Sonic Chronicles: The Nocturnus Return

by Yukito097

With Imperator Ix defeated, the Nocturnus turn to a new leader to free themselves from their prison within the Twilight Cage. But not all Nocturnus feel the same way, and Shade is determined to do all she can to save her friends without exposing the world to the new Imperator's threat. Note: This story will feature a blend of the Chronicles and Archie continuities.

13. Assault on Robotropolis

Alarms rang, and Eggman awoke with a start. "Wh-What?! What's happening?! Report!"

"Sir, it appears that we're under attack," Orbot reported.

"Attack? Who would be stupid enough to attack this city?!" Eggman yawned and checked the time. It was just a little past midnight. "And at such a late hour! Such rudeness."

"It looks like the Nocturnus," Cubot said, "And a buncha Gizards."

Eggman clutched the armrests of his chair. "Gizoids? Show me." An image appeared on the main monitor, showing an army of armour-clad echidnas approaching the city, behind a bigger army of Gizoids that were attacking Eggman's robots, making quick work of them. "How did they... Have they always been able to bring the Gizoids over? No, if they had then they would've done so from the start. How could they possibly have built such an army in so short a time?"

"Boss, our forces are dropping like flies," Orbot told him.

"Have all robots retreat into the city. Our defences should keep them out for a while. How's our little project doing?"

"Eighty-eight percent, Boss. It will take at least two more days to complete."

"Have all construction bots refocus their efforts." Eggman climbed out of his chair, lowering his goggles over his eyes. "Two days? I'll have it up-and-running in half-a-day!"

"Boss, with all due respect, even with all of our robots and you working at full capacity, I just don't see how-"

"That's because you're not a visionary, Orbot, but I am! And I've always worked better under pressure." Eggman turned to leave. "Just keep the Nocturnus out of the city for as long as you can! If they breach the walls, focus all our resources into slowing them down!"

"Yes, sir!" both robots replied.

---

The Tornado cast its shadow over the streets of Central City in the late evening, coming down as it neared the landing strip of Tails' house. Many passers-by stopped and waved at the familiar craft and its pilot, while others groaned and complained at the noise pollution. Sonic lowered the landing gear and touched down on the runway, slowing to a stop just outside of Tails' workshop.

Sonic and Knuckles departed the vehicle first, Julie-Su seeming hesitant as she looked ahead. "It'll be fine. Trust me," Knuckles said, offering his hand. Julie-Su took it and climbed out of the plane. They approached the workshop, where Sonic had already met with Shade, Tails and Amy.

"You're safe," Amy noted with a sigh of relief.

"You had any doubts?" Knuckles said, drawing some laughter. "Of course I'm safe. And I brought someone back."

Julie-Su stepped out from behind Knuckles, waving sheepishly at the trio. When they simply stared back at her with unreadable expressions, she felt her anxiety growing. "I uh, I'm sorry... for everything I did before. I-I don't really have a good excuse, I just hope you can forgi-"

"Knuckles, you vouch for her?" Shade asked.

"Yeah, I do," Knuckles replied.

With a nod, Shade approached Julie-Su. The latter closed her eyes, expecting a slap or a punch, or at least some kind of reprimand. Instead, she felt a hand gently touching her shoulder. "Welcome back."

Julie-Su blinked, unsure how to respond. Before she could, Amy ran up and grabbed her hands. "If Knuckles says you're okay, then it's fine! I'm so glad we can be friends again!" She noticed the dry streaks down Julie-Su's face and gasped. "Knuckles, did you make her cry?!"

"Why would you assume it was my fault?!"

"Because I know you have no clue how to talk to girls!" Amy gave Julie-Su a friendly smile, ignoring Knuckles' indignant huff. "My apartment's not far from here. You can get cleaned up there."

Julie-Su was dumbfounded. She looked between everyone, and found that they were all smiles. "I... How can you forgive me so easily?"

"That's just how they are," Shade laughed. "Better get used to it."

"Pardon the interruption," Nate Morgan said, approaching the group, "But Doctor Finitevus is back, and I believe he has an urgent update on the situation."

"We'll be right there," Shade said. Everybody entered the workshop, save for Shade and Julie-Su, the former asking the latter to wait. Knuckles stopped for a moment, but Shade assured him that it would be okay, and so he left the two of them outside. When they were alone, Shade turned to Julie-Su and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Julie-Su reached for her dreadlock. "I'm... fine. I had a lot of time to compose myself on the way here."

"Please be honest with me."

"... I'm scared. And I feel... I dunno, sad? Nervous?"

"Regret?"

"Yeah. I really do regret what I did before."

"No, I mean do you regret leaving them behind? Your brother and sister."

Julie-Su looked Shade dead in the eyes, and stopped playing with her dreadlock. "I have no regrets there. I know this time that I made the right choice."

Shade studied Julie-Su's eyes for a few seconds, and then relaxed. "Okay, sorry for pressing. I just had to be sure."

"It's fine. I already lost your trust once, but I swear, I'm going to do what I can to earn it back."

Shade nodded. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I'm worried. You may be a soldier, but you're still so young. Please share your feelings with us. That's the only way we can help you."

"I will." Julie-Su shifted awkwardly on the spot, averting her eyes. Suddenly, she felt Shade embracing her. "Um?"

"Please think of me as someone you can lean on, not just your commanding officer. I promise, I'll be there to hear you out anytime."

Julie-Su returned the hug, smiling. "T-Thanks… This's kind of awkward for me."

"Sorry," Shade said, starting to blush as she pulled away. "This is how Relic got me out of my shell, so I…"

"It's fine. I appreciate it. Should we go join the others now?"

"Yeah, let's." The two entered the workshop, where everybody was waiting patiently for them. "Sorry for the wait."

"It's quite alright," Finitevus said, glancing at Julie-Su. "I returned briefly to the Twilight Cage to investigate Julie-Su's claim, and it seems that she's right. The Voxai were unable to sense Dimitri anywhere, and it looks like the High Praetorians are taking command. The New Nocturne is seeing this as their chance and are preparing to launch an attack."

"That's not wise," Shade said. "Even if the Imperator is gone, the High Praetorians are still capable of protecting the Nocturne from any attempts to invade. Not to mention they still have the Gizoid army under their control."

"Master Nestor tried to convince them, but their minds are set. Tensions are raised right now, and there's a fear that once Dimitri returns with Enerjak's powers, it will be too late. They see this as their only chance to strike."

"Sounds like they've got a lot of faith in us," Knuckles said, the sarcasm thick in his tone.

"And the Voxai?" Shade asked.

"They are split. The Overmind, Thebes, refuses to get involved with our civil war beyond housing our allies. He will only attack if Dimitri himself attacks first. Many are sympathetic, and others still share the fear that they cannot wait, but so long as the Overmind orders them to wait, they will not be able to join us in battle."

"Then we have to move fast," Shade decided. She turned to Sonic and Knuckles. "While you were gone, we continued our tests of the Chaos Syphon. We are ready to test it on a live target, and one with multiple Chaos Emeralds."

"I've sent word to GUN, and hopefully they'll be back with an answer soon," Tails said. "Until then, I say we get some much-needed rest."

"I'm with ya," Sonic said, yawning for emphasis. "Let's catch some Zs. Eggman'll wait until morning."

Everybody agreed to rest for the night. Amy invited Julie-Su to her apartment, where she and Shade had been sleeping separate from everyone else. "Isn't it better if we stay together?" Julie-Su asked.

"There's not enough room," Amy said. "Unless, of course, you're fine with sleeping on the floor next to all the boys?"

Julie-Su didn't see what the problem with that was. In her youth, all of the Dark Legion candidates shared a dorm together, boys and girls alike. And thanks to her training, she was fine sleeping in even rougher conditions than on a hardwood floor. Yet as her eyes landed on Knuckles', she suddenly felt less-certain. "I see your point," was all that she said, averting her eyes. "But isn't there another room?"

"Nate's crashing in Tails' room," Sonic explained.

"I'm perfectly fine resting in the workshop," Nate argued, but Amy adamantly shook her head.

"Absolutely not! You said it yourself that your back is in terrible shape! You get the comfy bed and that's final!"

"Amy's place is… cosy," Shade said, seemingly having trouble finding a better descriptor. "You'll definitely rest easier there than here, and Amy can show you the wonders of a modern bath."

"'Wonders'? A bath is a bath, right?"

"I thought that, too, but… Well, you'll see."

"Well now I'm curious."

Amy giggled. "This'll be so fun! We can do each other's makeovers and watch this new movie I've been dying to see, and then tell funny stories and-"

Shade interjected, "Don't forget that we're not having a slumber party; we need to rest early so that we're ready to head out." Shade turned to the boys. "The same goes for you three! Don't stay up all night playing Dankey Kang or Tomato-whatever-mus."

"Yes, Mum," Sonic said. Tails turned his head to hide his snicker. Shade shot the two a glare. "Yo, I'm kiddin'. Don't worry, we'll hit the sack early. Also, it's 'Tomatopotamus'."

"I'll make sure the young'uns don't stay up too late," Nate Morgan said. "I'll even take away their video games if I must."

"Booo," Sonic said.

