Act 2
Chapter 9: The Hunt is On
The two hero groups all dived to one side as their corrupted friends came charging towards them. Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic both came at their friends like a pair of charging buffaloes with their sharp claws bared and their faces a mask of murder and terror both at once. It was like something out of a nightmare for the Mobians and Avalicians. Seeing Sonic and Lilac corrupted and turned evil was bad enough but now the two were after them was even worse. And both sides had a nasty feeling that the mutated and roboticized hedgehog and dragon weren't in the mood for a friendly chat or anything. They were here to kill and they had made that quite clear from the start. Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic skidded to a halt as they missed their targets. As they both turned around, ready to attack again, Tails and Torque both flew towards them. The fox and Chaser were not at all content with what they were going to do but they had no other choice. They had to fight or they were dead. Tails kick-slammed the mutated hedgehog in the face while Torque whipped out his blaster pistol and shot the roboticized dragon in the ankles. Mecha Lila fell over from the shot and Mutant Sonic staggered backwards from the kick to the face. Tails landed down before his corrupted best friend and decided to try a common tactic that many did with their corrupted loved ones. His eyes welled up and he did his best to maintain his composure as he spoke to the mutant hedgehog.
"Sonic, it's me Tails! Your best friend and sidekick!" the fox cried, "You would never hurt me and you certainly wouldn't hurt anybody else! You're being controlled by Eggman and Brevon! Don't let them control you like this! Fight it Sonic! You must fight it! Our worlds are at stake!"
As Tails pleaded with Mutant Sonic, Torque knelt down before Mecha Lilac as the Avalician-turned-machine raised her head and glowered at him with her sinister, cold optics.
"Hey Lilac. You remember me right?" the Chaser said, "It's Torque, the one who helped you to save Avalice a month back. You must remember that. You helped me to stop Lord Brevon from taking your planet's Kingdom Stone. You can't let him or Eggman control you like this. Fight it Lilac! You're stronger than they are! I know it and you know it!"
Neither mutant nor Robolician took any notice of their pleading friends. All they were hearing were pathetic attempts at appealing to a side that no longer existed in them. Mutant Sonic just roared at Tails, making him back away fearfully while Mecha Lilac stood up and prepared to attack Torque. Both villains lashed out at the fox and Chaser, missing them by inches as they leapt back. Tails sprang into action and kicked Mutant Sonic in the face again but the monstrous Mobian swatted him aside with a huge hand, shrugging off the kick as if it was nothing. He ran off to further battle Tails while Torque shot at Mecha Lilac frantically with his gun. The Robolician took the shots as if they were nothing and slugged him in the gut, knocking the wind straight out of him. The alien wheezed and collapsed onto his knees in pain. As he knelt, Mecha Lilac raised her hand and prepared to rip Torque's throat clean open. The Chaser looked up at her with pleading eyes but the roboticized dragon paid no attention to them. She swiped her hand towards Torque's neck, her claws scything through the air.
But with merely a split-second before impact, Carol suddenly scampered towards the two and she kicked Mecha Lilac clean off her feet. The roboticized dragon was more startled by the attack than hurt. She hit the ground but was quickly back on her feet just as Carol prepared to unleash a Wild Claw attack on her. The cat's eyes were streaming with tears. Tears of pain and despair over what had been done to her best friend. Mecha Lilac glowered at Carol, seeming to observe her as she swept her optics over the wildcat. She was preparing to attack again.
"You made a big mistake striking me Subject: Carol the Wildcat." the robo-dragon warned, "Now you will be slaughtered for your impudence." she added, baring her claws.
"Don't bet it on Little Miss Heropants!" Carol snapped, hot tears continuing to pour down her cheeks, "Because by the power invested in me, I am so gonna rip that robotic shell off of you and get you free! You're not gonna be Eggman or Brevon's mindless lackey any longer! You've saved my life many times before Lilac, I'm now gonna save yours!"
"Response: I do not need saving..." Mecha Lilac said coldly.
She then screeched a blood-curdling, metallic screech as she launched herself at Carol. The wildcat yelped and jumped aside as her roboticized friend came flying towards her. Mecha Lilac did a U-turn but was a fraction too slow as Carol launched a spinning kick at the robo-dragon. She sent Mecha Lilac's head flinging backwards but it wasn't enough to damage her in anyway. Mecha Lilac recovered and spun around on the spot, swinging her metallic tendrils around and threatening to slice her former friend to ribbons. Carol stepped back and jumped up into the air but then Mecha Lilac jumped up just as she sailed over her. She struck the tomboy feline and threw her down onto the ground, leaving her wincing in pain. Carol grimaced but Mecha Lilac didn't let her rest for one minute. She seized Carol by the neck and slugged her in the stomach. She then slugged her again and tossed aside like an unwanted present. Carol landed sharply on her shoulder, crying out as pain surged through her arm. She coughed heavily and clutched her stomach, willing the pain to go away so she could stand up again. Mecha Lilac advanced on her opponent, her tendrils raising up beside her arms and waiting to slice her to pieces. Carol watched helplessly as her mechanical opponent advanced on her. But she would live to fight another day for Milla suddenly sprang into action and summoned a shield in front of the cat just as Mecha Lilac prepared to stab her with her metallic tendrils. The blades hit the shield and pinged away harmlessly. Mecha Lilac recoiled, furious at having been denied the chance to murder one of her master's enemies. She began thumping against the shield, hoping to break it but Milla stayed strong and continued to keep it up to protect Carol.
