Sparks flew and metal hissed as Dr. Fukurokov applied a welding torch to his latest creation. He'd received a number of questions about what it was he was making, but he'd been keeping it under wraps since before he started. It wasn't meant to be as grandiose as the Battle Moon, nor would it be quite as straightforward and deadly as the Grand Kukku Mobile Suit, but it would serve an important purpose, nonetheless. In truth, it was one of those things that now became a series, much like the Mecha Golem, though unlike that creation of his, the owl believed this would have a final design. The initial model didn't even get a chance to do what it'd been intended for, so the engineer had made marked alterations so that this version wouldn't end up the same. If this wouldn't be the one, then the old bird was certain, for some reason he couldn't explain, that the next would be it.
Of course, that wasn't the only project he had in store. There was the reconstruction of the Battle Moon, which was some hours away from completion. The station would be ready for launch around the early evening, by his estimates, which worked out well enough for their plans. But, should the fox survive and continue to make trouble for them, there was one final ace up his sleeve. It hinged on him getting a great enough power source, however, and he wasn't brimming with confidence that his forces could secure the other Chaos Emeralds, given their track record. That left him with the prospect of seizing the Master Emerald instead, which Knuckles had told him was potentially greater than the seven gems. While he wasn't keen to break off the alliance he had with the echidna, at least not yet, the doctor knew it was an inevitability.
The lab darkened as he cut the flame on his torch, then pushed up his welding mask to admire his work, now that it was finished. Well, perhaps "admire" was the wrong word, as part of him felt a strong disgust for even resorting to this. Ivo had been the one to suggest creating a likeness of his greatest enemy in order to best fight him, and he admitted there was some poetry in the idea. At the very least, all those recordings he made and the information he kept on his arch-nemesis would come in handy for its AI.
It sported the same overall color scheme as the original Miles, save for metallic gray in the place of white, and both of his forearms being the same steel coated hue. In place of its bangs were three prominent spikes, a single smaller one for its nose, and though it had a muzzle, it lacked a mouth entirely. The fluffy tips of its tails had several more serrated spines along the last third, ending in piercing pick-like points. Its forearms were more broad and like a barrel than the real thing, and its segmented fingers had vicious brush-shaped claws, while its legs were mostly the same, with the exception of studs on its knee joints. Its shoes were bulky, not only to support the weight of the robot, but to fit in extra designs such as back wheels and miniature jet thrusters. Most notably, there was an indentation in its chest that was the same shape as Miles' fur there, the outer framing of it gray while the rest was a neon yellow that was "divided" into six sections by black lines.
At the bottom of its chest cavity was a trio of circular slots, one red, one green, and one magenta. Dr. Fukurokov turned around to the work table behind him and opened up a large locked box, pulling out three glass tubes. Inside each of them was a crystal that matched the sockets in the robot, all of them giving off a hearty glow. Ivo had told him that these were known as Chaos Drives, crystallized Chaos Energy that's primarily used as a power source for the combat robots under the control of the Guardian Units of Nations. Family ties and a bit of cleverness on the human's part had enabled him to secret away the process of creating them, but even with direction, Chaos Drives were not easy to manufacture on a large scale for anyone that wasn't affiliated with G.U.N. The dim red Emerald that Knuckles had retrieved for them had managed to produce only these three specimens over the course of the past week and a half, but he supposed that was due to its own power being reduced. There were just enough units for what he needed, anyway, so he could worry about making more after he completed his other project.
The owl waddled back over and, with a bit of trepidation, set the Drives into the corresponding slots, then took a step away from the construction table. After a couple of moments, the lines around its core filled with electric blue light, and its limbs twitched to life. Its dark eyes lit up with a pair of vertical cyan-blue ovals, serving as irises while the black background and the "holes" in the color served as the sclera and pupils, respectively. After several more seconds, the likeness of the fox slowly brought itself upright, examining its dangerous digits as it gave them a few flicks and wiggles.
"Good morning, Mecha," the doctor greeted the automaton, "or afternoon, technically."
The robot glanced over at him and nodded its head. The bird let out a quiet breath as that confirmed that it recognized him, as it should from the registry and information he uploaded. A small part of him had been nervous that with a framework of the fox's thought patterns installed, it would rebel against him, but the programming seemed to override any considerations like that.
"Hello, Dr. Fukurokov," it replied with Miles' voice, albeit a little deeper and tinged by cybernetic refrain, "I have a query: is Mecha the designation assigned to this unit?"
The owl coughed and cleared his throat. "Yes, well, your official name is 'Mecha Miles', with 'Mecha' simply being a short form to save time and breath."