"Traitor!" Tails cried.

After some more laughs, the girls said their goodnights and began to leave. On the way out, Julie-Su paused. "Um, I'll be right with you," she said, turning back and approaching Doctor Finitevus, who was putting the Chaos Syphon away in one of Tails' safes. "Um, Doctor?"

Finitevus turned to Julie-Su, adjusting his glasses. "Yes?"

"… I was wondering, before we go into battle, do you think you could give my gun a quick tune-up?" Julie-Su handed her revolver to Finitevus.

"Is it broken?"

She shook her head. "No, I just think I need something stronger if I'm gonna take on Grandfather."

"Your current gun is strong as it is. I doubt there's much that I could do." Finitevus saw the frown on Julie-Su's face. "But I'll see what I can do."

Her face brightened and she placed the gun into his hands. "Thanks!" She left with a spring in her step, and Finitevus couldn't help but laugh as he watched her re-join Amy and Shade.

"Never seen her so happy," he remarked as he put the gun down.

"Being in a more friendly environment can do wonders for one's personality," Nate said. "Though I worry that she may be trying to force a smile."

"Even if that's so, it's nice to see she's taken the first step to a better life." Finitevus stared down at the gun for a few seconds in silence. "May I confess something to you, Professor?" Nate simply nodded. "I was fully aware of Julie-Su's family situation when I introduced her to Shade."

"I see…"

"I was the one that Julie-Su approached, claiming that she wanted to join the New Nocturne and meet its leader. Obviously I was suspicious, especially when I saw that she was a Dark Legion warrior. Having worked on the program myself once, it wasn't difficult to uncover her true identity. I questioned her at length, not letting on that I was onto her, trying to discern what her true intentions were.

"From my questions, I wasn't sure if she was sincere or not. But I thought, she's still young, and if she truly was trying to defect… I just couldn't turn her away. I couldn't just leave her to that man – Dimitri's – mercy."

"You didn't mention any of this to Shade?"

"I know I should have, yet had I done that, I felt I would have endangered Julie-Su's chances. If anybody could help her break free from her Dark Legion indoctrination, it would be Shade, but if Shade knew she was a potential enemy, that would jeopardise her chances… That's what I thought, anyway. Foolish, I know."

"But you had the best of intentions behind you actions. As you say, Julie-Su is young, too young to be a soldier, in my opinion, and you wanted to support her. It's easy to miss the signs when you want to believe in someone. Don't be too hard on yourself, Doctor."

"I'm happy that everything worked out, of course, but I wonder if perhaps there was more I could have done for her. Did I even help her at all?"

"You trusted that there was good in her, even when it was unclear. You introduced her to a more supportive and friendly group of people than what she knew. Most in your situation would have turned her away, and then they would have lost the chance to ever see that smile."

Finitevus himself smiled at that. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Heeeeeey!" Sonic called from across the workshop. "Are you two workaholics gonna join us?"

"We'll be there shortly!" Nate answered, laughing.

"You'd better hurry! Pizza'll be here soon!"

Sonic ducked back into the house, and Nate asked, "Shall we?"

"I'll catch-up later," Finitevus answered, grabbing his tools. He turned his focus to Julie-Su's gun. "I've got just one last job before I turn in for the night."

"Don't push yourself." With that, Nate left to join the boys in Tails' living room, Finitevus getting to work on dismantling Julie-Su's gun.

---

Dimitri stepped out of the jeep, flanked by his Procurators, Kragok and Lien-Da. "This is Doctor Eggman's stronghold?" he asked, looking on over the city of Robotropolis in the distance.

"One of many," Kragok confirmed. "It seems that this Doctor Eggman has bases all over the world, some hidden, some in plain view. This is his biggest though, and the one that was captured during Shade's invasion of this world."

Dimitri noticed that his forces were still outside of the city, attacking one of the city's walls. "Why have we not made any progress?"

"The city is heavily-defended. The robots have retreated, but they are lined atop the walls and firing on our army. A barrier prevents us from returning fire, and the walls are reinforced by an unknown form of power."

"Is that so? Even an army of Gizoids is no good?"

"If it was hopeless, he wouldn't be fighting back," Lien-Da pointed out. "That means the walls must have some limit. We just gotta hit harder 'til they fall."

Dimitri nodded. "Still, time is of the essence. Let us try something with a little more firepower." Dimitri snapped his fingers, and Fixit approached. "Breach that wall. Use whatever methods you deem necessary."

Fixit's eyes glowed a deep blue, and with a silent nod, it hovered across the field, towards the ongoing siege in the distance.

---

"Morning!" Amy sang as she burst into Tails' home, bright and shining in the morning light. As she entered, she found that Sonic and Knuckles were still asleep, sharing opposite ends of a couch.

"Well, aren't you all energetic today?" Nate Morgan laughed as he entered the room, Tails right behind him.

"Always," Amy replied, performing a twirl and a courtesy. "Want me to wake 'em up? One swing from my hammer and-"

"No, please let them rest a little longer," Nate replied. "I believe they were exhausted from yesterday's events, though they would never admit to it."

"I suppose…" Amy approached Sonic's end of the couch and leaned on the back, idly poking Sonic's face. He grumbled in protest, but continued snoring, much to Amy's amusement. "He's kinda cute like this, isn't he?"

Julie-Su entered next, smiling as she watched Amy continue to poke the snoozing hedgehog. "Well, you certainly look well-rested," Nate said.

"Turns out Shade wasn't kidding about the bath," Julie-Su said, stretching her arms. "For all the advancements the Nocturnus has, they've got nothing on this world when it comes to relaxation. I practically felt all my exhaustion just melting away."

Shade entered from behind Julie-Su. "Has there been any word from GUN?"

"Not yet, which is worrying," Tails answered. The group all moved into the workshop as Knuckles' snoring grew louder. "My request was sent to the Commander directly, so I really expected a quick response, or at least an acknowledgement that he'd received it."

Finitevus entered the workshop from an adjoining room, yawning and stretching his arms. His fur was dishevelled and there were dark rings under his eyes, but when he noticed the girls there, he immediately brightened. "Good morning, Commander, Julie-Su."

"Morning," they both replied.

"Are you okay?" Shade asked. "I told you to get plenty of rest."

"Ah-hah. Nothing to worry about. I look worse than I feel, honest."

"You should ask Amy to make you one of her baths," Julie-Su suggested. "It'll drain all the stress out of you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Finitevus replied. "Oh, and about your gun-"

"Oh, don't worry if it's not ready, I kinda expected it would take a while. Shade's agreed to loan me one of her leech blades."

"Well I'm afraid that won't be necessary, because the upgrade is complete." He walked Julie-Su over to a workbench, where a new gun awaited her, nothing like her previous one. Most-notably, it now sported two barrels instead of one.

"Is this… really my gun?" She took the weapon, examining it. The revolving chamber was now gone, replaced with a magazine chamber at the base, and the barrel was slimer but wider.

"I hope it is to your liking. Your original model was designed for precision shooting, but with your cybernetics, you should have little difficulty hitting your mark. This version is faster and more-powerful, though perhaps less-subtle. But if your assassination days are now behind you, then..."

Julie-Su aimed down the sights of her new gun and smiled. "It's great! Thanks, Doctor. Does it use the same type of ammo?"

"Yes, but a word of caution: while this gun can hold more ammo than your last, it will burn through it much quicker." Finitevus held up a small, glowing vial in the shape of a bullet. "Your revolver could only hold six of these, but each pellet was good for about ten charges before being spent. This new gun can hold twelve, but each is only good for four uses, and that's per barrel. If you take into account both barrels at once, it means you have only twenty-four shots per magazine."

"It uses that much more power?"

Finitevus adjusted his glasses. "The trade-off will be very noticeable. I took into account the fact you may be fighting Gizoids out there. Unfortunately, you can't adjust the power output to converse charges, and I didn't have the time to include a setting that allows you to use just one barrel."

"You did all of this in one night. Are you okay?"

Laughing, Finitevus said, "I'll be just fine. I'll take a quick nap on the way, so don't worry about me."

"That's assuming we'll even be heading out," Shade said, cutting into the conversation. "GUN haven't responded yet, and Tails is convinced that without their help, an invasion of Robotropolis will be impossible."

"I'm afraid GUN won't be offering any help," Shadow declared as he entered the workshop, surprising everybody there.

"Don't sneak up on us like that! You'll give someone a heart attack one of these days!" Amy scolded. Shadow simply walked past her without responding.

"The Commander's decided against joining in the attack. If you're going after Eggman, it'll be without GUN's support."

"Why's that?" Tails asked. "I thought GUN wanted to get Eggman more than we did."

"The situation has changed. Nocturnus forces started attacking Robotropolis several hours ago. They've been laying siege to the city's outer walls, and finally broke through thirty minutes ago. They brought with them a large Gizoid army, too."

"Fixit," Shade muttered.

"If GUN joins the fray now, there will be a large number of casualties. And, whichever side comes out on top - Eggman or the Nocturnus - will have five Chaos Emeralds. In that event, the Commander feels it would be more prudent to strengthen our defences around major cities."

