Chapter 8: A World Ending Problem
11 Miles outside the city, Mongol continues leaping through the country side and swatting away any helicopters that follow him. He's still got a sizeable lead on them, but he knows the forces will try to cut off all routes ahead. He crosses large fields and enters a valley comprised of mostly steep grass hills, gaining him some height over the horizon. He looks back and sees the back roads illuminate blue and red, indicating the police aren't far behind.
Mongol looks to the sky and a flashing white light gets his attention, so he quickly climbs up a mountain side and jumps up to get a better look,
that's when he realizes an Eggman Fleet Ship has spotted him.
The massive helicarrier is cloaked in the clouds, making it seemingly invisible, but no weapons fire at the beast. Mongol decides to jump aboard and take his chances up here rather than with his pursuers on the ground. The air ship tilts under his weight once he lands, but it stays airborne.
The 20 foot tall Mammoth kneels down to catch his breath while Eggman's machines scan and analyze him.
Eggman appears on a flatscreen TV "So, you ARE Mammoth Mongol! Magnificent!"
Mongol looks up "...who are you? How do you know me?"
The evil doctor grins "My name is Doctor Eggman, and I'm actually a huge fan!"
"Fan?"
"Oh yes, I read about you and what you did, Mr. Mongol. They said you were over 100 years old, is that true? Hey, maybe you've heard of my grandfather, Ivo-"
"Enough of your useless rambling!" Mongol shouts "Come face me if you have real questions"
Eggman chuckles dismissively "...I would but-"
The camera zooms out to reveal the doctor sitting in a computer room, ankle monitor blinking green.
"...the rats in charge of this miserable planet have decided to keep me alive to be their lab rat, as opposed to just ending it. Because they know that they need me"
Mongol puts his guard down "What for?"
"Because I'm the smartest man on Mobius! All their armed drones and energy weapons? Energy-based cities? That's all me! This world is more technologically advanced than Earth solely because of me and what I can do!... they're not just gonna throw that away, Mr. Mongol, so they keep me alive and force me to build the future for them. That's definitely not where I thought my work in science would take me..."
"How do you control these machines if you are imprisoned?"
"Ah, these guys let me use the computer for one hour a day, and I have to use secured communication lines to access my equipment without alerting anyone"
Mongol looks over at the horizon at the neon-lit cities and highway roads that connect them. He stares in disbelief that the world he grew up in doesn't resemble what it used to, and this angers him.
"This world is not right, Eggman. These cretins are destroying it with their 'advancements', I can see that clear as day. And what they do to you, imprisoning you against your will - this is not how my race should act, Doctor-"
"Yeah well, these are the cards they've delt. And I have to live with that"
Mongol stands up "You will not... I've been away so long, I haven't had a chance to see what they've done to my home. They need to be stopped before they damn this planet to hell. And I will see that you walk free, Doctor. That is a promise"
Eggman's eyes light up with evil intension "You would do that, even for a failure like me?"
"Those bastards down there are the ones who will fail. You have done no wrong in my eyes"
The doctor grins with genuine happiness for the first time in years. He has just secured a powerful new ally,
and a way out.
"...aid me here and now, Eggman, and you will never have to live like a rat ever again"
"How could I refuse that offer"
"...I'm taking my home back"
The doctor begins typing furiously to control the machines on his air ship, while Mongol clinches his massive fists and gets ready for the battle.
It takes 10 minutes for Manic to reach Sonia's Metropolis property and he immediately runs into a small army of guards as he pushes open the front gate.
"I don't have time to play, gentlemen, I gotta talk to Sonia right away!" Manic calls out
"She expecting you?"
"Nope and I damn sure don't need your permission to see my sister"
His body glows jade green as he rushes through the crowd and straight inside the mansion. Manic is stopped as even more guards aim their assault rifles over the gold railings, making it clear they will shoot.
Sonia walks down the red carpeted staircase "It's alright, fellas, this is my brother"
The guards put their weapons down but keep their eyes trained on Manic as Sonia makes her way down to him.