Meanwhile, Mutant Sonic lumbered towards Tails, moving like some demonic gorilla rather than the super speedy hedgehog he had once been. He roared loudly, streams of saliva stretching between his teeth as his mouth opened. He snapped his terrible jaws at the fox, missing his head just as the young kid genius ducked to one side to avoid him. Tails knew that if those huge teeth had managed to snag him, he would have no chance. It would be like having multiple daggers stabbing down into his head, a death so grisly and painful that it wasn't even worth thinking about. Tails took to the air again, his tails spinning around swiftly and carrying him up, and he kick-slammed his mutated best friend in the side of his head. Mutant Sonic took the blow and snapped his jaws at Tails again, just missing his feet as the fox climbed up higher. Tails then descended, ready for another attack, but Mutant Sonic swatted him down onto the ground with his hand. The fox grunted as he hit the tarmac and he grimaced as he tried to pick himself up. But Mutant Sonic didn't give him chance to recover. He picked him up and punched him straight in the torso. Tails yelled in pain. Mutant Sonic's punches were like solid steel to him. If he kept this up, he'd break every bone in his body. Mutant Sonic drew his arm back, ready to punch him once again. Tails braced himself, expecting to feel the heavy punch on him and doubly expecting to feel his bones snap from the impact.
But mercifully, he was spared such a horrible fate for Amy and Knuckles charged in to help him. Amy screeched at the top of her lungs as she swung her hammer directly into Mutant Sonic's face, taking him off his feet and throwing him through the air in a rainbow arch. The monstrous creature let out a bellow as he slammed down onto the ground heavily. It pained the pink hedgehog to have done that to her beloved Sonic but deep down, she knew that she'd rather fight the mutant hedgehog and save him then do nothing at all. Knuckles ran over to Tails and helped the fox back onto his feet. Tails coughed heavily, wincing as he tried to get all his bones to properly knit together.
"You OK bud?" he asked.
"Ungh…not really…" Tails grunted, "Sonic sure packs a punch in this mutant form…I think he could rival even you."
"We'll just have to see about that won't we?" Knuckles sneered, "I could always outpunch that wise cracker in a fight and I'll do it again here!"
"And I'll be right beside ya!" Amy declared, "Anything for my poor Sonic. For the sake of Mobius and Avalice, we will save him from Eggman and Brevon's corruption!"
"You will not interfere with my master's plans…" growled Mutant Sonic, standing back up and baring his teeth and claws. He narrowed his eyes at his prey, ready to pounce on them. The Mobians stood their ground and prepared to fight back.
"Sonic, Eggman and Brevon aren't your masters!" Amy argued, "They're controlling you! They've mutated you into this hideous beast! And because we all love you so very much Sonic, we're gonna undo what's been done to you and restore you to normal!" she declared.
"You'll have to defeat me first!" the mutated hedgehog snarled, his voice an inhuman, animalistic growl rather than a voice.
He pounced towards his would-be-love-interest like a snarling lion. Amy let out a scream and quickly swung her hammer upwards before Mutant Sonic could land down on him. She hit the mutated hedgehog and threw him backwards but Mutant Sonic back flipped through the air and landed down on all fours, screeching to a half just as Knuckles came charging towards him. The spike-fisted echidna drew both arms back and prepared to launch them both at Mutant Sonic. But as he threw the punches, Mutant Sonic seized Knuckles's fists and held them back, pushing down against the powerful Mobian. Knuckles pushed back, determined not to let the corrupted hero beat him in this sumo match. He pushed back hard, grunting loudly and straining heavily as his muscles tensed and he pushed against his opponent with all his strength. But Mutant Sonic had something that Knuckles didn't. His hands had mouths in the palms. He used them to bite down on Knuckles's knuckles and make him bellow in agony. This caused him to lose his hold and thus, Mutant Sonic pushed him down onto the ground. Amy ran in to help but the monster picked up the echidna and threw him straight into her, taking her clean off of her feet and knocking her down onto her back. Both hedgehog and echidna groaned as they lay sprawled on the ground, wondering which part of them to rub better. Mutant Sonic roared his approval and he lumbered towards his prey, eager to finish them off at last. But as he neared Amy and Knuckles, Tails stepped in to protect them. He spun around on the spot and tail-whipped Mutant Sonic directly across the face. He was only small and very young but his tail whip was as powerful as a heavy punch. Mutant Sonic careened to one side and took a moment to rub his face better before Knuckles and Amy stood up and then they along with Tails all charged into him together.