"He wants to play it safe," Nate surmised. "I can't really blame him, but thinking practically, we can't just play the observer. Our best bet would be taking this opportunity to strip both sides of their Chaos Emeralds, or at the very least prevent Dimitri from acquiring Ivo's."

"The thought of Eggman with five Chaos Emeralds doesn't make me feel much better," Tails said, shuddering. "But, maybe we don't need GUN's help after all. If the Nocturnus are attacking Robotropolis, they'll be creating a way bigger distraction than GUN would have. If we can sneak in behind them, we can still execute our original plan."

"That's true," Shade agreed. "Our focus isn't to reduce their numbers, it's simply to liberate the Chaos Emeralds and stop their plans. A smaller force might actually be better for that."

"But what about the Chaos Syphon?" Sonic asked, entering the workshop with Knuckles. "Mornin'. Sorry to keep you all waiting. I got the gist of what's goin' on."

"The original plan was for GUN to escort you through the city," Shade told Finitevus, "But now that they're out, you'd be best off staying here."

"I appreciate your concern for my safety," Finitevus said, "But I'm part of this battle, too, and it will be impossible for Tails to fight and operate the Syphon. I'll go."

"I'll protect him," Shadow said. "As long as you three are drawing the most attention, it should be easy for me to keep the Doctor safe."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I thought GUN wasn't gettin' involved in this."

"Technically, I'm off-duty," Shadow said. "Delivering that message was my last mission, and now I'm taking time off. The Commander insisted I use my vacation hours." Shadow grinned. "And he didn't give me orders to stay away from Robotropolis."

"How convenient for us," Sonic said with a wink. "Alright, I guess you can tag along."

"I'm in your debt," Finitevus said, extending a hand towards Shadow.

Shadow shook Finitevus' hand. "You owe me twice now, since I let you borrow the Chaos Emerald."

"Ah, that's right…"

"Well, if your device helps us defeat Eggman and Dimitri, then we'll call it even. Anyway, we'd better hurry. The Nocturnus are already inside the walls of Robotropolis."

Sonic nodded. "Okay, let's get to the Blue Typhoon and do it to it!"

---

Eggman ignored the sounds of explosions happening outside, focussing entirely on getting his new mech ready for combat as soon as possible. "Pass me that conductor over there!" he ordered one of his robots. "Be careful with those Power Rings! They need to be evenly aligned! A work of art this beautiful can't cut any corners."

"Doctor?"

Eggman groaned upon hearing Orbot's voice through the intercom. "What is it now?"

"We've successfully repelled the Nocturnus forces, and are keeping them at bay in the outskirts of the city, for now."

"Good. Keep it up."

"There's a 'but', Doctor. Sonic and his friends have arrived."

Eggman's moustache twitched. "You don't say. Now that is unexpected."

"Is it though?" Cubot asked. "I mean, Sonic's always stopping you when you think you've won."

"It's unexpected because even he knows he can't breach Robotropolis with just his speed. I expected them to take advantage of this chaos, but I imagined they would wait until both our forces and the Nocturnus are exhausted. Our inner-defences are still standing strong, so if he takes out the Nocturnus now, he won't be able to reach me."

"They've begun engaging the Nocturnus. I count five in all. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and an unknown echidna."

Eggman chuckled. "I see. They're just a distraction, let them do as they please. Send whatever reserves we have left to defend the control towers. Those are what they're really after."

"Understood, Boss."

---

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles took the Nocturnus by surprise, fighting through their ranks as they tore into the city from behind. With the Nocturnus taking up the rear and the Gizoids fighting Eggman's forces at the front, the trio were able to largely focus on the echidna warriors first. With Sonic's speed, Knuckles' fists of fury and Tails' aerial advantage, the ranks of their enemies fell quickly.

Some Nocturnus did manage to pose a challenge, though. Some were able to use Chaos powers to escape the initial ambush, regrouping to counterattack, whilst others were simply more-skilled and more-experienced than their comrades.

Unfortunately for those soldiers, the fact that they were sandwiched between Team Sonic and Eggman's robots meant that they were fighting a battle on two fronts. Eggman's robots focussed primarily on the Nocturnus threat, only occasionally firing on Sonic, Tails or Knuckles.

Sonic could have simply blasted through both enemy groups, taking Tails and Knuckles along with him, had there not been a huge barrier preventing anybody from venturing further into the city. "We're on our way to the tower," Shade reported.

"Don't rush. We're makin' some new friends out here," Sonic teased as a group of Nocturnus soldiers crept towards him.

---

Shade peered around the corner, seeing that it was clear, and moved. Amy and Julie-Su moved with her, the three of them sticking to the shadows and staying low. She stopped them, pointing to a camera overhead, and the three waited until it was looking away to move to the next cover.

"The tower we need is just up ahead," Shade said, glancing at the tower being guarded by three SWATbots and two Egg Pawns.

"Those robots aren't moving," Julie-Su noted. "Guess we gotta take 'em out."

"On my mark, then." Shade raised her hand. Amy readied her hammer and Julie-Su checked her gun. Shade lowered her hand, and the three jumped out from the shadows, charging at the robots.

Shade ran swiftly across the road, dodging the gunfire heading her way, and sliced the robots as she reached them, causing them to fall and explode. Mounted guns on the tower aimed at the echidna, but before they could fire, they were destroyed by two shots from Julie-Su's new gun.

"Professor, you can come out now!" Shade called. Nate Morgan emerged, running over to the trio. As he reached them, he held his chest. "Are you okay?"

"This is more excitement than I'm allowed to have at my age," he said, laughing. "Don't worry about me, though. Let's hurry. The others are counting on us."

A door stood in their way at the base of the tower, and though Shade's leech blades were sharp and hot, they seemed to have little impact as she sliced several times. "It's likely protected by Power Rings," Nate explained.

"Leave this up to me," Amy said, taking a moment to inhale and rub her hands together. She then swung her hammer at the door, knocking it clean off its hinges.

The three entered the tower, smashing up the SWATbots inside and climbing to the top. When they reached the control room, Shade went in alone to cut down every last robot cleanly, without damage the consoles inside. When the room was clear, the other three entered, closing and locking the door behind them.

"Okay, let's shutdown the city's defences," Shade said, approaching the console with Nate.

The two hacked into the Eggnet, and Nate couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Ivo. You're still showing the same narcissistic weakness that you had when you were my student. There are vulnerabilities everywhere, if you know where to look."

"Be careful," Shade warned. "I've already detected several attack barriers."

"Yes, I would expect nothing less. However, I'm the one who taught him everything he knows. I know all his dirty tricks, and how to avoid them."

---

The barrier began to shimmer. Sonic dodged the two Gizoids attacking him and then swept their legs, knocking them over. Tails launched Knuckles into a trio of Gizoids, and the echidna bounced between them, driving his fists into their bodies to short-circuit them.

As Knuckles bounced into the air, ready to be caught again by Tails, he saw another Gizoid preparing to fly up after him. An orange shot neutralised the robot, and Knuckles glanced over to a nearby tower, where he could feel Shadow's presence.

Tails caught Knuckles and saw the barrier fall. "Sonic, they did it!"

"You two go on ahead!" Sonic said, still dealing with a few Gizoids and Egg Pawns on the ground.

Tails and Knuckles flew on ahead. The usual security drones and turrets that would be firing at them from all sides were now inactive. The gates that would normally be electromagnetically locked were now open, and the surface-to-air cannons were offline, allowing free roam over the entire city.

Of course, this was also true for the Nocturnus, and as Tails flew closer to where he believed Eggman to be, he saw that other groups of enemy soldiers were now pushing deeper through Robotropolis. Larger badniks, including the powerful Egg Hammers, were now starting to intercept the Nocturnus forces, and Tails was intercepted by a swarm of Buzz Bombers in the air.

"We don't have time for you!" Knuckles shouted, and Tails fired him at the swarm with his Thunder Shoot. Knuckles bounded between them, destroying the robots one-by-one, and then returned to Tails, who continued flying further into the city.

"Tails, watch out below!" Shadow warned.

Tails gasped and swerved quickly, evading an attack from a rising Gizoid. He fired Knuckles at the robot, who threw a punch to knock it back down. As the Gizoid fell, two more rose, and Tails threw his Dummy Ring Bombs to take them down.

Another figure leapt from building-to-building, quickly climbing high enough to lash their whip at the flying duo. The two each felt a shock through their bodies and Tails began to fall. He thankfully managed to regain control of his tails before they hit the ground, but he was too tired to keep flying and had to gently land. "You okay, Knuckles?"

"Gah... Yeah, I think so. Who was that?" In answer to his question, Lien-Da landed before them, laughing as she watched Knuckles his head. "Forget I asked."

"Thanks for lowering the barrier for us," Lien-Da taunted. "It makes our invasion so much easier. We'll have more troops to attack the Eggman with."

"You'll have to get past us, first!"

"Knuckles, we don't have time for them," Tails whispered. "We have to reach Eggman before Dimitri does."

"You think they're gonna just let us go? Besides..." Knuckles glared as Kragok entered the scene behind his sister. "I'm getting tired of their crap."

