Author's Note: That last chapter set a new record for page views, thanks guys.
In case if you couldn't tell by now, I love writing dialogue for Robotnik (or perhaps monologue would be a more fitting term). At first I was worried about how implausible it would be for Sonic to just sit back and listen, but I remembered that Sonic can be a bit of a talker too (although he's mostly about bragging and taunting his foes). As for Robotnik, his hatred for Sonic has a great deal of irrationality to it: he doesn't really hate Sonic for personal reasons; he views him as an event rather than a person. To Robotnik, Sonic is just one of history's blunders that's in dire need of correcting. In a way it's a form of self-righteousness (even though Robotnik's not a very "righteous" person); it's almost a personal fantasy of his to kill Sonic, like how some people fantasize about preventing wars or assassinating dictators before they come to power. I'm guessing Julian figures that he's going to kill Sonic in the end anyway, so he might as well enjoy it.
"That's all that I needed to hear."
"You mean… it's time?"
"Yes Bokkun, it's time."
Bokkun was about to pack up his monitor and follow the others as they headed for the door.
"Hold it right there!" a third, metallic voice cried out.
"Speak of the devil," Eggman muttered in semi-disbelief. He turned to see a squad of swatbots holding him at gunpoint.
"You and your machines are to surrender yourselves immediately. Lethal force will be used if you do not comply," a single swatbot recited.
"Machines? Is that what you call your brethren?" Eggman asked gentlemanly. "Well, I guess you're more along the lines of distant cousins. Personally, I prefer the term 'mecha'. Why, just take ol' Bokkun here for example," Eggman said as he patted the tiny bat-bot on the head. "By the way…," Ivo said, barely able to contain his excitement. "There's something that you should know about Bokkun."
Bokkun grinned uncontrollably and nodded at his creator.
"This mecha…"
"…will automatically start going postal now!" Bokkun finished. He kicked his miniature television at the nearest swatbot. The collision set off a detonator inside of the monitor: a surprise that he always held in store for anyone unlucky enough to have him for a messenger. The first swatbot's head was shattered by the blast, and its flung body knocked down its allies. The four members of the Eggman gang rushed over and disabled the robots before they could get back up.
"Remember this day," Ivo smirked as he took one of the swatbot's weapons. "Today is the beginning of the Eggman uprising!"
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"Everyone, please proceed in a calm and orderly fashion."
Amy was already growing impatient with the antsy crowd, so she wrestled the microphone away from Chris. "Let me put it this way: if you don't want to be rescued then just keep doing what you're doing."
An innumerable populace swarmed around the Mayor's office: the epicenter of this evacuation effort. The former president expressed approval with this plan (and the opportunity to prove himself a hero), and used the emergency broadcast system to gather the citizens together. The last of the emergency buses dropped of their passengers; some tried in futility to find nearby parking, and simply abandoned their cars where they stood when the crowd became too thick to maneuver through.
Chris didn't dignify Amy with a response as he regained control of the mic. "Let me explain what you all have to do. Remember how the space colony ark vanished in a flash of light when it was about to hit the earth a few years back? Well, that's what we're trying to recreate today. That light was an anomaly called chaos control; try to think of it as teleportation. Since the city's blocked off, we're going to try to teleport everyone outside of the city. All that you need to do is hold hands so that we'll all go together. Imagine yourselves being just outside those walls and you'll be there."
The flesh-colored flood engulfed the base of the nearby building with a battalion of civilians coating the capital building's front steps. Even their quietest of murmurs coalesced into a muffling roar. The people were begrudgingly cooperative; a few of them could be seen wiping their hands off before making any physical contact with their neighbors as instructed.
They had quite a big turnout when they sent out a broadcast saying that Sonic had returned and that he wanted everyone to gather at the Mayor's office for evacuation. Adding the words "be there or die" to the end of the message couldn't have hurt, although Chris disapproved of that last-minute alteration when it was suggested. Chris imagined that there are probably a few stragglers or stubborn shut-ins out there, but the majority of the population had shown up and the longer they waited the more likely it was that Robotnik would notice this swelling of activity. There was no time to waste.
When they were fairly sure that the people had formed a continuous chain, rather than just a few self-contained groups, Chris gave the signal to Amy and the others. The chain led inside the building and it ended with Tails. Apart from him was Cosmo, who clutched the Driver timidly as she gave him a look of doubt.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't think I should be the one doing this," she stammered.
"It's okay, nothing's going to happen."
"I think you should do it."
"Don't be silly. You're the only one who knows how to use that thing. We believe in you."
"But why?" she started to become distressed. "Why is everyone so accepting of me? I haven't done anything to deserve this kindness."
"Yes you have… you just don't know it yet. Besides, I'm the one who didn't deserve the warm reception after chasing you all day." Tails left it at that: he didn't want to have to explain all this right now. The clock was ticking. "Just trust me: you can do this. But don't just trust me; trust yourself."
