-Chapter 222-
The Battle Rages On
Station Square
The battle in Station Square raged on. As Knuckles battled Kage, the other Freedom Fighters are being steadily overwhelmed by the Egg Troopers. Kage even unleashed a miniature missile launcher, though Knuckles was able to attack him, causing him to fire it off toward the beach. All-in-all, the battle was a disaster.
"This is crazy!" Johnny yelled, warding off a Trooper with his staff. "At what point did we lose control here?!"
"I don't know!" Sally cried. "All we can do is hope Sonic's having better luck than us!"
Emerald Coast
Akhlut and Sonic's clash took them all around the beach, the orca not only able to counter all of Sonic's moves, but able to keep up with Sonic's speed in the water. All the while, Eggatha filmed the entire thing with a grin.
"This is great!" she exclaimed. "You can't get entertainment like this on Breeze Media!"
As she filmed, she failed to notice her radar going off, alerting her about the missile. Meanwhile, Akhlut perked, sensing something. He turned to see the missile approaching them; specifically, heading right for Eggatha.
"Agatha!" he shouted. "Incoming!"
Eggatha turned, gasping to see the missile approaching. Before the missile could hit her, and despite Eggatha preparing to bring up her shields, Akhlut jumped in and trapped the missile in a psychic orb, allowing it to detonate harmlessly, though it managed to break his barrier and badly wound him. Sonic and Eggatha both gasped.
"AKHLUT!" Eggatha screamed in horror. "Talk to me! Are you-?!"
As the smoke cleared, Akhlut emerged, battered, bleeding, and a little bit singed, but very much alive. He panted, wincing.
"Will you shut up, you little brat," he winced. "I'm fine…See."
"Holy crap..." Sonic let out.
"Akhlut!" Eggatha gasped before scowling. "You idiot! I would've been fine! My shields would've blocked the missile easily!"
"Excuse me for saving my boss' niece!" Akhlut shot back.
As they got into an argument, Sonic's com went off. He pressed the button.
"Sonic!" Sally's voice came. "Kage has lost his mind! He's turned his men into suicide bombers, and things are going bad! We need you here NOW!"
"Hang on!" Sonic told her. "I'm coming!"
He turned to run, only to be stopped by a horrific pain in his brain. It felt like his skull was being cracked open and set on fire at the same time. He turned to see Akhlut focusing on him, his gem glowing brightly.
"And where do you think you're going?" the orca demanded. "We're not done here, boy."
"You're not the least bit concerned about the missile that almost blasted Eggatha into the next state?!" Sonic shot back.
"What concerns me is putting you in your place."
"You stupid son of a-!"
"Easy, Sonic," Eggatha cut in. "I'll handle it. I specifically told Kage not to use that missile without my direct authorization. Something's not right." She handed the camera to Bokkun. "You keep filming. I need to look into this."
Bokkun did so. As soon as she was gone, Sonic turned to Akhlut.
"You saved her," he realized.
"I was just doing my job," Akhlut defended.
"Whatever," Sonic shook his head. "Look, you just got blown up. You're hurt. How about we call this off and pick back up some other time?"
"No," Akhlut stood up, steeling himself. "This changes nothing. I've waited long enough."
"And people say I'm a reckless dumbass…"
They clashed more, the fight eventually leading to the docks. Sonic slowly walked along, tense and expecting him to jump out at any moment. At that moment, the wood exploded behind him, and Sonic turned to see Akhlut plowing through the docks like they weren't there after him. He took off running, but eventually, Akhlut tackled him into the ocean, holding him underwater as he furiously struggled to get loose.
"Can you feel it, Sonic?" Akhlut taunted. "The icy cold of death's embrace, wrapping its arms around you? You fought well… but this outcome was inevitable."
Unable to break free, Sonic focused with all his might, sparking brightly. Akhlut had just enough time to realize what was happening before Sonic unleashed all of his Chaos lighting in a massive, devastating blast, the water amplifying the power and shocking Akhlut senseless. The orca's arms fell away, allowing Sonic to quickly get back to the shore. He took two stumbling steps before collapsing, catching his breath before raising a hand to his communicator… only to find it had been fried by his attack.
