A sleek, arrowhead-shaped plane sped above the crashing waves of the restless ocean, its engines humming rather delicately for a craft of its size.

"Apotos should be coming into view in a few minutes, along with Eggman's Faceship." Miles called back to his many passengers as he manned his wide assortment of controls.

"Good. Then we can finally get back on some solid ground…" Blaze muttered, trying desperately to conceal her nerves.

"Oh relax," insisted her speedy husband from the yellow seat beside her. "This is Tails we're talking about! I'm sure this thing's been carefully built and tested to kingdom come! Heck, I'd bet the ground is more dangerous than this!"

"Thanks Sonic!" replied the proud vulpine, turning back to press a few red and blue buttons. "Actually, this is the Hurricane Three's first mission. I'm super happy with the results, though. This field test is going even better than expected!"

Sonic's palm flew to his face. He didn't even have to look over to his height-scared wife to know how she'd react to the revelation. "Not what she needed to hear…" he grumbled under his breath.

"First… mission?" Blaze said with wide eyes.

Miles rested his hand on the throttle and pulled back, ever-so-slightly slowing their advance. "Yep! Not that I was worried, of course. My planes have never failed me! Well… aside from that one time with the Tornado Nine-"

"Oh look, I think I see the city!" interjected Sonic. Changing the subject before his foxy friend could make things any worse.

The freedom fighters all turned in their chairs to look out the wide windshield of the Hurricane III. The white, seaside city of Apotos glistened on the horizon, along with the reason for their visit.

"Gr… that mad scientist makes me sick!" growled Vector from across the plane, laying eyes on the Faceship. "He's done some disgusting things in the past, but this may just take the cake, killing innocent people and turning them into batteries."

"Yeah, grinds my gears too," agreed Sonic.

"Can't wait to throw him in a cell right next to Mimic and throw away the key," Tangle scoffed from her seat in front of the Chaotix. She looked over to her silent spouse, seeing her ears spike up for a moment at the mention of her old teammate-turned-traitor.

The silver, gold-accented form of the Freedom Fighters' craft continued speeding towards its destination. In mere moments, the finer details of the Faceship were on full display. Its over-exaggerated facial features occupied the flat front, with several powerful thrusters billowing out exhaust from the bottom.

Miles reached over and tapped a button on his control panel. A cylindrical projector unit in the center of the cabin once again displayed the drop points.

"I'm gonna slow to cruising speed. Team Chaotix, you're up first. Report to the cargo bay to grab your parachutes," Miles instructed, not taking his eyes off the sky.

"You got it, bud!" Vector excitedly replied, shooting up from his chair with a thumbs up. "C'mon boys, time to do some aggressive investigating," he called, beckoning to his two teammates.

"Aw man, this is gonna be just like old times!" Charmy cheered, flying out of his seat and throwing his fists in the air. "Team Chaotix, bustin' bots and crackin' eggs!"

"Now Charmy, don't get too excited," warned Espio as he rose and turned to follow his partners. "Remember, our primary objective is to keep the civilians safe, not run a demolition derby with Eggman's tin cans, heh, fun as that may be," he finished with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah I know," the buzzy detective responded.

"Of course, if any 'tin cans' just so happen to get in the way of our primary objective…" Vector began, getting cut off as the last of the detectives strode through the door of the cabin and it slid shut behind them.

With the press of a few buttons, a pullback on a throttle stick, and a soft jolt, the Hurricane III began to decelerate, reaching its optimal cruising speed moments before they were almost directly overhead. One final button press and Miles leaned into a microphone sitting to his right. "Alright Team Chaotix, we're about ten seconds from the drop point, I'm gonna switch to hover mode once we're there. After that, you're free to drop at your discretion."

Sonic heard a light groan and looked over to find the source of it. As he'd suspected, his wife was leaning back in her chair, holding her stomach with one hand and the armrest in a death grip with the other. Delicately, he reached his hand over and rested it on top of hers, trying to calm the storm that was no doubt churning inside of her at the mention of jumping out of the plane.

"It'll be alright," he murmured warmly.

"I am not afraid of-" Blaze's protest was cut off by a jolt.

Two of the craft's four mighty jets on its rear cut off, while the other two angled downward. The front of the plane's flat bottom opened up, revealing another small jet engine. It rumbled to life, holding the nose in place as the Hurricane III shifted into a hover.

"Hmph!" she grunted as her other hand flew on top of Sonic's. She looked up to her king with embarrassed, wide eyes, likely expecting a playful smirk, but being surprised by a warm smile.

