Chapter 8: Eggman Empire
He was ready.
When the news reports came on the TV in the staff lounge, reports of Adabat sliding back into place, he complained of a burning in his flesh. His coworkers promised to cover for him and sent him toward the medical area. He jumped down a laundry shoot, turning at an angle to clear his broad shoulders. At the bottom he grabbed an emerald robe, tucked his white hair into it, and pulled it tight over his white chef's clothes. Then he walked out onto the street, pulling his ear.
A cab drove up and he casually opened the door, sliding in. Once the door was closed, he glance din the rearview mirror and smiled.
"Is it time?" Ask the young voice up front.
"Yes. How many have you got?"
The soldier turned to look at him. "It's like Westopolis, sir. I have two."
The old man shifted in his seat. "I pick pocketed three off various visitors. And stop calling me that."
"Maybe I'll be able to call you that again."
"I won't give you the chance."
"Then I'll have to vote for Sonic, won't I?"
"You and me both. But I doubt he'd run. Maybe Amy."
They rode in silence for a while, the elder man every so often checking a watch hidden underneath the sleeve of his robe. Then a flash illuminated the backseat, and a pop shook them. Two furry figures appeared on the floor at the old man's feet, curled up in each other, tangled, a strange little monster between their heaving chests.
He took in the sight of them, his once proud nations' oldest, youngest heroes. A gentleman with yellow fur, touched with white, was holding his companion with strong, muscular arms, pressing the hedgehog's face protectively into the fluffy white fur of his chest. The hedgehog in question was older, seeming almost shriveled despite an extra few inches of height, but still clad in royal blue spines. The red and white shoes on his feet were a piece of history, and sadly, so was the dazed look in those bright green eyes, so far away. But as they leapt into the darkness, as they came fully into reality from the chaos control, the hedgehog screamed.
"Sonic!" cried the fox.
He began pushing away at Tails, hard, pushing with claws that tore through his white gloves. He roared as his spine lengthened, his teeth warped and grew and sharpened, slicing a part of his paling beige lip. Watching it—seeing it finally—made the old man feel sick.
As the werehog collapsed on the floor of the cab, as the goggle-clad fox climbed into the seat, the chef removed his hood. He felt a certain satisfaction at being recognized and remembered as Dr. Prower's blue, reflective eyes went wide in the dark.
"Mr. President? You're alive?"
"Dr. Prower," he chided gently, "My term expired eight years ago. I'm commander of the Federation Underground now." He smiled, watching the wheels turn in Tails' head. Their companion, a spritely creature with waxy blue wings, with horns and claws, looked on, confused.
"Whoah, I finally get to ride in a car," the creature murmured before flying down to Sonic, slapping his face gently with sharp claws.
"By the way, Dr. Prower, I'd like to thank you again for saving my escape pod from aliens all those years ago," he offered, reminded of the Black Arms by the ugly creature tending to Sonic. "You could say I was… inspired by your hands-on approach."
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"All along, old friend, he's been using our teleporters. Why stop now?"
Knuckles paced the floor, staring at his boots. Behind the desk, Eggman sat, head in his hands.
"Spagonia to Holoska, Holoska to Chun-nan, Chun-nan to Shamar, Shamar to Adabat. When he revealed himself, he started travelling by our teleports."" Eggman sat up straight. "Something must have changed, Knuckles. You know him and Tails, better than anyone does. Did Sonic say anything to you in Mazuri?"
Knuckles looked at his ostensible ally, at the panic in his deep blue eyes, pince-nez lying ignored on the desk. "He told me that he didn't trust you. That this was all your fault."
An eyebrow shot up on Eggman's bald head. "It doesn't seem like him to blame."
"Ivo. You unleashed every horrific abomination on the world and expect a 15-year-old boy to stop them all?"
The two glared at each other for a second, years of distrust and confusion unraveling in each other's eyes.
"So you blame me too, then. You think this is all my fault."
Knuckles sat down at the chair across the desk, sinking down into its plush recesses. "It doesn't matter if it's your fault. What matters is that Sonic thinks so. You need him, Ivo. So, earn his trust."
Eggman glared.