"Acknowledged," Mecha responded as it bobbed its head in understanding. It pushed itself off of the table, its feet making a loud clang as they hit the ground. It stood there for a couple of seconds until a beep came from its speakers. "System checks report operation is at 100% functionality. Power, Speed, and Flight Drives are online and supplying requisite energy at 100% efficiency. What is my first mission, doctor?"
The owl stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Perform a perimeter sweep around the valley that the Battle Moon is in. We don't want anyone that isn't supposed to be here getting inside. After you're done with that, report back to me about anything suspicious you find, or the lack thereof."
"Affirmative, engaging reconnaissance and defense protocols," the mechanical fox droned out.
Dr. Fukurokov pressed a button on a remote in his lab pocket, causing a skylight to open above the two of them. Without further questions, Mecha activated the boosters in its shoes and put its two tails to work, rocketing up the access shaft and exiting the station in a flash. The engineer closed up the passage behind it, then went over to his chair and slumped down in it tiredly.
'At least I know it works,' he thought, massaging his temple between his talons, 'and thank goodness I decided to forgo including his speech patterns. Having him drone and be technical like most stereotypical robots might be irritable, but it's vastly preferable to that attitude of Prower's.'
He put that out of mind and reached for the cup of tea that he'd prepared to help wind down after all that work. He blew away some of the steam and let out a relaxed sigh as he raised the rim to his beak.
"Doctor, urgent report!" shouted a combatant that rushed into the room.
The owl squawked in fright from the sudden intrusion, causing him to spill some of his drink onto his lap. His eyes just about bulged through his glasses at that, the pain making him let out a very unmanly cry as he fell forward out of his chair. The soldier hurriedly went over and helped him back to his feet, only to be rudely pushed away.
"For Babylon's sake, I've told you all many times to hail my comm link before entering my laboratory!" Fukurokov scolded the grunt, rubbing out the damp spot in his pants as best he could, "now, what is it? You said the report was urgent, soldier!"
The fellow snapped to attention and saluted. "Sir, the Kukku Dirigible has reported that the fox's aircraft intercepted them and is currently fleeing our way with Prower in tow!"
"That cannot be right!" the owl growled, glaring at the subordinate, "I could expect his friends arriving after we'd engaged him, but ahead of us? What about the squad we sent to deal with their base camp?"
The other bird was silent for a moment. "All robots, vehicles, and Badniks were destroyed, while our combatants were made to flee. Aside from one comm, all of their equipment is present and intact."
"Unbelievable!" Dr. Fukurokov shrieked, angrily stomping his way to the door of his lab, "such incompetence must have led to those brats eavesdropping on the plan! It's the only explanation that makes sense!" Seething from the news, but also the accident he had, he swiveled his head around to look at the grunt. "Send a message to the bridge of the warship to shoot down that plane!"
While the Kukku Dirigible pursued the Tornado, Miles and Sonic started their infiltration. With a Spin Dash, they shot upwards through a loop, tripping a few mines as they went and moving quickly enough to avoid the explosions. Inside the aircraft itself, there was a shiny bronze path, neatly punctured with rows of tiny holes. The internal ground was composed of large square blocks and fuel tanks, both light mauve in color, and with thick purple chunks of metal lining the walls. The fuel tanks came in various shapes and sizes and were connected by complex piping systems, and the outer walls weren't so much as solid, but composed of massive gray shutters.
Following the path to the end, the both of them spiraled down a massive mesh cylinder until they came upon an opening about halfway down. The slope just outside of it brought them to a shaft that went further into the depths of the ship, and into the path of new Badniks. These were based on Hercules beetles, with bulky brown and gray armor, as well as a pair of tracked wheels underneath their bodies. Their horns, however, were based more on those of Japanese rhinoceros beetles, with bisecting points and barrel holes between the horn ends. With a rev of their wheels, the robots charged at the two, with the Animals answering in their own way. Sonic bent down and went into a Spin Dash, carving through them and proving that those strong horns were no match for his speed and quills put together. Miles, meanwhile, picked off the stragglers with a few bombs that he dropped as he passed overhead, leaving them with more Rings to grab afterward.
Once that was done, they progressed beyond a whirling flame trap and took hold of a hanging bar on the back wall, which opened a panel in the floor beneath them. The hanger itself began to drop down from a chain, leaving them suspended above more flamethrowers and next to more of the same bars. The next one furthest from danger delivered them to a passage where they could hear the wind more clearly, meaning they were back outside. Before they continued, a few more automatons blocked their path, ones that were familiar to the fox, though he hadn't seen them for quite a while. They were small and round robotic rats with emerald green bodies, which had four short legs with midnight blue boots. They also had gray muzzles with little black noses, round antennae-like ears, a pointy tail, and yellow LED light bulbs for eyes.
