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Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 3
Phantom Forces
Act 2
Chapter 11: Grave Matters
The entire group was in disbelief of what they had just witnessed in front of them; they were about to be in for the fight of their lives, and the next thing they know the Zeena was flattened by a snowball mech of another Zeena!
Needless to say, Hanna soon voiced the thoughts of the entire group.
"What the fuck is going on?!" The vixen shouted.
"First of all, calm down." The other Zeena said. "If there's something we need to be in this situation, it's level-headed. Second, it's a long story; one I'd be more comfortable talking about when we're not inside an enemy base. Any of you have accommodations preferably somewhere outside of the sub-zero temperatures and potential horde of robots here?"
"Hold on." Corazon said. "Exactly what reason should we have to trust you when another you had tried to kill us in the first place? How do we know you're not just another copy like her?"
The Zeti at this point would deadpan. "Look at what I did and now look back on what you just said. What reason would I have to kill a fake of myself to then turn around and try killing your group?" She'd crossed her arms, leaning to one side. "Really, genuinely think about this right now."
"Look, we're not going to get anywhere arguing like this!" Merga spoke. "Scarves, we should return to your base."
Rob would nod. "We don't have much a choice in this case." He said, turning back to Zeena. "Alright, let's get you back to base."
"Lead the way."
The Head Scarf would be busy pacing in her chambers, her concern growing more and more; no status reports within the last few hours of the base, especially from her Shuigang resistance group she sent to find Dail. She thought they would have reported back by now with some sort of status update; was something wrong? There must have been a reason...
Soon enough a knock came at the door, throwing her out of her train of thought. Regaining her composure, she'd clear her throat and turn to the door.
"State your business." She spoke. With any luck the visitor would just leave her alone.
"It's Spade, your honor." The cavy spoke from the other side of the door. "Can... I come in?"
"..." Natalya half-sighed to herself as she faced away from the door. "Make it brief." The door would open, Spade slipping into the room before shutting the door behind him.
"Yes, Head Scarf." Spade spoke, kneeling. "We've gotten results from the Med bay."
"Is Neige stable?" Natalya asked.
Spade nodded. "She's recovering, but... she won't be using her legs for a while. By order of the med bay doctors she's required to remain in the chair for the duration of her recovery; any sort of sudden movements standing up or otherwise could cause the blood to rush to her wound and have her pass out."
"...it's more than enough to keep her as our communications expert, so we'll keep her there." Natalya spoke. "Is that all?"
"Not quite..." Spade spoke. "The Shuigang group has returned."
"Did they locate Dail?"
"He's alive, but unconscious." Spade spoke. "The doctors are taking him to the med bay as we speak. Hea-"
"Good. At the very least we've avoided a tragedy with his life." Natalya spoke. "Now then, you ar-"
"Head Scarf..." Spade spoke, his tone turning serious. "She was with them."
Natalya froze, a cocktail of emotions starting to boil inside her. "Was it who I fear it is? Wildcat, lime green fur?"
"Yes, Head Scarf." Spade spoke. "She's... not acting the way she was in the Scarves however..."
"...I will be the judge of this myself." Natalya spoke, leaving the quarters before Spade had a chance to continue explaining. The dragoness's mind was reeling in a cocktail of emotions as she marched towards the meeting room, though it was primarily seething anger she kept bottled in so well you couldn't tell it on her face. Soon enough she reached the meeting room, opening the doors and looking throughout the meeting room. Neige was situated in a wheelchair talking to the Zeena that had accompanied them, Hanna and Rob were discussing important matters at the meeting table as Maria was snuggling up close to the vixen, and Merga and Corazon were discussing among something else, Corazon holding the Chaos Emerald they had. By that point Corazon had looked over and seen Natalya.
"Oh! Miss Natalya!" Corazon said. "Good to finally see you in per-"
Corazon didn't even get to finish her sentence before she clocked Corazon clean across the face. Everyone else in the room jumped back in shock before Natalya slammed Corazon against the wall, holding her there by the throat as she looked the wildcat over.
