Eastern Edge of the Great Desert

September 19, "3237"

1006 Hours, MST

A yellow cloud of dust was billowing over the hilly shrubland beneath an overcast sky. Its source, a blue hedgehog carrying a chipmunk in his arms, bridal-style, began to decelerate.

Running from Freedom HQ to the east limit of the Great Desert wasn't the furthest Sonic had ever run in one go, but the extra weight of Sally used a little more oomph. Not that he minded, it was just like the days of the First Robotnik War. "How about we take a quick break, Sal?" he asked.

"Sounds like a good idea," said Sally.

They found a large boulder and sat down. "So far, not that different," Sonic remarked. "Apart from a few towns that weren't there before Eggman screwed with the world, things look almost the same."

"I just hope the others back home will be okay without us," said Sally, turning her head back in the direction from where they'd come. "The sooner we find Bunnie, the better."

"Tails and Amy are there," Sonic assured her, "Rotor's group can hold its own, plus Nicole's back. They'll be fine."

"I'm just worried about Eggman mounting another attack on the city," she admitted. "We can't be gone too long."

"Chill, Sal," Sonic told her, "I know exactly where to find her, but I can't make any promises that it's going to be an easy outing."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been to this neck of the woods twice," Sonic said, "once with Tails and again with Bunnie. When we find the Baron, we'll find her, too."

"Baron?"

"Her uncle, Baron Beauregard Rabbot. He's the Grandmaster of the Great Desert Chapter of the Dark Egg Legion."

Sally's head jerked toward Sonic in disbelief. "Bunnie's uncle works for Eggman?"

"But not by choice," Sonic added. "Beau was roboticized a long time ago, but after he and a group of other Robians were reverted back to normal, they were screwed over by that asshole Jack Rabbit. He's a good man, but the only reason he even joined Eggman in the first place was because he had no choice."

"Jack turned them away?"

"When I thought making me into a glorified hostage was the lowest he could go, get grabbed a shovel and dug deeper. To think his goons have the balls to call themselves Freedom Fighters! They're always going at it with Beau's group! It's not the Chapter you need to watch out for, where we're going, it's the Sand Blasters."

Sally hung her head and thought to herself. To think that a group of Mobians were outcast simply because Robotnik got to them! Roboticization was an awful process, removing one's free will to be forced into a collective. The Sand Blasters didn't seem to be able to forgive something those same outcasts had no choice in. She stood up and walked toward the hill on their right.

"Where are you going, Sal?" asked Sonic.

"Just to the bathroom," she told him, "and after that a quick look around before we set out again."

Sonic chuckled, "Okay, but don't bite off more than you can chew! Don't want Jack to get the drop on us again."

She smirked and headed uphill.

Left alone, Sonic reclined on the rock and stared up into the clouds. They looked like torn-up pillow stuffing, slightly grey. From the way they looked, he wouldn't worry about rain. Have I really become like an overprotective grandma? Sonic asked himself. It's not like Sal can't handle herself, she's not a baby, but after just getting her back I really don't want to see her become a robot a third time! "Oh, what am I worrying about? She just had to pee. It's no big—!"

"Sonic! Come here!"

Oh no, what happened!? Sonic sat up and got off the rock. He zipped up the hill and found Sally, standing in the middle of a patch of brush. Beyond the princess, was something neither expected.

Sonic turned his head from left to right, surveying his surroundings. A paved road was ahead, with a large crater in the center, dividing it. In fact, there were several craters nearby, alongside a devastated vehicle: a bridge-layer with a deep-green chassis. Its right treads had been broken and the windshield shattered. The hydraulic arm had apparently malfunctioned when the machine was totaled, opening the bridge part way before breaking in the dirt. Further ahead was the twisted remains of a tank with twin barrels on what was left of its turret. "Damn! What happened here?"

"It looks like a battle broke out here some time ago," said Sally, "but these don't look like any vehicles I've ever seen!"

Sonic moved up to the door to the bridge-layer's cockpit. It had a tan decal on it: a downward-pointing pentagon, house-shaped, with an anchorlike insignia with the letters "EFGF" above it. "Not one of GUN's, and definitely not an Eggman contraption." Beyond the two wrecks, a green road sign, bent and twisted—no doubt from the battle that scrapped the two nearby machines. The wording on it was still readable: ENTERING EL PASO CITY LIMIT. Sure enough, the skyline of a large city could be seen nearby, only a short run away for Sonic. "Definitely never saw that place before and it sure ain't Sand Blast."