"Nezus, huh?" Miles said curiously, "just don't give them a chance to plant their bombs, and you'll be fine."
For people with their speed, they didn't have to worry about that. Before most of the rodents even knew that they were there, they were swiftly dispatched. Although a few managed to get their tiny bombs out, they were easily avoided by the duo, who then moved on to the edge of the path. Between them and another outcropping, there were several meters of open air that provided a view of the island below, as well as a series of hangers, presumably for flying combatants to use. With pep in his step, the hedgehog backed up, then ran and leapt at them, managing to grab hold of one. While the fox flew beneath to act as a safety net, his partner used the things like monkey bars and swung himself to the other platform, soon being joined by the teen.
Just as they'd done when they first boarded, they ascended an access shaft, the way behind them shutting firmly the moment they were back inside. A trio of rolling mesh cylinders, much like the ones from Metropolitan Industries, led the heroes up a half-pipe and over a flamethrower, which the hoglet noticed was flat on top. He parkoured off the bit of ceiling onto the panel, feeling the pressure build up beneath him and then launching him up a similar, but longer stretch than the one he'd just scaled a second ago. Following him, Miles saw that the chamber they ended up in had a network of moving spheres set on a fixed path between two series of four metal tubes. Sonic had already gone ahead of him to take that route, while he elected to fly up to the top of the wall that the spheres led to. Meeting up at about the same time, the pair padded down the hall to a flame trap, which they used to boost themselves outside once again, this time onto part of the deck.
Here, they saw some of the many propellers that kept the dirigible afloat, as well as a few missile ports installed to ward off intruders. Sonic daringly grabbed hold of the base of the propellers' support, swinging around the pole and using the momentum to fling himself to the next. Thanks to the somewhat unpredictable path he took, the boy was able to shake off any missiles that came his way. Miles took the high road, though it was a bit difficult to fight against both the wind and the updrafts from the propellers. In any event, they found an entrance back into the ship from the top level, riding a platform to the next floor down. There, they discovered a long silver and green section of the ceiling that, every few seconds, would pull both Badniks and half-cut spike balls up to numerous magnetized points in the metal. The fox and hedgehog timed it so that they passed under the obstacles before they came back down, which also left the hapless robots unable to pursue them.
From there, the path came to a dead end on that level, though there were a couple of options to proceed. On one hand, they could fly up to a ledge that appeared to go further up into the ship, possibly back onto the deck. On the other, there was a floor switch much like the ones they encountered in their trek through the ruined underground temple, and an orange and black-ringed portion of the floor that was notably different from the rest.
"Hey, Tails," Sonic said to the fox, who glanced down at him attentively, "what do you say we split up and see if either of us can find the control room?"
Much as he wanted them to stay together for safety, Miles did concede they could cover more ground if they went with his partner's plan. "Sure thing, little buddy. If neither of us find it, we can meet up further in."
With the plan in motion, the hedgehog stepped on the switch and hopped down the shaft that opened up, while the fox took to the air. The older Animal landed on the ledge and rolled down the slope he found there, a dip in terrain sending him up into another loop. He ran down the interior of a spiraling cylinder like he had with Sonic just a little bit ago, coming out the other side and hitting a spring that sent him up through a shutter near the ceiling. At the end of the short hallway he emerged into, Miles found a wall variant of the barrier Sonic had opened seconds earlier, tripping the necessary switch and heading back out onto the deck. Making his way to the back of this section, he searched around the corner and uncovered a maintenance access panel that was just big enough for him to fit through. This brought him through a second outer hallway and into an area with rotating iron spike balls set between a few gaps in the flooring. Naturally, it wasn't a problem for a flier like him, and just as he did in the previous "room", he found a spot in the rear that allowed him to progress.
Meanwhile, Sonic fell through the center of a cylinder, right onto a platform that immediately dropped the moment his feet touched the top. He jumped to a couple more that brought him below the bottom of the blimp, seeing a series of rotating mesh tunnels precariously suspended above the sky. Confident though he was in his ability to get across, he knew the big guy would want him to make absolutely certain that he could. With that in mind, he fetched the ESP device from his pouch and inserted a ring into the back, adjusting the elemental display on the front so that it showed a white lightning bolt. Activating the projector, a translucent electric blue barrier erected itself around the hedgehog, a few arcs and lines of power flashing from inside the border on occasion.
"Feels like I'm inside one of those lightning balls," he commented as he smoothed his tingling quills, "but if I remember right, Tails said this would be really useful for me."
