Chapter 15 - The Attack on the ARK
Alarms began to blare throughout the Colony Ark. PHM soldiers and Hunter series robots began to take position throughout the entire building. A commander looked at one of his subordinates and said, "Report."
"A shuttle is approaching, sir," the soldier said. "It appears to be GUN."
"GUN? Shit...not what we needed..." the commander said. "Are the Emeralds secure in the draw chambers?"
"Yes, sir," the soldier said.
"Good...ready the troops for attack," the commander said. He then looked towards the screens and said to himself, "We're almost done...soon the furries will be history..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The GUN shuttle docked in the main hanger of the ARK, and several Hunter series troops began to surround it as it touched down. A robotic voice came from one of them saying, "YOU ARE SURROUNDED. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS OR PAWS UP."
The answer came in the form of the back of the shuttle opening up...and later several missiles flying out and destroying the Hunters. A few seconds later, Tails and Anthony, both in their respective mechs, exited the shuttle.
"So much for them," Anthony said as the group began to file out and Rouge began to distribute communicator earpieces to all but Anthony, Amy, and Tails (who already had their own). He then turned towards Knuckles and said, "Knux...where are the Emeralds?"
He concentrated on the Master Emerald he carried and looked at a map Rouge had gotten from the city's archives. He then pointed at eight locations on the map.
"Looks like several draw chambers to draw the energy of the Emeralds," Rouge commented. "Probably originally used for the Eclipse Cannon."
"Now probably for that project they're working on," Sonic said. "Let's get them and put an end to their project!"
"I agree..." Anthony said. "I can run interference with the Cyclone Mech while you guys find the Emeralds and the Chao." He then turned towards Amy and said, "Amy...stay here and guard the shuttle. Use the Descendancy Powers if necessary."
"Will do," Amy said. "Just be careful, guys."
The group all made their plans, and ran off to their respective locations.
(A/N: Okay...each of the ARK stages only has a single character playing them. This'll be a LONG chapter.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 1 - Main Corridor
CHARACTER: Cyclone Mech Gamemaster
MUSIC: "Sandstorm (JS16 Remix)" by Darude
OBJECTIVE: Engage the PHM!
Anthony piloted his mech down the long corridor where several bots and soldiers were filing out to engage him. Anthony found himself badly outnumbered, and was hard pressed to engage the PHM troops. However, he managed find cover in several areas, despite having to move constantly to avoid being captured or destroyed.
His blaster and lightsaber were working overtime, taking down both human and bot alike. He didn't want to have to destroy the human troops like this, but he had no choice. They were just as bad as the Rift Hunters were...perhaps even worse.
One thing was certain...this was going to be one heck of a battle for him...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 2 - Draw Zone 1
CHARACTER: Teila
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure Teila's Chaos Emerald
Teila wasn't surprised at the number of sentries that were located in the corridor leading to her Emerald. After all, she expected the Emeralds to be guarded heavily. Of course, she also figured that they in turn would expect her to be able to use her powers to the maximum to face them.
Her eyes were bright yellow by now, and several bots were beginning to fall to her lightning attacks. When some human troops came out to support the bots, they were immediately knocked out by hailstones that Teila managed to conjure up.
She eventually reached where the Emerald was, still hovering in an anti-grav unit. She then broke through the glass chamber of the unit and extracted her Emerald.
"So much for that..." Teila thought. "Now...I just need to wait..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 3 - Draw Zone 2
CHARACTER: Bat
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the sky blue Chaos Emerald
Ryan was, surprisingly, having the time of his life. The corridor leading to one of the Emeralds was filled mostly with human soldiers. This allowed him to dip into his black belt abilities.
He had already used their own weapons against them, grabbing the arm of one soldier and forcing him to fire on his own men and several of the bots. He then sent a flying kick towards one group, forcing them to the ground and knocking them unconscious. Several of the PHM soldiers were even surprised that a four foot echidna could throw them around like he was doing, heaving them over his shoulder and sending them flying towards each other.
As Ryan looked around at the pile of KO'd soldiers and said, mostly to himself, "Aw...no more? I've hardly broken a sweat!" He then continued to run down towards the corridor towards the main chamber, taking out a couple of stray Hunters and Beetles with blaster shots. He eventually reached the Emerald and removed it from the chamber.
"Pay dirt..." Ryan said, and then noticed several other soldiers approaching. He cracked his knuckles and said, "Ah...well, at least I won't be bored while I wait for Aura and Lisa's call..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 4 - Draw Zone 3
CHARACTER: Red Sonic
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the green Chaos Emerald
Red Sonic wondered whether he was sent the bottom of the barrel in terms of bots. All he needed to do was run past them, and the Chaos energy within him was enough to reduce them to scrap from the sonic boom.
The Rhino series tended to be more of a challenge, but luckily he was able to take them down as well. As for the human soldiers, just the sight of Red Sonic using Chaos energy was enough to make them scared, and several actually ran.
"Cowards..." Red Sonic though as he arrived at the Emerald. After getting it out of the chamber, he had to scramble as several Hunters started firing on him. He decided to spend his time waiting by reducing the bots to spare parts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 5 - Draw Zone 4
CHARACTER: Lazer
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the red Chaos Emerald
Lazer wondered where all the bots were coming from. Every time he cut down one bot with his sword, several more appeared out of nowhere. The soldiers, however, were not as willing to join in the fight after seeing what Lazer was doing.
Lazer was secretly wishing he didn't have to do this. He was wondering why the PHM existed. Why did they want to kill all the anthros? Why couldn't they just live together in peace? After all...violence begets violence, and hate begets hate.
It was then that he realized what his old sensei had mentioned about multiple viewpoints....and with that realization, the final secret of the sword was revealed, and a power built up within him, boosted by the red Emeralds within him.
"WANRIKKEN!!" Lazer yelled, causing a red pillar of light to engulf him. His eyes were glowing brightly, and then he sensed the presence of the bots around him.
He then yelled, "This...ends...NOW!" When he yelled that, copies of him, appearing to be made of a pure reddish energy, appeared in front of all of the robot units and slashed down at them, destroying them. The human soldiers, shocked at what they had just saw, ran off.