"Damn it…" he hissed.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a Power Ring, but before he could focus on channeling its power to heal, an unmistakable green blast of psychic energy surrounded it before it shattered in his hands.
"No…" Sonic managed, a look of absolute terror on his face as he turned back to the sea. "No, no, no. No way… no freaking way!"
Despite his pleas, Akhlut emerged from the sea, looking no worse for wear.
"That…That's impossible!" he shouted. "I Spin Dashed you hard enough to dent Megatal! I fried you with enough lightning to power Casinopolis! How are you still standing?!"
"I told you, hedgehog," Akhlut said as he began to approach him. "I'm not the same orca you fought in Meropis. I'm stronger, tougher, faster, and more focused than I've ever been in the near fifty years I've been alive. I've slain beasts and monsters the likes of which you Drylanders only see in your nightmares. Fought battles that make the Great War look like a children's playground fight. And all of that before the doctor weaved his mechanical enhancements into my flesh."
As Akhlut got closer, Sonic began to visibly lose his cool, backing away. As he did, he felt a rock.
"If you think your usual tactics are going to work against me, you-"
Sonic threw the rock right at Akhlut's gem, but the orca casually plucked it out of the air with his hands right before it even got close to his face. Sonic began to sweat, while Akhlut was far from impressed.
"So…this is how the great Sonic the Hedgehog acts in defeat," he mused. "Disgraceful. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though. After all, the only noteworthy opponent you've faced is a chubby, bald man with an army of tinker toys, who you only defeated by running really fast, pushing him, and running away, assuming you didn't have your friends to soften him up. You are but a child, a mere boy fighting a man's war. If this is any indication of what you're capable of, then you wouldn't last a minute against the others."
Sonic's jaw dropped. "Wait, what do you mean OTHERS?!"
"Let's just say that the game is changing, hedgehog. New rules, higher stakes, and dozens of new players. A pity that you won't live to see it. Though in your case…" His gem began glowing. "That may be a mercy."
Sonic could only watch as Akhlut's gem charged with light in preparation to utterly destroy him. Sonic closed his eyes as he braced for the inevitable, and Akhlut gave him his signature, diabolical grin...
Station Square
As Eggatha flew over to Station Square, she tried to get in contact with Kage, but the Dingo refused to answer his comm.
"What's going on?" She hissed, shaking her head before lowering her hand. "I told Uncle that Kage couldn't be trusted… I told him."
As she finally got close enough to get a visual, she found herself horrified by the sight before her. The battle was raging on, with both sides suffering heavy damage. The Freedom Fighters were running out of stamina, ammunition, and power, and the Egg Troopers were pushing themselves beyond their limits, with some even fighting until their cybernetic limbs fell off or simply short-circuited and burst into flames. All the while, Kage continued to battle Knuckles, determined to lay the echidna low.
"You're insane!" Knuckles ranted. "What would your father think if he saw you right now?!"
"My father? You mean Helmut von Stryker?" Kage scoffed in disgust. "He's worthless and weak. He lacks the resolve to do what needs to be done. A soft-hearted fool like him is unfit to lead the Dingo Regime. But under me, we'll claim Angel Island for our own and crush your worthless race under our boots!"
"Assuming there are any boots left to do the crushing!" Look at your troops! Look at what you've done to them!"
He forced him to turn around, where he was greeted by the sight of his soldiers being run into the ground. Kage scowled in rage, the exact opposite reaction Knuckles was expected.
"You idiots!" he roared. "You're all worthless! Well, if you can't beat the Freedom Fighters by yourselves, I'll do it my way!"
He began rapidly performing the detonation motion, dozens of the Egg Soldiers sparking before blowing up, and forcing the Freedom Fighters back. Enraged, Knuckles charged at Kage, only to get a knee to the gut and knocked down. Kage raised his fist, preparing to strike him down when…
"HEY!"