Not wanting to keep his friend waiting, the hoglet raced through the first cylinder with no issue, Rolling right into the second one. He paced himself so that he'd angled into the third mesh passage, but his timing was off by the slightest amount, and he found himself tumbling out into the open air! Thinking fast, Sonic attempted to Spin Dash so that he could close the distance to the other platform, but something else happened instead. The sound of discharging static rang in his ears, and the course of gravity was suddenly reversed, his feet making contact with metal a couple of seconds after. Looking down, he'd made it to the other side, where he patted himself to make sure he wasn't imagining things. He attempted to replicate what he'd done before, clearly seeing for himself that the Lightning Shield had allowed him to jump a second time with no loss of vertical or horizontal momentum.
"Pretty sweet, big guy," he mumbled with a grin, "this'll definitely come in handy."
Using his new, albeit temporary Double Jump, Sonic vaulted up to a platform that carried him back into the ship. He activated a floor switch and came to another magnetic strip just as it activated, letting out a cry of surprise as he was dragged up along with the iron balls and Badniks in the area! But even with the change in perspective, the kid was able to navigate the hallway and right himself on the other end, using his built-up speed to ascend two steep half-pipes. He came across a pair of those iron balls with the top half cut off, seeing them stopping short just below the ceiling when they were drawn up by magnetic current. He rode them up and pried himself off of the strip above, only to land right atop some mines that had been placed on the next outcropping. The shield protected him from the blasts, though it was now disabled from the sheer force and would be on cool-down for a short while. The boy was ready to use the next platform to go up, when he felt an odd breeze close to some equipment where one of the explosives went off.
"What the heck?" he muttered, nudging at the stuff with one foot and finding it was loose.
Pushing the junk aside, he discovered an alternate route that brought him to several meters below a cylinder. Sonic made short work of the handful of Nezus and Badniks that stood in his path, boarding an iron ball platform up to its limit. He got off onto another of those tracks of spheres, hitching a ride up to the only available path in sight. Moments from reaching the top, an amber blur passed overhead, making the hedgehog snicker. It seemed that his partner had just managed to beat him here, wherever "here" was. In short order, he joined back up with the fox, who'd taken a moment to try and assess things, from the look of it.
"Hey, kid!" Miles greeted him, then let out an airy chuckle, "I guess you didn't have any luck finding the control room either, huh?"
Sonic shrugged nonchalantly. "Not yet. Looks like we've still got a bit more ground to cover anyway."
"It does feel oddly bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside," the fox remarked, "and from what I've seen so far, it's like more of–"
He cut himself off when he noticed that the machinery around them no longer resembled fuel stores and weapons. Instead, there were numerous dark machines that resembled pill capsules, with a single window visible where a person's face would be, relative to their placement inside. He should've figured that with the Battle Moon still around, there'd be a chance they'd be reproduced, but it still made him irate all the same.
"Wretched old coot," he growled as he clenched a fist, "still making Conversion Therapy Machines. All the more reason to bring this place down."
Sonic gave him his trademark thumbs-up. "Right behind you, big guy. The faster we get through this place, the faster we can stop 'em from using those!"
That lifted the fox's spirits a bit, and helped diffuse some of his welling anger. He reminded himself he had to keep a better handle on it, especially after what happened at the end of their last adventure. And he had a feeling that if they were to have any sort of chance to restore the Chaos Emeralds, resorting to negativity would be the furthest thing from helping. Besides, a level head would be better suited to finding a way to ground this blimp without causing too much collateral damage.
Gizmo had to admit that as simplistic as his methods were, Big continued to impress her. He'd cleaned and cooked the fish with as much skill as she'd seen Fuchsia's father exhibit, with the resulting dishes tasting pretty good to boot. He'd stowed away the scraps for later, not wanting to waste anything, then resumed leading the way to where he last believed his friend was.
Now, the two of them had reached the edge of a great lake with much of the surrounding forest and mountains reflected on its surface. Beneath the verdant grass was purple stone and clay, and many red and yellow wildflowers sprang at the base of golden yellow trees. In addition, there were several different points in the water that appeared to create a somewhat unorthodox path across the lake. While this area wasn't the place the cat had been thinking of, it was a good spot to search for a frog, which the wolf could agree on. In the meantime, if she could perhaps glean more information about her companion, as well as the echidna that was no doubt mindful of their movements, all the better.
"So, tell me a bit more about yourself, Big," Gizmo started as they passed a small hill, "we kind of got sidetracked earlier. I know you said you're sixteen and you've been here your whole life. What about your parents?"