Back over to Mecha Lilac, Milla had thrown a block of energy straight into the mecha-dragon and knocked her down onto her side. Mecha Lilac picked herself up only for Carol to then pounce on her and begin clawing at her as if determined to rip every last fragment of metal off of her best friend and have her back to normal. But Mecha Lilac's armour was very tough. Carol's claws did no damage to her no matter how hard she scratched it. The roboticized Avalician then pushed the wildcat away from herself, giving her ample space so she could spin around on the spot and swing her tendrils around in a deadly Dragon Cyclone attack. She began edging towards the wildcat like an oncoming tornado, making Carol back away fearfully. Milla summoned another shield to protect Carol but Mecha Lilac just smashed straight through it as if it was made of glass rather than energy. She whirled towards her former friends and slashed them both with her sharp tendrils. Carol and Milla screamed in pain as large cuts were drawn across their bodies from the attack. They both backed away as Mecha Lilac continued to spin towards them. But before she could harm the cat and dog any further, General Gong charged in with his shield raised in front of him and he slammed straight into Mecha Lilac, stopping her lethal attack and throwing her down onto her side. Carol and Milla beamed, grateful to Gong for his aid. The panda smiled at them and then turned back to Mecha Lilac.
"Sorry to do this dragon girl, but it's for your own good." Gong said apologetically.
"I hope there's a way to reverse what's been done to her." said Neera, running up beside Gong so she could join in the fight.
"I bet our Mobian friends know how to save her." Carol said optimistically, "We'll ask them when we subdue Lilac."
"A good idea indeed my friend." Gong agreed.
The Avalicians stared Mecha Lilac down as she poised herself, ready for another attack. Gong raised his shield, ready for the inevitable Dragon-Boost that he was sure to receive from Mecha Lilac, an attack he really needed to shield himself from. Neera pointed her ice sceptre, preparing to freeze the robo-dragon if necessary. Carol and Milla both stood side by side, ready to receive another attack from Mecha Lilac. But the strange thing was that Mecha Lilac wasn't actually preparing to charge. She stood up straight, out of her battle stance, and just stared down the heroes as if weighing them all up before making a move. This obfuscated the heroes. Gong even lowered his shield slightly. What was Mecha Lilac doing? Why was she just staring at them? Suddenly, they received the answer. Mecha Lilac's optics blinked for a moment and then she droned.
"Scan complete: Analysis: Avalician lifeforms contain strengths and abilities that make them powerful opponents. Conclusion: I will be evenly matched with them. Solution: Swap opponents."
Then without so much as another attempt at taking down her former friends, Mecha Lilac turned on her heels and sped off towards the Mobians. This made Carol shake with horror for she knew that Mecha Lilac would be a deadlier opponent for the Mobians than Mutant Sonic. They weren't used to Lilac, they were unfamiliar with her, therefore she would be less predictable and harder to take out. She was determined to make sure her roboticized friend stayed fighting her and the other Avalicians but it was too late. As Mutant Sonic fought against the Mobians, Mecha Lilac rushed in and Dragon-Boosted Tails, Knuckles and Amy onto the ground. Mutant Sonic was surprised at this but he didn't dare to complain. He was appreciative that his mechanical ally was helping him. He then turned and saw the Avalicians coming towards him. He thought that if Mecha Lilac was attacking the Mobians now then maybe he could fight the Avalicians instead. He bared his teeth and lumbered to them.
"Now I dine on Avalician flesh!" he bellowed gleefully, thundering towards his new prey like a Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing a Triceratops.
Carol and Milla screamed in terror as Mutant Sonic came at them and they turned to run away. Gong and Neera kept on running though, the general raising his shield so he could slam into Mutant Sonic and knock him down. But Mutant Sonic was much stronger than Gong was. The two collided with each other but the mutated hedgehog knocked Gong over as if the panda was just a puny obstacle in his way rather than anything serious. Neera fired some ice beams at Mutant Sonic but to her astonishment, they had very little effect on him aside from just making him snarl angrily. They didn't freeze him upon impact. The mutated hedgehog turned and roared at Neera, raising his hands and opening the mouths in the palms. He fired a bunch of energy blasts from his hands, hitting Neera and taking her clean off her feet. The priestess cried out as she hit the tarmac, wincing in pain. Dail saw this and cried out for Neera. He and Spade ran towards Mutant Sonic and just as he turned around to see them coming, Spade threw a volley of cards at the monster's face. The cards struck home but didn't do any damage to him. His skin was too tough for his cards to penetrate. Roaring savagely, Mutant Sonic lumbered towards the panda brothers and grabbed them both before they could get out of the way. Baring his teeth, he bashed the two pandas together and threw them across the battlefield, straight into Torque who was running towards him to take a shot at him. The Chaser was knocked down onto his back with the two pandas sprawled on top of him. Carol and Milla both pounced on Mutant Sonic like a pair of wolves trying to take down a deer. They were hoping to weigh him down and pin him so he would be easier to hit but Mutant Sonic was much too strong for the two girls. To him, they weighed nothing on his shoulders. He swung his arms up and threw the cat and dog off himself, causing them to cry out as they were flung away. They both landed on top of each other, groaning in pain as they tried to shake off the impact. They knew Sonic was powerful having seen him fight earlier but fighting him as a mutant creature, they were beginning to wish he was still on their side.