Mina, who was trying to look for Red Sonic, heard the commotion and saw what Lazer had done. After sending flying kicks which KO'd some of the retreating soldiers, she ran up to Lazer. "Lazer, are you alright?"
"By the Walkers..." Lazer began to say, "I never knew...thank you sensei..." He then collapsed unconscious, and Mina caught him as his sword crashed to the ground.
Mina carefully laid Lazer on the ground and, after grabbing the Chaos Emerald from the chamber for safe keeping, kept a watchful eye over Lazer while checking for other soldiers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 6 - Draw Zone 5
CHARACTER: Rouge
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the white Chaos Emerald
Soldiers were falling unconscious and several Hunters were being reduced to scrap. Both were as a result of Rouge's strong kicks, and she appeared to be attacking with a passion.
Her thoughts were focused on two things. One was on getting the Emerald, the other was Shadow. She felt she was fighting for him as well as for Mobius and Arcadia.
When she arrived at the Emerald, she removed it from the chamber. She then rubbed at the bracelet on her upper arm, the one that belonged to Shadow, and waited for the call from Aura and Lisa.
Her thoughts were of Shadow...and what might have been...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 7 - Draw Zone 6
CHARACTER: Julie-Su
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the purple Chaos Emerald
Both Hunter series and PHM soldiers were falling left and right to blasts from Julie-Su's blaster. As the amount of bodies and scraps were increasing, Julie-Su seemed to fight with more intensity, angered that a group like the PHM would be allowed to exist. Even the Dark Legion wasn't as bad as the PHM were.
Knuckles, who decided to accompany Julie-Su, wondered whether he even needed to come along, seeing what Julie-Su was doing. He was also afraid...since Julie-Su seemed to be drawing on her old Dark Legion ways.
Eventually, they reached the Emerald and Julie-Su grabbed it. She then turned her attention back to the corridor as if she was expecting more trouble.
"Su?" Knuckles said, noticing the stern look on Julie-Su's face. "Are you alright?"
"Just angry, Naki..." Julie-Su said, saying his real name. "Especially after what they did to Nicollette..."
"I understand..." Knuckles said, placing a paw on Julie-Su's shoulder. "But don't let it get to you..."
Julie-Su sighed, calming down a bit, and said, "You're right..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 8 - Draw Zone 7
CHARACTER: Cyclone Tails
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the yellow Chaos Emerald
Shots and missiles were flying from both sides as Tails was engaging the Hornet and Hawk series bots that were guarding the corridor to the draw zone. One by one the bots were falling to Tails's attacks, and Tails made his way further into the area.
He eventually reached the Chaos Emerald and extracted it, placing it inside Cyclone for safe keeping. He then hunkered down in a defensive posture to ready himself for any attacks.
As he waited for any attacks that might come or for Aura's call, he thought about how much he had changed, especially since the original ARK incident. Before then, he was just a little kid who wanted to prove he could help the Freedom Fighters. Now, and especially after he gained the powers of Magi Reynard, he proved he was just as great as Sonic.
Now...he could stand alone...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 9 - Draw Zone 8
CHARACTER: Sonic
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the blue Chaos Emerald
Sonic appeared as nothing more than a blue blur as he took down robots left and right. Human soldiers were also trying to engage Sonic, but their blaster shots couldn't hit their mark and many of them got knocked out as Sonic punched them.
He was pushing himself to the extreme, not only to stop the PHM, but also for Shadow. He knew Shadow would want it this way...he knew he wouldn't want the PHM to take over and become something worse than Professor Gerald was.
Eventually, he reached the Emerald and took it. He then settled down to do something he hated...waiting. As he stood there, keeping watch for any new troops that appeared, he thoughts drifted to Shadow.
"Shadow..." Sonic thought to himself, "if you can hear my thoughts...this is for you, buddy."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 10 - Science Sector
CHARACTER: Aura
MUSIC: "Out of Chaos" from Valkyrie Profile
OBJECTIVE: Find the lab where the Chao are being held
Aura and Lisa, following their Chao's lead, were running through the corridors of the ARK's science sector. Both of them had to use their abilities, both Lisa's magic and Aura's innate abilities, to bring down the soldiers stationed there to protect their Chao.
Eventually, they arrived outside a large room, and both Hogi-San and Ryndar were pointing frantically at the door.
"In here?" Aura asked, prompting a nod from both Chao.
Aura and Lisa opened the door, and gasped at what they saw. Various Chao were strapped to different tables, appearing to be attached to various tubes and looking as if they had skin samples taken from them. They were still alive, but did not look like they were in very good condition.
"By the Goddess...this is awful..." Aura said, looking at the Chao.
Lisa nodded in agreement and said, "We'd better call the others. Tell them we found the Chao..."
Aura nodded in agreement and activated the communicator she received. "Guys...it's Aura. We found the Chao, but they're in bad shape. Anthony...we'll need your healing ability." She then explained where the lab was located.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony heard the message, but unfortunately wasn't able to answer right away as he was knocked to the floor by a blast caused by tandem shots by two Rhinos. He then said back in his communicator, "I'm a bit busy right now...but I know who else can help. Amy...if you read, leave the shuttle and go help the Chao. We can worry about guarding the shuttle later."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amy heard Anthony's message and got ready to leave the area to head to the lab. It was then that she heard something...
Something very familiar...
She looked towards where she heard the sound, and saw something that shocked her to no end: a large green robot. A very familiar large green robot.
"ZERO?!?" Amy said. She then took up a defensive posture. "Well...I don't know why the PHM rebuilt you..." Amy said, drawing upon the Descendancy Powers to create the Armor of the Gamemaster and drawing her sword, "but I'm going to take you down like I did last time!"
ARK BOSS STAGE - ZERO OMEGA
CHARACTER: Gamemaster Amy
MUSIC: Zero's theme from Sonic Adventure 1
Zero was acting no different than when Amy last saw him. Problem was, he now appeared to be more heavily armed. Amy had to use her psi ability to boost herself to the max just to make sure she wasn't caught. She found no trouble in getting a few sword hits on the huge bot, and eventually began to wear down the oversized drone.