Sonic turned his captured hand and moved his free one, tightly grasping Blaze's in between them. "Relax, dear," he delicately insisted.

"I…" she began before realizing how futile it would be to try and deny her fear any further. "Thank you," she finished with a timid smile, her already-present blush deepening.

"Aw… look at the two wuvbirds," a sly lemur teased from her chair, rousing a giggle from Whisper.

"S'cute…" the wolf chuckled in her usual hushed tone.

Blaze's retaliatory growl was cut short by Miles' instructions. "Alright, Chaotix, we're stabilized. There should be a glowing red 'down' button on the side of the compartment. Press it when you're ready."

Moments later, an indicator light flashed on the dash, telling Miles that the team had heeded his instructions and opened the bay door. "Good luck, Chaotix!" he wished before shutting off the mic.

Shortly after the Chaotix were confirmed to be clear, the bay door was shut and the craft was back underway.

"Alright Sonic and Blaze, you two are up next," Miles called back to the couple.

"Aye, aye captain!" the speedy king replied with a mock salute. "You ready, dear?"

"As I'll… ever be." the pyrokinetic queen responded warily, her legs lightly trembling as she rose from her seat.

"We're gonna have to move fast on this one. I've got no idea what kind of air defense that metal monstrosity has, if any," instructed the plane's two-tailed pilot.

"You heard the man. Let's show that Egghead what for!" cheered Sonic.

"Drop point in sixty seconds." Miles announced.

Sonic began striding toward the exit, his reluctant wife in-tow.

"Good luck, lovebirds!" Tangle teased once more with a playful wave.

"You too, lovebirds," Sonic fired back.

"Hmph. Touché," Tangle conceded, wrapping her free arm around her canine companion.

"We'll meet up with you guys at the top after the Egg Drainer's taken care of. Your bracelets have their trackers synced up with my watch," Miles explained, holding up his right arm. "Forty seconds."

"Sounds like a plan, we'll try to save some scrambled eggs for the rest of you, but no promises!" Replied Sonic with a cocky smirk as the door shut behind him.

Now shut off from the group, the couple promptly found their parachutes and strapped them on. As they finished up and walked towards the glowing red button, Sonic noticed Blaze's trembling once more.

"It'll all be over in a few seconds, just take deep breaths, hold tight onto me, and don't look down," Instructed Sonic in the most soothing voice he could manage, taking Blaze's hand in his.

The nervous spouse's trembling slowed, her nerves calming with her husband's words. She looked up at him, smiling in appreciation.

Moments after another jolt, Miles' voice came over a loudspeaker in the room, giving the rulers the go-ahead. "Alright, now, as I said. Don't look down," Sonic reminded, slamming the button.

Blaze nodded in acknowledgement, her eyes staying locked onto Sonic's.

The quickster wrapped his free arm around Blaze's waist as the door slid open. A violent swirl of air poured in, ruffling her hair and forcing her eyes to a squint. It wasn't but a few seconds later that the cycle had completed, revealing the Faceship below. The queen heeded her king's instructions, keeping her eyes on him as they slowly approached the edge.

In a swift jerking motion, Blaze whipped around and wrapped her arms around Sonic's midsection and glued her eyes shut, hugging him with all her might and burying her head in his shoulder.

"Mmph!" Sonic grunted. "I'd say we should use a harness, but steel's got nothing on you!" he joked, barely audible over the rushing of the wind as his uncharacteristically vulnerable spouse held him in a vice grip.

Blaze lightly chuckled at her husband's jest.

"Hurry Sonic!" Miles' voice called out to the two.

The blue blur's face grew serious, remembering their time crunch. "I'm gonna count down from three, then we're gonna jump, 'kay?"

The queen's face lightly rubbed against his vest, conveying a nod.

"Three… two…"

Somehow, Blaze's grip grew even tighter.

"One!"

A single leap, and the couple was plummeting from the plane. Blaze continued to heed her king's advice, grasping him tightly and refusing to even open her eyes let alone look down. Sonic shifted, guiding their freefalling position.

They passed the top of the head, with Sonic completing the task of aligning him and his wife with the nose of the Faceship. "I'm 'bout to pull the chute. Get ready!" he yelled.

Just as they reached the top of the eyes, Sonic yanked the cord on the back of his pack. The parachute fully unfurled, immediately delivering a strong jolt, slowing their descent. "We're coming in hot!" he warned.

