A/N: Hello everyone, bet you thought this story was done for didn't you? After a few months of being busy with college, and having lost interest in the writing for this one, I've finally decided to do what I should've done before: update both stories at once. That's right! I'm fucking going all out on this! (though admittingly it will be slightly difficult considering the two different continuities. But, I will have this one shipped out ASAP since you guys have been asking me about it.
Anyway, last chapter, Team Fighters succeeded in halting Eggman's forces in Furville to the point the doctor was forced to withdraw due to running low on ammunition. The heroes are currently in pursuit, but back home, things aren't exactly quiet.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Sega and Archie except my OC and it's affiliates.
After sneaking her way back into the city's mainframe, Nicole met up with Harvey Who as he was walking through an underground tunnel. The A.I. felt nervous about being back inside the one place she used to call home. If anyone saw her, who knows what'll happen. It could range from taking more security measures to keep her out at best and 'pulling the plug' on her at worst. As such, Nicole hoped whatever Harvey had planned was for the good of the city.
"I know you must be feeling nervous about being back home, but I can assure you that no one will find you here. After all, it was you who made this base during the Iron Dominion's occupation did you not?" The owl asked.
"Yes, though it's still something I don't want to recall..."
"Rest assured, if everything goes as planned, the people will look to you as a hero, not a villain."
"Do you think it'll be that easy? I practically traumatized everyone, and it didn't help when Mina accidentally made things worse..." Nicole stared at the ground, ears flattening on her head. They reached a larger section of the base, which looked vaguely similar to that of Freedom HQ.
Harvey chuckled. "Trust me, it will be a very simple process." Both heard a chuckle coming from the base's lab. Charles poked his head out.
"Simple? If anything, you like making things complicated Harvey. With Nicole illegally in the city, you betraying King Naugus, and me rebuilding the original Metal Sonic, how exactly is all of this simple?"
"A Metal Sonic?" Nicole thought.
"Oh you know in the end it works out. How has your progress been on him?" Harvey asked.
Chuck sighed in frustration. "Well, saying it's difficult would be putting it mildly. All I have for parts are the scraps from Metal Scourge and Metal Sonic Troopers, and it especially doesn't help when every time I put these parts his gem doesn't want to cooperate."
"Either way, you're doing a great job gramps." The Sonic robot stated.
Nicole walked into the lab and got a good look at him. Although the Metal Sonic was still being assembled, as it was just a head and torso, it had a new appearance from previous versions. Instead of being painted blue like Sonic, this one was painted black with gold outlines. Also, unlike the other Metals created by Eggman, this one bore a power gem in its center. Aside from that, it looked vaguely similar to Metal Sonic v2.5.
"Thanks Shard, though sometimes I still question why I should have rebuilt you. Need I remind you, you attempted to kill my nephew more than once?"
"Aw come on, I said I regret it and I still do. Plus, I sacrificed myself so Sonic and Tails could escape that volcano...and it was Sonic who taught me what it truly means to be alive. Besides, you sort of owe me since it was my core-data that let you build all those Metal Sonic Troopers." Shard paused. "Wait...was that supposed to be a secret?"
Chuck slapped his forehead. "I should've installed your head last..."
"Remember Charles, you willingly agreed to help when I first brought it up to you." Harvey inquired.
"True...it does remind of the days I worked with the Robotropolis Spy Network and your old Secret Intelligence Division, while I was still roboticized...but you DO know how much trouble we'll be in if we're caught right?" Chuck reminded.
"It's simple my friend. We will do with Naugus what was did with Robotnik: avoid being discovered. Once Shard is rebuilt, that'll bring our roster up to two, the other being Silver."
"Sorry to interrupt, but why am I here again?" Nicole asked, genuinely confused.
Harvey dawned a stoic expression. "Shortly before the rightful heir to the throne was evacuated along with his family, he asked me to put together a team to take back control of our city from Naugus without doing anything that would directly oppose the will of the people. At first I was hesitant, but Elias was more than determined to protect the city, even from itself."
"I see...you also mentioned Silver. Why is he here?" The A.I. asked.