"Look at you! You've become such a goody-two-shoes. What happened to making people think you want the same things as them?"
The old man's tiny jaw fell. "You're implying that I don't want to make things right."
Knuckles laughed. "I never thought we'd have a conversation . I'm implying that you've gotten so caught up in being honest that you forgot how to be persuasive about it. You don't ever seduce me into anything anymore. Er, that didn't sound right. I mean, you don't ever goad and lead and whittle away at my will. You don't offer me what I want and make it look like we want the same thing. You just kind of tell people, because you're the Emperor, that's what you do. So, come on, be the villain for five minutes. Lure Sonic into your trap. Only instead of a trap, have it be exactly what you promised."
Eggman tood, looking at Knuckles, pondering him. "Who of my people would he trust, Knuckles? Not you-you were once too gullible, he'd think you're in my pocket."
"Shadow's too much a loose cannon. Cream's too attached to you."
"Amy. Dr. Rose. I'll position her at the shrine to collect the emeralds once the continent is restored and the emeralds, rekindled."
Knuckles cocked his head to the side. "Collect them? What for?"
"To make sure Light Gaia doesn't lose. Can't necessarily let Super Sonic fight all our battles, now can we? Please tell Shadow to pack his wife a lunch."
Eggman stood, walking out of the office, royal red robe swaying as he walked. Knuckles wished he knew what exactly he had just done.
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"Target has been obliterated."
"Excellent. Now they won't find us."
Sonic opened his eyes slowly, world swimming around him. A pair of warm, haggard blue eyes loomed over him. He didn't recognize the face around him, but that voice…
"Sonic. Please relax. We need you well for the upcoming battle."
"You… weren't you the president?" Sonic groaned.
The man's unfamiliar face reddened slightly. "I guess the plastic surgery didn't really take, now did it? It seemed to fool Eggman enough. Then again, I suppose he wouldn't look too hard among his staff for a dead president."
Sonic took a long look at the unfamiliar face as his eyes began to focus more easily. Here and there he could see faint scars along a nose or cheek, an ugly face looking down on him with gentle, familiar eyes. A few strands of long, white hair dangled just out of Sonic's focus.
"Where am I?"
"A Federation Underground safehouse."
Sonic giggled. "You know what your initials spell out, right."
"I have informed the former president of the apparent double meaning of the acronym. Query: What should be done with the remains of the tracking device?"
"Just discard it, Omega." The former head of state ordered. "You deactivated it in the cab, and the lieutenant has the emeralds. We can't be traced now.
"Omega?" Sonic asked, glancing off to the side, head spinning as he moved. There was the red and black robot, tossing a small device into a garbage bin. Significant changes had been made to him; the robot's once triple-clawed hand now had five fingers, with more points of articulation.
"This might be a lot for him, sir," noted Tails.
"Then I'll cut to the chase. We'll be mounting a full assault on the front gate of the Gaia Temple soon."
"What?" Sonic sat up, wavering. The statesman supported him with a hand on his spines. "Why?"
"So you can sneak in the back unhindered," answered the old man with a smile.
Sonic looked around the room. The former president sat at his side, clad in a simple white chef's outfit. Omega stood there regarding him sadly, next to a door. Tails sat nearby, Chip sitting in his lap, looking pensive.
"Mr. President … you and Omega have been fighting Eggman all this time?"
He nodded.
"Never gave in?"
"Objective unchanged: Obliterate and depose the EGG-MAN."
Sonic grinned. "So what do you know about Eggman's master plan after we restore the last emerald?"
"You'll have to ask Dr. Prower; he's closer to that information than we are."
Omega made a pre-recorded throat clearing sound, and then spoke. "At 2132 local time, the Egg-man released a news bulletin. Its contents included: an alert to the city regarding the arrival of a Sonic the Hedgehog, details of a reward posted for the safe return to the palace of Sonic' the Hedgehog, standing orders to freely admit and cater to Sonic the Hedgehog at all businesses, and instructions for how to obtain payment for services and goods rendered to Sonic the Hedgehog at the expense of the crown."
Sonic started to speak, but Omega trumped him.
"Probability of trap: 78%."
"You said it, Meg."