"You mean it could be a geographical change caused by the Genesis Waves?" Sally asked.

"No doubt," said the hedgehog. "Let's go check it out."

"Alright, but be careful," the princess told him. "We don't know what the people living there are like." She hopped back into his arms and they were off once more.

Naugus stood in front of the sink in the men's room at the Council building. The basin had filled quite a bit, enough for him to dip out some water to rub in his eyes. He found himself breathing heavily, even though he didn't run a yard.

He could see the reflection of Geoffrey St. John's body in the mirror, which he now inhabited. The face morphed from that of a skunk to a bat. "How utterly droll," the reflection cackled, "you actually thought that stealing your student's body would make us go away!"

"Shut up, Nusgau!" Naugus growled.

The face shifted to that of a lobster. "Your reign stands on a knife's edge," it said. "One more inch and your kingdom will cease to be yours." The lobster then became a rhino. "That is, if the fusion doesn't break first."

"Freeloaders! Parasites! I will be rid of you all!"

"How would you propose to do that?" the rhino begged.

"I would hardly tell any of you," he said. Even though the AI has returned, perhaps she can be useful in this regard.

Naugus stormed out of the restroom. He'd had enough of the three wizards who composed his body a long time ago.

Naugus came to the main chamber, where the six members, Sir Charles Hedgehog, Rosemary Prower, Isabella Mongoose, Hamlin Pig, Dylan Porcupine, and Penelope Platypus, were seated. "Upon His Majesty's request," he announced, "I will take the place of the king during his absence and relay the proceedings to him after adjournment."

Sonic and Sally roamed the streets of the city just to look around. At first, the whole place seemed to be deserted, save for the occasional car. The sidewalk was lightly littered and mounds of smashed concrete had been shoved against the sides of buildings. It was like a warzone.

The two turned a corner, to find a man in a green collar shirt walking by on the other side of the street. The thing that raised eyebrows, though, was his race. A humanoid in Northamer? Sally thought, Can't tell if it's a human or an Overlander from over here, but they usually aren't outside the UF.

They kept looking around, taking in such sights as a parked tank and a large anti-aircraft gun positioned on a street corner. More humanoids were eventually seen, but the mode carried guns and wore uniforms: Army-green, with Russet leather gloves, boots, and helmet.

Most of these men, obviously military, didn't seem to notice Sonic and Sally. The ones who did, tended to stare. At least one of them thought they were kids trying out something called "Halloween costumes" a month early.

Sally tried to keep her cool, despite this. The last thing they wanted was undesired attention.

Another common sight were red-black-and-white banners hung on the lampposts and posters everywhere: a giant red fist smashing a table as its well-dressed patrons ran for their lives, captioned "Down with Corruption!"; a handcuffed man holding his arms over his head triumphantly and busted the chains with a loud "Enough!", the words "UC 0058" were featured prominently; frequent notices on buildings ordering civilians to observe a 10:00PM to 5:00AM curfew. "I'm getting major Robotnik vibes from around here," said Sonic. However, neither the former War Minister Julian Kintobor nor his successor Eggman was getting any limelight from these people. The hedgehog ripped one poster off the side of a building and approached his partner. "I have been seeing this dude's picture everywhere since we found this city," he said. "What's his story?"

Sally looked at it: a stoic, bearded humanoid with dark hair, wearing a khaki jacket and tie. She read the only thing printed on it: "'Deikun'?"

A building straight ahead caught the princess' eye, its entrance flanked on either side by two flags, the same red-white-and-black flags used to make the banners on the street, complete with the symbol in the middle which resembled a cross between an arrow and a rose. The words on the marquee above made their jaws drop. It read "Zeon/Earth Friendship Center".

Earth?

Snively knew he was still a prisoner, transferred from the Death Egg II to this land-based battleship their captors called a Gallop. Nevertheless, he was tickled to see his sort-of-uncle brought down like this. "How does it feel to be a prisoner for once?"

Eggman glared at the long-nosed Overlander from the opposite side of the brig. "Watch your mouth," he told him, "you didn't supplant me this time, either."