"Better finish this quickly..." Amy thought to herself, and then built up a large amount of psi energy. She then let it loose in the form of a large blast, which downed and shorted out the robot.
"Good riddance..." Amy said, powering down and getting ready to leave the area. As soon as she turned around, she heard something and turned back around quickly, noticing Zero beginning to reawaken. However, as she got herself ready to fight again, several missiles came in from the side and impacted Zero, reducing him to scrap.
"What the?" Amy thought to herself, turning towards the source of the missiles. She then gasped again as she got her second surprise...in the form of an old, and very familiar looking, E series robot.
The robot walked up to Amy and said, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, MISTRESS AMY?"
Amy's lower lip began to tremble as she looked upon the form of the robot she knew as E-102 Gamma. "G...Gamma? Is that you?"
"IT IS," Gamma said, remaining as monotone as usual. "MY MEMORY REMAINED INTACT AFTER SO LONG, THUS I REMEMBER YOU."
"But I saw you destroyed!" Amy said, still confused. "How...?"
"ONLY A TEMPORARY DOWNTIME," Gamma said. "I WAS REPAIRED AND REPROGRAMMED BY THE PHM FOR USE AS A GUARD ROOBT, BUT SEEING YOU AND THE OTHERS HAVE RESTORED MY PREVIOUS FUNCTIONS."
"I'm...I'm glad..." Amy began to say, and then finished by grabbing Gamma in a tight hug.
"MISTRESS AMY...I AM DETECTING A STRANGE ENERGY FROM YOU," Gamma said.
Amy let go of the hug and then said, "I'll explain that later. I need to get to the lab where the Chao are being kept."
"ALLOW ME TO ACCOMPANY YOU THEN," Gamma said. "THERE ARE STILL MANY GUARDS BETWEEN HERE AND THE LABORATORY IN QUESTION."
"I'd like that...thank you, Gamma," Amy said, and began to follow the E-Series bot out towards the lab.
ARK STAGE 11 - Cargo and Science Sectors
BONUS CHARACTER: E-102 Gamma
MUSIC: E-102 Gamma's theme from Sonic Adventure 1
OBJECTIVE: Get Amy to the lab
Amy was pleasantly surprised at seeing Gamma in action again. She watched as Gamma downed several of the PHM bots with his weapon. It was as if Gamma had never been taken out of action to begin with.
Even the soldiers that came to engage Gamma were surprised Gamma was apparently attacking his own units. They didn't bother to go out to fight him, knowing full well they may become targeted as well. However, they were noticed anyway by Amy, who used Insight Flash to take them out of action.
Eventually, they reached the exterior of the Science Sector and began making their way to the lab. They eventually met up with Tails, who nearly did a triple take from seeing Gamma.
"AMY?!?" Tails said, shocked at seeing Gamma. "Is that...?"
"Yes, it is, Tails!" Amy said, sounding very excited. "Isn't it great? Gamma's back!"
"GREETINGS, SIR TAILS," Gamma said.
Tails snickered at Gamma's monotone politeness. "Just call me Tails!"
"AFFIRMATIVE," Gamma said.
Tails shook his head and said, "Well...at least we have some reinforcements. Let's get to the lab."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While this scene was going on, Sonic made his way towards the Science Sector as well. He had to take some time to help Mina and Red Sonic getting Lazer up and about, and started rushing towards the Science Sector. However, he didn't get too far...
"HALT INTRUDER!"
Sonic looked towards the source of the voice and noticed what looked like a metallic version of him. It looked like one of the old Silver Sonic models, but appeared to be a bit more advanced than Silver Sonic 2.
"Aw, geez..." Sonic said. "They made another version of THIS?!? I thought they hated anthros?" He then readied himself to attack the metallic doppleganger.
ARK BOSS STAGE - SILVER SONIC 3
CHARACTER: Sonic
MUSIC: "Look Alike" from the Sonic Anime
Just like the previous Silvers, this one was built for speed and to act as a large sawblade when necessary. Sonic found himself equally matched with Silver, but Silver was still finding it hard to score any hits on Sonic. Eventually, Sonic rushed forward in a Sonic Spin and sent Silver flying towards the opposite wall.
Sonic then got a major surprise when, just as Silver was beginning to get back up, a blast came out of nowhere and reduced Silver to scrap. Sonic turned around towards the source of the blast, and gasped when he saw Metal Sonic there...smoke still trickling from the gun attached to his arm.
[Cheap copy...] Metal Sonic said, speaking in a robotic voice. He then turned towards Sonic, who was readying himself to attack, and said, [Calm yourself hedgehog, I'm on your side, as you see...]
"Yeah, right," Sonic said. "You aren't fooling me, Metal."
[It's no joke, Sonic,] Metal said. [You're forgetting I was made with your life data, and still have some of your mannerisms. In fact...I want to help you bring down the PHM.]
"You mean you're not working with them like that Silver Sonic was?" Sonic asked, still in a defensive position.
[Hardly...] Metal Sonic said. [Granted they did rebuild me, planning to use me to turn the Overlanders on South Island against the anthros by having me commit a few crimes, but I've been working behind the scenes up here to sabotage their efforts.]
"Why would you help us?" Sonic asked, still uncertain as to Metal's true intentions.
[As I said, I was originally programmed with your life data,] Metal Sonic explained. [As such, I feel a loyalty to my "race", as it were.]
"I see..." Sonic said. He then let down his guard and said, "Fine. But if you turn on me, I'll do to you what I did to you last time we met. Got it?"
[Understood, but believe me, I have no intention on turning...] Metal Sonic said. It was then that the two of them heard a large pounding noise coming from a nearby wall. [In fact...I'll prove it now by taking care of this problem.]
"What problem?" Sonic said.
[My former partner wasn't as lucky as I was, since he's still loyal to the PHM,] Metal Sonic said.
"You mean...?" Sonic began to say.