With one final pull on the strings, and a grunt as two pairs of legs absorbed the shock, the two had reached their destination. They now stood on the top of the vessel's large nose, right next to the metal wall separating them from the interior.

"You can let go now dear. We're safe." Informed Sonic. The descent had ended, but the wind still bowled around them.

The pyrokinetic queen nodded, separating herself from her lover with a shaky, yet relieved sigh.

"Thank you for choosing Air Sonic. We hope you enjoyed your flight!" Sonic joked as Blaze straightened out her clothes, regaining her composure.

"Simply wonderful…" Blaze mumbled, looking over at the wall before pausing and turning back. "Thanks again…"

"Hey, what are hubbies for?" her husband grinned. "Plus, you - kinda - helped me get over my fear of water, only a matter of time before I return the favor, right?"

"I suppose so…" Blaze responded with a shaky smile. After all, they may have not been freefalling any longer, but standing on a long, somewhat narrow platform more than a kilometer above the ground was still no pleasant experience.

"Now…" Sonic began, swiveling to face the metal wall and grabbing his chin. "How are we gonna get through here? I'm sure Egghead's got this reinforced to resist my trademark moves."

The queen contemplated for a moment as well, coming up with a plan. "My pyrokinesis may not do the best in these windy conditions, but they should be effective enough to at least soften the exterior enough for you to punch through," she elaborated.

"Won't that, y'know, burn me a lil' bit?" Sonic asked skeptically. "I'm all for a good ol' chili dog, but I'm in no hurry to figure out what cooked hedgehog tastes like."

"Not if you're quick about it," Blaze promptly replied, setting her hands alight and beginning the procedure before continuing. "Heat needs time to transfer. At your speeds, you should have no problem busting through the wall before it can 'cook' you."

The blue blur hummed in contemplation, tapping his foot wildly. "So… you're saying I've gotta be fast? Are you sure I can do that?" he asked sarcastically.

His wife ceased for a moment to turn to face her quippy husband, putting her hands on her hips with a smirk.

"Alright, alright… I'll try and manage," was the sarcastic response.

"That's what I like to hear," Blaze replied, turning to resume her work. Sonic's foot continued to feverishly tap as a stream of fire once again bathed the metal in heat, slowly instigating a change in color.

"Try it now," the fiery feline commanded, ceasing her fire and motioning to the orange-hot metal.

A high-pitched squeal rang out as Sonic charged his spindash before jetting forward at supersonic speeds. As Blaze predicted, he shot through the wall without issue. The shriek and twisting of tearing metal marked success as a hole large enough to fit through was carved. He shot through to the other side and uncurled, skidding to a stop. His smoking body quickly righted itself before beckoning down to a spot beside it. "Your royal passage awaits, your highness," he jested.

"Haha, very funny. Good work!" Blaze yelled back from the other side with an amused smile.

"Oh come on. You cracked a smile," Sonic rebutted. In one swift motion, Blaze dove forward, streamlining her body and sailing through the opening with ease. She promptly rolled on the floor and moved to join her husband. "Dang, momma's still got some moves!" he teased with a hint of a suggestive tone.

"Not only that…" Blaze began, turning to face him. "I've also got some jokes of my own."

"Oh yeah? Let's hear it!" Sonic demanded.

"Your hair's on fire."

"What? I but don't have any-" he began, stopping short as the smell of the aforementioned 'cooked hedgehog' entered his nose. "Wait… gah!"

Three pairs of feet struck the metal floor of the Faceship, having entered through a freshly carved hole in the wall. The plane they descended from now sped away, on autopilot back to Freedom HQ.

"We need to be stealthy until I can find a terminal to locate the weapon's reactor." the two-tailed leader of the bunch hushly explained.

"Pfft, stealthy? That's my middle name!" Tangle sneered dismissively.

"Shhh!" her wolfy wife demanded.

"Oh right! Pfft, stealthy? That's my middle name!" she repeated, only far quieter.

"Once we locate our target, you can go around bashing bots and yelling as much as you want," Miles said as the group began their move through the halls of the Faceship.

The group's quiet, but swift strides brought them to a T-section, with one path going out in each direction. Tails made a motion with his hands, causing Tangle to tilt her head to the side in confusion.

"Split up!" Whisper clarified, grabbing the lost lemur's hand and pulling her to the right.

"Call me on the wristbands if you find anything," instructed Miles as the two groups parted ways. Tangle flashed a winking grin in his direction before turning back around to traverse the metal corridor.