"Manny, I didn't expect to see you so soon. Thanks for upholding your end of Warwick's deal, by the way, those were some fun conversations we had"
"Yeah well, prison ain't my thing, sis. Look, Knuckles told me you can get ahold of Starr so I came here-"
"You didn't come here for some kinda revenge thing, did you? Manic, I will not be apart of anymore of your shit! You've already done enough damage during your last escapade with that Miles Prower kid and I'm still trying to clean up that mess!"
The guards raise their weapons once more
"What? No, if you let me finish-"
Sonia lets her frustration out "You stole mine and Sonic's Medallions, then you cause millions in property damage to a business you knew belonged to me!"
Manic backs up as she steps toward him "To be fair, I fucked up a lot of places this year-"
"Then you drag a 16 year old kid into some shit show that almost got dozens of refugees killed! I had to take full responsibility for that because you cut a deal - and you just ran off on that, anyway!"
Manic's fist suddenly illuminates "LISTEN HERE-"
A guard fires a bullet into Manic's left thigh, causing him to fall to one knee and drop his Jade Medallion
Sonia looks up "Stop shooting!"
"He's a threat" the guard responds
Manic groans quietly as he puts pressure on the wound "Sonia, I'm gonna rip that asshole's arm off and feed it to him-"
"I'd like to see you try"
Manic jumps up but Sonia keeps him back "Put your guns down, that's an order!"
The guards reluctantly lower their guns as their boss' request, but Manic is still seething. He picks up his Medallion to heal the wound, but the pain doesn't go away.
"Manic, why do you need Starr?"
"If you would've let me finish, I would've said I need her friend Shadow to call somebody! But hey, let's just shoot the green guy, right? That sounds like more fun..."
"Shadow? What does he have to do with this?" Sonia asks
"Oh, for fuck sake - I NEED HIM TO CALL SILVER! Knuckles is stuck in space and weed man can bring him back!"
"Are you serious? Knuckles' girlfriend is about to give birth to their child, he needs to come back NOW!"
"Why the fuck do you think I raced out here for? Now please, call Starr and tell her what I just said to you"
She tries to help him up but Manic pushes her hands away and stands up by himself, glaring at the guards on the stairs as he limps towards her kitchen. He helps himself to some expensive wine in the fridge while Sonia finishes her call and pulls a stool up next to her brother.
"You know, there's glasses in the cupboard"
Manic drinks half the bottle in one gulp and looks at her "...yeah, I see that"
Sonia sighs before speaking "Look, Manny, I'm sorry. I just thought you'd have grown up since the last time we saw each other. You can't just say fuck the world and do whatever you want. There's a reason guys like Warwick are so hard on you. Look what happened to between me and Knuckles last time! ..that's why I don't put myself out there, anymore. You need to be better"
"Yep, I know. You're right, sis. That's why I think it's better for everyone if I just go. Go, and never bother coming back ever again under any circumstances. Maybe if I don't have friends to try and win over, I just might mature. This is has been a very spiritual conversation for me"
"I'm being serious, Manic-"
He puts the bottle down "So am I, Sonia! This whole time I've come up with reasons to get my friends involved with every bad decision I've made up til this point, and I think it's time to move on. Just leave. It might open my eyes, y'know?... starting over"
Sonia takes a drink from the bottle before quickly leaving to grab her touchscreen tablet
"...you know you can always come back here, Manny, but I know you're dead set on leaving, so here-"
Manic watches as she wire transfers a lump sum of money from her bank account into his, a loud PING from his phone confirms the transaction.
"Sonia, I can't take this-"
"Yes, you can. I should've given it to you a long time ago"
"I never wanted your money-"
"When they split the three of us up, I grew up in a rich foster home, while you had nothing. And when we finally found each other again, I treated you like shit solely because of our backgrounds. And I am so sorry Manic-"
Sonia wipes the tears from her eyes so Manic grabs a tissue box for her
"It was never about money, or who had what. I just wanted a family, and I got that. You and Sonic are everything I wanted and needed. I love you guys, and I know I can always protect you in this world" Manic says
Sonia embraces the green hedgehog for a quick hug, then Manic stands up
"...but given the current circumstances, being wanted and all, I need to go as soon as this deal with Mongol is over"
"Manic, you don't need to leave if you don't want to-"
"I've had the pleasure of speaking with Agent Warwick, and it don't seem like saving the world is enough to pardon all the bullshit I've pulled. So, it's curtains for me, sis. Time to grow up"
Bright flashes from the clouds get Manic and Sonia's attention, so the green hedgehog laces up his running shoes and puts the Medallion around his neck before heading out.