The owl smiled. "Silver is still looking to stop a great evil that would bring the downfall of the Freedom Fighters. I convinced him to join as it would help him deduce who exactly is the cause of it, and we need someone who knows how to manipulate the environment at will. As such, our team's secondary mission is to find out who it is that Silver claims as, The Traitor. The reason I brought you in Nicole is obvious. I know you've wanted to be of help in some way instead of being locked in Freedom HQ until the citizens come to their senses, so you were the best candidate to be able to pass important information to the team."
"That, does make sense I guess. I just hope no one notices I'm in the system. However, no one else besides Kor, Rotor, and Tails would bother to-" She paused as she got an incoming message. "Oh, sorry. Mr. Harvey, Lupe of the Wolfpack sent you a message that she's sending two recruits."
"You contacted Lupe? I thought you were just searching through New Mobotropolis." Chuck stated in surprise.
"I have, though not everyone in the city is capable of being on the team. They are either busy with something else to be tied up or just don't have that special talent I'm looking for. So I took the liberty of looking over all of the Freedom Fighters on the planet. As of now, our team has 5 field members, but we'll need something else...someone that brings a level of unpredictability to the team..." Harvey rubbed his chin in thought.
At that moment, everyone's eyes went wide as they heard a scream coming down a shoot that leads to the surface. The screams got louder until a figure landed on a pile of hay. The person in question was a lynx with a domestic cat-like appearance, who groaned as he was still disoriented from the fall. Chuck quickly told Nicole to disappear while he grabbed a large sheet.
"Hey wait what are you-" Shard's voice got muffled as the sheet covered him entirely.
"Just keep your mouth shut for 5 minutes." Chuck whispered.
The lynx shook the hay from his head and looked around. "Oh just my luck. I can't even walk around the city without falling into some random manhole, though I expected the sewer to be more dirty..." He finally spotted Chuck and Harvey. "Uncle Chuck? What are you doing here? What is this place?" The lynx asked nervously.
"N-Now Larry, just take a deep breath son. To be honest, you weren't supposed to be down here..."
As Chuck tried to explain everything to Larry, Harvey was intrigued. Larry Lynx was known to be the local 'super jinx' as people dubbed him. Bad luck follows him like flies to a horse behind, which can actually work as a random number generator. It will either bring harm to himself and his friends, or their enemies. Yet despite the lack of good luck, Larry has been noted to have good leadership skills, which allowed him to become the head of the Substitute Freedom Fighters. Unfortunately when the team disbanded, he was left without a purpose, his horrid luck followed him all the same, much to the dismay of the general populace. Perhaps, this was exactly who the team needed.
The owl butt in before Charles could continue making excuses. "Larry, I have a question to ask of you. How would you like to make the city safe again?"
The lynx looked at his feet. "I...I don't think everyone else will trust me to help, given my bad luck and all..."
The owl chuckled. "Well then, let's say it'll be our little secret."
-With Team Fighters: a few hours earlier-
After hours of flying south, the heroes reach Soumerca. The sun had already set, giving way to a full moon that gave some light to the dark landscape. They managed bypass the Death Egg, hoping to warn both the Wolf Pack Nation and the Mysterious Cat Country of Dr. Eggman's impending arrival.
"So how did you and Sally manage to get these two nations to form a truce? I get the Wolf Pack since Lupe is a friend of yours, but the Felidae seem very territorial from what you're tellin' me." Kor said to Sonic.
"Trust me, it was..." Sonic groaned, remembering the situation all too well. "Long story short, we managed to get them to realize the Dark Egg Legion were the right people to fight than each other."
"And you said Big used to live here?" The fox replied.
"Yep. Hard to believe huh?"
"In all honesty, I thought he used to live on an island in the Pacific."
Tails flew the plane around until he found a nice spot to land. "Alright guys, we're going in!"
"Sweet! We'll ask Lupe to help us out, then we'll waltz over to the Felidae and ask ol' Queen Hathor for the same, if she's not too mad at us from last time." The Blue Blur stated, hoping off the wing.
"If we can get them to agree with each other." Tails noted. T-Pup popped out and followed its master.
"Sounds like a plan, though I ain't exactly 'comfortable' walkin' through the jungle..." The engineer replied, getting out of his seat.
"Why is that?" Amy asked.