"I'll try…" she said with uncertainty. "Thank you, Miles."
"Call me Tails," he smiled as he squeezed her hand.
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Topaz, Rouge and the others approached a massive hangar that, according to their estimates, lied directly in the center of the Death Egg. A pitch-black, crescent-shaped ship with a blimpish nose protruding from the front was suspended from the ceiling with numerous wires attached to the surrounding walls.
It had a less pristine look than the rest of the building: the ship's outer shell looked like a patchwork of hastily-measured tiles. The wires attached to it were like arteries.
Topaz spotted Dr. Eggman standing outside of the ship, having a heated exchange that was unintelligible at this distance. She signaled her hunters to move closer and cautioned her Mobian companions to stay back.
Unbeknownst to her, this is how the distant argument was unfolding:
"Isn't it ironic, Ivo? You call yourself the Eggman, and yet it's my invention here that actually seems reminiscent of an egg. The Death Egg merely served as a hollow shell for what you see here: the 'yolk', the core."
"Looks like a piece of scrap metal to me. Come on out, Julian, or else we'll blast you out."
"In my time we weren't too concerned with prettying up our inventions. As long as it got the job done, we were content. Within this carrier plane are technological marvels that not even the Metarex could have dreamed of. I had almost considered limiting myself to your level of technology when I decided to travel back in time, but why should I abstain from what is rightfully mine to use?"
"Hold it right there, Eggman!" Topaz said as she was finally within range.
Ivo and his three tin tots jumped behind cover as the hunters opened fire. Topaz thought she had this in the bag, until she noticed that her hunters were being picked off by a squad of gray, humanoid robots that were flanking them. She returned fire, but soon realized that she was the only member of her squad left.
As she was being overwhelmed, the swatbots were tossed about by something that ambushed them from above. The toppled robots were turned into shrapnel by a well-placed grenade before their bodies even managed to hit the ground. As the smoke obscured this new battle, the sounds of a massacre could be heard.
Omega drove his talons through his opponent's metal torso, and put a few bullets into it for good measure. There was another coming from behind, perhaps trying to deactivate him like before. He crunched the sneaky bot's skull between his fingers for this presumptuous effort. When the dust cleared, he was the only combat-worthy machine left standing. Topaz readied her gun.
"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" Eggman shouted. "Especially if you're planning on shooting me!"
Before another shout could be exchanged, a loud bang made everyone drop to the ground instinctively. It turned out that this sound had come from the carrier slamming against the hangar wall.
Knuckles had somehow managed to stand. He inhaled deeply, and then made a flowing, pushing motion with his hands. The ship slammed into the wall again in synchronization with this movement. He could sense that the master emerald was aboard that vessel: he wasn't going to let a false guardian get away with it, so he used the emerald's magnetic properties to his advantage: for a time, at least.
Aware of this interference, Julian directed one of the aircraft's turrets at the troublesome echidna. Omega leapt in the way of this onslaught, but not before at least a couple of bullets made their mark. His midsection punctured, Knuckles writhed on the ground as he abandoned his previous effort.
The "yolk" ship rocked back and forth in its arterial web for a few moments, before the floor bellow it gaped open. The craft swept through the hole with a hummingbird's level of efficacy.
Rouge rushed to where the crumpled aftermath lay. "He's pretty torn up," she panted with no trace of her usual repartee. "We've got to get him out of here."
"Give him to me," Topaz said. "I've got an extra seat in my jet; I can evacuate him."
"If that's the case," Eggman approached with unfounded confidence, "you'd better take Omega with you."
Omega, who was remarkably unharmed from the barrage of bullets that he received head-on, affirmed his creator's plan.
Topaz and Omega ran off with Knuckles in tow. Rouge would follow them in a moment.
"What are you doing here, anyway?"
"This is where I live," Eggman said with some contempt for his escaped captor, "but not willingly, mind you. At any rate, the boys and I are celebrating our moving out." He signaled for Rouge's exit when he turned to addressed his lightweight soldiers. "Get your fill of this place while you can, as soon as we board the prototype we're taking this fight to the streets."
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Omega went ahead to make sure that the coast was clear.
"In return for doing this, I expect you to do something for me," Topaz made clear as she was patching up Knuckles.
Rouge was about to say something, when Topaz interrupted her: "And don't try to get off by saying that he owes me the favor instead of you. I'm the only one who can get him out of here, but I'm not the only one who can complete my mission. I want you to find what's controlling this ship and move it away from the people bellow. We've got a battalion of transports ready for evac at a moment's notice and they're counting on someone to get the job done, and it looks like it'll have to be you."
"You know me a little too well, I think," Rouge mused, "but alright. I suppose if I have to do a favor for someone, it might as well be for you."