The cat contemplated the question as they came two large loops in a row, the portly feline choosing to leap onto the other end rather than run the length of it. The wolf considered it a smart approach, though her speed was just enough to allow her to clear the obstacles like Miles and Sonic could, if only just. They stopped at the edge of a cliff that left a significant gap between them and the next bit of earth.
"I don't really remember them," Big replied with a smile, "but that's okay. Froggy and Knuckles have always been here for me."
Gizmo perked her ears at that. "Just you three, huh? There isn't anyone else on the island?"
"Well, Knuckles had a mom and dad," the cat went on, his voice a little more somber, "I don't remember them too well, but I know they were nice."
The wolf bowed her head solemnly. The way the large cat was referring to them, it sounded like the echidna's parents were no longer around.
"I see," she said as respectfully as she could, wanting to move away from the potentially sensitive subject, "how did you meet your friends?"
Big pointed ahead at the opposite landmass, as though wordlessly saying they should cross. Gizmo wasn't certain how the rotund fellow was going to manage that, but if he was insisting, then he must know a way. She gauged the distance between the two cliffs, then knelt down and curled into a teal sphere as she built up a Spin Dash. Letting loose, the she-wolf leapt from the edge of the rock and let her speed carry her most of the way across. The instant it became apparent that she wouldn't make it, Gizmo straightened herself out and used her grappler to catch the side of the other cliff, tugging herself up to the top. She turned around and folded her arms, interested to see how her companion would make the journey.
The cat mimicked what the wolf had done, surprising her when he, too, used the Spin Dash. Despite his feline nature, Big's jumping height was less than amazing, but that's when he showed his hand. He raised his fishing rod above his head and pressed a button near the reel, causing a wide and bright white umbrella to sprout from the tip. Gizmo watched on with a slightly ajar mouth as the bulky boy, against all conventions of physics she knew, was loftily carried across the gap. He gripped onto the rocks just a few meters above the water, folded up the umbrella, then swiftly climbed the rest of the way.
"Well, it all started when I was a kitten," he began to tell the lady lupine as they walked down the path and climbed a short rise, "I was a small, skinny thing, and one day, I was stuck in a pretty bad storm."
Gizmo found herself smiling at the image of a scrawny little Big, perhaps even smaller than Miles had been as a child, that popped up in her head. At the same time, picturing such an innocent boy desperately trying to stay out of the rain and cowering from lightning tugged at her heart. It brought up memories of how her adopted younger brother used to be terrified of storms, and the way he would cling to her, Gadget, or their parents whenever one rolled around.
"I was really sad, because I was cold, wet, and hungry," the cat continued, the two of them passing over a narrow strip to where the cliffs got higher, "but before things got worse, that's when Froggy showed up. Thanks to him, we found a dry place to take shelter and a good spot to fish. After that, we hung out pretty much all the time." His muzzle broke out into a broad smile. "He taught me the best places to fish, what else can and can't be eaten, and where some neat spots on the island are."
While she couldn't comment on just how smart certain Critters could be, Gizmo wasn't about to knock Big for making friends with one and learning from it. Miles, after all, had befriended the Flickies on Cocoa Island, and had actually learned how to understand them and translate what they said. Maybe it was the same with the feline and his frog friend? In any case, the pair of them scaled up another handful of ledges to a tunnel that went straight through the cliff face at the end of the islet. A trio of natural pillars descended from there, the wolf and cat using their grappler and umbrella to move to the next big piece of earth.
"Anyway, we were looking around one day when we found this pretty place with lots of crystals," Big told her as they went down the path to yet another rise, "that's the Hidden Palace, and where I met Knuckles. He was really mad that someone got in, but his folks didn't seem to mind." The huge guy chuckled. "That happened a lot, me getting in and him getting upset. He never tried to hurt me, though, no matter how angry he got."
The wolf tilted her head. "Sounds like something of a game you two had going."
"Hmm, maybe," the cat considered, "he did always try something different to stop me." He shook his head after a moment. "But, after his parents were gone, he stopped getting angry with me so much. He started trying to teach me things instead, like how to carve wood and do maths. I think it's because he was afraid I was gonna leave, too, even if he told me to get out of the Hidden Palace all the time."
Gizmo had to admit, Knuckles still sounded like something of a jerk, but one with a good heart, at least. Of course, she had sympathy for his loss as well, although she couldn't understand it herself, nor did she wish to anytime soon. Still, that he was antagonistic towards Miles wasn't doing him any favors in her book. However, like she'd pondered earlier, maybe having Big in her corner could help remedy that.