"Sonic the Hedgehog is in error. Designation is E-123 Omega."
"Ok, Meg."
Omega retracted its five-fingered metal claw, revealing a buster arm. "Designation is Omega."
"Quit squabbling, you two," barked the statesman. "It's entirely possible that Eggman gained a conscience and means well. But we can't chance that. And any information we could get from Shadow on the situation inside is of questionable veracity, given his slip of the tongue against the Emperor."
"Amy?"
"Missing for the moment." Sonic thought his heart stopped. "Her home, office, and Shamar and Spagonia labs are not returning calls."
"Maybe she's busy," Sonic stammered.
"More likely that she's a sort of hostage," Tails quipped.
The next thing he knew, he was standing on the Palace steps, staring up at the great green structure, raining running through his fur. The tower rose over him, its shadow mingling with that of the old ferris wheel to his back. He remembered getting up, the president and Omega protesting. He remembered Tails begging him not to go. He remembered looking into Tails' eyes, not saying anything, just leaving. He remembered Chip calling out after him.
He remembered telling Chip to stay back.
He remembered deciding to do this on his own.
But it felt so faw away now, like he'd watched the decisions unfold the Night Palace.
A fifteen-year-old pulled the strings from the center of the earth, a decade prior.
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Security was no match for him.
Not that they tried to stop him anyway.
He burst into the banquet room sopping wet, rain dripping off him onto the marble floor. The rags of an old bandage clung to his wrist, and all he wore in view besides it were his shoes and rage.
"Eggman," he roared, pointing.
The music stopped; most of the guests froze mid-bite. Knuckles, clad in a simple red mantle, and Rouge, in some kind of black evening gown, dropped their forks entirely; Shadow's hand fell to his side beneath his cloak. Cream stood, her orange gown gleaming in the candlelight, and the Chaotix all sunk in their seats.
Eggman stood, smiling wide, moustache curling upward with the rest of his face "Sonic," he welcomed, "How—"
"Where is she?" he demanded, storming toward the table.
"Who? Sonic, you seem a bit agitated."
"Amy! Where is Amy?" He walked up to the table, slamming his claws into the wood.
"She's… at the temple," Eggman answered nervously, raising an eyebrow.
"What?"
"She's waiting for you at the temple, to prep you for the final battle." Sonic's face contorted in confusion. "I doubted you'd show up here, even though you were invited, so I sent someone who'd help you to your ultimate destination."
"She's not a hostage?"
Eggman doubled over laughing, slapping the table. "Hostage? Hostage! Oh, my admirable adversary, no! Long gone are those days for me. Amy is on duty as an Imperial Guard to the Gaia Temple. I've deputized her today. She need only call in, and Knuckles will replace her."
Sonic stood there, blinking. Eggman stepped out around the table, around the empty place at his side, smiling. He raised his jeweled scepter just enough to look commanding, his robe swaying in a manufactured breeze. "Sonic, please join in our feast in honor of your long life."
"There's no time for this," Sonic stammered.
Eggman stepped close, leaning in to Sonic's ear. "We can't have you at anything but top form in that final battle. Eat, be merry, sleep. Shadow will be your guard; I know you trust him. Then, rested and well, the temple is yours."
Sonic stood there blinking, looking deep into Eggman's blue eyes. He tried to see past them, trying to find the burning, drumming hunger for power he'd always seen there. Instead all he saw was worry.
He felt his knees begin to buckle.
"You chaos controlled here through the core," Eggman noted, whispering. "Your heard is pounding. You're weak, maybe even dizzy. You're weary from a decade of being hated like me, of being this monstrosity, from weeks of changing back and forth. Be the life of the party, the center of loving attention a while. Be the possessor of a full stomach, and then the occupant of a warm bed. Let's start over again, rested like we were before Green Hill."
Sonic sat down at the table.
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She waited and waited, watching the stones lay silent. After a while, the altar began to glow, and she looked around, trying to find the source of the disturbance. Were Sonic and Chip here already? She couldn't believe Sonic could move after a jump like that.
She gasped when it was a human-sized green robe that appeared in the doorway. Chip followed after the figure, blue wings fluttering in blue light. "Amy!" he shouted, launching himself at her chest, burying his head in her dress. "I'm so scared!"