They picked themselves up, shrugging off the earlier impact and they braced themselves as Mutant Sonic fired energy blasts at them from his hands. Milla blocked the attacks with an energy shield and Carol sprinted around on all fours like a charging tiger as Mutant Sonic kept firing at Milla. She jumped up and began rapidly kicking Mutant Sonic in the face. The monstrous Mobian roared in annoyance as he was hammered by the wildcat. He backhanded her down onto the ground with a huge, powerful hand and left Carol grimacing in pain. Milla ran towards Mutant Sonic to help Carol but the mutated hedgehog seized her with a huge hand and allowed the mouth on his palm to bite her. The dog howled in agony and Mutant Sonic then threw her down onto the ground just beside Carol. Carol forced herself onto her knees and began rubbing the bite wound on Milla's torso to try and make her feel better.
"Man...Sonic's not so cool when he's against us..." Carol muttered.
"I hope we can save him...like when you and Lilac saved me from my mutation." Milla said nervously, straightening her fur and wincing from the pain in her wound.
"Me too Milla." Carol nodded.
Over to the Mobians, Tails, Knuckles and Amy braced themselves as Mecha Lilac came at them. The roboticized dragon spun around in a terrifying metallic tornado, her bladed tendrils scything through the air as she spiraled towards them. They had seen how powerful Lilac was normal and they dreaded to think just how dangerous she was now she was a robot. The trio dodged as Mecha Lilac came at them, missing them by centimetres. The moment the Robolician stopped her attack, Knuckles charged towards her and threw a terrific uppercut that could smash a boulder into fragments straight into the dragon's head. Mecha Lilac reeled from the punch but she was mostly undamaged by the attack. She regained herself and slugged Knuckles in the gut, not pulling any punches as if determined to make it hurt as much as possible. The echidna doubled over and grimaced, clutching his stomach. Tails flew towards Mecha Lilac and kicked her several times in the head to make her back away from Knuckles. But after landing a good few kicks on the mecha dragon, Mecha Lilac suddenly clawed at him, catching him by the feet and throwing him off-balanced. Tails cried out as he was lurched to one side and he fought to keep his balance and remain airborne. This gave his mechanical opponent the chance to Dragon-Boost straight into him, knocking him down onto his side. Amy ran in to defend Tails just as Mecha Lilac prepared to finish him off but the mecha Avalician saw her coming and Dragon-Boosted straight into Amy, throwing her backwards and causing her to drop her hammer. Amy landed on her back and winced as pain flooded through her spine. Mecha Lilac picked up Amy's hammer and swung it around just as Rouge came flying towards her in a screw-kick attack. The hammer struck the bat and sent her falling down out of the sky and into the remains of a destroyed Egg-Pawn. Rouge groaned as she hit the hard metal of the debris and allowed herself a moment to let the pain ease.
Shadow decided to get involved, knowing that he was insanely powerful and he could well destroy Mecha Lilac if he got too carried away. For Avalice's sake, he would hold back so the planet's hero wouldn't be killed. He spin-dashed Mecha Lilac, slamming into her like a spiny bowling ball. The mecha-dragon cried out as she was hit, her cries sounding more like a metallic screech. Shadow then threw some Chaos Spears at the roboticized dragon but Mecha Lilac spun around on the spot, whipping the spears away with her tendrils. Shadow skated towards his opponent, ready to slug her in the stomach and bring her down onto her knees. But the robo-dragon was ready for him. As soon as Shadow was at the right distance, she spun around again and whipped the Ultimate Lifeform in the cheek with his tendrils. The blades left a nasty scratch across his face that bled furiously and made Shadow wince in agony. Before he could recover, Mecha Lilac kicked upwards and sent him hurling through the air in a rainbow arch. He crashed down just beside Rouge, who had just stood back up. Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream all ran over to Shadow and Rouge and they watched as Mecha Lilac prepared to attack again.
"If Lilac's this tough as a robot, I hope we never fight her when she's her old self..." Tails murmured.
"It was quite cunning of her and Sonic to swap opponents." Amy muttered disapprovingly, "We're not used to Lilac so she's gonna be harder to beat than Sonic. Same goes to our Avalician friends."
"And it's not helped by the fact we have to go easy on them since they're our friends after all." Knuckles grumbled, "This fight is gonna quickly slip out of our control and then we'll be done for!"
"I agree." Tails said, nodding, "We need to retreat, find a safe haven to recuperate in and then build the resources we need to restore Sonic and Lilac to normal. I'm sure G.U.N. can help us de-roboticize Lilac."
"And Miss Lilac's friends will probably know how to restore Mr. Sonic." Cream suggested, "Milla was mutated by Brevon and Miss Lilac and Miss Carol saved her so I'm sure they know how to save Mr. Sonic."
"You bet Cream." Amy agreed, "Let's get outta here and get building what we need!"
The Mobians all agreed that this was the best idea and thus, they turned and began to flee. But first, they ran over to Carol and the others just as Mutant Sonic knocked down Carol and Milla, shot Torque, Gong and Neera and uppercut Dail and Spade into the air. The group picked themselves up, ready to continue fighting but Tails called over to them and caught their attention.
"Guys! We're falling back!" he called, "We're gonna work on restoring our friends instead of fighting them!"