"Manny, I - I would help you if I uh..."
He grins "It's all good, Sonia. You know I got it. I was made for this! ...and it's time for the final act"
Sonia watches her brother illuminate her kitchen Jade Green and race out the door for likely the last time. She knew the world was going to change after the coming conflict was settled, and Manic will play a big part of that change. The only question she had left was if she was going to sit back when it came time to act.
Amy Rose opens her eyes and groans angrily when she realizes she is sitting at a large metal desk with her hands cuffed to the desktop.
"Come on, I just went through this!" She shouts
Sonic wakes up sitting in a chair next to her, and Tails beside him. The bright florescent lights above them shine off the two-way mirror, telling the trio they are inside an interrogation room.
"Tails, wake up! We're in trouble" Sonic says
The Fox lifts his head off the desk "Huh? Trouble? Hey, they cuffed us again! Wait, that was on The Nexus - KNUCKLES! We gotta go back for him!"
Agent Warwick walks through the door "No chance in hell you three are ever going back there again"
"Hey, smartass, there's a big scary monster outside, how about you cut us loose and stay out of the way while we save the world" Amy says
The Suit laughs "Right, let me get right on that. We just have to have a little chat first"
Amy notices Warwick has a black eye and cut lip
"You're not looking so hot-"
"That's because the bullet proof mammoth you brought back almost killed me"
"It's not like we asked him to come along" Tails says
"Yeah well, he's here because of your idiotic decision to steal our transportation device" Warwick responds
This comment enrages Amy "Idiotic? We brought the world's best defender back home!"
"And also doomed us at the same time so good job"
Sonic squints as he reads Warwick's nametag "G.U.N agent, huh? Aren't you guys supposed to help in crisis, not make things worse?"
"I could say the same for you and your friends here"
"Look, super douche, we're the only ones who can stop Mongol, now are you gonna let us stop him or not?"
"Of course. I'll let you stop the bad guy and go about the rest of your lives without consequences. Because that's what you do, right? You save the world, you might get some innocent folks killed, maybe destroy their homes, but you don't have to live with that, because you saved the day and that makes it all better. Sounds like quite the life you heroes got"
"What do you mean by that?" Amy asks
"I mean the worlds' had enough of your shit. We're not sacrificing anymore lives so the Sonic Heroes can be rockstars. What I'm saying is you three will defeat this monster, and then that's it. Your retired. Thanks for your service, you are relieved"
Tails looks up "Whoa, what? Retired?"
"Would you prefer disbanded, little guy? Actually, that does sound better" Warwick says
"Yeah, it'll sound even better the next time you need us and we're not allowed to help" Sonic replies sarcastically
"My kids love you, Sonic. I used to tell them about how you saved this town and didn't break a sweat. That we didn't need to worry with you around. Then the casualties started to rise. And the phone calls from grieving mothers came in. And the public begging and pleading for the help we just can't give all the time..."
Amy and Tails look down, while Sonic's eyes flutter momentarily before meeting Warwick's gaze
"...now my kids have grown up and ask why Sonic isn't here to help us, and I say I don't know but the police are here so it'll be okay. But they just don't believe that. It has to be a hero who does it. It's gotta be you"
Nobody says a word, so Warwick clears his throat and moves on
"I bet that's one hell of a gut punch, eh. You're declared dead, your friends beat up some wannabe syndicate and call themselves nobodies on TV, all of a sudden you're back and everyone's depending on you to save the world again. You really are a rockstar, blue boy"
"Unlock these cuffs and let me do my job" Sonic says "I'll show you what I am, cop"
Warwick laughs and signals for an assistant to bring in the handcuff keys.
Another staff member brings in Amy's War Hammer and Tails' SAGE program
"I'm sure you don't need these, but they are your property"
"Oh wow, you did something nice for once" Amy says
"I'm nice when I want to be. You get your stuff back, we get ours. That's the deal"
"Is that the only part?" Tails asks
"You already know the other part"
Sonic stretches out "...right. We'll make plans for our retirement as soon as we're done"
"That's all I want"
The Blue hedgehog leaves the interrogation room first and is quickly joined by Amy and Tails in the hallway.