Sonic was interrupted, however, when the wall came crashing in and knocked Sonic to the ground, pinning him under a piece of metal. Metal Sonic found himself looking face to face with his counterpart...Metal Knuckles.
Metal Sonic saw that Sonic was trapped and said to him, [I'll have to take care of him first. Stay put!]
"As if I have a CHOICE?!?" Sonic quipped.
ARK BOSS STAGE - METAL KNUCKLES
BONUS CHARACTER: Metal Sonic
MUSIC: "Look Alike" from Sonic Anime
The two mechas looked at each other with murderous intent. Previously, they had been allies, but now both were getting ready to scrap the other. Metal Sonic really wished he didn't have to do this, but he had no choice. It was going to be him or Metal Knux...only one was going to survive.
Metal Sonic rushed forward, dodging the missile that were being launched from the launchers attached to Metal Knux's arms. He then struck hard and fast, first taking out one of the launchers, and then striking at the torso of Metal Knux's chest. Metal Knuckles retaliated by striking at Metal Sonic a couple of times with his fists, almost taking out Metal Sonic's servos just from the strength of the impact.
Finally, Metal Sonic had enough. He rushed forward, building up a lot of energy, and went into his own version of a Sonic Spin, which impacted Metal Knuckles fight in the torso, leaving a large gaping hole and causing Metal Knuckles to collapse to the ground and start bleeding oil.
Sonic was surprised that Metal Sonic would actually do that, and then looked in anger as Metal Sonic approached him. "So...going to finish me now?"
Metal Sonic said nothing, but instead, much to Sonic's surprise, lifted the piece of metal that pinned Sonic down and offered him a metallic paw to help him up. [Are you undamaged?] he said.
Sonic reluctantly accepted the paw and got up, giving himself a once over. "Ah...I'll be fine. Oh, and...thanks, Metal..."
Metal Sonic said nothing, but looked back at the pile of scrap that was once Metal Knuckles. Sonic walked up to Metal and heard Metal say, [He was...my friend...]
Sonic shook his head sadly and said to himself, "Poor guy...he's like me with Shadow..." He then made a decision, one which he wasn't sure whether he would regret or not. He walked over to Metal Sonic and said, "Metal...why don't you come with me to the lab? I'm sure we could use your help with whatever the PHM is planning."
[Very well...] Metal Sonic said, shaking himself out of his gloom. The two hedgehogs then ran towards the Science Sector.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony finally managed to get a respite from the attacks, as it seemed that the soldiers and robots were holding back their attacks. "A good thing they seem to be holding back..." Anthony thought to himself as he looked over his mech, noticing several bad dents and scratches, a couple exposing parts of the machinery inside. "Computer...diagnosis."
"CYCLONE MECH POWER AT 43% WITH WEAPONS AT 21% POWER. MASTERTECH ARMOR POWER STILL AT 100%," the computer said in a monotone voice.
"Great...well, hopefully I won't run into too much interference between here and the lab," Anthony said to himself as he continued towards the Science Sector. However, as soon as he entered a large room leading to the lab, he was forced to stop as he came face to face with something. Namely...something big...
It was a robot. It had the same physiology as the previous Packbell models the PHM used, but it was the size and was as heavily armed as the Juggernaut Knuckles and Ryan had fought earlier.
"Oh...Jesus..." Anthony said out loud. "The LAST thing I needed was to face another Packbell ripoff..." As soon as Anthony had said that, he got the biggest shock of all...
...for the large bot then said, in a very familiar voice, "And it will be the last thing you will ever face, Gamemaster..."
Anthony's eyes went wide under his armor as he looked up towards the head of the robot. "PACKBELL?!? What the...?"
"I've been keeping my eye on you, Gamemaster, for when we were to meet again," Packbell said. "Strange...every time I see you, you seem to have more and more technology attached to you, even though you are against the cybernetic world I wish to create..."
"Save it, Packy!" Anthony said, rage increased. "Why are you helping the PHM?"
"I'm not...but I was somewhat flattered that they were basing a series of combat robots on me," Packbell said. "And when I heard about your fighting the PHM, I decided to commandeer this Omega model in the hopes that we might meet again..." He then readied the weapons systems and said, "...so I can finish you once and for all!"
ARK BOSS BATTLE - PACKBELL OMEGA
CHARACTER: Cyclone Mech Gamemaster
MUSIC: "Contest of Aeons" from Final Fantasy X
Anthony knew this was going to be difficult. Not only were his weapons depleted, but he knew how crafty Packbell could be as well.
He had to keep moving swiftly, using the rockets on the Mech to keep one step ahead of Packbell as Packbell tried to pelt him repeatedly with blaster and missile fire. He then fired missiles from his mech to attempt to do damage to Packbell, but made very little headway. Soon his missiles were depleted...and the blaster arm was the next to be drained.
"Dammit..." Anthony thought to himself when he got a weapons power reading of 0%. He soon switched back to his old tactics, activating the lightsaber arm and running in close to try to hack at the oversized bot. Unfortunately, this was met with a backhand from one of Packbell's huge arms, knocking Anthony to the floor.
Anthony had little choice. He built up a large amount of psionic energy and fired a large Force Blast towards Packbell. The blast hit its mark, managing to hit a spot previously impacted by a missile and causing some of the internals to short out. As Packbell began to falter, Anthony used his rockets to get in close and slash at the bot. He hit his mark, beheading the bot and causing it to fall to the ground. Just before the bot shut down for good, Anthony swore he heard Packbell say, "We aren't through yet..."
Anthony knew full well Packbell transferred his electronic consciousness again, but didn't care. He collapsed to the floor and took deep breaths. Just then, he got a message from his computer. "CYCLONE MECH POWER NEAR CRITICAL. AUTO DISENGAGE ACTIVATED." He soon found himself being detached from his mech as it reverted to the vehicle mode, and found himself laying on top of the miniature plane.
"Well...so much for that..." Anthony said, connecting himself to the foot pads on top of the Tornado GM. "Computer...divert power from the Mastertech Armor to the Tornado GM for the thrusters."
"AFFIRMATIVE," the computer said. Anthony then forced the TGM to move and continued on towards the lab.