"First, jungles are very thick, so my new sentry won't exactly be useful unless there's a wide area. Second, it's very easy to get lost. And third-"
Sonic cut him off. "Ok we get it. Still can't be more dangerous than facing Eggman's new cronies."
After a short walk, the group walked into the nearby village, which was considerably larger than those they flew over. However, as big as it was, there was not a soul in site.
Sonic dawned a questionable look on his face. "Geez, where is everyone? Out doing some ritual or something?"
Kor nodded. "It is rather quiet...think somethin' might have happened before we got here?"
"Wait. I see a few over there by that window." Amy noted, pointing towards a group of 4 mobian wolves and, surprisingly, two overlander children.
Two of the wolves were pink with brown hair wearing the same attire, likely to be twins, while the other, shorter mobians were a purple wolf and an orange wolf that bore a striking resemblance to the chiefs of the tribe. The two overlanders were female, who also looked remarkably similar. However, one had blonde hair whilst the other was a redhead.
"Hey, I know those guys!" Sonic said, running up to them.
The group turned around in surprise upon hearing footsteps, but relaxed upon seeing the famous hero. "Sonic!" They said.
"Hello everyone. How's it hangin'?"
"Sonic, you know it's rude to sneak up on people." Amy reminded.
"Well, I do have a reputation of being fast that I need to uphold."
"And to be honest, stealth isn't your thing. That's Espio's." Kor joked.
The others grew cautious upon seeing Kor, mainly after noting his cybetnetic parts. "Um, Sonic? Who is he?" The orange wolf asked, then whispered. "Was he part of the Dark Egg Legion?"
The fox grew annoyed. "I have working ears you know, and I wouldn't be caught dead working under that fat man..."
"Relax guys, he's cool. Hmm...come to think of it, I know most of you except," Sonic gestured to the two pink wolves. "You fine ladies." Amy formed a sour look on her face.
The two wolves chuckled. "I'm Leeta, and this is my sister Lyco."
"Nice to meet you. I'm guessin' you already know Amy and Tails, so the name's Kor. And my cybernetics were a serious of accidents..." He muttered the last part.
"Oh, sorry Mister. My name is Marcos, and these are my sisters Maria, Athena, and Aerial."
"So what are you doing down here Sonic?" Lyco asked.
"We're looking for Lupe. Any idea where she is?"
"Unfortunately we don't...Lupe went missing earlier, and no one knows where she is."
"Everyone in the tribe is worried, especially dad..." Maria stated, looking at the window. Inside, everyone could see an orange wolf talking to a few others.
"Huh. What's Lobo doing?" Sonic asked.
"Not sure. He rounded up the cheiftains so I guess they're discussing a plan. However, I don't like where it's going...he thinks the Felidae are why Lupe is gone." Leeta noted.
Sonic was in disbelief. "The Felidae? I doubt they would after the peace Sally came up with."
"Speaking of which, where is Sally?" Aerial asked.
Team Fighters grew a bit uneasy. "She...Eggman roboticized her..." Kor admitted. Saying that the wolves and two overlanders were shocked would be an understatement.
"Roboticized?! I thought it didn't work anymore!" Leeta exclaimed, remembering all the of wolves of their tribe that had been subject to the process years ago.
"It didn't, but Eggman managed to make it work. He turned Sally into his personal top fighting robot, and trust me, she is by no means easy to subdue..." The red fox stated.
"I bet Eggman is also the reason why Lupe is missing. He might've had Sally kidnap Lupe so the Wolf Pack and Felidae would fight each other rather than the Dark Egg Legion." Tails said in thought.
"That would be likely, given that the Legion hasn't made any gains since the two nations made peace, an uneasy one at that." Lyco added.
"Plus, the other chieftains have been dying for an excuse to go to war." Leeta chimed in.
"Well then, guess we'll need to act fast before Lobo is finished talking with the warmongers in there. It seems like they're still talking strategy so we got a bit of time before they decide anything." Kor stated.
"Good thing we know where Eggman went. Anyone know where the Temple of Shazamazon is?" The Blue Blur asked.
"We do. It's not that far from here." Lyco stated.
"Sweet! Alright Team Fighters, we got a plan, let's move!" Sonic cheered.
