An explosion grew from the plaza floor, not all that different in appearance from the original Chaos Control that had brought the anthropomorphs to the human world. This blast was also displacing creatures through time and space: riding the shockwaves, wearing their most distraught faces and flailing their limbs were Stuart, Amy, Tails and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Each one of them kissed the rough surface of floor tiles. Beta gave a hearty cackle in his naturally amplified voice.
"Whoa Ho!" the E-series Ground Commander chortled. "I sunk your battleship!"
Sonic and his friends were groaning and writhing on the ground as the elite robots regrouped for another attack. "What'll we play now?" Beta sneered. "How 'bout Connect Four?" Gamma was already tagging the quartet. They fired again.
Sonic's eyes suddenly opened with such alertness that the focus of the world seemed to zoom in and concentrate on his serious optics. "NO!" he yelled, and jumped into a spin-dash, knocking his energy-infused body into each approaching laser bolt. Tails would have explained that this was Sonic's long-forgotten and seldom-useful Insta-Shield attack, but he didn't think Amy would appreciate his efforts. Each blast rammed into their friend and was merely absorbed by the energy field his rapid movement produced. The hedgehog landed on his feet, a little wobbly from all the attacks he had blocked. The lightless Power Ring in his palm crumbled.
"Awww, Killjoy!" Beta whined. "Get 'im!"
Sonic turned back to his friends as the ultimate mechs marched forward in delta wing formation. "Get out of here!" he ordered while shots whizzed through the air. "Go, I'll hold them off!"
Amy gasped. "But Sonic!"
"You can't stop them all by yourself!" Tails protested.
The hedgehog attempted a cheeky grin, but it came off more grimly. "What do you think I do every week? Go! Get the X-Cyclone! Hurry!"
He fired himself into the battle, and Amy didn't even have the chance to wish him luck. She quivered in terror and could not find the strength to move until Stuart's warm hands lifted her and pulled away. They ran perhaps five steps when a cry of pain stopped their feet and turned their heads. Sonic was lying on the ground, ready to be squished as the five mechas stomped forward unceasingly.
"Sonic, get up!" Amy screeched. The hedgehog's ear twitched, he groaned and then catapulted himself into the action.
Sparks flew from Beta like water from a sprinkler as the hedgehog repeatedly bounced and rebounded off the machine like a blue hacky sack. But the black jerk wasn't showing any signs of damage; rather, Beta seemed to be amused, as if tickled.
"Ladies aaaand Gentlemen!" Beta crowed like an obnoxious auctioneer. "Our first item on sale is this fine blue rotary blade! It slices, it dices," he backhanded the hedgehog with an arm cannon.
"It sucks big time!" Beta sneered, and continued to walk forward, blasting his prey as he jabbered. "Second on our list is this handsome gunner mech who looks absolutely stylish in black! Comes complete with a full round of live ammunition! Going once!" He shot Sonic. "Twice!" Now with the other hand. "Three times!" Both arms.
"Sold!" E-101 declared, suddenly swiveling his chassis to catch Amy in his crosshairs. "To the pink cutie in the first row." A mouth would have been grinning wickedly. "Hey bright eyes; wanna be my Beta Tester?"
Then Sonic jumped up and tackled the black ego. They spilled on the ground, hedgehog beating his fists on Beta's frame until the mech coiled up his frog legs and kicked his attacker away. While still in mid-air, Epsilon got off a sniper shot.
"Whoo-wee! Lez whoop this varmint, partner!"
Sonic was just getting to his feet when he heard the sound of two roaring formula-one racers. Gamma and Delta, folded into wheel-mode rammed the hedgehog off balance. As he staggered, a mechanical hand grabbed his spines and plucked him into the air.
"Oh sure, now I get to be part of the action," the hovering Zeta grumbled as he ascended. Sonic dangled from his grasping hand. "Stay back Zeta, you give us cover fire. Cover us Zeta, your air-patrol. Losers. … You know what I think? I think they wanna get rid of me! Geez, life sucks!"
Sonic's teeth were ready to bite through each other as he grimaced over the pain in his hair. "You have no idea," he sneered back.
"There, there! Y'see! Everybody's criticizing me!"