They crossed a second set of three plateaus and arrived at the foot of a much taller one. Big made use of his natural climbing ability to climb the rocky wall, while Gizmo got a head start with a Spin Dash to run up as much of it as she could. Not being as fast as Sonic or Miles, she was barely able to make it to the top, using her cable to anchor herself. From there, they could see that they were close to the northern shore of the lake now, though it was still a considerable distance from their current position. Even at her full speed and tool at the ready, Gizmo was certain she would fall short before reaching the shore, and as floaty as it seemed, Big's umbrella probably wouldn't cut it either.
A glint of blue caught the corner of one of her eyes, one that wasn't coming from the water. Big tilted his head as the wolf went over to one spot in the grass at the top of the plateau and started sifting through the blades. After a couple of moments, he heard Gizmo let out a happy woof as she held her prize in the air, none other than the blue Chaos Emerald.
'Yes!' she thought excitedly, 'first the Pikkon Hammer, now one of the Emeralds. Helping Big out with his search has been more productive than I thought it would be.'
Just before she went over to the cat to show her prize, something else grabbed her attention. There was a flurry of movement on the shore they were looking to get to, where she spotted a dark figure rushing through the brush. Her ears could pick up the crashing of leaves and branches, but her eyes couldn't keep up. What it was, it was moving too quickly for her to get a proper bead on it, and as suddenly as it had become known, it vanished. Even the sounds it had been producing had ceased completely, leaving Gizmo more confused.
"What'd you find?" Big asked her.
Shaken from her thoughts by his timely interruption, the wolf flashed a grin and showed him the gem. His eyes lit up with recognition and he came closer to get a better look.
"Wow, I haven't seen one of those in years," the cat remarked happily, "not since they disappeared from the Hidden Palace."
Gizmo looked at him more intently upon hearing that. "Wait, the Chaos Emeralds used to be here?"
"Indeed they were, wolf."
The wolf and cat whirled around, seeing Knuckles standing by the top of the cliff they'd just climbed, both fists raised as he stared the former down.
After taking a moment, Miles and Sonic resumed their journey through the blimp. They proceeded down the long hallway that they guessed was halfway through the craft, then went upwards this time through a vertical cylinder that was enclosed on the top except for a small opening. A red spring sent them up into a three-quarters loop, over a platform by using curves in the ceiling, and in front of more metal hangers and a couple of Nezus at the end of the ride. Both used the bars to move down to the next level, avoiding a few floor traps and winding into a complete loop through another cylinder. The two were dumped into a half-pipe that put them in front of a floor switch, with a bizarre spiraling lift that went lower into the ship. A declining ramp guided them to a second one, the two deciding to get off at the halfway point and traveling down a hall to a platform at the back.
The fox and hedgehog briefly braved the underside of the dirigible, passing through a couple tunnels before shooting up an access shaft. Dodging a flame hazard, they took down a pair of beetle Badniks and used a spring to boost themselves into the following room, where they slid beneath a crushing trap and happened upon a third lift that went back up. At the top, they utilized the pressure from a flamethrower's panel to launch themselves onto a high ledge. And just like sometime ago, they found themselves at a fork, with one path going up and the other continuing beneath a floor shutter with a switch nearby.
"Want to split up again?" Miles asked his protege in adventuring.
Sonic shrugged and sported an unconcerned smile. "If that's what you wanna do."
The teen answered him by stepping on the switch and going down the path below without him. Chuckling, the hoglet glanced up and saw that a few panels were sticking out of the walls every so often. Thanks to some fancy footwork, he easily cleared his way to the top, flipping over the flames of yet another obstacle and springing up to a higher floor. He Spin Dashed through a few Badniks on the way to a spring, his vision spinning as he traveled the divots in the floors and ceiling for a good few seconds. He went into a roll down a steep drop, uncurling as the route flattened out and using his momentum to leap clear to a far ledge. From there, it was a matter of hopping over a few gaps while maintaining his speed. The path took a dive once again, swerving upwards into a series of springs that brought Sonic in front of a flamethrower. He dodged the fire with a timely Rolling Jump, running over a switch and depositing him on course to a loop, taking a few Nezus out of commission. A downward trip through a mesh cylinder sent him above a few traps, into the path of a couple beetles, and finally put him at the foot of one of those odd lifts.
Miles shot from the end of a loop and was ready to go up the next incline until he found a hollow point in the floor. There, he uncovered a passage that guided him down a short hallway to what amounted to a manhole cover. Below it, he Rolled down several meters of twists and turns to a longer tunnel, using the rise at the end like a ramp to shoot into the air. Thanks to his tails, he was able to get to an outcropping close to the ceiling of that chamber, opening the door to a spiral lift. He unlocked the gate and passed under a few crushing iron spheres when the time was right, seeing another lift between himself and the next ledge. He sprinted so he wouldn't be squished by the platforms, and opened what seemed to be the umpteenth door that brought him to a lift. Only this time, he found Sonic waiting for him on one of the spirals coming down!