After leaving the village, Team Fighters along with Lyco and Leeta ventured through the jungle to the temple. Due to the thick shrubs and undergrowth, Sonic couldn't run as fast as he'd have liked, and Tails had to constantly dodge tree limbs. Once or twice along the way, Amy and Kor got stuck in quicksand but were rescued easily. Didn't help that with it being night, the forest was darker than it should've been.
After a bit of time dodging trees and any more sand pits, the group reached the Dark Legion base. However, when they got there, they were met with a surprising site. An elderly cat with white fur and wearing a black formal dress was being chased by a group of Dark Egg Legion personnel, and they were closing fast. One of the legionnaires was a former Felidae member known as Razorklaw. The large lynx was exiled from his homeland after losing a battle to Locke a few years prior, and since then he's joined forces with Eggman. Since his legionizing, his arms had been replaced with reinforced metal and extremely sharp claws.
"Isn't that Queen Hathor?" Leeta asked.
"Sure does, and looks like she picked up some baggage. Let's lighten the load for her." Sonic smirked.
"Give it up Hathor! You can't outrun us forever, and you will pay for the disgrace you've given me all those years ago!" Razorklaw yelled.
Suddenly, Sonic appeared before the group. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to cut your fun short." He rammed the large cat in chest with his signature move, sending him into a tree.
The other soldiers quickly took aim, but were ambushed by the other members of Team Fighters. Tails used his namesakes to smack two of them into submission, Amy used her signature weapon to smash another two into the ground, and Kor shot the weapons out of the last two before clubbing them with his metal fist.
"Grr, Sonic! Always interfering with my plans!"
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
The lynx noted that he was heavily outnumbered. "Don't think you've won yet. This isn't over..." Razorklaw said in a venomous tone before retreating, leaving the other soldiers behind.
Hathor let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you Sonic...if you hadn't arrived, I would be sent back into that vile place."
Sonic bowed. "It was nothin' your highness."
However, Hathor rejects this. "I am not the Queen as now, but a humble emissary."
"Oh, right. Then I am but a humble ambassador." He smirked.
"Uh, what?" Kor asked, confused.
"She's only the queen when she wears the royal robes." The blue hedgehog whispered. "So Hathor, how did you escape Eggman's base?"
"Myself and Lupe were captured by Sally Acorn. We both knew that our respective tribes would set eye on each other for our sudden disappearances, so we wasted no time plotting an escape. Lupe volunteered to help me into a vent so I could make it outside, but I was forced to leave my robes behind." The former queen explained.
"So Lupe is still in there, and we don't have much time before yours and her tribes engage in a pointless war. So, let's get in there and-" Kor turned, but stopped when a spear was pointed inches from his face. "Uh..."
Suddenly, several Felidae warriors jumped out of the bushes, each with some sort of weapon pointed at the group. One of them stepped forward. "We've witnessed the Dark Egg Legion's intrusion on our territory and have witnessed your bravery in battle. But, how do we know that she," the warrior points at Hathor, "is the queen?"
"Must I remind you that the wolves and the Freedom Fighters are not our enemies? They risked their lives for mine, and I bear the queen's will to see that peace will be maintained in these lands!" Hathor retorted.
The warriors stood in thought for a few moments, deciding on what to do. They soon lowered their weapons. "Alright. If the Legion is plotting another attack, you have our support. However, it will be up to the wolves to listen."
"Well we don't have the time to just walk back and tell them what's going on. For all we know, Eggman could be doing something worse to Lupe." Sonic pointed out.
"Very true..." Hathor looked towards her warriors. "Go to the Wolf Pack and try to reason with them. We will need all the help we can get to usurp an impending evil..."
The warriors nod before setting off, with Team Fighters and co. heading straight for the Dark Legion base.
-Temple of Shazamazon: Operating Room-
Lupe was restrained to a table as Dark Legion echidnas were prepping for surgery. Eggman was overseeing the operation, as he couldn't resist watching one of the leaders of the Wolf Pack that had been long a thorn in his side becoming another one of his greatest pawns.
"You won't get away with this Eggman! Your roboticization attempts will never work!" Lupe shouted in rage.
"I'm well aware of the affects of the Bem's deroboticization, which is why I'm having you legionized." He grinned evilly. "Are you idiots quite done?! I'm on a tight schedule here!"