"That's the best idea I've heard all day!" Carol chuckled, "Come on everybody, we're outta here!"
The others didn't hesitate for a moment. They much liked the idea of restoring Sonic and Lilac rather than risking their lives against them. They all got back to their feet and ran off, leaving Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic to stare incredulously, confused as to why their opponents were suddenly running away. They weren't going to let them escape though. They had been ordered to hunt them down and slaughter them all by their masters and they were going to do just that. Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac all sprinted after their prey, keen to catch them before they got away. But the Mobians and Avalicians had expected that to happen. Neera Li aimed her ice sceptre and fired a beam of ice at the road just in front of her pursuers. The beam struck and froze a section of the road, turning it into essentially an ice rink. Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac stepped onto the frozen road and slipped, their feet sliding out underneath them and causing them to fall all over themselves. This gave the heroes enough time to get away and disappear into the city, but not before Shadow and Knuckles banded together to build up a wall of debris consisting of broken robot pieces, damages cars and chunks of fallen building from the earlier earthquake to further slow them down. The heroes then ran on, disappearing from sight as Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac picked themselves up and tried hard not to slip over on the ice again. The eventually decided to make it easier for themselves by just breaking the ice. Mutant Sonic blasted it and Mecha Lilac stomped on it, breaking the ice to shards and making it easier to gain traction on the road again. Now they could stand without slipping, they ran towards the wall of debris. They broke through it effortlessly, tearing through rubble and metal as if it were paper. They then stopped and looked around, wondering where their prey was. They had evaded them for now...but they were not going to give up so easily. The hunt...was on...
Meanwhile on the Egg Dreadnought, Eggman and Brevon were watching with glee as their enemies-turned-allies began to hunt down the rest of their enemies. They could see the whole thing through Mecha Lilac's optics via visual contact. They had witnessed the whole fight between the mutant hedgehog, robo-dragon and the Mobians and Avalicians and had enjoyed every minute of it, pleased with how successful their plan was turning out. They weren't happy that they had been eluded but the scientist and warlord weren't losing hope just yet. They knew that their new allies would not rest until their prey was hunted down and killed. They would just have to wait for their demise to come. They took a moment to laugh maniacally and gloat about their success.
"Now that's what I call a successful experiment!" Eggman chortled.
"It would seem that our methods have worked marvelously." Brevon purred, "The dragon girl is a functional killing machine and the hedgehog boy is a monstrous creature, both loyal to us and only us."
"And no matter how much their friends beg, they don't heed their pleads and continue trying to kill them! Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" the fat scientist gloated, "They're corrupted beyond saving that's for sure!"
"That was our intention after all, to make sure the process was as thorough as possible." the warlord agreed, "And we have succeeded in that regard. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...their motley crew has no chance of stopping us now."
"I know! When they're dead, we can spread our reign of terror to the rest of the world!"
"And the sides of Mobius and Avalice will have no choice but to bow down to us!"
"And with the Kingdom Emerald still in our hands, we'll be unrivaled by anybody in terms of power!"
"And those who try to challenge our power will be sorry they ever dared to stand up to us!"
Both scientist and warlord cackled malevolently, gleeful about how well they were doing and how successful their plans were turning out. It seemed that luck had been on their side ever since their worlds had been combined together. They had yet to suffer a crippling defeat thus far and the only threats to their rule were now on the run with by far the worst kind of hunters tracking them down. They were on top of the fusion world with nobody to stop them and nobody who could possibly match up to them. Maybe now it was time for either side to back-stab one another and claim the world for themselves. Eggman was already thinking about calling Metal Sonic up to the bridge so he could have him slaughter Brevon at the same time Brevon was thinking about getting his knife out and beheading Dr. Eggman right there on the spot. But something was stopping them from doing the deeds. Their common sense. They wanted to watch their enemies die first before they betrayed one another. It wasn't a good idea to get rid of one another before their enemies were dead. They could lose a potential advantage they had other their enemies. One side knew the Avalicians better and the other knew the Mobians better. For now, they still needed each other.
However, Eggman was still a little concerned about something. He had taken in Sonic and Lilac's warnings about how the world was breaking apart. He was still sure they were making it up to try and scare him and his comrade but at the same time, the scientist felt they had been deathly serious about the whole thing. Was the fusion world unstable and going to destroy itself? Should he betray Brevon now and restore their worlds to normal before they were killed and Mobius was gone forever? He didn't really need to betray him he reasoned. He could just politely ask about it and see if Brevon was OK with the whole idea of making sure the world was safe. He cleared his throat.
"So Brevon, forgive me for being a little edgy but...I'm still a little concerned about Sonic and Lilac's ravings about the world being unstable." he said cautiously.
The alien warlord shot a death glare over at the human scientist, making Eggman recoil in surprise.
"Why is that then?" he snarled, "I thought we both agreed that they were just trying to manipulate us! Do not tell me you actually believe them?"
"No, not at all!" Eggman protested, "But, I just thought that it wouldn't hurt to...you know, analyze the planet and make sure that it is safe! Just so we can forget all about the whole thing! That's all..."