Natalya's eyes narrowed a bit before she set Corazon back down onto her feet. "You're not the same since the last time you were here..." She spoke, her tone unwavering. "Don't assume this means I trust you however; I will be keeping a very close eye on what your actions are while you're here." She spoke, before turning to Zeena. "And who might this one be?"
"First things first: you're not going to do the same thing to me are you?" Zeena asked. "I'd prefer not to be cracked one across the face."
"Ah, apologies for that; rather unprofessional of me." Natalya spoke. "Rest assured, I will not be doing that to you."
"Alright then." Zeena spoke, reassuring herself. "I'm Zeena. I've already informed everyone else here about what's going on, but I'll need contact with the Mobius Resistance base to explain it to them. This is important."
"Hmmmph..." Natalya mused. "Very well then. Neige, fire up the comm links to the Mobius base."
"Yes Head Scarf." The snowcat spoke before her fingers went across the keyboard of the main console. It wouldn't be long before the screen would boot back up, connecting to the Mobius base as Amy soon flashed onto the screen, looking a bit shocked from the sudden reconnection.
"H-huh?" Amy asked, confused. "Neige? What's the sudden contact for? Did your cross-section referencing come up with something?"
"No, sadly." Neige said. "But we do have a couple of updates in regards to things that have been progressing around here. We've managed to stop an ambush incident involving metal counterparts to Tails and Carol out at Phoenix Highway, something we hadn't anticipated being out before. IF assumptions are to be made, chances are Eggman has a whole metal copy of AvaMerc at this rate, meaning the ones of Sonic, Sash, and Milla could still be out there causing chaos or killing more of our potential survivors."
Amy's expression changed to worry. "That can't be good... how heavy were an issue were they to deal with for your team?"
"Well, you'll have to ask Hanna and Rob about that... but they came back with something important from that." Neige spoke. "Miss Head Scarf, may I..."
"Permission granted, Neige." Natalya spoke. "Show them the retrieved artifact."
The snowcat nodded in response, picking up the glass container dome, a small perch on it holding the magenta gemstone. "This was retrieved from the site where Hanna and Rob destroyed the two offending metal counterparts. With our scanners right now, we can't make heads or tails of this thing or what it does, or why it doesn't activate in any of our grasp."
"Hmmm..." Amy spoke. "It may have better results if we try our scanners. Do you mind sending it over?" She asked.
"We might be able to..." Neige answered, looking back to Zeena offscreen, where Amy didn't see her. "Though, we found someone here who... wants to talk to your group apparently."
"And... who is that?" Amy asked.
"That would be me, sweet-cheeks." Zeena said, walking on-screen, shocking Amy.
"Z-ZEENA?!" Amy said. "How did-"
"Relax." Zeena spoke, raising a hand. "I understand that your group and my kind are not exactly on the most... amicable of terms, to put it lightly, but I'm willing to put the past aside if you help me and the rest of the Six."
"But..." Amy said. "Zavok tried to kill Milla back on the Death Egg! Why would-"
"That wasn't Zavok." Zeena spoke, crossing her arms, her tone becoming serious. "I know my leader better than anyone of the Six, and Zavok never kills out of rage or without reason. What your hound friend dealt with was a fake; a soulless copy."
"What..."
"When Eggman got his new ally of that hound incident, he came after us." Zeena said. "I can still recall that incident clearly..."
It was a few days before the incident of Sonic and Sash's defeat at the hands of Infinite, and the Lost Hex was soon making it's return to Mobius' orbit once again. Within Windy Hill, the large red Zeti, Zavok, was to himself, mulling things over about his defeat at the hands of Sonic almost a few years prior, and thinking on what to do when the Lost Hex would eventually make it back to Mobius' orbit this year. Would he try to go for another attack on the planet as an act of revenge on the blue hedgehog? Or was it a futile plan to even try at this rate for an escape? His grumbling would soon enough attract the sound of a familiar Zeti...
"...Zavvy? Everything alright?" The voice said. The hulking red Zeti would turn to see Zeena not that far away from him, but still a bit out of arm's reach for her own safety. She knew how Zavok would get at these times...