"Chip? What is it?"
"Sonic stormed off looking for you," came a deep voice. The human pulled his hood, revealing a warped face and long, white hair.
"Do I know you? Wait, what?"
"He thought Eggman was keeping you hostage and ran toward the Palace," Chip explained.
Amy stood, thinking, frowning. "This… this is a disaster."
"It's far too late to rescue him," noted the man. "We'll need to wait."
Chip paused. "We could trigger the continent without him," he pondered, nervously, looking away. "But I don't know if I'm ready."
"He has six emeralds. We have one," noted the man.
"We're all over the place. Not ready at all. We wait." She looked up at the sky. "Be ok, Sonic."
Chip cuddled up to her, and she wrapped her arms around him, protectively.
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He was wined and dined, asked of his adventures, smiled and cheered. He almost felt as if none of it had happened until he bit his own lip with sharp teeth. When sleep overcame him, he was lead to a grand bedroom by a red and black claw and an apologetic smile.
He woke up with something pressing into his throat.
"Faker."
He opened his eyes. Shadow stood over him, a hedgehog rather than werehog, black and red and sharp. A violet gun, large like a rifle but seemingly sawed off, was pointing at Sonic's neck.
"Faker, you and me need to have a little talk."
Sonic blinked, trying to place himself, trying to figure out where he was. Silk sheets under his bottom, the scent of orange and motor oil in the air. Hadn't it all been a dream?
"Shadow… What?"
"My wife, Sonic."
"What about her?" Sonic tried to it, and Shadow shoved him down with the gun.
"You spend all that time alone with her in Spagonia. She says next to nothing about you afterward. Then you blow your own plan to bits to come rescue her all half-cocked when she's not even here?"
"Shadow, nothing happened."
Shadow slapped him with the end of the gun, eyes blazing brown.
"Do you think I don't know my own wife?"
Sonic reached out to punch him, but found his arm pinned. "She's changed since the old days."
"So have you," Shadow sneered.
Sonic squirmed under his grip. "Shadow. I'd never make a move on her without your permission. You know that."
"Since when do you care about authority?"
"I don't give a rip about authority! Friendship!" he growled. "I care about ten years of friendship. You were there for me when I couldn't trust anyone else; I wouldn't do anything to hurt you unless you were putting the world at stake!"
"So you repay me by sleeping with my wife." Shadow cocked the gun. "You're going straight to—"
"Step away from the jerk," came a woman's voice at the door.
"Rouge," Sonic murmured gratefully.
"Stay out of this, woman!" Shadow turned his head to look at her. "This is between the faker and me!"
"It's between you and Amy, and no matter how much proof you had of their innocence you'd still be doing this. They lusted in their hearts, so they're unworthy in your brown eyes."
"So."
"So your eyes are red, Shadow! You're possessed! Now get off him!"
The same symptoms I had, Sonic thought.
"I'm only possessed at night. This is broad daylight!"
"Light Gaia strikes by day. That's what we think."
Sonic took advantage of the distraction to curl up his leg and spring it out, kicking the gun out of Shadow's shaking left hand. It discharged into the heardboard, blowing the wall behind open to the sunny Empire day.
Shadow roared and drove a foot down into Sonic's stomach, screaming, "How dare you! I'm Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Life Form!"
"I'm your friend," Sonic retched, curling up into a ball and spinning. Shadow fell on top of him. He threw Shadow off him with the soles of his shoes and climbed on top of the other hedgehog. Hands on biceps, knees on thights, he tried to hold the enemy down without having to hurt him. "Shadow, I'd never do that to you"
"Like you'd never lose?"
"Says the man who defeated me. On the Black Comet, remember? Just to prove a stupid point."
Sonic fell suddenly as Shadow disappeared, reappearing behind him with a pop. He gasped and Shadow wrapped his arms around his neck, driving Sonic's spines into his own torso. Sonic gasped desperately for air.
Shadow and Sonic struggled there, Sonic trying to find breath and Shadow pulling him tighter. He could feel blackness coming, nothingness enveloping him, he could feel time running out. So he reached into his mind, trying to remember the things that stopped Shadow before.