"Hey, Tails!" he hailed the fox as he joined him on the way down.
Miles smirked and rode down with his partner to a hall with a floor switch at the end of it. "Hey, Sonic. It took less time for us to meet up than before. Must mean we're getting close."
"Let's bring this bird down!" the boy proclaimed.
They descended the shaft atop an iron platform as the magnetic field wore off, only to find four more that served as a way to reach a far-off ledge. The fox chose to hoist the hedgehog onto his shoulders and circumvent such a route, flying them right to their destination and over a large number of mines. They grabbed hold of a hanger that brought them around the outside of a cylinder, using a few more to dive deeper into the ship. Past a floor switch, crushing traps, and Badniks, a spiral lift put them beneath the same mesh structure they'd just maneuvered past.
Spin Dashing their way up the vertical climb, they hopped across two seemingly final platforms to the entrance of a huge open room. An immense, noisy machine dominated most of the space, which Miles presumed to be the main generator of the Kukku Dirigible. High above, there was also a curious glass dome attached to a metallic drum that was pointed down at the chamber, one that the vulpine noticed was slowly moving his direction. He squinted up at it as light started to gather behind the glass, and a high-pitched whirring rang in his ears, slowly becoming more frequent. He jumped away the moment the noise ceased, looking on as a sky-blue beam of light fired into the spot he'd just been standing in, searing through the metal and causing an explosion of shrapnel from the destroyed flooring.
"That's one heck of a defense system," Sonic commented as he Jumped upward and gave it a good whack, barely denting the thing.
Miles eyed up the speed of its movement and charging period, stroking under his chin as he then glanced at the core. "A pretty poor place to have one like this, though." He grinned as an idea formed in his head. "We won't even have to lift a finger to ground this blimp. Follow my lead, Sonic."
The fox started to jog at a leisurely pace, checking behind and above him to make sure that the beam projector was following his movements. When he saw that it was, he smirked and changed course to run around the perimeter of the room in a lazy, but swift circle. After a few seconds, it attempted to blast him again, but a flick of his tails got him out of harm's way without any issue. Sonic hopped over the new hole in the floor and stuck out his tongue at the machine to try and coax it into tracking him instead. Either due to movement detection or someone controlling it, the weapon did just that, hounding the hedgehog as it charged up a third attack. This, too, only succeeded in busting up more of the arena, as the kid was far too fast for the beam to come anywhere close to hitting him.
Thrice more, the heroes repeated this approach, pushing the security into leaving gashes and pits in the solid steel. Now that he was certain that it, or whoever was controlling it, was willing to do whatever it took to take them down, Miles put his plan into action. Both he and Sonic backed themselves close to the generator, eyes fixed on that dome as it filled with that pale blue light once more. When it was a couple of seconds away from being released, they bounded to the top of the blimp's core and taunted the projector. And just as the fox had predicted, it adjusted its course so that it was right above them when it let loose.
Unfortunately for the Kukkus, the seventh attempt wasn't their lucky break. The projector fizzled and sparked the instant its beam pierced the generator, and the aircraft let out a horrid metallic groan as the engines started to shut down. Feeling the sensation of a pit in their stomachs from the impending drop, Miles and Sonic scrambled for the nearest exit. They scaled a few ledges and Spin Dashed up walls to reach a shaft with sunlight coming in from above, giving them a way to reach the upper deck. Up there, they landed on a narrow walkway and found one last structure between them and the very front of the blimp, presumably one of the cabins that soldiers monitored things from.
However, that wasn't the only obstacle waiting for them at the end of this place. A tropical bird robot that was somewhat bigger than both of the Animals put together flew in and grabbed onto the catwalk with its talons. Its colorations were mainly chestnut brown with a blackish head and rump, its tail a bright yellow aside from two dark central feathers. It had a bare blue cheek patch and a pink wattle, brown eyes, and a long black bill that was red at the tip.
"Huh, a Montezuma oropendola," Miles said as he identified the species it was based on, "interesting choice. Wonder what possessed the doc to make this one?"
The oropendola hopped from its perch and came down on them with a peck, causing both of the boys to scatter. Just as the hoglet came in to counter with a Jump, the bot clutched the walkway once more and swung to the underside with ease. Still in motion, it rounded about the metal and came in for another strike, just barely missing Sonic and nearly knocking him off. Miles tossed a few bombs at the thing, managing to score at least one hit, then dove off the side and flew in when it dodged and went below. But before he could get in close, the construct turned its head and let loose a gout of flame from its beak, forcing the teen to ascend to avoid it.