"True," Snively admitted, unfazed, "but do you have a plan of getting out? I doubt you've recovered your roboticization touch."

"And you can't contact your precious Regina, either!" Eggman shot back. "But then again, you couldn't take over my empire with her, so how would the two of you fare against these people?" He grinned maliciously, "But then again, she's probably so smitten by that copy of yours I'd made that she'd dismiss it as a bad joke."

Snively gripped the bars with all his might and slipped down to his knees.

"Metal Sonic and Mecha Sally were a hundred times more effective subordinates than you ever were," Eggman said, coldly. "You fancy yourself as a king, but after Regina was beaten you came crawling back to me like a worm, and that's exactly what you are. A worm."

Snively said nothing, just stared down at the floor of the brig.

"Oh? Did I hurt your feelings?" Eggman sarcastically queried.

The door to the brig opened. Two Zeon soldiers stepped in and proceeded to Eggman's cell. The doctor was ordered out at gunpoint.

He was led out, leaving his crestfallen quasi-nephew behind to soak in his sorrow.

Nothing could really be said to describe the room that Eggman was sent to. It was small, had nothing in it but a chair, with blank walls. It wouldn't take a genius to guess what its function was. The two men who'd led him here were standing right outside should he attempt anything rash.

Through the door came Garma Zabi, the young commissar who'd triumphed over the Dark Egg Legion. There wasn't even a slight hint of gloating coming from him. He meant business.

"I can't say I've ever heard of a place called Zeon," said Eggman, albeit a bit bitterly.

"Despite the Revolution of 0058 and a war that's lasted a little more than nine months?" Garma asked, incredulously.

"I don't know what all happened, but the Super Genesis Wave rewrote reality to some extent. I still don't understand how so many humans still exist on Mobius, but—!"

"Mobius?" Garma inquired.

"That's the name of this planet, isn't it?"

"I am not amused, doctor," said Garma, who thought the man before him was playing around. "We are on Earth and I am willing to…"

"Earth? Did you say 'Earth'?" asked Eggman.

"Yes," Garma told him, "and I am getting tired of your games."

This is Mobius, but eons ago!

"Tell me more about the new Federation warship you were testing," the captor demanded.

"Federation?" the doctor said, flabbergasted. "That was my own creation. I am Dr. Eggman, emperor of the Eggman Empire and supreme commander of the Dark Egg Legion! The only 'federation' I know of is the United Federation, and it's on the other side of the Central Sea!"

Garma stared blankly at the man. "You say you've never heard of Zeon, despite your age and current events, while I've never heard of a 'Central Sea', nor even the ever-so creatively named Eggman Empire and Dark Egg Legion. Furthermore, the only federation known is the Earth Federation, rather than the United."

Eggman glared at Garma. At times like this, he really wished the Bem didn't convert him to an organic being. One poke of a finger and he would have been an android under his command, as would have been everyone on the Gallop.

"You brought up a… Super Genesis Wave?" Garma asked.

"A phenomenon harnessing chaos energy. An annoying blue rodent kept wrecking my plans over the years and became stronger by absorbing it through the Chaos Emeralds, a key source of this power. I created the Death Egg II with the ability to use chaos energy against him. A Genesis Wave can change reality to a varying extent, the factor affecting this being the number of Emeralds used. One emerald can temporarily bend the rules of the universe, all seven can permanently rewrite everything: history, geography, memories..."

Garma still wasn't buying anything. "Emeralds that can potentially reset all of reality? I can say that it's a more creative fiction than your Eggman Empire and Central Sea."

"It's not made-up!" Eggman growled. "The Chaos Emeralds are real objects."

"I think you've said enough for one session, doctor," said Garma. "You discuss your Chaos Emeralds again… with the KSA."

Eggman furrowed his brow and hung his head. He knew he was telling the truth, but the commissar didn't believe a syllable. I wish Albert were here. I want to throttle him until his eyes pop out.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Very big thanks to SonicEvan again for advice and support.

For those of you who don't know the Universal Century, during the time when the One Year War went cold in the aftermath of the Antarctic Treaty, Zeon overran the surface of the Earth in a widespread land-grab operation to find resources. These "drop operations" saw North America, most of Africa, Eastern Europe, and Oceania fall under Zeon control; roughly half the planet's surface had been annexed by the start of the events of the original Gundam.