After a few brief scuffles with whatever Swatbots or Troopers remained in the corridor, Sonic and co at last made it to the control room. Just as Nicole said, there wasn't a single robot inside. The whole thing was operated by a rudimentary AI. With the majority of troops having been sent to deal with Nicole's distraction along with Johnny and the others, it was child's play to take out the few remaining bots that remained to guard it. Though Sonic almost wished they were just a bit more challenging. "Man, that was easy!"
By this point, Amy was holding Nicole. "Hey, don't knock a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, after what went down in Hilltop and Emerald Hill, I'll take anything I can get." She headed over to the centre of the room, where the central computer resided. It was large, grey, and sleek. Almost featureless. Much like the rest of the room. "This it, Nicole?"
"Indeed," said Nicole. "As I said, in order to shut down the plant's systems, I need to be uploaded directly. There should be a port at the computer's base. Once I am in there, I should be able to disable their AI and order it to cease all but the most basic functions. It's possible they may be able to get it back up and running, but they'd have to be a genius get past my defences."
Tekno briefly looked over the computer, making sure it wasn't damaged before they stuck Nicole inside. "Everything seems to be in order. Amy, if you may?"
"Roger!" Amy crouched down and located a large access port at the bottom, pulling a link-up cord out of her satchel. She plugged one end into Nicole before shoving the other into the computer. Suddenly Nicole's monitor became alight, filled with numbers and symbols as she started to upload and began her systematic takeover.
Tekno fluttered over, making sure the process had gone as instructed. "I believe she is in."
Amy breathed a sigh of relief before looking towards the door. "Well, guess we just gotta wait 'till she's done. Let's hope someone doesn't come knocking."
Sonic almost wished they would. He didn't want to jinx this as much as anyone. But standing in one place for so much as a minute was like standing still for eternity. Part of him wanted something, anything to happen to keep him from experiencing that sort of tepid boredom. This was in spite of the fact that making sure everything went off without a hitch came first.
Unfortunately for him and everyone else, he would soon get his wish.
As Nicole continued overriding the systems, she couldn't help but bask in the glory of the plant's mainframe. "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but this plant's mainframe is such a joy! It's incredibly well designed, everything made to be as smooth and efficient as possible. Even their security systems are…" Her voice trailed off as though something had caught her eye.
Tekno had been running calculations, but soon noticed Nicole's inaction. "Nicole? Is there something wrong?"
"Possibly. I just picked something up on security. Something or someone has entered the building, but I'm not sure who or what it is."
Well, that was a bit concerning. Sonic wasn't sure who it could be, but figured jumping to worst-case scenarios wouldn't do anyone any good. "Maybe Sally sent us some backup? Wouldn't put it past her."
"Possibly, but I doubt it. The most alarming thing is that it's fast. Very fast. It's already reached the middle of the corridor leading here, and it's not showing any signs of stopping."
Sonic turned to the others. He'd been hoping something would happen, but now he was wondering if a nice quiet day would have been preferable. "You think it's Swifty? Wouldn't put it past Buttnik to send some reassurance."
Amy readied her crossbow, aiming it at the doorway in case anyone tried to rush on through. "Either way, if someone's coming here, we've gotta be ready. Sonic, guard Nicole. Tekno, get ready to blow 'em away!"
Tekno nodded while Sonic stretched his arms in anticipation. "Hey, don't worry about it! Anything comin' in here's gotta get by me first, or else I'm not the fastest thing alive."
Nicole continued monitoring the situation, though it didn't seem any better than when she last informed them of the situation. "That may be debatable. But you'll get your chance to prove it soon enough. From what I can tell, it's almost…"
Suddenly a green blur sliced through the door, ripping it apart like a chainsaw. Sonic and the others stood at the ready, but what they saw almost made them question their lucidity. Standing in the doorway was the spitting image of Sonic, warts and all. The only thing that made it possible to tell the two apart was that the new hedgehog was a sickly green, but other than that, he was exactly the same.
"…here."
The doppelganger quickly scanned the room before settling on Sonic, almost as shocked as everyone else. He almost seemed in disbelief, as though what he saw before him couldn't possibly be true. "No way. Can't be. You gotta be shitting me!"