Alarms began to blare throughout the Colony Ark. PHM soldiers and Hunter series robots began to take position throughout the entire building. A commander looked at one of his subordinates and said, "Report."
"A shuttle is approaching, sir," the soldier said. "It appears to be GUN."
"GUN? Shit...not what we needed..." the commander said. "Are the Emeralds secure in the draw chambers?"
"Yes, sir," the soldier said.
"Good...ready the troops for attack," the commander said. He then looked towards the screens and said to himself, "We're almost done...soon the furries will be history..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The GUN shuttle docked in the main hanger of the ARK, and several Hunter series troops began to surround it as it touched down. A robotic voice came from one of them saying, "YOU ARE SURROUNDED. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS OR PAWS UP."
The answer came in the form of the back of the shuttle opening up...and later several missiles flying out and destroying the Hunters. A few seconds later, Tails and Anthony, both in their respective mechs, exited the shuttle.
"So much for them," Anthony said as the group began to file out and Rouge began to distribute communicator earpieces to all but Anthony, Amy, and Tails (who already had their own). He then turned towards Knuckles and said, "Knux...where are the Emeralds?"
He concentrated on the Master Emerald he carried and looked at a map Rouge had gotten from the city's archives. He then pointed at eight locations on the map.
"Looks like several draw chambers to draw the energy of the Emeralds," Rouge commented. "Probably originally used for the Eclipse Cannon."
"Now probably for that project they're working on," Sonic said. "Let's get them and put an end to their project!"
"I agree..." Anthony said. "I can run interference with the Cyclone Mech while you guys find the Emeralds and the Chao." He then turned towards Amy and said, "Amy...stay here and guard the shuttle. Use the Descendancy Powers if necessary."
"Will do," Amy said. "Just be careful, guys."
The group all made their plans, and ran off to their respective locations.
(A/N: Okay...each of the ARK stages only has a single character playing them. This'll be a LONG chapter.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 1 - Main Corridor
CHARACTER: Cyclone Mech Gamemaster
MUSIC: "Sandstorm (JS16 Remix)" by Darude
OBJECTIVE: Engage the PHM!
Anthony piloted his mech down the long corridor where several bots and soldiers were filing out to engage him. Anthony found himself badly outnumbered, and was hard pressed to engage the PHM troops. However, he managed find cover in several areas, despite having to move constantly to avoid being captured or destroyed.
His blaster and lightsaber were working overtime, taking down both human and bot alike. He didn't want to have to destroy the human troops like this, but he had no choice. They were just as bad as the Rift Hunters were...perhaps even worse.
One thing was certain...this was going to be one heck of a battle for him...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 2 - Draw Zone 1
CHARACTER: Teila
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure Teila's Chaos Emerald
Teila wasn't surprised at the number of sentries that were located in the corridor leading to her Emerald. After all, she expected the Emeralds to be guarded heavily. Of course, she also figured that they in turn would expect her to be able to use her powers to the maximum to face them.
Her eyes were bright yellow by now, and several bots were beginning to fall to her lightning attacks. When some human troops came out to support the bots, they were immediately knocked out by hailstones that Teila managed to conjure up.
She eventually reached where the Emerald was, still hovering in an anti-grav unit. She then broke through the glass chamber of the unit and extracted her Emerald.
"So much for that..." Teila thought. "Now...I just need to wait..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 3 - Draw Zone 2
CHARACTER: Bat
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the sky blue Chaos Emerald
Ryan was, surprisingly, having the time of his life. The corridor leading to one of the Emeralds was filled mostly with human soldiers. This allowed him to dip into his black belt abilities.
He had already used their own weapons against them, grabbing the arm of one soldier and forcing him to fire on his own men and several of the bots. He then sent a flying kick towards one group, forcing them to the ground and knocking them unconscious. Several of the PHM soldiers were even surprised that a four foot echidna could throw them around like he was doing, heaving them over his shoulder and sending them flying towards each other.
As Ryan looked around at the pile of KO'd soldiers and said, mostly to himself, "Aw...no more? I've hardly broken a sweat!" He then continued to run down towards the corridor towards the main chamber, taking out a couple of stray Hunters and Beetles with blaster shots. He eventually reached the Emerald and removed it from the chamber.
"Pay dirt..." Ryan said, and then noticed several other soldiers approaching. He cracked his knuckles and said, "Ah...well, at least I won't be bored while I wait for Aura and Lisa's call..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 4 - Draw Zone 3
CHARACTER: Red Sonic
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the green Chaos Emerald
Red Sonic wondered whether he was sent the bottom of the barrel in terms of bots. All he needed to do was run past them, and the Chaos energy within him was enough to reduce them to scrap from the sonic boom.
The Rhino series tended to be more of a challenge, but luckily he was able to take them down as well. As for the human soldiers, just the sight of Red Sonic using Chaos energy was enough to make them scared, and several actually ran.
"Cowards..." Red Sonic though as he arrived at the Emerald. After getting it out of the chamber, he had to scramble as several Hunters started firing on him. He decided to spend his time waiting by reducing the bots to spare parts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 5 - Draw Zone 4
CHARACTER: Lazer
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the red Chaos Emerald
Lazer wondered where all the bots were coming from. Every time he cut down one bot with his sword, several more appeared out of nowhere. The soldiers, however, were not as willing to join in the fight after seeing what Lazer was doing.
Lazer was secretly wishing he didn't have to do this. He was wondering why the PHM existed. Why did they want to kill all the anthros? Why couldn't they just live together in peace? After all...violence begets violence, and hate begets hate.
It was then that he realized what his old sensei had mentioned about multiple viewpoints....and with that realization, the final secret of the sword was revealed, and a power built up within him, boosted by the red Emeralds within him.
"WANRIKKEN!!" Lazer yelled, causing a red pillar of light to engulf him. His eyes were glowing brightly, and then he sensed the presence of the bots around him.
He then yelled, "This...ends...NOW!" When he yelled that, copies of him, appearing to be made of a pure reddish energy, appeared in front of all of the robot units and slashed down at them, destroying them. The human soldiers, shocked at what they had just saw, ran off.