Tails and Amy watched from the sidelines as E-105 dragged Sonic higher into the air. The other four mechs were taking potshots at their partner, trying to knock their quarry out of his grasp. Amy suddenly felt she could watch no more. "We have to do something!" she gasped, pulling out her hammer. "Tails, air-lift me, I'll…." She stopped when a cold hand touched her shoulder.
Who dared stop her? Amy snapped around, fully intending to unleash her rage verbally. But when she spun and saw Stuart's stern face, her brain crashed and her brilliant plan fumbled. All she could manage was to appear decidedly puzzled and utter a small "Uoh?".
The teacher glared with such disapproving countenance that Amy became chilled and had to shiver out another "Uohh," as she stared in awe. "Hmm," the grim and focused Stuart grumbled, then returned his all-knowing glare to the battle. The lowly hedgehog turned her head downward, feeling dejected, and let out a sad "Ohh".
Tails continued to stare, his shiny eyes flickering like candle flame. He just watched, oblivious to the strength he possessed, clueless to the power rings in his mitts, forgotten of his order to fetch the X-Cyclone for backup. But out in the corner of his eye, he did notice two onlookers joining their staring. One was a short, bald monk in orange pajamas and missing a nose; the other was a messy haired kid in blue with a tail. Both of them followed Amy's cues and stood like distressed statues, letting out periodic 'uoh … u, u, uoh's as they watched Sonic have the snot kicked out of him.
Zeta dropped Sonic and suddenly the fight powered up. Sonic landed on the ground, only to be met with overhead hail fire from 105. He ducked and weaved through the shots but Gamma and Delta only returned in wheelie-mode, knocking him senseless into the arm cannons of Beta and the fist of Epsilon. He was not just fighting five mechas, but one team, working together to restrict his speed and to force him into their partners' gun sights.
"Uoh!" Amy, Stuart and Tails all gasped together as Sonic suffered a powerful punch in the jaw. Their bodies were tense and their eyes warbled like glassy orbs. The hit sent Sonic skidding against the floor until he was only inches from their toes. The hedgehog shuddered and panted heavily. They all looked down and gave an extra-special dramatic gasp at his broken state.
Actually, Sonic seemed to be in the perfect bill of health. Sure, there were a few black lines drawn across his body, but it appeared as if he had not been hurt one bit: no bleeding, no black eyes, no bruised or broken limbs. In short, he was just a little dirty.
Sonic moaned. Tails was trembling as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, as if he were trying to hold in a really bad fart. "Get … get up, Sonic," he ordered.
Sonic groaned again and lifted a hand.
"You … you must get up!" Tails insisted. Sonic's hand seemed to be reaching for the fox, as if asking for something.
"Sonic! You … you have to keep fighting!" The hedgehog was flapping his palm at the fox, snapping it open-shut just inches from the vulpine's own hand.
A rhythmic clomping and Beta stole the scene. "Hey, slacker! Who said you could have a break?" The black war machine stepped daintily in between Sonic and his friends and bent over excessively, exposing his vulnerable backside as he scooped up the hedgehog. Beta fumbled for a bit, trying to grab the hedgehog with digits comprised solely of laser cannons. He shuffled and grumbled, wiggling his defenseless rear in the others' faces as they watched and gasped. Finally, 101 managed to scoop up Sonic round the waist and carried him off, not giving a shred of acknowledgement to the three remaining mammals. A gloved hand strained around Beta's side, clawing the air and trying to reach at Tails. The fox just gasped in horror as his friend was dragged away.
Amy took a courageous step forward, but Stuart only clasped her shoulder again, giving a negative "mhm-mm".
"But … Sonic!" Amy protested with eyes that shook like jello.
Stuart shook his head. "There was nothing we could do."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dr. Robotnik was having the time of his life as his E-100 series demolished Sonic's body. "That's it! Yes, crush him, my creations! Destroy that hedgehog!"
"Give him the chair!" Little Black Thing hollered.
From across the plaza, the fox boy was shouting as well. "Hang in there, Sonic! You can do it! We're all rooting for you!"
And Robotnik only laughed harder as Epsilon took his elbow and delivered a pile-drive into Sonic's gut.
"You shouldn't get so overconfident, Mr. Robotnik!" a voice from behind declared. Shocked, the cruel creator of cataclysmic contraptions turned around and found a boy in blue leather. His lightning-spike hair of red, black and blonde gave a false air of toughness to the short pushover.