She leans over to whisper "Do you trust these guys to keep their end of the bargain or do ya think we're going in a cage?"
"After everything that's happened these past two years, I'll be happy to be anywhere with you"
Amy is surprised when Sonic pulls her in for a kiss, something she's waited a long, long time for.
The entire police department claps and cheers for the couple, while Tails checks his A.I program as he smiles, containing his happiness for his best friends for the moment.
"...Mongol's heading towards the city on one of Eggman's helicarriers, and it looks like Manic is going to meet him halfway"
As much as Amy wants it to last, she ends the kiss and follows her boyfriend to the front doors.
"Alright, let's put this bad guy to bed and be done with this nightmare. I've had enough of the rockstar life"
Trent and Cam bring more crates from Victor's vault up to the massive boardroom Knuckles stood in just hours prior. The Echidna has been going through the weapons and armour Victor had in his collection, seeing as there is nothing else to do. He wears a crown, chainmail armour and metal knight boots.
He tries on a gauntlet but doesn't look too pleased
"Ah, this things too big for my hand. Away with this junk!"
Cam looks at Hunter, then back to Knuckles "I hope you're not expecting us to be your servants or anything"
"I expect my loyal subjects to follow your king's commands!"
Penelope chuckles "I like you, Knux, but you're not our king"
"Nonsense! The king will not stand for your insolence!"
Hunter shakes his head "Oh gee, here comes another epic reign, everyone..."
"I abolish the use of sarcasm as my first act as ruler of The Nexus"
Trent becomes confused "Abolish?"
"It's a fancy word, kid, didn't they teach you that in school?" Cam asks
"...what the hell is a school?"
Cam palmfaces while Penelope and Hunter look away
"So this is the newest member of the team... maybe King Knuckles isn't the worst part of the aftermath"
Hunter heads towards the exit but Knuckles passes his cellphone to him and he stands with Cam, Trent and Penelope
"Hey, take a picture of me taking my rightful place as your king, I wanna send this to my friends back home"
"Okay, everybody look at the camera and say Shoot Me Please"
Knuckles raises his sceptre and puts his hand on Trent's shoulder, while Cam and Penelope decide to just go along with it.
Hunter snaps the photos quickly "I got you a couple good ones. Hope you're happy, sire"
Knuckles catches his phone "Well, everybody back home will be when I send these. Give 'em a good laugh. (sigh) At least I looked somewhat important once in my life, even if it's not for real..."
"This just got depressing. I'm going out for some air but please, keep playing king, it amuses me"
Knuckles puts down the sceptre and takes off the crown on his way to Victor's throne, accepting that he might be stuck here forever. Penelope senses the echidna wants to be alone, so she signals for her friends to leave the boardroom.
Trent goes to give some kind of support to Knuckles, but Cam grabs his arm and shakes his head as they exit the room.
"Classical Thump" by Victor Wooten plays on Knuckles' phone, indicating Manic is calling him
"Hello Manic..."
"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time, but I just heard back from Shadow: Silver is on his way to pick you up right now"
The Echidna's eyes light up "For real?!"
"100 percent, my good sir. But we still gotta wreck Mongol so make sure to wear your best suit, your homecoming is will be a bloody affair"
Knuckles looks over at the weapons and armour crate
"Oh, I've got something in mind"
He hangs up and grins
"Loyal Subjects!"
One by one the enhanced group walks back into the boardroom for Knuckles' conference
"It is with great sadness that I must inform you of my departure, but your king is needed on home soil"
"Oh no"
"What a shocker.."
"We hardly knew you"
"They've truly taken away everything"
"Yes, yes, it breaks my damn heart as much as it does for you. But, I need your help for one last inquest"
"Okay, now you're just putting random words together, Knux" Hunter says
Knuckles kicks over a few large crates "...which of these weapons would you use to kill a monster?"
The group search through the equipment while Knuckles puts on proper battle armour.