"Our Imperator has gone on ahead to secure the Chaos Emeralds," Kragok explained. "We have the pleasure of exterminating the last of the Knuckles Clan. This time, there'll be no escape."

"Hey, how's our useless sister doing?" Lien-Da laughed. "She dragging you down yet? You know you could always use her as a distraction if you need to run away. Not that it'd do much good."

Knuckles gritted his teeth, baring his fangs, but Tails held out a hand to stop him from doing anything reckless. "She's just trying to get under your skin!"

"I know, but-"

A sudden gust of wind startled everyone, along with a blue trail that zipped past them. The wind came back, going the opposite direction, as Sonic returned to the scene. "I was wondering why I couldn't see you guys up there," he said to Tails and Knuckles, whilst keeping his eyes on Kragok and Lien-Da. "So, a little warm-up before the main event?"

"Sonic, go on ahead," Knuckles said.

"C'mon, don't be like that. Lemme get in on this, too."

"You have to stop Dimitri! At the very least, you can slow him down before we catch-up!"

Sonic glanced up to a nearby building, where a shadowy figure leapt from one rooftop to another. "Shadow's got it covered. Don't sweat it, we'll make this quick."

"The Guardian and the rat!" Kragok cheered, pressing his eye to initiate his overclock. "We'll certainly earn some glory today, Sister!"

"I'll let you have Sonic, but I'm killing Knuckles." She looked over at Tails and grinned. "And the kid, too. He embarrassed me at the Temple of Enerjak. I'm going to make him pay."

"Threaten me all you want, but leave my friends out of it!" Sonic charged into a spindash and launched himself at Lien-Da. She lashed her whip but he avoided it, and then curved around her, going instead for Kragok.

"You think you can outfox me?" Kragok deflected the attack with a shield and then threw a punch, knocking Sonic to the ground with enough force to crack the concrete. He extended his hand, ready to fire.

"Heh, yeah, actually," Sonic said, rolling just before Kragok unleashed his attack. As he did so, he took out the Zoah crystal and squeezed it. Energy surged forth and enveloped his body, and in one instant, Sonic was gone, leaving only his afterimage behind as he left Kragok wondering where he was. Kragok received his answer in the form of a dropkick from behind, dropping him to the ground.

Lien-Da readied her whip, but was interrupted by a flurry of punches from Knuckles. She ran backwards as she dodged and looked for an opening to counter, but before she could find one, Tails flew in above her and dropped something at her feet. Knuckles quickly jumped back and Lien-Da did the same, keeping her eye on the small bomb as its fuse ran out... and then nothing happened.

"Psyche!" Tails declared, swinging his tails at Lien-Da from behind. As he struck her, Knuckles returned to her front and delivered a series of blows that she could neither block nor dodge. With the final uppercut, Lien-Da flew up into the air. "Taaaaake THIS!" Tails delivered the final blow, performing a downwards strike to knock Lien-Da to the ground.

Kragok watched as his sister was defeated by the duo. "What are you doing?! Get up and fight!" he barked as he turned and deflected Sonic's next spindash attack with his shield.

"She's just takin' a little rest! Maybe you should join her, might help you mellow out!" The Zoah crystal pulsed more energy into Sonic's body, and Kragok's shield began to crack. Kragok tapped his eye, overclocking a second time, and his shield grew larger, pushing against Sonic.

Behind Kragok, Tails rolled into a spindash. Kragok braced himself for the impact, but rather than unleashing his attack, Tails simply continued rolling. Knuckles then launched himself off of Tails, flying high into the air, before coming down for a devastating attack. As Knuckles struck Kragok from above, the shield shattered, allowing Sonic to strike him directly.

Kragok gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, and when he crashed to the ground, he slid back some distance, eventually stopping as his body hit a pile of garbage resting by the side of building.

Kragok saw the world spinning as he managed to open on eye. He heaved, telling his body to move, but it refused. "H-Howwwww..."

Sonic took a breath, looking down at the crystal in his hand. It was cracked, but still holding. "That was for you, Remington." He put the crystal away, and then realised that his glove was singed, along the fur and skin underneath. "Yowch! That really smarts..."

"What should we do now?" Knuckles asked.

"We came here to fight Eggman, not take prisoners," Sonic said.

Kragok winced. For the first time since his childhood, he felt fear. "So... you're going... to end us..."

"Don't be dramatic," Sonic sighed. "I meant we're just gonna let you go. You're not worth our time."

"... Y-You..." Whatever relief Kragok may have felt was overshadowed by the sting of Sonic's words. "I am... Procurator Kragok!" Kragok began climbing to his feet. "I will not take this insult lying dow-" A shock passed through Kragok's system, and he fell back down. 'Damnit! I overclocked twice, and took far more damage than I ever could have expected!'

"Whatever, point is we're done with you. We've got a world to save." The trio turned to leave. "Later."

All Kragok could do was watch them run away, further into the city. Never before had Kragok tasted bitter defeat quite like this. Never before had he ever been so thoroughly humiliated. Never had he ever, in his life, felt such animosity towards any one person. Not even towards Julie-Su, or her departed mother. Not even towards his father, nor towards Shade...

---

"What? You want to go with me to Mobius?" Shade asked.

"I'm tired of being on standby. I'll never be able to prove myself if I don't get any actual experience on the field! You know what I can do. You know how strong I am. Let me go with you. I'll be more valuable than those low-rank pawns you're taking!"

"Those 'low-rank pawns' are my soldiers, and they've been waiting for a chance to prove themselves just as much as you. Besides, it's not up to me. Imperator Ix wants the Dark Legion on ice at the moment. He doesn't want to trust such a delicate operation to an untested unit."

"But-"

"I'm sorry, but my hands are tied. I have to go now, but I promise, I will secure the Chaos Emeralds, and with them, our safe passage back to Mobius."

---

Kragok coughed. 'Shade, what an enigma you continue to be. A no-name soldier with no special enhancements or traits, and yet, you caught the eye of the Imperator and climbed the ranks faster than any could have predicted... You were my inspiration. If a nobody like you could be great, then even a disgraced soldier like myself might still have hope.'

---

"A sparring match? This is rather out of the blue. Mind if I ask why?"

---

'Fighting you helped me to grow stronger, and yet, there was something else, too. For reasons I can't possibly fathom, I wanted to catch your eye. It wasn't because you were the Procurator, so then why?' Kragok groaned as he shifted, his joints aching all over his body. 'What is this sense of regret I feel every time I think of you? You're a traitor, nothing more.'

---

"Your name's Kragok, right? Don't be discouraged. You've got a good form, you just leave yourself too open with your attacks. Try reigning yourself in, and watch your opponent closely."

---

Kragok sighed, giving up any attempts to pick himself up and allowing himself to fall against the pile of trash behind him. 'I watched you closely, but I still don't understand. What is it that drives my thoughts towards you, even now? I've grown far stronger than you, so why does it feel like you're still unreachable?'

Kragok heard shuffling and turned his head. Lien-Da climbed to her feet, brushing the dust from her clothes. "Sister, you're... unharmed?" Lien-Da turned to him with a grin. "You were never… really defeated? Why did you... let them go?"

"You short-sighted fool," she said. "Think about it: we're cut off from our allies and fighting them on our own. By now, I've come to realise just how strong they are, but you continue to underestimate them. We had no chance of winning in a fair fight... so why even bother?"

Kragok gritted his teeth. "You coward..."

"No, it's called strategy, Brother. I'll let them fight Eggman. Either they take him down or Eggman takes them down. Either way, it'll reduce the number of our enemies." Lien-Da grabbed a gun dropped by a defeated Egg Pawn. "And, there was another reason to feign my defeat here today. I knew they'd leave us here without finishing us off, because that's what kind of people they are. The kinds of fools who risk their lives to save a friend that betrayed them." Lien-Da pointed the gun at Kragok. "And now that they're gone, there's no one here to stop me. The truth is, I was counting on them defeating you."

"You... What are you-"

"You want to become Imperator, don't you, Brother? Surely you realise that that's my goal as well. Unlike Procurator, the role of Imperator cannot be shared by two people. Eventually, the two of us would have had to compete." A sinister smirk spread over Lien-Da's face. "I'm just eliminating you now before you can become a problem."

"You would... betray me? Your own brother?"

Lien-Da laughed. "Listen to yourself! Is it so surprising, after what we did to Father? Or what, did you think you were special? That compared to Father and Julie-Su, you were safe? Did you perhaps think we were closer? That I loved you, Brother?" Kragok didn't answer, instead simply glaring into her eyes as he struggled to move, his arms trembling. "Well you were wrong." She fired.

The shot passed through Kragok's heart, and his trembling stopped. He fell back against the pile of trash behind him, coughing up blood, and with the last of his strength, he uttered, "You won't... get away with... this..."

"No? We're in enemy territory. Your body will never be found, and even if by some miracle it is, nobody will find it strange that you were killed by one of Eggman's robots." Lien-Da tossed the gun away, took in a deep breath, and revealed a new face: one that was angry, with tears welling in her eyes. "Those bastards! They weakened my brother and then left him at the mercy of Eggman's robots! I swear, on my family's honour, I will avenge him!" She wiped the tears away and returned to her sinister smile. "How's that? Too much? Not enough?"