Whisper's signature mask slid over her face as she took the lead. Up ahead, another split presented itself, only it was a four-way. The predator's ear twitched, prompting her to hold out her arm and Wispon, blocking Tangle's path.

"What gives?"

"Shh!" Whisper promptly answered, holding her free hand's index finger to her mouth.

Seconds later, Tangle's less-sensitive ears picked up the sound. Metal feet clanking on a similarly-composed floor. Shadows crept in from the hall on the left, presumably a squadron of Eggman's robots. In haste, Whisper's head darted around, trying to find cover.

Tangle beat her to the punch, spotting a closed door just down the hall. Presumably locked, but indented enough for them to hide behind. In one swift motion, the lemur's tail wrapped around Whisper's waist. She dashed across the hall with the flustered wolf in-tow.

The two plastered themselves against the closed metal door in the nick of time, just as the first hint of metal rounded the corner. Tangle peered around as the battalion of soulless soldiers marched through the intersection, weidling sizeable blasters while their heavy spherical frames caught the shine of the overhead lights.

The prey-and-predator combo remained frozen in place for what seemed like forever, until finally, Tangle could no longer hear the clanking of metal feet. She let out a huge sigh of relief, flushing the tenseness from her body. "Phew, I hate this whole 'covert' thing," the spunky lemur complained softly.

"Mmm…"

Tangle's face darted over to her partner in an effort to discover the cause of Whisper's uncomfortable humming. In a flash of clarity, she realized that her tail was still tightly wrapped around the wolf, who was in-turn hugging herself with slightly flushed cheeks. "Oh, sorry!" she apologized.

"S'okay…" Whisper muttered, hesitantly stroking the tail, her blush deepening. "Comfy…"

"Aww…" Tangle cooed as she reclaimed her tail. "You're so cute when you're flustered."

"Mission," was the embarrassed, hushed reply.

"Ah, right!" The lemur recalled. "Find Miles a thingy!"

"Terminal."

"Whatever!"

Tangle stepped out and whipped around, facing the metal door and humming with a contemplative hand on her chin. "Hmm… whatever's behind this door must be worth protecting," she deduced. "You can cut through this, right?"

Whisper responded with action, stepping out and setting her Wispon to its pink 'saw' mode. The usually-timid wolf swiftly fired a series of laser saws from the weapon's muzzle, slicing through the barrier with ease.

The sliced halves of the door fell into the room it'd been protecting, and the team of two dashed in. It's a pretty typical room as far as a room on a death ship shaped like a mad genius' face is concerned. A small red-accented work table with a toolbox and a bunch of blueprints on top sat in the middle, with miscellaneous robot parts both hanging and leaning on the wall to the side. On the opposite wall was what the team had come here for, a computer terminal.

"Ha, ha! Team 'destroy the death laser before it can suck all the life out of another city' strikes gold!" Tangle cheered, bouncing on her tail.

"Shh!"

"Oh right… sorry," the lemur whispered

"Call Miles."

"Gotcha."

Tangle raised her wrist to her face and tapped a button on the bracelet. Its outline glowed a lighter shade of blue, indicating a connection. "Yo Miles, we found the terminal thingy!"

"You did? Great! Just sit tight, I'm tracking your location now," the fox's voice responded from the other end.

"You got it boss!"

Moments of patient and not-so-patient waiting later, the fox inventor appeared in the doorway. He quickly scanned the room, seeing the couple, followed by the computer terminal. "Great work guys!" congratulated Miles in an excited whisper, striding over to the terminal and working to locate its port.

Whisper strode out passed her wife and towards the doorway. She poked her head out, looking in each direction to make sure they were in the clear.

Miles located the computer's access port and grabbed the end of his watch, pulling gently. A cord with a male jack on the end of it extended out, promptly connecting. "This should only take…" he mumbled to himself, sticking his tongue out in concentration. "Got it!" he announced seconds later. "The room's five levels down and about four intersections from our current location!"

"So now that we know where we're going…" Tangle began slyly before her eyes grew wide and sparkly with anticipation. "Does that mean we can go through and smash stuff now?!"

Whisper giggled at her wife's enthusiasm while Miles confirmed her suspicions.

"Yes Tangle, we can 'smash stuff' now."

"Woohoo!" she beamed, dashing out of the room and veering to the right. "Wait, which way are we going again?"

"I don't know how you guys do it," Miles chuckled, turning to Whisper.