"Yes Dr. Eggman." One of the surgeons replied.
"Good! Now then, any last words before you become a member of the Eggman Empire?"
"I have nothing civil to say to you..." Lupe growled before spitting in his face.
The doctor wiped his face in disgust. "I'll be sure to change that tone..." He growled.
Just as the legionnaires were about to begin, an alarm sounded throughout the base. "Oh what is it now?!" Eggman yelled. The footage on a nearby screen made the tyrant's eyes go wide. Team Fighters along with Lyco, Leeta, and Hathor were fighting their way deeper into the base.
"Drat! Sonic and his meddlesome squad followed me here!" Pressing a button on his jacket, Eggman contacted the Death Egg. "Orbot! Is the Death Egg finished?!"
"Afraid not sir. We are still being restocked and refueled, and repairs haven't even started yet." The sphere robot responded.
Lupe couldn't help but chuckle. "And with Sonic here, your defeat is certain!"
"Oh shut up!" The doctor retorted. "Prepare the Death Egg for launch immediately! Drago! Watch over the prisoner!" He ordered as he stormed out of the room.
The white wolf chuckled. "Guess it's just you and me Lupe."
The chief growled lowly. "Drago..."
Elsewhere in the base, the team continued to fight through the Dark Legion soldiers. They manage to catch a short break after that last wave of enemies. "We can't waste any more time dealing with the Loser Brigade." Sonic stated.
"Right. We're gonna have to split up to cover more ground." Kor added in thought. "Ok everyone, we're gonna do something the guys and I did back home in Hydro: Tails, T-Pup, Hathor, and Leeta, you're on offense. Go find Lupe, and be quick before the Legion realizes what we're doing." The 4 nodded before taking off down the hall. "Everyone else, we're on defense. Create as much noise to keep the army busy and make the other group's task easier." He ordered.
"Sounds like my kind of plan." Sonic grinned, cracking his knuckles.
Not a moment too soon, another wave of soldiers reached the heroes. Sonic stretched his legs, Amy readied her hammer once more, Kor flipped his gun before taking aim, and Lyco got into a combat position. With the other group, they reached a fork in the hallway.
"Which way was Lupe being held?" Leeta asked.
"It is this way!" Hathor pointed down the hallway on the left.
"Alright. You guys go on ahead. There's something I need to do first. Come on T-Pup!" Tails stated, taking flight down the opposite hallway. "I'll meet you guys on the roof!"
Leeta and Hathor looked at each other before continuing on with their goal. As they reached the prison cells, they noted it was empty.
"Darn. They must've moved her earlier...do you remember what the doctor was going to do with you and Lupe?"
"He mentioned the roboticization process, but I did not believe as we are to be immune to it." Hathor replied.
"To roboticization maybe, but not...we gotta move fast!" Leeta shouted, taking off into a full sprint down the hall, Hathor following.
As they ran, they could see parts of the base was still undergoing construction, this being due to the constant attacks from both the Wolf Pack and Felidae. Within minutes, they managed to find the operating room, though the door was closed. The door contained a single small window for the two to peer through. They growled as they found Drago taunting a still restrained Lupe. However, what made Hathor angry was the fact the Grandmaster was wearing her robes.
"You shouldn't have kicked me out of the Wolf Pack Lupe. I had excellent leadership potential, and you just threw it all away. Luckily, Eggman was wise enough to see that I can run things around here."
"Even after all these years, your ego still hasn't changed. Need I remind you that Eggman takes pleasure in taking advantage of his own forces? And you run the place with Razorklaw of all people!" Lupe retorted. "What do you think will happen when after I'm legionized?"
"I expect you'll be appointed as my kommissar." Drago chuckled.
"Actually, he'd seem more likely to appoint me as Grandmaster in order to make me destroy my own tribe...and the least you could expect is being demoted."
Drago laughed. "Yeah right. Like he'd really d-do that. The boss values me ALOT more than that idiot Razorklaw." He shook a bit just thinking of Lupe taking his position upon being brainwashed. Lupe smirked knowing she hit a nerve.
"And further more-!" Drago was cut off as he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head before everything went black.