Brevon stroked his chin in thought for a moment and reasoned that there was nothing really wrong with making sure that Mobius and Avalice weren't breaking apart. If he was to have a conquered world under his belt, the fusion world had to be stable after all. He nodded.
"I think it's perfectly acceptable to go ahead with this." he deduced, "I'll send Syntax to observe everything and report back to me when she's made her calculations."
"I'll send Orbot and Cubot to join her." Eggman volunteered, "They'll confirm for us once and for all that Sonic and Lilac were just being delusional and thus, give us reason to relax and enjoy our conquest."
"Indeed doctor." Brevon said, a slight air of menace to his voice.
With the two reaching an agreement, Eggman and Brevon both turned to face their comrades, who were silently waiting for orders in the room.
"Orbot, Cubot, you two are to investigate the planet and report your findings to me!" Eggman barked.
"You're to join them Syntax and do the same thing." Brevon ordered "We wish to find out if the hedgehog and dragon were being serious about their raving before their transformations began."
"We'll get to it right away boss." Orbot said nonchalantly.
"We-a won't-a fail you boss!" Cubot exclaimed, now sporting an Italian accent.
"We will be back soon masters." Syntax said politely, "Goodbye for now."
The three designated investigators lefts the room and headed on out to carry out their tasks. Brevon and Eggman watched them leave and then turned back to the main screen so they could watch how the hunt was proceeding...
Meanwhile, the Mobians and Avalicians had fallen back to probably the best place they could hide in until it was time to come out. G.U.N. headquarters. It was the perfect place to hide in. Not only did G.U.N. have technology that they could possibly use to restore their friends, but the place was such an obvious place to hide that Mecha Lilac and Mutant Sonic wouldn't dare look in it. They would expect them to be much less obvious than this so they would become a victim of the old trick "So obvious it's overlooked". Upon arriving at the headquarters, the G.U.N. soldiers were quick to let them in and give them shelter in their laboratory. They had been informed that Sonic and Lilac had been turned evil via mutation and roboticization and that they had to be kept on the alert for them, but were not to kill them. The soldiers understood and promised that Sonic and Lilac wouldn't be killed if they came looking for the heroes in G.U.N. headquarters. Now the heroes had gathered themselves together in G.U.N.'s laboratory. The laboratory was as hi-tech and futuristic as any laboratory you could think of, littered with technology, tools and machine pieces. This place was a tinkerer's paradise and heaven for scientists. Tails had always wondered what the place that manufactured G.U.N.'s amazing technology was like. And now he was here, seeing it all for himself. There was a lot of space as if the laboratory was meant to house a large number of people. There were also a lot of worktops and desks to work at and huge cabinets that contained all kinds of equipment. Torque looked around, impressed with what he was seeing.
"Whoa...I never would've guessed Mobius was this advanced." he breathed.
"We're not as far behind the times as some might think." Tails chuckled, "We're in a mechanic's paradise here, which is just perfect for what we need."
"So I guess now we just rest in here and start building something to restore Sonic and Lilac to normal kiddo?" asked Carol curiously.
"Yeah, pretty much." Tails said casually,"When Eggman roboticizes people, we have an invention known as de-roboticizer. One zap of that and Lilac will be back to normal. They don't take long to build so we should have one done pretty soon. Tomorrow morning perhaps."
"Provided the planet doesn't break apart..." Torque noted cryptically.
"I'm sure it'll hold out for that long." Amy said optimistically, "Anyway, we've got Lilac's cure all sorted but what about Sonic? How do we cure him? We don't know anything about mutations..."
"When Milla got turned into a monster Amy, me and Lilac just fought it until we destroyed the creature." Carol explained, "It was more like a shell built around Milla than an actual creature. But I don't wanna do that to Sonic...I can't risk us killing him since what we did left Milla close to death. Whether Sonic would survive like Milla did or not, I don't wanna risk. Lilac wouldn't wanna risk it either."
Milla shuddered as if wanting to ignore the horrible memories of what had happened last month. She was glad that they wouldn't be repeating this on Sonic.
"So what do we do Carol?" asked Amy desperately.
"I'm the one with the answer." said Torque, "The Chasers, a group of heroes that I'm a part of, built a device known as a cleansing rifle a while back. One shot from the rifle would cure ANY mutation. We've been using them on many heroes corrupted by Brevon over time."
"Can you build one here Mr. Torque?" asked Cream hopefully.
"Oh yes. We designed the rifle to be compatible with ANY technology that we used to build it." the Chaser confirmed, "We can be on any planet that has technology and we'll be able to build it."
"My, my, we're fortuitous aren't we?" Rouge purred, "Eggman and Brevon can say goodbye to their new minions that's for sure."
"Almost as quickly as they recruited them." Dail agreed, "And not a second too soon too. Let's get onto it."
"We'll get building immediately." Tails declared, "Everybody can help with the de-roboticizer and cleansing rifle. Let's do it to it!"
The next few minutes were spent getting out pieces of technology and boxes full of tools in order to begin construction work. G.U.N. had even been kind enough to donate a couple of flying drones to give Tails and Torque more pieces to work with and Torque had been given an old rifle for extra parts and to give him a head start in building the rifle. Now that everything was set up, the Mobians and Avalicians were quick to get to work. They couldn't waste time, not at this stage. The planet was breaking apart, Sonic and Lilac were hunting them down and Eggman and Brevon were still out there. They had to work fast and get their inventions ready so they could then storm Eggman and Brevon's base with their world's biggest heroes back on their side. Then they could put their worlds back to normal and save themselves from disaster.