But then Rouge spoke. "Shadow, stop! I beg of you."
Shadow let him go, backing away, a sickening pull on Sonic's spikes as he let go. Shadow gasped, "Maria."
Sonic struggled for breath, trying to gasp and cough and choke away the darkness. Rouge came over to him, cradling him. "Sonic."
"Good thing... Gerald...wrote…"
"Good thing Amy had a plan," Rouge reassured.
"What was I thinking?" Shadow exclaimed.
"I don't know, Shadow." She left Sonic and began tending to Shadow's wounds.
Sonic rolled over on the bed, trying to wipe the feeling of blood off his spikes.
"Why is this happening to me?" Shadow asked.
Sonic closed his eyes, trying to still his heart.
"Tails and Amy both think that Light Gaia is also possessing people," she informed.
"Tails?" Sonic gasped.
"He's downstairs. He came looking for you, worried."
Sonic closed his eyes and let everything fade away.
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There was no getting around it now, no escape, no choice. He had presented himself to Eggman and so he would act in Eggman's rules. The Monarch, his friends, followed him to the temple, Shadow walking slowly, limping, bandaged all across his chest. They were shallow wounds, at least, and he was more contrite now, sorry. Sonic felt like he owed Amy an apology with each glance at his double. Knuckles and Rouge flanked Sonic, as guards, now clad in old battle gear that didn't quite fit; Cream and the others were there too. Eggman, complaining of a bad knee, was riding in a hovercraft, which concerned Sonic somewhat.
But what could he do?
So he found them in the center of the shrine, waiting, leaning on each other as they sat on a stone: Amy leaning on the wall, and Chip leaning on her lap, both asleep. Nearby a man paced, a man who was once president. He froze upon seeing Eggman.
"Aren't you my chef?" The emperor remarked.
"Uh, consider this my resignation," the man mumbled.
"Mark Jachin, is that you? You treasonous swine, how've you been? Been elected to anything illegitimate lately?
Amy and Chip stirred at this, and the old man crossed his arms.
"Dr. Rotbotnik, this is really not the time for a political discussion."
"No, it isn't. Sonic, Chip, would you please do the honors?"
A sleepy Chip looked from Sonic to Eggman. "Sonic, how could you?"
"Chip. We all want the same thing. He found me, I couldn't turn him away, and..."
Chip flew up, into the air, staring. "How could you, after all he's done to me? After..."
"Chip, what has he done to you? I mean, aside from cracking the planet." Sonic frowned, certain he knew but unable to say it.
"Oh, Light Gaia!" Eggman threw himself to his knees. "Forgive me my trespasses, for I knew not what I do. Please, forgive me, allow me to make it up to you. Help me make the world right!"
"You insincere jerk," the little fairy swore. "You don't mean a word of that."
"Not even your name, my liege?" He taunted. Sonic was sure now...
"Oh for crying out loud!" Amy walked over to Eggman and held out a hand. "Give me the emerald."
"That's hardly a way to make a request of your Emperor," he chided, handing it over.
Amy grabbed Chip by the tail. "Listen, Chip. You and Sonic can argue this out while we wait for the battle with your other, whichever other he is. Fix the continent so we can start making progress. We've waited ten years, isn't that long enough?"
Chip seemed to stare at her for a minute before saying, "I like your style, Amy. You always get what you want, even if sometimes you don't want it anymore."
Shadow started to shout "YOU LITTLE—!" from the back of the crowd, but was silenced by Rouge's hand over his mouth.
He reached over to activate the pedestal, bringing it to light and life. Amy grabbed the emerald and placed it on the shrine, causing the emerald to shine white, finally. The earth began to shake, and Eggman began to laugh.
"Oh ho ho... I'm free! I'm finally free!"
Celebrations and hugging began, kisses and shoulder-lifting, tears and laughter. It was only after the Eggman was already gone that Sonic reached for his gemstones.
"Uh... anyone else here missing a Chaos Emerald... or six?