Kragok's eyes drifted shut, and his body fell limp. "Tch. Oh well, I think it was pretty good." Lien-Da stared at her brother's still body for just a few seconds, her smile dropping. "... Goodbye, Brother." With that, she turned to leave, following Team Sonic deeper into the city.

---

Dimitri unleashed a volley of Chaos Spears on the SWATbots, destroying them before they even had a chance to attack. More badniks swarmed the area, defending the large building behind them with everything that they had, but against the Gizoids that were being led by Fixit, they were no match.

"Is this the best this 'Doctor' can manage? I expected a far more-formidable army." The ground shook as several Egg Hammers landed around Dimitri and his Gizoids, raising their hammers to strike. "Hmmm, better, but still no match."

The hammers came down, crashing into a barrier created by Dimitri, using the power of the silver Chaos Emerald. The Gizoids attacked the second the barrier was down, crashing into the Egg Hammers and knocking them onto their backs. Dimitri used his Chaos Spears to finish them off, and then continued on.

Sensing something approaching from behind, Dimitri stopped and turned. He laughed as he saw three figures running his way. Sonic the Hedgehog, as well two of his friends. The two-failed fox he knew as 'Tails', and the last-surviving member of the Knuckles Clan.

"Dimitri!" Sonic called, charging straight for the Imperator. Gizoids attempted to intercept the attack, but Tails and Knuckles kept them busy whilst Sonic went straight for the leader. "Give back our friend!"

Dimitri used his Chaos Control to warp back a short distance, avoiding Sonic's attack. "You're referring to this Gizoid?" he asked, motioning to Fixit beside him. "I'm simply using it the way it was always intended. There's nothing to be so upset over."

"I don't care. Fixit's our friend, and we're taking him back! Y'hear me, buddy?! We're gonna rescue you, so just hang tight!"

Dimitri shook his head. "You won't get through to it. It has been restored to its original settings. The 'friend' that he may have once been is no more."

"Shut up!" Sonic ran towards Dimitri, only to be blocked by four Nocturnus soldiers suddenly in his path. Each was equipped with an energy cannon on their right hand, and as they landed, they immediately began firing on Sonic, forcing him to retreat as he dodged their shots.

"I'll leave them to you," Dimitri told his High Praetorian escorts. "I'm not taking prisoners. Kill them."

"Yes, sir!"

Tails and Knuckles re-joined Sonic as they finished with the Gizoids they were fighting, and the soldiers continued firing on all three of them. "They're fast!" Knuckles shouted as he found cover behind a wall.

"Not fast enough!" Sonic activated his boost, running circles around the soldiers and confusing them. Their attacks slowed as they tried to figure out where Sonic was going to be, but every time they thought they had him, they found that it was only his afterimage.

"Ceasefire!" one of the soldiers shouted. "It's a trick! Wait it out, he'll have to stop running eventually!"

"You sure? I went to bed early last night, so I could do this all day!"

"Then by all means! Even if we can't hit you, as long as you're not bothering the Imperator, we've done our job!"

"Hmmm, good point. I can't exactly beat you by just runnin' in circles forever… Oh, wait, yeah I can."

"Uh, you guys feel that?" one of the soldiers asked. "Is that… wind?"

And then all at once, the four soldiers noticed that the wind was picking up around them. A tornado was forming, created by Sonic's speed, and they were trapped in the centre. They then noticed that it was closing-in on them, and as Sonic finally skidded to a halt, the tornado suddenly enveloped the four, sending them flying upwards.

"Tails, it's all you!"

"I got it!" Tails called, already in the air and waiting with his own energy cannon at the ready. As the wind dissipated, the four soldiers were exposed, and Tails fired a shot that scattered and hit all four at once. The shot was something new he had created with Doctor Finitevus' help – a countermeasure to the powerful armour worn by the Nocturnus!

The soldiers felt the pain of the shots even through their armours. As they fell, Knuckles was already on his way up, courtesy of a boost from Sonic's spindash. He extended his fists and punched the four as he met them, breaking through their armours and knocking them out. He grabbed them as they fell, landing safely on the ground and placing them down.

Sonic looked around, but found Fixit was nowhere in sight. "Let's hurry, before things get-" The ground began shaking, much more-violently than when the Egg Hammers had landed earlier. "-Ugly." Looking up at the building before them, Team Sonic watched as the roof began to open, and the sounds of jet engines filled the silence.

---

Leaving Sonic and his friends to fight his High Praetorians, Dimitri stormed the building that the Eggman robots were defending so valiantly. Wave-after-wave of robots attempted to stop him, but with the city's defences down, they were no match for Dimitri and Fixit.

Eventually, Dimitri came to a large, open area. He stood atop a catwalk, overlooking what appeared to be a workshop, with a large, metal bird-like thing occupying most of its space. "You must be the leader of the Nocturnus," a voice called from above, though no matter where Dimitri looked, he couldn't find the source. "'Imperator', is that right?"

"I am Imperator Dimitri," Dimitri confirmed. "And you must be Doctor Eggman. My Procurators informed me that you have formally declared war on us."

"Yes, well, I know how much your kind loves it wars. I figured I'd let you go out your way when I make you extinct once more."

"Oho? And how do you plan to do that? Your robots are weak, and your defences were so easily crumbled."

"Just a throw-away force to keep you busy. The beautiful thing about robots is that more can always be built. And my defences did their job keeping you out long enough for me to finish my work."

Dimitri found the source of the voice. It was a box mounted to the wall above him, meaning that Eggman was actually speaking from somewhere else. Just then, the large, red bird began to rise, and the ground shook as the workshop's ceiling began to open. Dimitri fired Chaos Spears at the bird, but they were deflected by a barrier.

"Oh-hohoho! As I said, those robots were just pawns to buy me time! Against a real work of science, your Chaos attacks will do little good!"

The bird rose out of the workshop, flying high in the air. It dropped a large, spherical device into the building and ascended higher. With a gasp, Dimitri climbed onto Fixit's back and allowed the Gizoid to carry him into the air. The bomb exploded, and the Imperator felt the heat chasing him as Fixit flew higher-and-higher.

When they were safely out of range, Fixit hovered in the air. Dimitri looked down at the cloud of smoke below. The wind from the large bird's engines caused the smoke to quickly blow away, revealing a crater where the building once stood.

"An impressive feat, for sure," Dimitri admitted. "However, you underestimate me at your own peril, Doctor." Dimitri stood atop Fixit, waiting for the robot to move him closer, and then used his Chaos Control to warp onto the craft. Dimitri held the Chaos Emerald in his hand and channelled its energy, his body glowing red. "CHAOS BLAST!"

A large blast enveloped the entire craft, shaking it and shattering its barrier. "Egads! That's hotter than Shadow's!" Eggman remarked.

"And now, CHAOS LANCE!" A volley of Chaos Lances pummelled the bird, damaging its engines and causing it to fall. Dimitri leapt off and landed on top of Fixit.

"NO! I'M GOING TO CRASH! WHATEVER WILL I DO?!" Eggman laughed. "Oh, I know. How about… THIS?!"

Suddenly, a wall of flames surrounded the bird. The broken engines were quickly repaired, and the barrier was restored. The bird flew once more, and Dimitri could only watch in shock as it ascended higher.

"I was hoping to crush Sonic with my new creation first, but since you insist, I'll gladly make you the first victim of my new Egg Phoenix!"

"It repaired itself? How?" Dimitri studied the Egg Phoenix carefully for a few moments, and then looked down below. There, he saw Sonic, Tails and Knuckles watching from a high rooftop. "My soldiers have been defeated, and my Gizoid army devastated…"

"Not a good day for you, is it?"

"I will make a tactical withdrawal here."

"Eh?" Suddenly, Fixit dove down, taking Dimitri with him. "What?! No! You can't just- Get back here! You started this fight, and I'm going to finish it!" The Egg Phoenix descended, chasing Dimitri. Eggman unleashed a homing missile that quickly gained on the fleeing echidna, but before it could reach him, Sonic jumped out and kicked it away, sending it flying into a nearby building. "Sonic?! Why did you do that?!"

Sonic landed and watched as Dimitri and Fixit retreated. "He knew I'd help if Fixit was in trouble… He's got some nerve." Turning to Eggman, Sonic cracked his knuckles and stretched his legs. "Oh well. Hey Eggman, nice toy! I had one just like it when I was six!"

Eggman couldn't help but grin, despite the interference and the snide comment. "Well if you'd like to play with it, I'd be happy to oblige! I hope you brought sunscreen!" The beak of the Egg Phoenix opened, and it began to spray fire down on the rooftops. Tails grabbed his friends and flew them away just in time.

From a distance, Dimitri watched the battle unfold, biding his time as he waited for the right moment to strike.

Tails fired Sonic and Knuckles at the Egg Phoenix's wings. Knuckles landed and tried pummelling the barrier, whist Sonic tried homing attack various spots, seeing if there was any point that wasn't protected. Eggman tried throwing them off by spinning the Egg Phoenix around, but both managed to keep a firm hold on the mech's wing.