Mina, who was trying to look for Red Sonic, heard the commotion and saw what Lazer had done. After sending flying kicks which KO'd some of the retreating soldiers, she ran up to Lazer. "Lazer, are you alright?"
"By the Walkers..." Lazer began to say, "I never knew...thank you sensei..." He then collapsed unconscious, and Mina caught him as his sword crashed to the ground.
Mina carefully laid Lazer on the ground and, after grabbing the Chaos Emerald from the chamber for safe keeping, kept a watchful eye over Lazer while checking for other soldiers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 6 - Draw Zone 5
CHARACTER: Rouge
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the white Chaos Emerald
Soldiers were falling unconscious and several Hunters were being reduced to scrap. Both were as a result of Rouge's strong kicks, and she appeared to be attacking with a passion.
Her thoughts were focused on two things. One was on getting the Emerald, the other was Shadow. She felt she was fighting for him as well as for Mobius and Arcadia.
When she arrived at the Emerald, she removed it from the chamber. She then rubbed at the bracelet on her upper arm, the one that belonged to Shadow, and waited for the call from Aura and Lisa.
Her thoughts were of Shadow...and what might have been...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 7 - Draw Zone 6
CHARACTER: Julie-Su
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the purple Chaos Emerald
Both Hunter series and PHM soldiers were falling left and right to blasts from Julie-Su's blaster. As the amount of bodies and scraps were increasing, Julie-Su seemed to fight with more intensity, angered that a group like the PHM would be allowed to exist. Even the Dark Legion wasn't as bad as the PHM were.
Knuckles, who decided to accompany Julie-Su, wondered whether he even needed to come along, seeing what Julie-Su was doing. He was also afraid...since Julie-Su seemed to be drawing on her old Dark Legion ways.
Eventually, they reached the Emerald and Julie-Su grabbed it. She then turned her attention back to the corridor as if she was expecting more trouble.
"Su?" Knuckles said, noticing the stern look on Julie-Su's face. "Are you alright?"
"Just angry, Naki..." Julie-Su said, saying his real name. "Especially after what they did to Nicollette..."
"I understand..." Knuckles said, placing a paw on Julie-Su's shoulder. "But don't let it get to you..."
Julie-Su sighed, calming down a bit, and said, "You're right..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 8 - Draw Zone 7
CHARACTER: Cyclone Tails
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the yellow Chaos Emerald
Shots and missiles were flying from both sides as Tails was engaging the Hornet and Hawk series bots that were guarding the corridor to the draw zone. One by one the bots were falling to Tails's attacks, and Tails made his way further into the area.
He eventually reached the Chaos Emerald and extracted it, placing it inside Cyclone for safe keeping. He then hunkered down in a defensive posture to ready himself for any attacks.
As he waited for any attacks that might come or for Aura's call, he thought about how much he had changed, especially since the original ARK incident. Before then, he was just a little kid who wanted to prove he could help the Freedom Fighters. Now, and especially after he gained the powers of Magi Reynard, he proved he was just as great as Sonic.
Now...he could stand alone...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 9 - Draw Zone 8
CHARACTER: Sonic
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Secure the blue Chaos Emerald
Sonic appeared as nothing more than a blue blur as he took down robots left and right. Human soldiers were also trying to engage Sonic, but their blaster shots couldn't hit their mark and many of them got knocked out as Sonic punched them.
He was pushing himself to the extreme, not only to stop the PHM, but also for Shadow. He knew Shadow would want it this way...he knew he wouldn't want the PHM to take over and become something worse than Professor Gerald was.
Eventually, he reached the Emerald and took it. He then settled down to do something he hated...waiting. As he stood there, keeping watch for any new troops that appeared, he thoughts drifted to Shadow.
"Shadow..." Sonic thought to himself, "if you can hear my thoughts...this is for you, buddy."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARK STAGE 10 - Science Sector
CHARACTER: Aura
MUSIC: "Out of Chaos" from Valkyrie Profile
OBJECTIVE: Find the lab where the Chao are being held
Aura and Lisa, following their Chao's lead, were running through the corridors of the ARK's science sector. Both of them had to use their abilities, both Lisa's magic and Aura's innate abilities, to bring down the soldiers stationed there to protect their Chao.
Eventually, they arrived outside a large room, and both Hogi-San and Ryndar were pointing frantically at the door.
"In here?" Aura asked, prompting a nod from both Chao.
Aura and Lisa opened the door, and gasped at what they saw. Various Chao were strapped to different tables, appearing to be attached to various tubes and looking as if they had skin samples taken from them. They were still alive, but did not look like they were in very good condition.
"By the Goddess...this is awful..." Aura said, looking at the Chao.
Lisa nodded in agreement and said, "We'd better call the others. Tell them we found the Chao..."
Aura nodded in agreement and activated the communicator she received. "Guys...it's Aura. We found the Chao, but they're in bad shape. Anthony...we'll need your healing ability." She then explained where the lab was located.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony heard the message, but unfortunately wasn't able to answer right away as he was knocked to the floor by a blast caused by tandem shots by two Rhinos. He then said back in his communicator, "I'm a bit busy right now...but I know who else can help. Amy...if you read, leave the shuttle and go help the Chao. We can worry about guarding the shuttle later."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amy heard Anthony's message and got ready to leave the area to head to the lab. It was then that she heard something...
Something very familiar...
She looked towards where she heard the sound, and saw something that shocked her to no end: a large green robot. A very familiar large green robot.
"ZERO?!?" Amy said. She then took up a defensive posture. "Well...I don't know why the PHM rebuilt you..." Amy said, drawing upon the Descendancy Powers to create the Armor of the Gamemaster and drawing her sword, "but I'm going to take you down like I did last time!"
ARK BOSS STAGE - ZERO OMEGA
CHARACTER: Gamemaster Amy
MUSIC: Zero's theme from Sonic Adventure 1
Zero was acting no different than when Amy last saw him. Problem was, he now appeared to be more heavily armed. Amy had to use her psi ability to boost herself to the max just to make sure she wasn't caught. She found no trouble in getting a few sword hits on the huge bot, and eventually began to wear down the oversized drone.