Sonic was suddenly more confused than anything else. "Hey, that's my line, faker! Just what the hell are you tryin' to pull?!"
"'Faker'?! Far as I can tell, you're the fake hedgehog around here!"
Amy aimed her crossbow at Sonic's green reflection before beginning a round of Q&A. "Oh really? Because as far as I know, Sonic's never been green! Wanna explain that one?"
The green hedgehog suddenly froze still, like a bad memory was stopping him in his tracks.
"Oh, that one's simple. You were always green. Green as a wilted shrubbery."
"Screw this! Far as I'm concerned, there's only one way to prove who's the real deal! And that's kicking you to the curb!"
Just as he started revving up, Nicole chimed in while he was still barely listening. Though to some extent, Sonic was just as eager to tear into him as he was. Whoever this faker was, whether he was some creation of Eggman's or something else together, he wasn't going to make him question who he was now. Nor would he let him hurt his friends. But more than that, this would probably be the fight of his life. And it couldn't have made him happier.
Regardless, Nicole saw fit to butt in as best she could. "Or we could perform a thorough DNA scan comparing both Sonic's to past records at HQ, thus proving without a shadow of a doubt which one is the real deal. Unless the two of you still want to tear into each other like a pack of rodents?"
In all honesty, the possibility had crossed Sonic's mind. But now that she had put it that way, maybe it was better to take a step back and talk this through like civilized people? "Okay, look dude. I didn't think I'd ever be the one saying this, but chill. Obviously there's been some sort of misunderstanding, m'kay—"
"Okay, way too much talking. Let's just do this shit!" And before anyone could say another word, they were off. The two Sonic's spun and raced throughout the room like a couple of whirlwinds. Like a mess of blue and green that weaved in and out of itself and threatened to tear everything apart. For his part, Sonic was trying to end this as quickly as possible, but it was easier said than done. Whoever this doppelganger was, he was just as fast as he was, and just as tenacious. The way he fought, rushing him with a blur of punches and kicks? It reminded him of how he used to fight starting out. But that didn't make any sense. Unless there was some sort of link after all?
Either way, Nicole wasn't having any of it. "Amy, Tekno! One of you needs to break these two up! At this rate it's a wonder they haven't already sliced the computer in half!" Her concern was warranted. The two hedgehogs were already leaving a hazardous trail of destruction, with other smaller computers and chairs demolished or cloven in twain. At this rate, it was was only a matter of time before the central mainframe followed suit.
Tekno didn't say a word. Instead she merely did what had to be done. She unfolded her wings and flapped them in one large motion, unleashing a mighty gust of wind throughout the entire room. Amy managed to stand her ground, but both hedgehogs were sent slamming into the walls before dropping down like stuffed animals. They rubbed their sides, both having suffered some light bruises, but it was nothing severe.
Still, both parties were barely standing as is. Throughout their entire scuffle, Sonic's twin had kept up with him every step of the way. The only thing in his favour seemed to be a greater amount of experience, but his imposter had plenty of gumption. If it went on much longer, he wasn't sure who would win. He breathed heavily as he picked himself, never letting his eyes off his dupe. "Man. You're actually pretty good!"
"Hey, you're not so bad yourself. Course, this just means I'm the real deal after all. I've gotta be if I can keep up with your sorry ass."
Well, that was rude. Though it wasn't something he wouldn't consider saying just a couple months ago. There wasn't any way it could be him. Not really.
And yet.
"Tell me somethin'. If you're really me, then you've gotta remember Uncle Chuck."
"You kiddin'? Course I remember! Makes the best darn chilidogs this side of Mobius!"
So he remembered Chuck. Or knew about him. But he didn't mention what happened to him since, well. Since Eggman got to him. He still wasn't sure how that even happened, nor did he want to think about it anytime soon. But this was the best way to know for sure. "So you don't know what happened to him a few weeks ago?"
The other hedgehog seemed somewhat confused. "The hell you talkin' about? Chuck should still be back home on the mainland, doin' research or whatever the hell he does."
"Oh really? In that case, what's the date?"
The doppelganger took a step back. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he must have realized to some extent where this was going. Good. "Uh, I dunno. Late September maybe?"
So he didn't have a clue. "Uh, yeah, no. Hate to break it to you, but it's late November. Two months after you first stepped foot on this island."