"...First, don't call me that. I've told you that already." Zavok flatly grumbled, looking back away from her. "What do you want?"
"The rest of the Six are starting to get worried about you. You've been growing distant ever since the incident with that hedgehog a while back..." Zeena spoke. "Master Zik sent me to check and make sure you're not..."
"...just leave me be, Zeena." Zavok spoke. "The only thing wounded here is my pride."
"Zavvy, I-"
"Leave." Zavok spoke, his tone serious.
"No." Zeena said. "A wounded pride shouldn't be causing our leader to enter into nothing but this depressive state ever since we lost to the hedgehog. If anything, we should be thanking him for-"
"-for what." Zavok growled, turning towards Zeena now, seemingly annoyed. "That hedgehog took away our chance at managing to get back at those damn mutts that imprisoned us over a century ago. How-"
"We nearly committed a genocide on an entire planet." Zeena countered. "Wasn't that the reason the Echidnas sealed us here in the first place? Because we got power-hungry with greed?"
Zavok's eyes narrowed. "We could have been free, Zeena. We could have-"
"Maybe we should let the past go, Zavok." Zeena spoke. "Is it really worth it to try and get back at them at this point? The ones who even sent us here could possibly even be dead at this point."
"..."
"Zavvy..." Zeena spoke. "Please. I think it's time we move on at this point. The rest of the Six don't want to try and get back at the Echidna's at this point; it's just not worth it."
"..."
"Zavvy, please..." Zeena said, hugging the big red Zeti. "We care about you..."
"...very well then." Zavok spoke. "I will need to discuss with them. Where are they now?"
"They're back near part of the impact crater in Windy Hill, if-" Zeena spoke before the rumbling soon threw them for a loop.
"What the-" Zavok said, before seeing the red ships oncoming. "Oh sonuva- not again!" The large red Zeti growled before taking off for the crater.
"Z-Zavok, wait!" Zeena said, taking off after him...
The two Zeti would arrive on the scene to soon see a horde of the emotionless grey Egg Pawns, weapons trained on breaking apart the zone by any means necessary.
Zavok growled. "So he wants a war, does he?" He growled, holding a hand out. "I won't let..."
Nothing happened as the Pawns continued their rampage.
"What?!" Zavok growled, still trying to extend his arm to control the robots with the electromagnetic manipulation.
Still nothing.
"How..." Zeena started to speak before laughter was heard.
"Ah, trying to save your pathetic little rock. I'm amused by this!" The voice said before the familiar pod lowered and showing the mad doctor himself. "Long time no see you multicolored rejects!"
"You!" Zeena yelled. "What are you doing here?!"
"Well, nothing short of a little thing I call 'payback'." Robotnik said. "Enjoy my new toys? They're completely immune to your little electromagnetic mind games unlike the last time I was here, so don't even bother trying!"
Zavok growled, soon lunging straight for the mad doctor.
"Zavok, wait-!"
Zavok was soon rudely interrupted as a swift kick came to his abdomen, sending him fling back to the ground, winded. The female Zeti gasped before she rushed towards the hulking red figure. Looking up, she'd soon see the hound form of Infinite, the Ruby in the chest having a dull glow as he glared down at the two with his piercing gaze.
Zeena looked to Robotnik with angry tears in her eyes. "What did you do to them?!"
"Oh, don't worry. They're not dead... yet." He grinned. "Trust me, I have infinite more use for your sorry rear ends than if you were dead."
Zeena gritted her teeth as she soon found herself constricted in a searing electric bind, being held up against her will.
"Now, this world's time has come..." Robotnik said, smiling devilishly. "Infinite... do it."
"...and what happened then?" Amy asked.
"He shattered the Lost Hex." Zeena spoke. "The hound... Infinite... he tore the planet apart like it was nothing before he sent the pieces crashing down onto Mobius and Avalice..."
"Huh..." Amy spoke, thinking. "That would explain the reason for all the sudden climate and natural disasters happening almost in the span of a night..."
"Eggman had all of the Six imprisoned, including myself." Zeena spoke. "He's wanting to make sure we don't get in his way while he extracts his revenge out our world and on the rest of the planet itself. The only reason I managed to get out was because I managed to swoon the guard robot watching over my cell before I met up with the rest of the base here."