Tails and Torque worked as hard and as fast as they possibly could, not once stopping to rest and using up every precious second that passed. It had now been an hour since they had started and they were still refusing to stop. Tails had just finished the base of the roboticizer and was working his way up while Torque was making whatever necessary adjustments had to be made in order to convert the G.U.N. rifle into a cleansing rifle. The G.U.N. rifle had been very useful in speeding up production for it pretty much gave him a gun already. Tails had had to start from scratch despite having a few parts already built for a de-roboticizer on him but Torque had been generous enough to spare a moment or two to further help him along with the de-roboticizer. After an hour had passed, they both wiped their sweat-soaked foreheads but didn't dare waste a moment. They didn't even stop when Cream and Milla both came into the lab with a snack for them, which was a tray of cookies and a glass of milk each. The girls had left the tray on the desk just in case they needed them though.
Tails tightened a few bolts as he fitted in a primary generator component into the de-roboticizer. The generator was one of the most important parts of the machine and he had to make sure it fitted perfectly. He stuck his tongue out as he twisted the screwdriver, further pushing the screw down into the metal L on the side of the generator. He smiled as the screw went down as far as it would, pinning the generator to the base. Torque fastened in a few components and attached a cooling duct into the rifle so the weapon wouldn't overheat. It was compulsory for a cleansing rifle to have one since they tended to heat up very quickly when used. He attached the cooling duct carefully so that it didn't fit in awkwardly and get in the way of any circuitry that the rifle needed in order to work. Then he wiped his head again and sighed. He was getting exhausted and as much as he didn't want to stop working, he knew that there was no excuse for over-exerting himself. Tails seemed to be in agreement as he straightened up and wiped his head. They both picked up the glasses of milk and drank the whole lot to regain their strength.
"You boys looked like you really needed that." Carol snickered humorously.
"I'll say. It's not good for you to work like this and not have a rest." Amy said firmly.
"We know." Tails muttered, picking up some cookies, "But we're just so desperate to beat the clock at this moment. Can you really blame us?"
"We have no idea when this world's gonna break apart so we can scarcely afford to rest." Torque noted.
"That is true but I'm sure you'd rather live to see the world saved right?" Amy noted.
"Please Amy, we'll be fine." Tails insisted, "There's no need to start mothering us."
"Come on kiddo, she's just looking out for ya." Carol said defensively, "Kinda like...like how I often look out for Lilac..." she suddenly murmured as if she was a mile away.
"I had no idea we were so similar." the pink hedgehog said surprise, "Not only do Mobians and Avalicians look very similar but...we have similar relationships with one another."
"We sure do Amy." the wildcat agreed.
"It's almost as if...Mobius and Avalice are sister planets." Tails observed, "So different and yet so alike. I guess that's what makes us meeting one another so special."
"Yes. In a way, it's like you're meeting your sister race." Torque nodded, biting into a cookie, "All this just means that Mobius and Avalice need to be saved all the more. It's bad enough losing one world but losing a world and a sister world as well is even worse."
"Too true..." Amy agreed, "The fact our worlds are so similar to each other just makes the need to save them all the more personal. We're not just losing our races, we're losing possibly the closest thing to distant cousins or a sister race either side has."
A long silence followed this statement as everybody took in what Amy had said. It was all so true and nothing that anybody could argue or disagree with. Mobius and Avalice were as important as each other for many reasons and all the realization had done is made the heroes of both worlds more determined to undo the fusion process and restore their worlds to normal once and for all. Tails and Torque finished the snack that they had been kindly given and were quick to get back to work. But then suddenly, the laboratory started to shake violently as another earthquake hit Shangopolis. The Mobians and Avalicians all cried out and clung onto the worktops as the room shook. It felt like somebody had picked up G.U.N. headquarters and started shaking it like somebody shaking their piggy-bank for any signs of cash inside. Some of the tools fell onto the floor but Tails and Torque held onto their inventions to make sure they didn't fall off. The earthquake lasted a few tense minutes before coming to a stop. The room returned to normal and stopped shaking. The earthquake had stopped though nobody in the building dared to explore and see how much damage had been done by the quake. Had more buildings collapsed? Had the road cracked some more? It wouldn't matter when everything was restored to normal so the heroes didn't need to worry too much about it. But what they did have to worry about was if they would save the world before it would break apart and wipe everybody out. Tails waited until his heart rate had slowed down before he spoke.
"Golly that was sudden..." he cried.
"At least a long time passed in between this one and the last." Torque observed.
"I just hope that doesn't mean the earthquakes a building up to something more chaotic and destructive by taking their time..." Knuckles muttered, "Sometimes that happens with earthquakes..."
"Indeed so." Gong nodded, "We need to get a move on before we're finished!"