Leeta stood over the legionized wolf, holding a steel pipe. "That's for kidnapping the chief!"
"Nicely done." Hathor commented.
The pink wolf ran up to Lupe and started removing the chains. "Are you ok Lupe?"
"Aside from wishing I didn't have to see Eggman and that idiot Drago, I'm ok."
Hathor walks over to Drago, who is still unconscious, and removes her robes from him before kicking him away. Leeta smiles. "Looks like the queen has been restored."
The former queen shakes her head. "No...it is not time yet." She folds up her robes before joining the wolves in their escape.
With the other group, the fight has been taken out into the grounds in front of the temple. While the others are keeping the Legion in check, Sonic was doing battle with Razorklaw. The lynx was still angered about the hedgehog's interference earlier. Unfortunately for him, even with the help of other legionnaries, the hedgehog still proved too much for him.
"Sorry Razor, but fighting lynxes has become an occupational hazard." Sonic smirked.
"Sonic!" The hedgehog looked and saw standing at the entrance of the base, adorning her traditional robes.
He sped up within a second. "Yes your highness?" He bowed.
"Please take me into the jungle. It's time to put an end to this..."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." He picked up the queen before speeding through the thick forest.
-On the Death Egg-
Mecha Sally held her typical cold, steel look as she made her way to the bridge. She couldn't believe Tails actually got the best of her. She originally thought his feelings for her organic side would prevent him from fighting back, but he proved her wrong. To make matters worse, Leeta, Lupe, and Hathor appeared and made things even more complicated. Luckily, the Death Egg was about to take off, forcing the heroes to abandon their pursuit in order to get a safe distance away.
"Master." She stated, surprising the doctor.
"Mecha Sally? Why are you here so early? Oh nevermind! Curse those two dolts for grandmasters! I've only had enough time to prepare for another invasion of New Mobotropolis with the time we had to resupply, and with Sonic in pursuit there's no way I'll be able to deal with both threats at once!"
Mecha Sally looked at her master. "Do you propose we divide and conquer?"
"That would be the wisest course of action. I need to do make a few more preparations anyway, but are you ready to visit your dear brother?" The doctor grinned.
"Affirmative..."
-Minutes Later: On the Ground-
Despite the Death Egg departing, the Dark Legion continued to put up a decent fight. While Sonic left with Queen Hathor, the other heroes were escorting Lupe through the jungle from their pursuing enemies. Luckily, reinforcements came in the form of the Wolf Pack and the Felidae, which forced the Dark Legion to retreat. They've had enough. Soon after, Queen Hathor returned to her nation and Lupe was reunited with her family.
"Are you sure you guys can't stay?" Lupe asked.
Sonic politely declined. "Sorry Lupe, but we've got an Egg to crack. We should get going before we lose sight of him."
"Actually, I planted a tracking device on the Death Egg. That way, we'll know wherever Eggman goes." Tails told them.
"Woah. Way to go Tails!" The blue blur cheered.
Lupe smiled. "Well then, we wish you luck in your travels."
"Thank you so much for rescuing our mother!" Aerial cheered.
"Yes! Thank you!" Maria smiled.
Sonic rubbed his nose. "Heh heh, just another day being the heroes of Mobius."
"Alright Team Fighters, let's go. Tails, you got a fix on the Death Egg?" Kor asked.
"Yeah. It's heading back to Northamer."
Lupe turned to Leeta and Lyco, both of whom were standing nervously. "Now are you sure you want to do this?"
"Well, after what we went through tonight, we both felt it would be better if we went out to help others." Lyco said.
"That doesn't mean we're not loyal to the Wolf Pack anymore, we just wish to do more for the Freedom Fighters. I mean, they risked a lot to come and help us and..." Leeta added.
Lupe smiled. "After witnessing the bravery you two had, I think you both are more than ready to go out and do your part. In fact, someone contacted me recently that they were looking for those who were willing to help out."
"Really? Who?" They asked in unison.
"I can't say everything but, how would you two like to take part in a secret mission?"
A/N: And that takes care of that. Finally got one off the presses, and to be honest, I didn't like writing this particular chapter as much as I would've thought. But regardless, it's updated. The next one will be pretty awesome however, as Eggman has plans to deal with Elias...