All eyes turned to see Eggatha floating overhead, scowling at Kage.
"What in Aurora's name do you think you're doing, Kage?" she demanded.
"My job!" Kage shot back. "I was sent out here to destroy the Freedom Fighters, and that's exactly what I'm doing!"
"Are you serious?! You've taken out more of your troops than they have! The Crack protocol is meant to prevent betrayals, not turn them into suicide bombers! It's cruel and wasteful!"
Kage just scoffed.
"This is war, Agatha, in case you haven't noticed. Wars are never won easily! There will be sacrifices and deaths, and there's no place for honor, mercy, or compassion! We either win by being ruthless and taking the most extreme measures, or we don't and lose!"
That set Eggatha off. She raised a red button.
"That's it! I told Uncle Ivo you were a loose cannon we couldn't trust! Now that you've proven me right, let's see how YOU like getting cracked!"
But Kage was quicker on the draw, firing a laser blast that hit her Egg Mobile and sent it flying out of control, forcing her to eject just as it exploded…
Emerald Coast
Before Akhlut could deal the final blow, they heard the explosion, turning toward Station Square.
"What the…?" he looked legitimately horrified. "Agatha."
Sonic watched Akhlut look back and forth between him and the city, looking conflicted. After repeating this a few times, he gritted his teeth and sighed.
"Well hedgehog, you're in luck." Akhlut dropped Sonic to the ground, heading for the water.
"It seems you get to live after all. But make no mistake, the next time we clash…" He looked over his shoulder. "You won't be."
With that, he dove in the water and swam off, leaving Sonic sitting there, stunned and horrified at how badly he had been beaten and how close he had come to death.
Station Square
As soon as she landed, Eggatha attempted to press the button again, only for a mass of sticky goo to hit her and paste her to the wall. Kage lowered the blaster on his arm before turning back to Knuckles.
"Now that that's done…"
Before he could deal the finishing blow, he stumbled and clutched his head in pain, bringing him to his knees, as did everyone else.
"Ugh! My head!" Antoine cried.
"What the hell was that?" Shorty demanded.
"Not what, Shorty," Sally realized. "Who."
Everyone turned to see Akhlut walking in, looking absolutely livid.
"What…is this?" he growled.
Akhlut surveyed the damage as everyone looked at him in horror, before seeing Eggatha bound to the wall.
"Agatha…"
"I'm sorry, Akhlut," Eggatha let out, grunting in pain. "He got me."
Akhlut turned to Kage, furious. "Von Stryker, what the HELL do you think you're doing?!"
"What I was sent out to do! Kill the Freedom Fighters by any means necessary! I cracked half my men to blow them up, and I was just about to finish them when you interrupted!"
Akhlut scowled.
"You idiot! Our mission was to kill Sonic and his friends, not our own soldiers! How dare you resort to such disgusting and abhorrent tactics!"
Kage rolled his eyes.
"Really? 'Black Ice' Akhlut cares about honor and respecting your enemy? A real warrior has no use for pathetic weaknesses like that!"
"No!" Akhlut roared. "A real warrior protects and fights alongside those under his banner! And considering your men have been literally fighting themselves to pieces while you barely have a scratch, you clearly haven't done that!"
"What I did was more than justified! I'm avenging the wrongs inflicted on me by the son of that racist asshole Locke and his human pet!"
"We were given orders by Dr. Robotnik. Petty matters like personal revenge are secondary to that. The mission is what matters."
"Oh, like you have room to talk, you waterlogged hypocrite!" Kage spat. "You're the one who dragged Sonic away from his little friends so you could restore your stinking honor by taking him out yourself!"
A dead silence followed before Akhlut just gave a solemn nod.
"...You're right," he admitted. "That was a mistake. I accept that, and own it." Kage smirked, but before he could gloat, he found Akhlut's hand wrapped around his throat. "But I intend to rectify them… starting with my biggest."