Tails flew over the Egg Phoenix and fired on it with his cannon. He adjusted the output, tried firing at specific joints and sections that looked like they had been rushed, but no matter what he tried, the barrier held strong. "No doubt about it. He's using the Chaos Emeralds to create this shield."

"What now, Sonic?! Any last desperate attempts before I burn you all to cinders?!"

"Sonic, I'm in position! You can stop distracting him!"

Sonic nodded. "Actually, there is one thing!" Sonic and Knuckles leapt off of the Egg Phoenix and were caught by Tails. "Now, Doc!"

A white light hit the Egg Phoenix. It turned into a multi-coloured light of cyan, red and purple, and began to flow backwards. "W-What?! My barrier is failing!" Eggman punched commands into his console, but it was no good. The barrier shattered, and Team Sonic moved in to attack. "No!"

"You guys ready?" Sonic asked.

"Ready!" Tails and Knuckles answered.

Tails threw Sonic and Knuckles at the Egg Phoenix, and as they flew, Knuckles spun Sonic around, releasing him just before they would hit the mech. "BLAST AWAY!" Sonic curled into a ball and struck the Egg Phoenix repeatedly with a series of homing attacks. Various sections of the Egg Phoenix exploded as they were hit hard, and the entire thing began to fall.

The three landed atop a nearby roof and watched the Egg Phoenix descend. "What now, Eggman?! You're all outta tricks!"

"Oh dear, oh my! Whatever shall I do?! Oh, that's right! This is the Egg Phoenix!" Flames erupted around the Egg Phoenix, and it soon stopped its descent.

---

"Hit it again!" Shadow shouted. "Hurry, before it repairs itself!"

"I… I can't!" Finitevus panicked as he examined the Chaos Syphon. "It's absorbed too much energy recently! It needs time before it can be used again!"

"Doc, hate it to break it to you, but we don't have time!" Sonic told him.

"I know, just… give me a little while, maybe I can-" The flames vanished, and a fully-rebuilt Egg Phoenix soared above them as Eggman laughed over them all.

---

"Tails, any idea how he's doing that?" Sonic asked.

"It's no mystery. He's using nanobots. Millions of them, all super-charged by the powers of the Emeralds. What would normally take hours is taking them only seconds!"

"Then what's with the flames?" Knuckles asked.

"A defensive measure, to stop us from interrupting the nanobots while they work." Tails paused. "Or, knowing Eggman, they're just there for dramatic effect."

"So if we wanna stop this thing, we have to use the Chaos Syphon so it can't repair itself," Sonic surmised. "But if we don't use it to destroy the barrier, how're we supposed to damage it?"

"I don't know what little tricks you're scheming, but I'll not be giving you the chance to try that again!" Eggman shouted. The Egg Phoenix began spraying down fire over the city, burning streets and buildings without restraint.

Team Sonic leapt to another rooftop to avoid the flames. "Have you lost it?! That's your own city you're burning!"

"Robotropolis was on its way out, anyway! I'll just build a new one over the ashes of Central! After I finish taking you and your friends out of the picture!"

"Guys, we need info!" Tails shouted. "Can you find out how the Egg Phoenix's shields are operated?!"

---

Nate and Shade searched desperately through Eggman's network. "I've found some files related to the Egg Phoenix!" Shade announced. "It looks like the shields are indeed powered by the Chaos Emeralds, but the true source of them comes from several satellites orbiting the planet!"

"Satellites?!" Knuckles shouted. "So what, we need to go up to space and knock down every one of Eggman's satellites?! That'll take forever!"

"Hold on, I've got something. It looks like the Egg Phoenix's construction was rushed. It's only connected to one satellite at the moment."

"Well that's better, but it still doesn't help us down here," Sonic said.

"No, there might be something we can do!" Tails announced. "There should be something that looks like a chamber nearby. Do you see it?"

Julie-Su looked around and found what Tails was referring to. "I see it."

"It's a digitizer. You can use it to enter the server through cyberspace, and then find an exit point to rematerialize on the satellite."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Amy asked, and then shrieked as a bang came at the door behind her. She took out her hammer, ready for a fight.

"Right now, Eggman's systems are compromised. Mr. Morgan should be able to guide you through it."

"I'll go with you," Shade said, but just then, the door was forced open. A large number of badniks entered the room, approaching the group slowly and menacingly.

"I'll go alone," Julie-Su said, entering the chamber. "You two fight off the robots and keep my exit clear! Professor, I'm counting on you to be my guide!"

Nate nodded. "Be safe in there."

Shade activated her leech blades and joined Amy in fighting the badniks. "Very well, I'll leave this to you. Good luck."

Julie-Su activated the device. Her body was hit by a beam of light and began to digitize, turning into data, and was then drawn into the light above her.

---

Julie-Su found herself surfing along a path of light, inside of a bright tunnel of many colours, data all around her flying past at extreme speeds. "Whoa, I feel so light!" she noted, and eventually she reached the end of the rail, landing a large platform suspended above a void of free data. Julie-Su marched on, firing at the robots that patrolled the cyberspace. "Professor, can you hear me?"

"Loud-and-clear. You're currently in one of four terminals. You need to keep going until your reach the central transit area."

"Okay." Julie-Su arrived at a wall blocking her path, with seemingly no way around. She noticed some coloured tiles to either side of it, one of them red, the other yellow. "Great, what now?" She sensed danger behind her and turned around. There was an Egg Pawn running her way, firing. She dodged its attacks and shot back, destroying the robot. Turning back to the problem, she saw that the yellow tile was now green. "What? How did..." Julie-Su fired a shot at the tile, and its colour changed to blue.

"Some kind of puzzle, but what's the solution? Give me a second while I-"

Looking around, Julie-Su realised that she was in some sort of building. The walls around her were all the same blue as the tile she had just changed. Turning to the red tile, she fired a shot. Yellow. She fired again, turning it green. One more shot turned it blue, and the wall began to move, opening the way. "I figured it out."

Continuing through the space, Juie-Su climbed a large spire, making use of beams of hard light that rose out of the ground. As she reached the top, she found another set of tiles and some more robots. After taking care of her enemies, she changed all of the tiles to blue, and a bridge of hard light appeared before her, allowing her to cross a large gap to some sort of platform. The platform turned out to be an elevator, and it took Julie-Su to a large, open space with no walls or ceiling. Only an endless black void existed all around her.

Four large towers stood at equal distances away from each other, forming a diamond shape in the vast sea of data. There were many small islands floating between the towers, and everything was connected by a large, complicated maze that resembled a spiderweb.

"Julie-Su, do you see a red tower?"

"Yes, directly ahead of me."

"You'll have to make your way there using the light-speed circuit. Look for a pad on the ground. It will turn your body into light and allow you to move around the sea of data."

"So that's what that was before…" Julie-Su looked over the edge, into the abyss beneath her. "Out of curiosity, what'll happen if I fall in there?"

"Your mental data will become one with the server, eventually becoming nothing more than free data, and you'll be unable to rematerialize on this side. Beyond that, nobody can say. Nobody has ever fallen in and returned to tell the tale."

"So in short, don't fall in." Julie-Su stepped onto a pad, and in an instant, she was whisked away along the circuit, surfing along it as she had done earlier.

"I can't control my movements!"

"You will be continually propelled forwards, but you should be able to control the directions that you travel."

Julie-Su saw a firewall ahead of her and leaned to the right, turning to avoid it. "Damn, I'm moving away from the red tower!"

"Keep calm. Just let the circuit carry you along and keep turning in the direction of the tower. And be sure to avoid those firewalls."

"Right. I know my destination, I've just gotta get there safe… but also fast."

---

Sonic leapt from the side of a building just as a missile crashed into the wall behind him, propelling him forwards. He swung off of a nearby lamppost and into the air, being caught by Tails, who manoeuvered to avoid the missiles chasing him. Meanwhile, below them, Knuckles ran through an army of Gizoids marching in the street below, hot fire raining down from above. As the Gizoids turned their attention on the echidna, they were oblivious to the intense flames until it was too late.

Tails threw Sonic over to a rooftop and they split. Eggman chose to pursue Sonic, continuing to fire missiles at the hedgehog without rest. "If you were planning on exhausting my supply, don't bother! I pack enough ordinance to take on both GUN and the Nocturnus!"

"And yet here you are wasting it all on one little hedgehog!" Sonic taunted, running down into the streets below. Tails attacked the Egg Phoenix from behind, prompting Eggman to turned his cannons on the fox, who quickly retreated behind a skyscraper.

"Blast! Where did that rodent go?!" Eggman searched the area, eventually finding Sonic running up the side of a large building. "Ah, there he is!"

Sonic bounded from the building and jumped across the missiles fired his way, using them as stepping stones to reach the Egg Phoenix. The missiles turned, chasing Sonic as he landed atop the mech, and Sonic waited until the last possible second before jumping off.

The missiles struck the Egg Phoenix, and for a moment the barrier began to flicker, but as the smoke blew away, the three could see that it was still holding strong. "Nice try, but I'm keen to all of your tricks!" Eggman continued raining fire down on the city whilst simultaneously launching missiles at Sonic, and Sonic and Knuckles were back to running.

