doctor's plans with unbelievable interest, beginning their work immediately.
He had worked so hard to make this move, and it couldn't be better. Not only was the island under his control, hut anyone who could challenge him by name of his thugs were out of business, and his armies were all under steady production, and GUN was unaware of his plot.
If only that Egghead hadn't shown up.
Sonic thought back as to how this whole thing started; close to a week ago, he had snuck into the doctor's place of residence. The doctor only had two builder bots. He would definitely notice if one or two went missing; But…
Sonic had found the plans and fed them to the bots. They gladly build the Hedgehog his very own bot. All without touching the scrap supply the doctor had very much. Sonic even managed to get a second one built with minimal difference to the reserve. Taking his leave, Sonic took the two bots back to the cave he resided in.
And he had the two mine the cave and build replicates of each other. It was so simple. Before the end of the day, he had a thousand bots. He established a mining system with five hundred bots, with the rest all going into the building effort.
Soon they had built him a city. A factory for more bots. An army. And even a leisure centre for himself. The spring zone, as he called it. A mix between his own private fortress and his entertainment source. The walls would not only be impregnable, but well connected, allowing him to quickly run between them, and even entertain himself with their twists and turns.
That's all that Spring yard zone, as he called it, was. For him. The city, pah, what use did he have for people to live there? But it would make a great place to enjoy the many nooks and crannies of. He may even model later cities off it. And he could use it as propaganda. Maybe he would even let some of his loyal subordinates live here.
The city had a simple layout; A large series of walls, surrounding a large suburb, encircling an internal section of large city buildings, along with several factories inside. The buildings of the suburbs were storage mostly.
All he needed there was his loyal robot army. No chance of betrayal from them. So much success on his behalf, and yet, why was he disturbed so much.
"We have detected priority one target just entered the perimeter wall. Power storage A5 has been opened and load escaped." A flat, emotionless voice informed him.
It was a egg-shaped security bot.
"Priority one?" Snarled the blue hedgehog.
"Yes, great one." It responded.
Sonic accelerated over to the city-wide broadcast speaker and hit it up.
"Attention all forces! Priority one target has entered the area. Proceed to sector A5 and destroy him at once!" He yelled, and closed the channel.
The security bot turned and sprinted off.
"Bring me back good news, or so help me…" He snarled viciously.
How dare that scientist come here! Had he not been seen off by the defences?
Well, in fairness, the wall weren't complete yet. There would have been plenty of holes to sneak through. The blue speedster ground his teeth. How long would this beach ball continue to annoy him?
"Modifications to Egg mobile complete, great one." Reported one of the builder bots.
Finally. The Blue Hedgehog thought, and jumped into the air, landing atop the vehicle.
Popping open the hatch and jumping inside it, the Hedgehog ignited the main engines and took off. The hatch above his residence opened, allowing the blue flier access to the sky. Sonic opened up the display, which revealed the location of the scientist.
Without waiting, he set off.
Ivo first became aware of his status as the words rang out calling out for him to be captured.
"Well, at least he's honest about his intentions." Ivo mused aloud, and started sprinting down they walkway, which lay above the collection of dark builds that made up the suburbs of this city.
The first collection of bots to arrive were a collection of speeding motobugs. Ivo sprang upwards and hit off the first one, springing off into the air. He hit the grounds as another bot swept around and powered around. The doctor waited, and then launched upwards and sprang off as the bot neared.
He landed and broke the bot apart. The final motobug paused uncertainly, and Ivo set his springs to be ready to launch. The motobug applied some breaks for a few seconds, but spun up its wheel, releasing a trail of smoke and building speed.
It released after a few seconds, and Ivo sprung into the air, twisting as he did so. With a slam he came down on the motobug, and the robot's shell collapsed. A pig sprang free and began running down the walkway, back towards the walls.
The doctor continued on for a minute or so without any interuptions, until a series of buzzbombers accelerated towards Ivo. He paused and took a stance, waiting to see weither or not they would be like the buzzbomber earlier.
That robot really put some paranoia in the doctor. The lack of them was also interesting; Why was Sonic keeping them in the dark? Was he too lazy to build more, or was he keeping them as a secret weapon?
Or was it an oddity? Something unintended?
The doctor swallowed waited for the buzzbombers to take attack positions. They stopped and aimed. Not intelligent, then. The doctor advanced in a slow sprint. As the bots fired, Ivo launched forward, gaining about ten meters of air before landing atop a buzzbomber.
The bot exploded, and Ivo used the air to land again and and again atop the buzzbombers. They just simply lacked the ability to adapt to his strategy and movement.
Without fail, he landed one after the other and shattered them. He landed unhurt. The animals scarpered off. Ivo stopped and examined this yard closely. Below the walkway, there was a huge circle of suburbs that surrounded the outskirts of the distant city. The Suburbs of the city were dark and abandoned.
Unnerving. So very unnerving.
"Well, doctor! A pleasure to see you!" A familiar voice yelled.
Sonic.
Ivo sighed and stopped, looking up as the blue flier arrived, hovering above the walkway. A large spike had been installed on the bottom.
"And to you…" The doctor grumbled.
"What do you think of my fortress?"
"This is your fortress?" The scientist queried, Looking around, rather confused at the fact he was calling the city his fortress.