He turned to Eggatha, who looked upon Kage with more burning hatred than anyone present thought possible in the young Robotnik. With that, he turned to Kage, his gem glowing brightly as he focused all of his psychic power on the dingo. Several of the Freedom Fighters, and even the surviving Egg Troopers, were forced to look away as Akhlut crushed and grinded away at Kage's mind and body, blood oozing from every orifice in his head, his body convulsing and spasming, and his implants sparking and overheating, badly burning over half of his body. Once Akhlut finished, he dropped Kage onto the ground in a twitching heap.
"Honorless bastard," he spat in disdain. "And you wonder why the doctor didn't want you in the Dozen."
With Kage taken care of, Akhlut cut Eggatha free from the wall, ensuring she was fine. Once that was done, as she called in her personal ship, Akhlut turned to some of the able-bodied men.
"You there!"
"Sir!" the man saluted.
"Gather the wounded and get them to the medical bay for treatment!"
"Yes, Boss Akhlut!"
The soldier saluted, Akhlut nodding. One motioned to the mangled Kage.
"Sir, what about…?"
Akhlut just sneered. "What about him?"
Eggatha cleared her throat, arms crossed and foot tapping. Akhlut sighed.
"Take him in for treatment," he gave in. "Get him some smelling salts and iodine. Burning, stinging iodine."
Eggatha smiled, nodding. An Egg Carrier floated overhead, preparing a tractor beam to pick them up.
"I apologize for Kage's horrific conduct today," Akhlut told the Freedom Fighters. "I assure you he will be severely disciplined for this affront."
Just as the tractor beam came down, Sally stepped forward.
"Wait!" she shouted. "Where's Sonic? What did you do to him?"
Akhlut glanced over his shoulder at the princess. "He lives if that's what you mean. I left him on the Emerald Coast. It should be easy to find him, though I cannot say he was not left unchanged by our battle."
Emerald Coast
They hurried for the coast, splitting off to look. They looked every which way before Bunnie stopped short. Sitting where Akhlut left him, joined by a pale Hope and Kat, was Sonic. He was clinging to them both, just staring off into space as he shook.
"I found him!" Bunnie called before hurrying over. "Sonic? Sonic!"
"I gave him everything…" Sonic muttered, borderline catatonic. "I gave him everything I had. All my power...all my speed…and it wasn't enough. I barely even slowed him down."
By this point, the others had approached, seeing his condition
"Sonic, you're scaring me," Hope let out nervously. "Are you-?"
"Deena was right," Sonic went on, not registering her presence. "He really is a monster."
"Sonic!" Sally shouted, getting his attention.
"GYAH!" Sonic screamed, nearly falling over before looking up. "S-Sally? You're all… okay?"
"You're the one we should be worried about," Sally sighed.
"What happened?" Sonic asked.
"Kage happened," Tails spat in disgust.
Kat flinched at the mention of the Dingo, her grip on Sonic tightening slightly.
"The bastard nearly wiped us all out and tried to take out Eggatha too," Knuckles said. "If Akhlut hadn't shown up when he did, we'd be-"
At the mere mention of Akhlut's name, Sonic began trembling, his own grip on the girls tightening.
"Wh-What's wrong?" Porker asked.
"It was all dumb luck," Sonic said. "If Kage hadn't attacked Eggatha. Akhlut would've… I could've been… you all would've been…"
He froze in place before beginning to laugh. It started small, but before long, he had thrown his head back and was cackling psychotically.
"Sonic!" Sally snapped. "Snap out of it! Get ahold of yourself!"
In desperation, she slapped him across the face, getting a pained yelp and snapping him back to attention.
"Sonic, are you alright?" she asked after a minute.
"No, Sal. I'm pretty freaking far from alright," Sonic replied, just pulling Kat and Hope in closer, his side aching from an age old pain. "I failed. He beat us…we lost."
Author's Note:
Say it ain't so... Sonic lost?! Horrors!
Next chapter will be the end of this little scenario. Please R&R. Until next time!