Another step. He began sweating, as though he had just stepped foot into an ever sinking quagmire. "Cut the shit! Sides, why I would spend that long in this dump?"
At that, Amy couldn't help but chuckle. "Gotta admit, he sorta reminds me of when we first met."
Tekno couldn't help but agree. "I agree. The thought had occurred to me."
Sonic rolled his eyes ("Seriously?"), but they had a point. This doofus was starting to remind him of himself in all the worst ways. And not just in looks. "You wanna know why? Because I made a promise. That I'd help Sally get her father back no matter what. And kick Buttnick's tuckus while I'm at it."
"Seriously? It's taken you two whole months to get her father back and you haven't done that much? Talk about lame."
Okay, this asshat was starting to cross a line. Was this really how he used to act? He took a step towards the imposter, though he came just short of bum-rushing the bastard. "You wanna know why it's taken that long to get him back? Because I fucked up! I couldn't get him back. I couldn't keep Bunnie from getting roboticized, all those Mobians from getting roboticized, not even Uncle Chuck from getting roboticized!"
And that was enough to finally open him up like a nutcracker. "Wait, what?"
"It's just what I said. Uncle Chuck came after me and got turned into one of Buttnick's goons. All because he wanted to help! So you wanna know the real reason I'm still here? Because I don't wanna let anyone else go through something like that again! But if you were really me, I wouldn't have to say a word of that to you."
The impostor started to back towards the door, sweat beading across his forehead as he began to piece it together. "No way. You gotta be makin' this shit up. He can't have been! He would've said so!"
Amy didn't waste any time in seizing onto what kernels of truth she could get. "Who would've said so?"
He gritted his teeth, as though all the evidence had placed him in checkmate. He rushed out the door, racing away as fast as he came. Sonic nearly went after him ("Hey, get back here, faker!"), but a heavy sigh from Amy held him back.
"Let him go, Sonic."
Seriously? Was she really telling him to let him go? After he waltzed in here and started beating the crap out of him, after claiming he was the real deal without any proof? "Oh, come on! You're not just gonna let him walk out of here, are ya'? We still don't even know where he came from! We can't let him go without gettin' some answers!"
"You don't think I want to know too? But let's face facts. Even if you chased after him, you wouldn't catch him. Even if he's some impostor or whatever he is, he's just as fast as you are. Besides, if he comes back around or someone else comes knocking, we'll need everyone we can get to make sure Nicole's kept safe while she does her thing."
Sonic groaned in begrudging acceptance. He didn't like it any more than Amy did, but she was right. Right now, Nicole took priority. He also remembered all his fights with Swifty. Both times he only caught up to him because he let him. Because he wanted to have a go at him. So trying to catch whoever this was without any real plan or backup would be an exercise in futility.
By Gaea did he hate this growing up crap.
"Fine. Though I still wish we knew who he was."
Tekno stood up after checking to make sure Nicole's console was stable. "Actually, I may have an idea. Back when I was still in the good doctor's employ, we were experimenting with many different technologies and dabbling in all sorts of different scientific fields. These ranged anywhere from robotics to bioengineering. And chief among them was cloning."
Wait, what? "Cloning? You mean like making a copy out of someone else?"
"Precisely. All you would need is enough DNA and the proper expertise, and you could potentially make a living replica out of anyone. Or mash up multiple DNA cells together if you so choose."
Amy asked the obvious. "But even if they did, where would they get enough DNA to pull this off?"
"Actually, I would say it's quite doable. After all, we have demolished quite a lot of badniks, have we not? There's a chance they were able to scrap enough cells to get what they wanted. With a dash of additional cells to make up the difference. Possibly from Swifty? Perhaps that's why he's such a sickly shade of green."
Well crap. He still didn't want to believe it, but that was actually somewhat plausible. "So basically I've got an evil twin running around who thinks he's me. Better yet, he thinks he's me from two months back when I was still a fucking asshole."
"Well, we still don't know for sure. But it's certainly a possibility."
Just great. As if he hadn't already made a mess of things, now they had this crap to deal with. All he could hope was that whatever Bunnie and Chirps were dealing with, it wasn't any more messed up than this.
Assuming he hadn't just jinxed it.