"Yes! It is!" Sonic replied happily. "This will be my city, and from here, I will rule the world."
"How do you even intend to make people want to live here?" The doctor asked. "It's all dark and dreary. I wouldn't live here. I don't think anyone would live here."
"I don't want anyone to live here. It's all just for me. A city to play in, and look good to the people I rule. Something for them to strive to, I guess." Sonic laughed.
"Big plans, Hedgehog." The doctor sighed. "I can't let you do that, though. Not while I'm here."
"I don't think you're going to stop me, anyway." The blue hedgehog grinned.
He leaned forward and through his hands across the levers and mechanisms of the hovering vehicle. It plunged down and slammed spike down into walkway.
It wasn't very fast. The doctor didn't even move as the vehicle came down; Sonic wasn't targeting him.
"Why do you have a spike on your vehicle anyway?" The scientist sighed.
Sonic raised the vehicle back into the sky, pulling a large block up with him, attached to the spike.
"To do this!" The Hedgehog laughed, and pressed a button.
The block shattered, raining fragments down from the sky. Ivo looked up at the vehicle.
"You'll feel a sharp pain, and then nothing!" Sonic laughed.
The doctor sighed at the plain flaw in the plan.
"That thing won't hit me. It's way too slow." He explained.
"You don't say that; I say that!" Sonic yelled in retaliation.
He took aim and powered down towards Ivo. The scientist stepped aside as the vehicle hit the ground. The doctor turned at looked across at the Hedgehog as he furiously worked the levers, trying to free his wedged vehicle.
Ivo raised a leg and kicked the Egg mobile as hard as he could. The vehicle was ripped clear of the ground, carrying another block with it, with some steam venting from the damaged panel.
"See now?" The scientist asked.
The Hedgehog was far too angry now to actually see what Ivo meant. And so, he circled the doctor at a decently high speed. Ivo stood and watched him closely, waiting for the move he knew the Hedgehog would eventually make.
He got predictable when angry, which turned the fight even more to the doctor's favour. As he came at him, Ivo set his springs to full and launched upwards. As he did, he twisted and slammed down against the glass covering the Hedgehog. It cracked as he hit once, twice, thrice…
Sonic kicked the engines hard and banked away. Ivo gave up his stomp to land back on the walkway, which with the two large holes carved into it were beginning to suffer as a result.
The doctor looked up as Sonic curved around him again.
"ALL BOTS!" He screamed. "CONVERGE ON MY LOCATION AND DESTROY PRIORITY TARGET!"
The doctor rolled his eyes behind his goggles.
"Really? Getting your- No, My bots, to do the work?" He sniped off.
The Hedgehog snarled, but knew his vehicle couldn't go another round with the doctor, so turned tail and flew away. Ivo followed briefly, but a squad of buzzbombers separated them.
Once again, these bots were unintelligent and all stopped for their attack. Ivo sprang off and broke up several bots along the line. He lost track of Sonic as he bet off the bots. And yet more came on. Motobugs, crabs, several other kinds of robotic animals.
Buzzbomber swirled through the air above. Faced with little options and unable to get close enough to the bots, he turned and leapt off the walkway down to the suburbs below. Shots echoed and fell from above, smashing through the buildings around him. The buildings were flimsy, and fell quickly under the fire from above.
The doctor sprinted through the buildings as fire rained down from above. He needed cover, and he needed it fast. He spotted what appeared to be an opening to a tunnel system. He turned and adjusted his course, finally lunging into the tunnel.
Two shots smashed into his back, knocking the doctor over. He rolled once and just managed to climb to his feet. He still had plenty of rings left to protect himself. Three more shots whizzed by, and doctor slid into the tunnel.
The fire continued. The tunnel wasn't going to hold up under the bombardment. Dust fell from the ceiling. The doctor couldn't stay here; the tunnel entrance would soon collapse under the fire. He wouldn't find any cover out there, but this might be the only entrance to this tunnel. If the entrance fell, we would be trapped.
He swallowed, looking back and forward. The tunnel appeared to be a mine shaft. Sonic have been using his bots to mine the area under his city for materials. That had to mean that there was another entrance.
He swallowed, and ran down the tunnel. It continued to groan under the fire from above, and even a couple of motobugs entered. The tunnel wasn't large enough to allow Ivo to jump up and crack their shells open, so he used the mechanised spring legs to sprint down the tunnel.
A rumble split the air. Ivo turned around to see the tunnel entrance falling apart, collapsing behind him. Ivo quicken his pace as quickly as this tunnel would allow him, but the tunnel was falling apart quickly.
The tunnel opened into a large mining chamber. It fell apart as he passed through it. Ivo was rather panicked now; He'd underestimated how long this collapse would last. But as he rounded another rather sharp split in the road; he noticed that the ground changed from mined to building blocks.
Ruins.
Ancient ruins.
Ivo watched as the collapse halted as it proper structure. He let out a relieved breath as he watched the debris grind to a halt.
After a few minutes to regain his breath, Ivo realised that he'd lost his travel pack. He immediately let out a cry of anger as he realised this fact.
"Fine. Fine. It's absolutely fine." He growled to himself. "Where am I, anyway?"
He set off into the ruins.