"I just hope the earthquake didn't damage Mr. Sonic or Miss Lilac!" Cream squeaked nervously.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Neera said reassuringly, "Lilac has survived worse than a mere earthquake and your Sonic was able to withstand being frozen while he's in this mutated state. I think we can rightfully assume he's OK."
Cream nodded, agreeing with the priestess.
"Say, I didn't know you had a heart." Amy noted, "You always seemed rather blunt and straight forward. Maybe even a little cold."
"I prefer to be the way I am but I do know when it's time to be more heartfelt." Neera said kindly.
"I'm glad to hear that Neera." Amy said approvingly.
Neera smiled modestly. It felt good to show off her softer side sometimes.
With no more time to lose, Tails and Torque immediately got back to work, keen to finish the job before the earthquakes got any worse. The two workers picked up the fallen tool boxes and resumed their progress. Not another word was spoken as the work continued. It was a race against time...and Tails and Torque were keen to win the race...
Meanwhile, Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac were still searching for their prey. They had been searching for a while and they still hadn't found anything. They were beginning to get irritated. Their masters demanded that their enemies be killed and they had spent half their time looking for them instead of killing them. Eggman and Brevon would be losing their patience with them. They couldn't disappoint their masters. Mutant Sonic peered inside a car, his huge teeth clenched as he sniffed for any signs of Mobians or Avalicians. His senses were amplified by the mutation. He could smell anything and anybody from miles found nothing inside, the car was empty. Angry, he picked the car up with his bare hands and threw it into a building nearby. The car crashed through the window and tore down some of the wall the window had been mounted in, leaving an ugly, unsightly hole that ruined the building's appearance. That made him feel better.
Mecha Lilac picked up a sewer lid and looked down through the open manhole to scan the sewers. Her scanners were long ranged so she could scan most of the sewers without even having to enter them. Her scanners picked up nothing. The sewers were obviously devoid of any Mobian or Avalician. Mecha Lilac pulled a grim face as she got up out of the sewers and put the sewer lid back on. She turned to Mutant Sonic.
"Statement: There is nobody in the sewers." she responded.
"I won't look there then." grumbled Mutant Sonic.
He stomped over to a building and flung open the doors.
"Hey, is there anybody in there?!" he bellowed.
He received no answer, suggesting that the building was deserted. Growling in annoyance, he fired shots out of the palms of his hands and blew the doors to pieces as well as shattered a few windows. Mecha Lilac could understand his frustration. She was beginning to get annoyed at their lack of progress in finding the heroes. How could she please her masters if she was failing to do the job? Shrugging, she walked over a pile of debris that had once been a building. It had fallen over during the earthquake that had startled everybody in the G.U.N. lab earlier. She hoped with all her circuitry that a Mobian or Avalician had been crushed by the falling building. Mecha Lilac scanned the wreckage for any signs of her former friends and Sonic's former friends. Her scans came up empty. Nobody had been crushed by the ruined building. She kicked at the debris as if blaming it for their misfortune. If only those impudent animals hadn't eluded her and Mutant Sonic! Mutant Sonic lumbered over to Mecha Lilac, growling softly. The growl was barely disguising his annoyance.
"If I don't find them brats that our masters want dead, I'm gonna go crazy!" he moaned, "Where the hell are they?!"
"Response: Location Unknown. Solution: Find their location." Mecha Lilac prioritized.
"But we can't find their location!" Mutant Sonic ranted, almost tempted to whack his comrade across the head in frustration, "How are we meant to find them in a city this big?!"
"Testimony: we either wait for the earthquakes to bring the city down on them or continue tracking them down." the robo-dragon responded, "Or..."
She fell silent as if for dramatic effect.
"...we force somebody to find them for us." she suggested.
Mutant Sonic's hideous, toothy mouth curled into a grotesque smile as he took in the idea.
"Now you're talking!" he growled happily, "Maybe we could take some poor sap hostage and make them find them for us!"
"Analysis: That is a good idea." Mecha Lilac approved.
"And I know just who we can use!" Mutant Sonic declared, "How about the President of Westopolis?"
"Analysis: Acceptable target. We can use him." Mecha Lilac agreed, "Suggestion: We can also use Mayor Zao for hostage purposes too."
"Oh yeah!"
"Suggestion: We could even use their positions as hostages to force the Mobians and Avalicians to come out of hiding and face us."
The mutated hedgehog let out a soft growl of pleasure, saliva dripping from his oversized fangs.
"Yes...it's bound to work!" he cried, "We'll please our masters very much with this!"
"Response: We will indeed." the robo-dragon replied.
With their plan now formulated, Mutant Sonic and Mecha Lilac headed on further down the road, heading towards the president and Mayor Zao's political palace. They would take them hostage and then demand that G.U.N. and Zao's forces pass the message on until it reaches the Mobians and Avalician heroes. They would demand they show themselves or they would kill the two leaders. And when they came out of hiding, they would kill them all and eliminate all threats to their master's reigns once and for all. The heroes wouldn't worm their way out of this one...no matter what they tried to do...
We now conclude Act 2 as time is ticking and the heroes are working against the clock to get their friends restored. Will they succeed? Or is time against them...?
Join in next time to begin Act 3 as our heroes orchestrate "The Rescue"...