"Whoa, this bird's packing heat!" Sonic quipped, earning him a pointed "boo" from his partner for the pun, "oh come on, it wasn't that bad!"
The fox landed next to him and gestured at both their foe and the snowy mountains they were slowly dropping towards. "We can make all the jokes we want after this is over. We've got to beat this thing before the ship crashes!"
"Fine, fine," the kid muttered as he waved nonchalantly, "but stop playing around if you're gonna rush me!"
The fox rolled his eyes, but his partner was right. They didn't have the time to mess about, and his habit of going easy had bitten him in the tails more than once. With that in mind, Miles activated the ESP and cloaked himself in a Flame Shield, then rushed in at the oropendola for another go. It twitched and let out a cack as it spewed fire in his direction, only for a fireball to rip through the stream and drive itself straight into the nozzle in its beak. Miles returned topside and positioned himself so that the bird was now between him and his partner. Sonic sprinted at the bird, Rolling under its searing breath and then skirting along the edge of the catwalk to Jump up into its throat.
The oropendola screeched as it swung backwards from the hit, rotating around the metal outside of its control. Miles took advantage of this vulnerable moment by delivering another Fireball Spin Dash, dislodging one of the robot's feet from its perch. It chose to take flight and home in on the hedgehog, seeing as it couldn't follow him into the air like the fox could, pecking at the boy while flames licked its beak. Sonic yelped as the ground around him began to melt away from the super-heated strikes, backing himself closer and closer to the shaft they'd come up. He chanced a Jump once the automaton got close enough, pushing off of its frame and landing on the other side of the hole. The boy pulled down an eyelid and blew a raspberry at the oropendola, and when it flew in to take the bait, he sprang across the gap and let the thing's upper torso get caught in the space.
"All yours, Tails!" he called over to his partner, "let's pluck this guy's feathers and get the heck out of here!"
Miles chose not to comment on that phrasing, instead going straight for their foe. He flew forward with another fiery Dash and drove the oropendola further into the hole, ricocheting off the frame and going into a Jump. Like a rubber ball, he bounced up and down on the backside of the bird repeatedly, driving it deeper down where they came from. When it appeared that it had gotten stuck well enough that it couldn't get itself free even if it tried its hardest, the fox rocketed off the deck, flying higher and higher until he felt he was at a good height.
"As pretty as you are, I don't have the time to admire you or your internals," he said in a low voice, "so let's just end this, nothing super fancy."
Miles canceled the movement of his tails and went into a Drop Attack, building up more and more velocity each second. Finally, he hammered down into the oropendola and rebounded off of it as its body scraped down the tunnel. He heard the metal creak and protest from both the robot and the ship, and looked back for just a moment to see it pass through the shaft into the depths of the blimp. If his attack didn't total it, then the impending crash would take it out along with the warship.
"Let's blow this blimp before we blow up with it!" Sonic shouted to him, busting down the door to the cabin at the end of the walkway.
The fox hurried after him, running through a short and mostly empty hall until his partner ran into an emergency hatch at the far end of it. Instead of simply opening it, the hedgehog smashed it off its hinges and grabbed the edges of it, anchoring his feet against it like a board. Jumping out after him, the teen discovered that the Tornado was also right there, though Sonic fell past it, aiming at the mountains below.
"You crazy kid!" he yelled after the hoglet, even though he knew he couldn't be heard over the wind and the collapsing dirigible.
He steered himself so that he landed on the top wings of his partner's plane, startling Gadget and Fuchsia with his sudden entrance.
"Dude, a little warning next time," the red wolf scolded him, "I almost lost control!"
"Sorry, Gad, you know how it is with hasty exits," Miles tried to play it off, though he couldn't help but be worried about his companion, "but I can't stick around; I've got to go after that damn adrenaline junkie."
Fuchsia giggled. "Don't have too much fun. We're gonna go find Gizzy and Big, then meet up with you two later."
"Sounds good to me," the fox replied, "we'll bring the Kukkus' operation down together!"
He flashed his brother and the cat a peace sign, then leapt up and let the Tornado soar ahead of him. Miles narrowed his eyes as he went into a dive, spotting where Sonic was after a few seconds. He also traced a path of where the hedgehog's improvised snowboarding would take him, assuming it worked out, and prepared to rendezvous at that point.
'And once we're on the other side of this range, we'll be at the Empire's doorstep,' he thought to himself, 'you better be ready, Fukurokov.'