The boy went on, pyramid medallion shaking on his chest as he pointed an accusing finger. "You'd be surprised what the power of the heart is capable of! You think yourself superior because you control such weapons of destruction?"
"Yes," Robotnik replied blankly to the rather evident question.
"Well you may have all-powerful weapons, but Sonic has the one thing you'll never have: friendship! With his friends cheering him, encouraging him to endure, you'll never defeat Sonic! Such is the power of the Heart of the Cards!"
Robotnik took it all in, until his black glasses were shimmering in amazement. He looked over the human boy – who had appeared out of nowhere for no good reason – so strong and sure of himself despite his size. He looked back at his five war machines, forming a ring around Sonic and taking turns kicking the fallen hedgehog. He looked further to the edge of the plaza, where the pink brat and the fox were cheering their lungs out. He looked back at Sonic, probably unconscious now and rolling limply with every violent nudge.
"D-Decoe," Dr. Robotnik whispered, feeling a lump of pity grow in his throat.
The golden assistant approached cautiously, unsure as to what change of heart had come over his Master. "Sir?"
"Give the little urchin some money for a haircut and see him off."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Oof!" Sonic grunted as he slid across the floor for the umpteenth time. He pressed his knees on the floor and tried to rise…
"Whoa!" Beta cackled. "Looks like we've got a glutton for punishment, boys!" His jovial voice went dark and derisive. "Well tuck in yer bib, kiddo, cause t'night's All-You-Can-Eat!"
Sonic spotted something just before his face: a black marble. That Tiny Dark Entity must have thrown some duds… He strained his hand forward and grasped this one final chance.
The hedgehog rolled onto his feet and stood with great effort. "You guys like Chinese food?" he asked while inching towards his friends. "Cause I got a fortune cookie for ya: Your future will considerable brighten!"
He threw the tiny bomb. FLASH! The plaza burned in a final, blinding flare that made the mechas cry out and cover their optics. Beta was livid!
"HEY! I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO MAKES BAD PUNS AROUND HERE!"
"What in 'tar-nation! Ah can't see uh thang!"
"Wretched dawn! Concealing all from the misty embrace of black night!" That was Delta.
"All right!" Beta declared once the flash disappeared. "I'm kickin' it up a notch! Where's that blue boy?"
Beta stopped and considered that his question might not be rhetorical any more. "Uhh… hey, where did he go?" The charred plaza was empty and rain trickled down their wet hulls in the bothersome silence.
Dr. Robotnik was just recovering from his own temporary blindness. "Blast that hedgehog!" he cursed while rubbing his eyes. "What's our status?"
The E-100s looked at one another, their aimless stares slowly focusing on Beta. The Ground Commander made a double take at this insurrection, but conceded after a bout of grumbling.
"Ingrates…" the black scapegoat muttered as he walked toward the soundstage. "Uh, hey there, Boss-Man! Umm… okay, funny story here; d'ya like funny stories? Y'see, we were all gangin' up on the hog and, … uh, well…"
"Idiot!" growled The Doctor. "Sonic's gone! Why aren't you chasing him?"
"Umm, uh… gazing in rapture at our most merciful creator?"
"FOOL! Get going! We haven't got time to waste!"
"Umm, umm, umm, YEAH! That's exactly what I was telling the Goof Troop back there," Beta declared, switching angles. "But nooo, they didn't think we should leave yet…"
"MOVE LIKE YOU'VE GOT A FUNCTION, BOLT-HEAD!"
Beta gave a hasty salute. "Yessir, 10-4, roger that, movin' out! Long live the Eggma… Robotnik Empire!" He jogged away, assuming his cocky command position.
"C'mon you transformer rejects! You heard Dr. Demento: git movin!"
Only Zeta refused the order. He stood in a pose of disgust with his foot shaking in the air. "Eww, I stepped on something gross," 105 whined. "Why is it always me?"
"What is your hindrance?" Gamma inquired. His brother pointed to the gray goop he had squashed. Epsilon came over as well and he gave a frightful little jump at the sight.
"Uh, Mr. Decoe, sir," the western stereotype piped up, "Ah reckon we found Mr. Bocoe's head."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NEXT TIME: Let the hunt begin.
Hang tight, dear readers! I'll be back before Cheese can say "Chao!" … Oh gosh, that doesn't leave me much time, does it?
--Tylec Asroc.