"Better finish this quickly..." Amy thought to herself, and then built up a large amount of psi energy. She then let it loose in the form of a large blast, which downed and shorted out the robot.
"Good riddance..." Amy said, powering down and getting ready to leave the area. As soon as she turned around, she heard something and turned back around quickly, noticing Zero beginning to reawaken. However, as she got herself ready to fight again, several missiles came in from the side and impacted Zero, reducing him to scrap.
"What the?" Amy thought to herself, turning towards the source of the missiles. She then gasped again as she got her second surprise...in the form of an old, and very familiar looking, E series robot.
The robot walked up to Amy and said, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, MISTRESS AMY?"
Amy's lower lip began to tremble as she looked upon the form of the robot she knew as E-102 Gamma. "G...Gamma? Is that you?"
"IT IS," Gamma said, remaining as monotone as usual. "MY MEMORY REMAINED INTACT AFTER SO LONG, THUS I REMEMBER YOU."
"But I saw you destroyed!" Amy said, still confused. "How...?"
"ONLY A TEMPORARY DOWNTIME," Gamma said. "I WAS REPAIRED AND REPROGRAMMED BY THE PHM FOR USE AS A GUARD ROOBT, BUT SEEING YOU AND THE OTHERS HAVE RESTORED MY PREVIOUS FUNCTIONS."
"I'm...I'm glad..." Amy began to say, and then finished by grabbing Gamma in a tight hug.
"MISTRESS AMY...I AM DETECTING A STRANGE ENERGY FROM YOU," Gamma said.
Amy let go of the hug and then said, "I'll explain that later. I need to get to the lab where the Chao are being kept."
"ALLOW ME TO ACCOMPANY YOU THEN," Gamma said. "THERE ARE STILL MANY GUARDS BETWEEN HERE AND THE LABORATORY IN QUESTION."
"I'd like that...thank you, Gamma," Amy said, and began to follow the E-Series bot out towards the lab.
ARK STAGE 11 - Cargo and Science Sectors
BONUS CHARACTER: E-102 Gamma
MUSIC: E-102 Gamma's theme from Sonic Adventure 1
OBJECTIVE: Get Amy to the lab
Amy was pleasantly surprised at seeing Gamma in action again. She watched as Gamma downed several of the PHM bots with his weapon. It was as if Gamma had never been taken out of action to begin with.
Even the soldiers that came to engage Gamma were surprised Gamma was apparently attacking his own units. They didn't bother to go out to fight him, knowing full well they may become targeted as well. However, they were noticed anyway by Amy, who used Insight Flash to take them out of action.
Eventually, they reached the exterior of the Science Sector and began making their way to the lab. They eventually met up with Tails, who nearly did a triple take from seeing Gamma.
"AMY?!?" Tails said, shocked at seeing Gamma. "Is that...?"
"Yes, it is, Tails!" Amy said, sounding very excited. "Isn't it great? Gamma's back!"
"GREETINGS, SIR TAILS," Gamma said.
Tails snickered at Gamma's monotone politeness. "Just call me Tails!"
"AFFIRMATIVE," Gamma said.
Tails shook his head and said, "Well...at least we have some reinforcements. Let's get to the lab."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While this scene was going on, Sonic made his way towards the Science Sector as well. He had to take some time to help Mina and Red Sonic getting Lazer up and about, and started rushing towards the Science Sector. However, he didn't get too far...
"HALT INTRUDER!"
Sonic looked towards the source of the voice and noticed what looked like a metallic version of him. It looked like one of the old Silver Sonic models, but appeared to be a bit more advanced than Silver Sonic 2.
"Aw, geez..." Sonic said. "They made another version of THIS?!? I thought they hated anthros?" He then readied himself to attack the metallic doppleganger.
ARK BOSS STAGE - SILVER SONIC 3
CHARACTER: Sonic
MUSIC: "Look Alike" from the Sonic Anime
Just like the previous Silvers, this one was built for speed and to act as a large sawblade when necessary. Sonic found himself equally matched with Silver, but Silver was still finding it hard to score any hits on Sonic. Eventually, Sonic rushed forward in a Sonic Spin and sent Silver flying towards the opposite wall.
Sonic then got a major surprise when, just as Silver was beginning to get back up, a blast came out of nowhere and reduced Silver to scrap. Sonic turned around towards the source of the blast, and gasped when he saw Metal Sonic there...smoke still trickling from the gun attached to his arm.
[Cheap copy...] Metal Sonic said, speaking in a robotic voice. He then turned towards Sonic, who was readying himself to attack, and said, [Calm yourself hedgehog, I'm on your side, as you see...]
"Yeah, right," Sonic said. "You aren't fooling me, Metal."
[It's no joke, Sonic,] Metal said. [You're forgetting I was made with your life data, and still have some of your mannerisms. In fact...I want to help you bring down the PHM.]
"You mean you're not working with them like that Silver Sonic was?" Sonic asked, still in a defensive position.
[Hardly...] Metal Sonic said. [Granted they did rebuild me, planning to use me to turn the Overlanders on South Island against the anthros by having me commit a few crimes, but I've been working behind the scenes up here to sabotage their efforts.]
"Why would you help us?" Sonic asked, still uncertain as to Metal's true intentions.
[As I said, I was originally programmed with your life data,] Metal Sonic explained. [As such, I feel a loyalty to my "race", as it were.]
"I see..." Sonic said. He then let down his guard and said, "Fine. But if you turn on me, I'll do to you what I did to you last time we met. Got it?"
[Understood, but believe me, I have no intention on turning...] Metal Sonic said. It was then that the two of them heard a large pounding noise coming from a nearby wall. [In fact...I'll prove it now by taking care of this problem.]
"What problem?" Sonic said.
[My former partner wasn't as lucky as I was, since he's still loyal to the PHM,] Metal Sonic said.
"You mean...?" Sonic began to say.