Cam finds a pair of what look like regular red&black gloves, then discovers 4 silver titanium ballpoint attachments on the fists. Penelope passes wrist gauntlets, shoulder armour and matching armoured chest plates. Trent gives him a small shield which doesn't do anything his body armour couldn't do, but he accepts it and gives a friendly bump to his arm. His innocent nature reminds Knuckles of Tails, and it's the reason he's tolerated him for the entire time he's been in The Nexus.
"Here, your highness" Hunter says
The tall hedgehog reaches into his bag and gives Knuckles a sharpened piece of Mongol's tusk they smashed during the first encounter.
"If this doesn't do any damage, then I'll hang it up. You know, as a reminder of this place, and you guys" Knuckles says
Hunter grins and shakes his former kings' hand, and the others do the same.
A vortex appears above the group and Silver the Hedgehog looks around
"Knuckles! Let's move, time accelerates faster here so we can't waste a second! Come on!"
"Alright, I'm coming! ...goodbye, Nexus friends"
Knuckles gets a running start and jumps up to grab Silver's hand, then they disappear inside the vortex as it closes.
Trent looks up at the ceiling "They were nice"
"I still say we'd kick their asses in a real fight. Oh well" Hunter says
Manic climbs to the top of a hill that Mongol passed by, and he spots the flashing lights on Eggman's Fleet ship. He fires a neon blast upwards to get their attention, and it starts to descend from the clouds.
"Alright, got an invisible helicarrier coming down here, I really hope the guys aren't making me do this alone. I mean, I could do it by myself, but it'd be a lot easier with them... (exhale) you got this. Let's end the show with a banger"
Manic is too busy hyping himself up for the battle that he doesn't hear Sonic, Tails and Amy approach him behind.
"Nice pep talk, dude" Sonic says, making his brother jump "Got me real inspired"
"Jesus, you scared me! ...I see you've gotten yourself all settled in and up to date with the situation"
"Another bad guy, another fight. What else is new"
The brothers fist bump each other and everyone looks up at the night sky once more. Mongol's massive silhouette only gets bigger as the air ship comes closer to the ground.
"...so this guy's supposed to be the end of the world, huh. He certainly looks like it, right now" Manic says
"Well, luckily we are rockstars" Amy replies
"What?"
"It's what Agent Warwick called us" Tails answers
"Oh, Warwick? Yeah, he's a prick. But, he does get shit done, so he's good at his job, I guess"
Sonic scoffs "That's why he's sitting back and letting us fight off the apocalypse"
"But remember, this is our retirement party, and then it becomes his full time job"
Manic looks over "Okay, what now?"
"We're being disbanded once we finish up here"
"So he's talking about rockstars and retirement parties? Man, I'm glad I missed his little conference call" Manic says
A loud BOOM makes everyone cover their ears as the sound waves shake the ground
"I am taking this world back from you insignificant rodents before you poison it beyond salvation"
Manic looks up "Was that Mongol? I have a feeling that was him, I just can't hear anything clearly at the moment..."
"You are all unworthy to lead this planet, so I will rid it of your filth and restore Mobius"
Manic looks up "Ah yeah? Restore it to what, exactly?"
"...to what it was before your advancements"
The SAGE program starts beeping so Tails looks at the screen and his eyes widen
"Guys, he's got Eggman's army flying in"
The cloaked air ships become visible as they descend through the clouds, each ship carrying roughly 200 androids on board.
"...so, that's why G.U.N couldn't find all of the fat man's gadgets. They were hidden in the sky" Manic says
"I'm not feeling so great about these odds..." Tails says "1000 is a lot more than 4"
Sonic exhales "Slim chance we're making it through this one"
Amy looks at him "That's what Silver said when I told him I was going to bring you home from The Nexus, and we made it. We can beat this, too"
Sonic nods at his girlfriend, then Manic's body glows with the Neon Green aura as he gets ready
"I know Knuckles is on his way, but you guys wouldn't happen to have some of your super pals on speed dial, would ya?" Manic asks
"Our phones got taken by Victor's guards so that would be a no"
"Alright, well... it was worth a shot. Wish me luck"
"What?"
"Manic, wait!"
The Green hedgehog jumps up to Mongol's ship and he throws the first punch, so Sonic and Amy grab Tails' forearms and he flies them up to join the fight
"Lets give 'em hell, rockstars"