"How much longer can we keep this up?!" Knuckles asked as he and Sonic met on the streets. "Julie-Su, hurry up!"

---

Julie-Su ran through the red tower, disabling more robots and deactivating security walls through the light-tile puzzles strewn about, this time turning the tiles red. A wall of hard light blocked her way, but it was nothing compared to the power of her new gun.

"You should be nearing your destination now," Nate Morgan told her.

Julie-Su told herself, and as she rounded the next corner, she found an entry into a light-speed circuit. Surfing along the trail, Julie-Su found herself in a large, empty chamber, a beam of white light shining invitingly in the centre, illuminating a single console that stood on its own. "Is this the place?" As Julie-Su approached the light, she must have tripped something, as alarms began sounding all around her. "Great, now what?"

Several large, red crystals floated down from above. There were six in all, and they were moving towards her, lines of code swirling around their glowing bodies. Unsure what they were, and not wanting to take any chances, Julie-Su fired on them. As her shots connected, the crystals split apart, each one becoming two smaller, yellow crystals. "What?!" Julie-Su gasped as she jumped away, the smaller crystals taking her by surprise as they flew quickly towards her. Some of them exploded as they crashed into the ground, whilst others simply continued to follow her.

She tried firing again, this time turning the yellow crystals into even-smaller, green crystals. Those moved faster still, and she had to move swiftly to avoid them as they came from multiple directions. She continued firing, and this time as she popped each crystal, no new ones were created in their places. "Okay, so there's a limit! Good to know!"

To her dismay, more of the large, red crystals descended from above. In addition, Egg Pawns began teleporting into the room all around her. As Julie-Su ran to avoid the crystals and the gunfire, she decided to focus on the robots first, disabling them one at a time. This proved to be a mistake, however, as stray shots from the robots' guns caused the crystals to split, and soon Julie-Su found herself being swarmed by crystals on one side, and taking heavy fire from the other.

To make matters worse, firewalls were beginning to form around her. As she continued dodging her enemies' attacks, Julie-Su realised that she couldn't let this drag out any longer, or else she would be completely entombed! She reached for her dreadlock and moved it to her gun, but then paused. "Wait, that's it!"

Julie-Su turned quickly on her heel, racing towards the console in the centre of the room. As she reached it, she found that there was a place to plug her dreadlock and did so. Closing her eyes, she focussed. Within seconds, barriers of hard light surrounded the console, stopping the crystals from reaching her and shielding her from the Egg Pawns' attacks. "That won't hold for long," she told herself, and continued searching. "There it is!"

The firewalls lifted, and the crystals drifted away. The Egg Pawns remained, but without other distractions, Julie-Su was able to make quick work of them.

"Julie-Su, please answer me! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, Professor!"

"Thanks goodness! Eggman's lackeys had detected your intrusion and locked down the area you were in. We couldn't reach you!"

"So that's what happened. Well, I've taken control of the area for myself now, but it won't last long. What do I do now?"

"There's a terminal there, yes? I presume you used it to take control of the area. Nearby should be an open area with glowing spots on the floor and ceiling."

Julie-Su found the area Nate was referring to. "I see it."

"That's your exit. I'm just punching in the coordinates now and… Okay, you're good to go! Just hit 'Confirm' on the console and step into the light!"

Julie-Su followed Nate's instructions, and she felt a similar sensation to when she entered the digital space as the light began taking her form apart.

---

Rematerializing in a new location, Julie-Su didn't have long to get her bearings before she was attacked by a few Egg Pawns. She dodged their shots and returned with her own, taking them down swiftly. "Guess this is the place."

"Julie-Su, can you hear me?"

Julie-Su approached a console and found a monitor displaying an image of Nate Morgan. "I'm here."

"Excellent. Now, you're going to have to shutdown the satellite from your end. I'll talk you through it. It will be very long and complicated, so please do let me know if you need further clarification, but I will do my best to make it as easy to follow as I can. Part of the process will involve going outside. Please search for a spacesuit and-"

"What if I just blow the whole thing up?"

"… That would also be a viable solution, yes. Okay, step one: set the charges. Step two: return to the digital space before the satellite explodes."

"I think I can follow that," Julie-Su said, and she and Nate laughed. She began planting explosive charges around the satellite, with Nate advising her where to place them to cause the most damage. "Okay, that should do it. Now to set the timer and-" Julie-Su looked out of a nearby window, and what she saw took her breath away. It was Earth, or Mobius, as she knew it.

The big, blue planet was in full view ahead of her, complete with large patches of green and swirls of white coiling around it. As she stared at the planet, it suddenly dawned on her just where she was. She was in space, above the heavens, floating with the stars! Only, the stars still seemed just as far as they did on the planet's surface. It gave the impression that, regardless of how far she'd come, there was still far more out there.

She was alone up here, and everybody else was down there. She knew that somewhere down there, there must have been an epic battle raging that could very well decide the fate of the planet. Yet she couldn't see it. Heck, she wasn't even sure if the landmass she was looking at was where Robotropolis was. She took a deep breath and clenched her fist, realising just how small and insignificant she, and everybody else, truly were in the grand scheme of things.

"Julie-Su?"

"Oh. Sorry, I'm ready now…" Julie-Su approached the teleporter, set the timer to one minute, and began the countdown. She couldn't help but spontaneously laugh.

"What is it?"

"Grandfather always used to tell us, back in the Dark Legion, that we were the 'chosen ones'. That we would lead the Nocturnus, who were the most powerful race destined to rule over everything. I was just wondering if he'd still believe that if he could see what I just saw."

Julie-Su activated the teleporter, digitizing herself and re-entering cyberspace.

---

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles stood within a ring of fire, looking up at the Egg Phoenix as it cast its shadow over them. Eggman cackled with delight. "Looks like there's no place left for you to run! You've finally met your match!"

"Guys, I'll clear a path for you with my wind," Sonic said. "You go on ahead, and I'll keep distracting Eggman a little longer."

"No way," Knuckles said. "I'm not letting you have all the fun again. Tails, you fly out of here. We'll keep Eggman busy."

"I'm not running!" Tails declared. "I'm not done yet. I've still got plenty of tricks up my sleeve!"

Sonic grinned. "Alright, guess we're gonna keep fighting then. Doc, use your Chaos Syphon."

"But if I do that, it will need more time to-"

"We'll just have to bear it. We need to buy ourselves as much time as we can."

"… Okay, I'm getting into position now."

"Say your prayers, Sonic!" Alarms rang in the cockpit, and Eggman turned to his monitors to find out what was wrong. "What?! What's happening?! My barrier's offline?!" Eggman mashed the buttons on his console, swiping through windows and running several programs at once in an attempt to reboot his defences. "The system is compromised?! No! This can't be happening!"

Down below, the heroes noticed how the Egg Phoenix froze in the air, its shields flickering and the craft shaking. "That's it! Let's do it!"

Sonic and Tails jumped. Tails grabbed onto Sonic's legs and Knuckles onto Tails'. Knuckles spun the two around several times, and then threw Tails into the air. Sonic curled into a ball and was launched by Tails. "BLAST AWAY!" Sonic pummelled the Egg Phoenix a second time, damaging its wings and its engines.

"GRR! Not again!" As the Egg Phoenix fell, it lit-up with Chaos Energy, attempting to restore its systems and repair all damage as flames surrounded it.

"Not this time, Doctor!" Shadow shouted, firing a shot from his Shadow Rifle that interrupted the reboot. "Now!"

Finitevus pointed the Chaos Syphon at the falling Egg Phoenix and activated it. Chaos Energy of three different colours – cyan, red and purple – flowed into the device. The Egg Phoenix trembled, its flames dissipating whilst the mech still damaged. "It's working!" Finitevus cheered.

"Impossible!" Eggman cried, turning the Egg Phoenix's cannons to the echidna. Shadow fired on the coming missiles, taking them out one-by-one. "Curses! I have to get this bird back in the air!"

"Not happenin'!" Sonic declared as he landed atop the craft, Tails and Knuckles to either side of him. "You're goin' down, and then it'll be Dimitri's turn!"

"Give it up, Doc!" Knuckles said, punching into the window standing between them and Eggman.

Eggman turned and ran into the back of his craft, the door closing behind him just as Knuckles finished punching throw the glass. All around, his craft was falling apart around him, no longer able to sustain the damage it had taken without the Chaos Emeralds' powers to draw upon. "You haven't won yet!" he declared, reaching the core of the Egg Phoenix. There, the Chaos Emeralds were placed into a device, glowing as they emitted their energies. He snatched them and ran for the back exit.

As Finitevus drew the last of the Chaos Energy into the Syphon, he looked down at the device. "It's holding stable."

"So it's a success?" Shadow asked.

"No. It was able to drain the Chaos Energy from the Egg Phoenix and cancel its abilities, but it can only hold so much… Against Enerjak, it would reach its limit far too soon."

The two watched as a door flew off of the back of the Egg Phoenix, and Eggman flew out in his signature hovercraft. Shadow aimed with his rifle and fired, his shot deflected by a barrier. "He must have the Chaos Emeralds with him. Use the Syphon to- Damn. It still needs time, doesn't it?"