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They headed back to the Chaotix' apartment—the Palace was too risky. They crammed in, pushing themselves, all of them, into the huge apartment; they were so many that still it was crowded. The former chef called Omega to guard the door as they entered and Charmy buzzed over to the TV. Every news channel—which was a grand total of two, one official Eggman news station and one with abbreviated headlines and entertainment news-both reported that the last continent was returning to its place, estimated to seal back into the rest of the crust in about a day.
"This is great news," Shadow cheered, grabbing Amy and pulling her close. She grabbed his arm and pulled it off.
"No, it's not, Shadow! Eggman has the emeralds and Dark Gaia still has to be defeated."
Sonic noticed that Chip hugged him a little tighter.
"Which means Sonic needs to be there," Charmy decided.
It was then that Rouge laughed. "Charmy, you think Sonic was there the last million times this happened?"
Sonic stood, silent, letting the conversation play out. They knew more than he would; they would lead him to shore if only he listened.
Knuckles shut off the TV. "This isn't going to help us any further. I spoke to Eggman a little while ago. He confided in me that the reason he planned to take the Emeralds was so that he could use them to power Light Gaia against Dark Gaia."
Shadow stepped forward, shoving Knuckles. "You knew he planned to take them and you just let it happened?"
Knuckles shoved back, lightly. "You'd have to be an idiot not to know that! I didn't feel like stating to obvious."
"You always were gullible, Knuckles," Tails noted.
"Yeah? Well this time, you guys are the ones gullible! All that hugging and stuff going on and you don't even secure your emeralds? You got pickpocketed by a 50-year-old megalomaniac who can't even wipe his butt without a robot. Good job."
Amy answered his criticism with a raised mallet. "Knuckles. I know you're proud of your recently acquired ability to scrutinize what people tell you, but you really can't talk about dumb decisions."
Sonic cleared his throat, and everyone stopped.
"Blame doesn't get us anywhere. It's not like we're asking who stole a cookie—we know who took our emeralds, we don't need to point fingers anymore. Tails. Tell us about Reflection."
"Ships to the moon, blah blah blah, leaving with the emeralds, blah blah blah. I would have stopped us at the temple but this place is closer to the launch site than the shrine and we needed to regroup and see just how secret this is being kept." Tails pulled out a small computer, calling up a map. "I'm not supposed to know where the launch site is, but there are benefits to one, dating the princess for a while, and two, having designed the launch site." He showed everyone the location, and the fastest route.
"It'll be guarded," Shadow decided. "We'll have to Chaos Control."
"And there may not be enough room for us once we get there. Yes, there is a giant cargo hold in the Royal Ship, one with no stated cargo to design for-but I have an inkling that it's going to be filled, with Light Gaia or equpiment. All the temples have been fitted to survive 'exit and re-entry,' as Jamal in Adabat put it. I can only assume that means atmospheric."
"I can chaos control two people at a time, but not all that fast," Shadow said.
"I can take myself, one other, and Chip," Sonic noted.
"So," Knuckles decided, "We need to pick the people who'll be the most useful."
"We'll need fighters." Sonic looked for a piece of paper. "People who can fly or chaos control, to fight Dark Gaia. That was what screwed me up last time, trying to chaos control close enough to get a good hit." He glanced at Shadow. "It's a lot like the Biolizard battle. How hurt are you?"
"Not very. Count me in."
"Not so fast, guys," Tails noted. "You also need people who can help you infiltrate Eggman's infastructure."
"We've got you for that, buddy." Sonic reached up, patting the fox on the back. "So I'll take Tails and Chip. Shadow's got whom?"
"Rouge and Charmy" he decided. "Best chance of getting airborne."
Amy put away her mallet. "The rest of us will go to the spaceport and try to get on board on our own terms. I'm fairly confident, if we make it inside, that I can slip a keycard off someone and sneak in."
"I'll lead, Sonic." Shadow glanced at Sonic, and Sonic smiled. "I can get us away from the Chaos Emeralds. We don't want Eggman to see us."
"Don't forget, he has chaos detectors everywhere. He will know we've chaos controlled onboard," Tails warned.
"A chance we have to take!" Sonic decided. "Hold on to your goggles, Tails."
Shadow took Rouge and Charmy's hands. "Chaos Control!"