"Still... how do we know we can trust you?" Amy said. "What's to say Zavok won't immediately try to turn around and-"
"I don't want him to do that either." Zeena spoke. "But I can't just leave them out there to die."
"I thought you didn't like some of them." Amy said.
"Some of them may be idiots..." Zeena said, her fists clenching. "...but they're my idiots goddamnit..."
"..." Amy seemed to be at a loss for words. "...alright. We'll agree to help."
"You will?" Zeena said, looking up at the monitor.
Amy nodded in response. "Go ahead and take the teleporter over to our base with that stone they recovered. I'll explain everything to the rest of the team before you get here."
Zeena nodded in response. "Alright then." She spoke before moving offscreen, Amy turning her attention back to Neige.
"Alright, anything else to report?"
"I did have some pings with that HBH cross-examination you told me to do a while back." Neige said, pulling up the files on screen. "Apparently this is Eggman's first attempt at trying to create the ultimate 'Super Badniks' as the file put it. He's modified five of his Eggrobos and turned them into his ultimate soldiers to head his army. The data files don't have any readings on what their actual names are, so all I have to go off of is the project codenames. The large red one is 'the Ruler', the blue one is 'the Law', the green one is 'the Recon', the yellow one is 'the Mystic', and the purple one is 'the Cyclist'. There's specifications in here about their weapons and attacks... you want me to forward all this to you too?"
Amy nodded. "Any extra information we get the better."
"Noted." Neige said, typing into the console. "I'll get that sent over immediately."
"Alright." Amy spoke, before looking to Zeena. "We'll see you over here in a bit Zeena."
The Zeti nodded in response. "I look forward to meeting on neutral grounds this time."
"Same here." Amy said, before the transmission cut off.
"Setting up the teleporter link for the Mobius base." Neige said, looking to the Head Scarf. "Permission to activate?"
"Permission granted." Natalya said, before looking over to Hanna and Rob. "You two. I've got another assignmen-"
"Hey, hold up." Corazon spoke, interrupting the dragoness, which she wasn't too pleased about.
"Ghh... what is it Corazon." Natalya spoke through gritted teeth.
"Shouldn't we have told them we have one of their Chaos Emeralds with us?" Corazon said, holding the gem up. "I mean, granted, I beat the shit out of the robots that had this thing in the first place, but still..."
"...good point, that completely slipped my mind." Natalya spoke, shaking her head. "We'll mention it in the next update to them. Can't afford to have our comm channels open too long or-"
"Lemme guess, they find us?" Corazon said. "Eh, just let me at the mainframe. I could fire up a counter-jammer and make our base go radio-silent so they can't track us down, or at the very least make it extremely hard for 'em to do so."
"...why exactly should I trust you on this?" Natalya spoke. Corazon set a hand on her shoulder.
"Look, Head, I don't know what kind of past event happened that caused you to have such a vile animosity specifically towards me, but the point is we're all part of a team here. We all need to work together or otherwise that fat bastard's gonna make pelts out of all of us, if he hasn't already out of how many people living on both planets at this point. Let me at the mainframe; we need this counter-jammer." Corazon said.
Natalya was silent for a bit before she sighed. "Alright then. Under one condition."
"Yeah?"
"You are to be monitored while you do this." Natalya spoke.
"Miss Natalya..." Merga finally spoke up. "How about I go with her to make sure she doesn't try to pull anything?"
"Any surveillance is fine in my book." The Scarf leader said. "Now go."
Both Merga and Corazon would nod before the two took for the corridor to look for the mainframe, right as Neige had something come up on the massive monitor.
"Head Scarf, we've got a hit on high-ranking Eggman officers." The snowcat said, typing rapidly on the keyboard.
"Where are they located?" The dragoness said, walking over to the computer. Neige would be typing across before the map of Avalice came up, zooming in on the large running body of water running between the kingdoms.