Finitevus nodded. The two watched as something else struck it. It was a Chaos Spear, and although the barrier still protected Eggman, the attack startled him enough to freeze momentarily. That moment was all that Dimitri needed, warping up to the sky using Chaos Control, standing on Fixit's back as the robot hovered in the air. He raised his staff and slammed it into Eggman's console, destroying it.

Shadow fired a shot, but it evaporated before it could reach the echidna. "He's using his Anti-Chaos Field," Finitevus explained. He heard footsteps, and realised that he and Shadow had been completely surrounded by Nocturnus forces. Shadow grabbed Finitevus and ran before they could strike, carrying him and his Syphon to safety. "Wait! The Chaos Emeralds!"

Shadow grunted as he found himself being intercepted by Gizoids. He managed to dodge their attacks and countered by kicking them, but carrying Finitevus made it awkward to fight properly, so he opted to keep running. "Not much we can do now. Leave it to Sonic."

As Shadow said that, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles busted out from inside of the Egg Phoenix, causing the mech to explode behind them. They saw what was happening above and wasted no time; Tails grabbed Sonic's hands and lifted him into the air, whilst Knuckles attacked the Gizoids that tried to go after them.

"You fool! This is a delicate machine!" Eggman scolded, grabbing his gun and aiming it at the echidna. Dimitri was too fast, though, and batted the firearm out of Eggman's hand before he even had a chance to fire it. With another strike, Eggman's pod began to fall. As it did, Sonic and Tails rose to confront Dimitri.

"Dimitri, that's enough!" Sonic shouted. "We're stoppin' you, right here and now!"

Sonic charged into a spindash, and Tails fired him at Dimitri. Dimitri deflected Sonic's attack with his staff and knocked him back, but Tails was ready to catch him. He fired Sonic again, and Dimitri blocked. He fired again, and again. "How long do you intend to keep up this diversion?" Dimitri asked. "Long enough for your friend below to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds?"

Tails gasped, looking down to where Knuckles was approaching Eggman's pod on the ground. He saw something approaching Knuckles quickly from behind. "Knuckles, watch out!"

"Tails, focus!" Sonic said, and Tails fired him again at Dimitri. This time, Dimitri dodged the attack, rather than blocking it, and as he put some distance between himself and them, he took out the silver Chaos Emerald and waved his staff. Several Chaos Spears appeared in front of him, and he fired them all at once.

Tails attempted to dodge them, but there were too many and they were moving too quickly. One of them struck his shoulder, and he involuntarily let go of Sonic. "Sonic!" He attempted to dive to rescue his friend, but Dimitri moved quickly, intercepting the fox and slamming his staff into his side. Tails began falling, in too much pain to right himself.

Sonic, seeing his buddy in trouble, spread his arms to slow his descent. Tails caught up to him, and Sonic reached out to grab him. He saw Dimitri coming at them from above, summoning another barrage of Chaos Spears. Taking out the green Chaos Emerald, Sonic focussed. "Chaos Control!"

The spears fired, but missed as Sonic and Tails warped away, appearing safely on the ground some distance away from where Eggman's pod had crashed. Sonic let Tails down gently. "You hurt?"

"N-No... Just smarts a bit," Tails said, rubbing his side. "I'll be fine, but Knuckles-"

A piercing laughter made them jump. Turning, they watched as Knuckles was struck from behind by Lien-Da's whip, the electrical current coursing through his entire body. She kept it up for a few seconds before deciding to end it. As Knuckles caught his breath, Lien-Da closed the distance between them and drove her boot into his back, forcing him to the ground. "This is why you always finish what you started."

Knuckles grunted, looking up at Lien-Da defiantly. "Don't… count me out just yet!" Knuckles grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into her eyes, blinding her and forcing her to step back. "You're really starting to get on my nerves!" Knuckles drove his fist into Lien-Da's gut, and she fell to her knees. Raising his fist to finish her, Knuckles felt a sudden chill down his back. Something struck him from behind, sending Knuckles flying across the battlefield.

Sonic ran over quickly to catch Knuckles, making sure he was okay. "What… What was that?" Knuckles asked, rubbing his head as he climbed to his feet.

"That was Dimitri," Sonic said. Dimitri landed beside the crashed pod, laughing as he saw the three glaring at him. Sonic rushed in and threw a punch. Dimitri used his Chaos Control to avoid it and struck with his staff. Sonic turned and kicked the staff away before it could connect, and then attempted to spindash, but was forces to evade as Lien-Da lashed her whip at him.

"Leave this to me," Dimitri warned, and Lien-Da withdrew her whip without a word.

"Heh, pretty honourable, but-" Sonic had no time to finish before he was struck by a Chaos Spear from behind, dropping him to his knees. "W-What..."

The Silver Chaos Emerald glowed in Dimitri's free hand, and then he swung his staff, creating another volley of Chaos Spears. They all launched at Sonic, and he moved quickly to avoid them. He managed to evade most, but one was able to just graze his leg, causing him to trip and fall onto the ground.

"Sonic!" Tails called, flying to Sonic's side. He stood in front of his friend, arms spread to shield him.

Knuckles joined Tails, punching his fists together and challenging Dimitri to try them. Instead, Dimitri simply laughed and turned away. "Hey! Where you d'you think you're going?!" Knuckles felt a hand grabbing his leg, and turned to Sonic, who was climbing to his feet.

"Hold on, guys. He's using the Chaos Emerald to make himself stronger." Sonic motioned with his head, and both Tails and Knuckles looked around to find themselves surrounded by Nocturnus. "We can't just rush in recklessly on this one."

Knuckles groaned, but he knew that Sonic was right. Dimitri was on another level compared to Kragok and Lien-Da, and they were already spent from fighting the Egg Phoenix. The Nocturnus soldiers advanced. The trio nodded to each other and began taking on the soldiers.

"They're making quick work of our troops," Lien-Da noted as she approached Dimitri, kneeling before him. "Is that okay?"

"I never gave them the order to attack. The fools deserve it if they die, though there's likely no risk of that coming from those three." Dimitri heard shuffling and turned to face Eggman, who was attempting to sneak away with the Chaos Emeralds in all the confusion. "Going somewhere?" he asked, and Eggman quickly bolted. "Chaos Control." Dimitri warped, appearing directly in front of Eggman, who skidded to a halt and fell onto his backside.

"W-Who do you think you are?! All units, attack!"

"Are you sure about that?" Dimitri asked, reaching down to grab the scientist by the collar. "They might hit you by mistake." Grumbling, Eggman did nothing as Dimitri relieved him of the three Chaos Emeralds he had dropped. "Thank you for holding onto these for me. And now this is for wasting my time." Dimitri charged energy into his staff, forming a sharp tip at the end.

"W-W-Wait! You can't kill me!"

"Oh? And who's stopping me?" Dimitri glanced to the side. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles had finished their fight, and were now watching carefully. "They don't seem interested."

"We should do something, right?" Knuckles whispered to Sonic, and Sonic nodded his head.

"I wanna, but... I get the feeling there's nothing we can do. Not right now."

Eggman continued flailing, panic rising as Dimitri raised his staff. "Hold on! You want the Chaos Emeralds, right?! Well you'll never find the last one without me!"

Dimitri lowered his staff, grinning. "Now you have my intrigue. Do go on, Doctor."

Eggman breathed a sigh of relief. "The final Chaos Emerald, I already have it! It's locked away in a special vault that's designed to block out Chaos Energy, that's how you haven't been able to detect it! Without me, the only way you're finding it is if you manually scour every last inch of this planet!"

Dimitri narrowed his eyes. "So, your proposal is this: the Chaos Emerald, for your miserable life?"

"Eheh. You Nocturnus are quite the advanced race, I must admit! And, well, you've already seen my handywork. Imagine what we could accomplish together! Spare me, and I'll make it more than worth your while!"

"As soon as I have the powers of Enerjak, men like you will no longer be needed."

"… Eh?"

Dimitri released Eggman. "Hmph. But I suppose you would also no longer be any threat. Very well. I will agree to spare you, and in exchange, you will lead me to the location of the seventh Chaos Emerald."

"But of course!" Eggman turned around, looking for something. "We'll need a transport. The Emerald isn't here; it's at one of my other bases, a lovely little hovel called Cryptic Castle!"

"Boss, we have a ship ready to launch!" Orbot reported.

Eggman turned to Dimitri, offering a hand. "Well then, shall we?"

Dimitri ignored Eggman's hand. "Lead the way, Doctor. Lien-Da, issue to order for all forces to retreat." Lien-Da followed the direction, and as Eggman passed the irate echidna, Dimitri added, "And Doctor? Don't try anything foolish. I have sharp eyes, and sharper reflexes."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Eggman assured him, and then the two were off, joined by Lien-Da and Fixit.

Knuckles moved to give chase, but Sonic stopped him. "What're you doing?! We can't let them get any more Chaos Emeralds!"

"Chill, Knuckles," Sonic said. "Didn't you hear? The Chaos Emerald is at Cryptic Castle. We know where it is, so rather than try to stop Dimitri now, with the odds against us, let's go on ahead. If we hurry, we might just be able to catch 'em."