Sonic was interrupted, however, when the wall came crashing in and knocked Sonic to the ground, pinning him under a piece of metal. Metal Sonic found himself looking face to face with his counterpart...Metal Knuckles.
Metal Sonic saw that Sonic was trapped and said to him, [I'll have to take care of him first. Stay put!]
"As if I have a CHOICE?!?" Sonic quipped.
ARK BOSS STAGE - METAL KNUCKLES
BONUS CHARACTER: Metal Sonic
MUSIC: "Look Alike" from Sonic Anime
The two mechas looked at each other with murderous intent. Previously, they had been allies, but now both were getting ready to scrap the other. Metal Sonic really wished he didn't have to do this, but he had no choice. It was going to be him or Metal Knux...only one was going to survive.
Metal Sonic rushed forward, dodging the missile that were being launched from the launchers attached to Metal Knux's arms. He then struck hard and fast, first taking out one of the launchers, and then striking at the torso of Metal Knux's chest. Metal Knuckles retaliated by striking at Metal Sonic a couple of times with his fists, almost taking out Metal Sonic's servos just from the strength of the impact.
Finally, Metal Sonic had enough. He rushed forward, building up a lot of energy, and went into his own version of a Sonic Spin, which impacted Metal Knuckles fight in the torso, leaving a large gaping hole and causing Metal Knuckles to collapse to the ground and start bleeding oil.
Sonic was surprised that Metal Sonic would actually do that, and then looked in anger as Metal Sonic approached him. "So...going to finish me now?"
Metal Sonic said nothing, but instead, much to Sonic's surprise, lifted the piece of metal that pinned Sonic down and offered him a metallic paw to help him up. [Are you undamaged?] he said.
Sonic reluctantly accepted the paw and got up, giving himself a once over. "Ah...I'll be fine. Oh, and...thanks, Metal..."
Metal Sonic said nothing, but looked back at the pile of scrap that was once Metal Knuckles. Sonic walked up to Metal and heard Metal say, [He was...my friend...]
Sonic shook his head sadly and said to himself, "Poor guy...he's like me with Shadow..." He then made a decision, one which he wasn't sure whether he would regret or not. He walked over to Metal Sonic and said, "Metal...why don't you come with me to the lab? I'm sure we could use your help with whatever the PHM is planning."
[Very well...] Metal Sonic said, shaking himself out of his gloom. The two hedgehogs then ran towards the Science Sector.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony finally managed to get a respite from the attacks, as it seemed that the soldiers and robots were holding back their attacks. "A good thing they seem to be holding back..." Anthony thought to himself as he looked over his mech, noticing several bad dents and scratches, a couple exposing parts of the machinery inside. "Computer...diagnosis."
"CYCLONE MECH POWER AT 43% WITH WEAPONS AT 21% POWER. MASTERTECH ARMOR POWER STILL AT 100%," the computer said in a monotone voice.
"Great...well, hopefully I won't run into too much interference between here and the lab," Anthony said to himself as he continued towards the Science Sector. However, as soon as he entered a large room leading to the lab, he was forced to stop as he came face to face with something. Namely...something big...
It was a robot. It had the same physiology as the previous Packbell models the PHM used, but it was the size and was as heavily armed as the Juggernaut Knuckles and Ryan had fought earlier.
"Oh...Jesus..." Anthony said out loud. "The LAST thing I needed was to face another Packbell ripoff..." As soon as Anthony had said that, he got the biggest shock of all...
...for the large bot then said, in a very familiar voice, "And it will be the last thing you will ever face, Gamemaster..."
Anthony's eyes went wide under his armor as he looked up towards the head of the robot. "PACKBELL?!? What the...?"
"I've been keeping my eye on you, Gamemaster, for when we were to meet again," Packbell said. "Strange...every time I see you, you seem to have more and more technology attached to you, even though you are against the cybernetic world I wish to create..."
"Save it, Packy!" Anthony said, rage increased. "Why are you helping the PHM?"
"I'm not...but I was somewhat flattered that they were basing a series of combat robots on me," Packbell said. "And when I heard about your fighting the PHM, I decided to commandeer this Omega model in the hopes that we might meet again..." He then readied the weapons systems and said, "...so I can finish you once and for all!"
ARK BOSS BATTLE - PACKBELL OMEGA
CHARACTER: Cyclone Mech Gamemaster
MUSIC: "Contest of Aeons" from Final Fantasy X
Anthony knew this was going to be difficult. Not only were his weapons depleted, but he knew how crafty Packbell could be as well.
He had to keep moving swiftly, using the rockets on the Mech to keep one step ahead of Packbell as Packbell tried to pelt him repeatedly with blaster and missile fire. He then fired missiles from his mech to attempt to do damage to Packbell, but made very little headway. Soon his missiles were depleted...and the blaster arm was the next to be drained.
"Dammit..." Anthony thought to himself when he got a weapons power reading of 0%. He soon switched back to his old tactics, activating the lightsaber arm and running in close to try to hack at the oversized bot. Unfortunately, this was met with a backhand from one of Packbell's huge arms, knocking Anthony to the floor.
Anthony had little choice. He built up a large amount of psionic energy and fired a large Force Blast towards Packbell. The blast hit its mark, managing to hit a spot previously impacted by a missile and causing some of the internals to short out. As Packbell began to falter, Anthony used his rockets to get in close and slash at the bot. He hit his mark, beheading the bot and causing it to fall to the ground. Just before the bot shut down for good, Anthony swore he heard Packbell say, "We aren't through yet..."
Anthony knew full well Packbell transferred his electronic consciousness again, but didn't care. He collapsed to the floor and took deep breaths. Just then, he got a message from his computer. "CYCLONE MECH POWER NEAR CRITICAL. AUTO DISENGAGE ACTIVATED." He soon found himself being detached from his mech as it reverted to the vehicle mode, and found himself laying on top of the miniature plane.
"Well...so much for that..." Anthony said, connecting himself to the foot pads on top of the Tornado GM. "Computer...divert power from the Mastertech Armor to the Tornado GM for the thrusters."
"AFFIRMATIVE," the computer said. Anthony then forced the TGM to move and continued on towards the lab.