Chapter 13: Upgrades

X.x.x. Streets of Paradise Coast .x.x.X

The ambiance of a usual Paradise Coast day is a mix of the sounds of chattering tourists, the melodic tropical music of street performers, and the hustle and haggling of the various malls and shops. All of that changes to the sound of battle and destruction as people look up and begin to flee from the incoming fight. The mechanical rabbit was able to right herself as she landed hard and cratered into the road, causing cars to swerve out of the way. As she walks out of the hole, Bunnie rubs her jaw that still has the sting from the hit she took from the flying robot and slowly jumps to a low hover. While the EXO hovers in the air above, a tiny drone that sits in the letter of a building watches the battle. The drone has a blinking light that can be seen on its back as it broadcast the entire fight...

X.x.x. Eggman's Base, Manufacturing View Room .x.x.X

Deep in the mechanical heart of the factory, Dr. Robotnik and Snively are both looking at several massive screens, each one showing a different fight in progress and a wall of data being collected.

"Now that all the subjects are in place," Eggman sits with a massive tub of popcorn for himself, "Time for the test to begin."

"I thought we did the test and lost a few to the lion." Snivley reminds his uncle in the hope of raining on his parade.

"True and those problems have been dealt with," pointing to the text recordings of the EXOs' combat data "You thought I didn't spend some time making a few adjustments to correct those mistakes".

Snivley was left dumbstruck at the realization "The Mech wasn't the only new thing you've made. You made …"

"An algorithm custom made to find weaknesses from last battles to make the perfect balance of ever improving physical and tactical genius. Eventually, they will become truly impossible to defeat". Eggman points to the factory floor as twelve more EXO series bots are attached to a server. They were in four sets of three with one group looking like the base model, another three with yellow paint matching the flying one, three clad a menacing red draped in heavy armor and sporting massive arms, and the last three thinner than the rest with wheels for feet and a vibrant blue in their streaks "That was before I added these variant models, this is the push I needed to reclaim the world I rightly earned with my own two hands". The doctor laughs to himself and turns the channel to the battle against Bunnie "Care to see how the AERO series fares on its maiden mission?"

Snivley sighs "Alright," he walks to a nearby chair "What tweaks did you make for these models aside from some jet packs and rocket boots?"

"Well let's see..." as Eggman points a remote to the screen "lets see what surprises are in store for all of us." a foul grin grows on his face as the fight begins...

X.x.x. The City .x.x.X

Bunnie quickly rockets back into the air as she launches a devastating punch into the EXO's awaiting block as she begins the battle in mid-air with the machine. The block turns into a grab as it slings Bunnie into a building wall. She recovers in time to dodge a punch and answer with a blast that sends it into the roof of a parked car. Only seconds pass until a swarm of pen-sized rockets fly from the smoke and race towards their target. She easily bends and sways out of the way as every single rocket misses

"Aw hell tin can, can't hit the broad side of a barn?" a groaning sound snaps her to realize the missiles were aimed at a billboard's legs that cause the whole thing to collapse. She prepares to move until the sight of people fleeing causes her to realize that people will be hurt if she can't slow the descent of the debris enough for them to escape. With her racing underneath it and holding the middle, Bunnie used both rockets to bring the billboard to a slow descent out of the way of civilians. Just as she lets go, a metal fist sends her flying through a glass window into an abandoned building.

"Damn, cheap-shootin' motherf..." Bunnie steps out of the way of a mechanical kick and prepares to return the favor, but is met with the fire of another kick boosted by EXO's foot rocket. Bunnie sails out of another window and shoots back up into the air out of the fray of battle to give herself time to think.

"Hell's bells, this robot is tougher than the average junk Eggman puts out." Upon seeing the damage to the city block Bunnie realises any further fighting will destroy more of the city. "C'mon Bunnie, you ain't gonna let this walkin' junk heap beat ya..."

"Not to bother you," a calm voice rings into Bunnie's communicators "I know you're busy, but I've got a plan..."

"Nicole, not gonna ask how long you've been there but if you got a plan, ah'm all ears hun..." A few seconds pass and Bunnie rockets to the beach with the EXO hot on her heels.

The grey, rectangular urban jungle gives way to the vast blues of sea and sky as Bunnie reaches out to the open ocean. She more freely dodges lasers from the AERO-EXO as it follows in tow.

"Now let's see how tough ya are without the fear of collateral damage slowin' me down.'' She turns on a dime, weaving through blast after blast and delivers a rattling punch that sends the EXO crashing into the ocean with such a force as to cause a pillar of water that almost reaches the rabbit. A moment passed before a second pillar rose from a spot behind her. The rush from the water is immediately blasted by Bunnie only to be revealed to be a missile. Realizing it was a decoy, she turns to see an EXO rearing it's leg for a sweeping kick for her head. Bunnie grins as she effortlessly cuts off the thrusters, drops just enough to feel the breeze from the robotic leg, and reignite her thrusters at full power and drive a metal armed uppercut into its chest and carries it into a combo of punches and a rocketed knee sending them plummeting back towards the choppy waters below. Instead of a splash of hitting water, the sound of afterburners is heard as it flies over Bunnie's head and charges its chest-mounted beam.

"ALRIGHT YOU SONOVA BITCH, LET'S DO THIS!" Bunnie charges her arm cannon to the point of glowing a near molten orange and fires her laser that meets the blast in a struggle. Things are even until the voice of Nicole rings into her communicator "You gotta get out of there, you are almost out of energy"

"Don't worry, all I need to do is win this and..."

"Even if you win you know too much strain can kill you, remember parts of you are still flesh and bone." The silent response lets Nicole know she is right and Bunnie has pushed herself to her limits and beyond as she notices her beginning to sink. Bunnie finally responds, her voice gives an undertone of fear "I gotta finish this now if not I'll..."

"Just hang on I got this," Nicole scrambled the airship into motion "On my signal, give it everything you got."

The rabbit grits her teeth and hangs on as the center of the beams slowly inches closer, the heat causing the cannon to sizzle. Just as it looks as if the beams threaten to engulf Bunnie, a volley of missiles from the airship slam into the EXO's back, damaging the core and draining some power. This opening gives Bunnie enough of an edge to give one final push and engulf the whole robot, vaporizing the EXO. The remains of smoke clouds and falling scrap into the sea prompt the drained rabbit to slowly lose altitude just as Nicole swings the airship by to catch the exhausted, but thankfully alive hero.

"Got you,'' Nicole gives a heavy sigh "That was too close for comfort." as a swarm of nanites collect Bunnie and quickly carry her to the medical wing "Now let's catch up with the others, I feel the others may need us as soon as possible...