"Appears to be Jade Creek..." Neige said. "Looks like 20 miles due south of the captured Shang Tu... scanners are picking up a vessel the size of a freight carrier-class cargo ship docked in the river, and several peaking unidentified sources of energy on board. We might have a high-class threat in the making here."
"...very well then." Natalya spoke, turning to the vixen and hare. "Hanna, Rob. You two know what to do."
In a section of the massive running river, a large grey metal ship was docked into the muddy bank as several Badniks of varying types were moving about loading cargo onto the ship itself. Positioned at the bow of the ship was none other than Heavy King himself, and with the moonlight shining down on the area the faint red light from below at the edges of the boat made him look all the more menacing.
"Keep the shipments moving!" King ordered. "Master Robotnik is expecting this payload incoming to be large, so we cannot afford any more setbacks!" The Badniks sped up, continuing to load as Hanna and Rob had just snuck onto the scene, silently observing from the bushes.
"Shit... look at all of those things..." Hanna said. "There must be something big on that ship..."
"My bets it's whatever's causing those energy spikes..." Rob said. "And it looks like the doc's been taking pages from that warlord's book. There's several of his bots he's using here..."
"Damn... you'e right; I see several of those Bullfrags..." Hanna spoke. "I could take two out by myself, but five?"
"Just keep low-" Rob said, before tensing up. "Someone's coming, keep quiet!"
Hanna remained silent as a green Eggrobo seemed to be rushing through the area, carrying what appeared to be a large capsule filled with some sort of odd creatures inside it.
"Ah, there you are Shinobi." Heavy King spoke. "Is that the last of the runaway Wisps currently scattered from the Lost Hex shattering?"
"The last of the Bursts, yes." The green Eggrobo spoke. "They should all be ready for transport back to the Eggmanland Fortress on Westside Island."
"Excellent." Heavy King spoke. "All Badniks, load up! We will be setting sail for the fortress effective immediately!"
The Badniks would start bustling about as they finished loading things onto the ship, the anchor soon starting to raise up as the ship started to pull away from the muddy bank.
"Move!" Hanna said, darting from the bushes and heading straight for the ship.
"Hanna, no!" Rob yelled, chasing after her. But by the time he said that Hanna had already clung onto the side of the ship, starting to pull herself into a porthole on the side of the ship. Rob merely gritted his teeth as he soon leaped and grabbed onto Hanna's legs, soon being pulled into the ship itself as the two ended up on a pile in the floor in the lower cargo hold.
"...ow." Hanna said, starting to get up.
"Hanna, what were you thinking?" Rob said, getting up himself.
"Well excuse me, I was trying to get onto the ship to take it down!" Hanna said. "We can't afford that fatass getting his hands on whatever these things are can we?"
"So we're just going to take this ship down with us still on it?!" Rob said.
"I'm not that insane." Hanna said. "This ship is headed straight for their main base on Mobius; if we can hide away on here for the time being and get into about the fortress's defenses, we'll be in better shape for once we actually get a chance to have both Resistance bases to launch an all-out attack on the place."
"...you better hope we have a proper escape plan for once we get out of there." Rob commented.
"Don't I always?" Hanna responded.
"Yes, and that's what worries me." Rob answered as they felt the ship soon lift into the air...
"...and now you're on the way to their main headquarters without them noticing?" Natalya spoke to the screen in the base.
"That is correct, Head Scarf." Rob answered. "We can't talk for long or else they may trace us. We'll keep in touch once we get to the fortress itself."
"One more thing." Natalya spoke. "If there's a Chaos Emerald there, do not hesitate in grabbing it, understood?"
"Understood Head Scarf." Rob spoke before cutting the transmission. Natalya sighed as she rubbed her temples in exhaustion. "Hopefully that Tea is done with the counter-jammer by this point..."
With Natalya having two of her finest scarves out for a impromptu recon mission at the main fortress of the Empire and Zeena soon to be delivering one of the Phantom Ruby prototypes to the Mobius Resistance base, things are a bit scattered for Avalice's Resistance base. But what of Corazon's motives? Can she truly be trusted? Or is she feigning ignorance to get an upper hand? Find out next time in Chapter 12: "A Tea's Promise"...