Whisper grabbed her arm as her face shifted to the side in embarrassment. "Yin to my Yang…"

The sound of electric shocks and breaking metal resonated through the ruined section of Apotos. Dismembered and deactivated robots littered the edge of a large clearing connecting several paths, with some of them laying on top of piles of rubble that used to be homes. The cause of all this chaos? A three-man detective team with a very fitting name.

"That's it Team Chaotix! Let's keep these walking trash cans on the ropes!" the team's fearless green leader shouted as he punched clean through another robot. "Espio, how's the evacuation going?"

Espio materialized seemingly out of this air across the clearing. "This section of the city's almost entirely evacuated. The rest'll be out soon!" he yelled in reply before fading from sight once more.

"Eyes in the sky can confirm!" the team's buzzy paramedic affirmed, zipping away from the scene with an unconscious adult lynx in-hand.

Another of Eggman's rotund bots charged Vector, red energy sword in-hand. The crocodile braced himself, raising his arms as the robot closed the distance and swung downward. Purple crackles shot out from the clash as blue wrist guards absorbed the strike with ease, supported by his immense strength.

"Hmph! That's all you got?" Vector smirked, removing his right arm and grabbing the robot's oversized wrist. With a grunt, the arm creaked upwards and off his left wrist. Realizing what was happening, the robot used its free hand to try and retaliate, winding it back for a punch. However, with his left arm now free, Vector easily caught its fist.

"Graa!" the team's muscle bellowed as they shifted their weight and launched the robot to the right. It tumbled madly towards a building before regaining its footing just before impact with an intact building, but it still wasn't enough to save it from crashing into the white wall. "Haha! Score one for Vector!"

A metal hand clanking against stone cut the croc's victory cheer short. As the dust cleared, the robot rose from the wall, rubble falling from its body.

"Aw, come on!" he complained.

Two shurikens streaked across the battlefield, striking the robot in the chest just as it was reaching its full height once more. Mere instants later, a rapid beeping, accompanied by a small red flash emmanted from each shuriken. The robot's optical sensor tilted down, trying in vain to analyze the devices before they both detonated, engulfing its body in an explosion.

When the smoke cleared, the robot was on what was left of its back, its front was a dismembered mess with wires pouring out and small bolts of electricity dancing between them.

The Chaotix leader twisted around towards the origin of the shurikens, "aww… I had him!" he complained.

"Didn't realize we were keeping score," the purple chameleon responsible mused. "But if we were, then I guess that's a point for me."

"Um… guys, we've got a problem!" The familiar voice of Charmy Bee called from above. The two grounded teammates looked up to him, and then to where he was pointing. The sound of more metal feet on stone rang out as at least a dozen robots approached from one of the many streets leading to the square. Most using the aforementioned swords, while a few wielded blasters.

Vector turned back to Espio with a smirk, cracking his knuckles. "Hmph! Never said we were, but if you insist..."

Fists flew, shurikens soared, and the bee attacked from above, distracting the ranged units. Vector's grabbed a robot by the wrists and planted his leg firmly on its midsection, yanking and removing its two arms with ease before throwing them to the wayside and bashing his fist through its unguardable body.

As the disabled bot fell, another dashed up, ready to take its place, only to stopped in its tracks by the purple chameleon that had bounded up to drive his blue energy dagger into its head. It fell forward in a heap as its attacker lept away.

Mere minutes later, all ground units had been dealt with in similar fashion. The two then turned to the four ranged attackers, who were currently occupied with Charmy. Their blasters didn't have a particularly fast rate of fire, but what they lacked in speed, they made up for in deadliness. The nimble bee danced around the sky, narrowly dodging the thick orange bolts.

"Gonna have to try a little harder than that, bolt brains!" Charmy taunted, sticking his tongue out. "Woah!" he shouted in surprise, almost being caught off guard and separating his legs in the nick of time to avoid losing his landing gears in a double amputation.

The fourth robot readied its weapon once more, preparing to take its shot.

"Mind if I try that?"

Before the robot could hope to respond, not that it could, its weapon was stolen as a foot collided with its chest, sending it flying backward. Vector held the oversized blaster, lugging it to the left in order to train it on the other three bots. "Hey can openers!"

The bots momentarily ceased their onslaught and turned their cranial units towards Vector's distraction.

"Catch!" he grunted, pulling the trigger and sending a powerful burst of energy hurtling towards them. It's laser-like noise was swiftly joined by the sound of tearing metal as it easily pierced the armor of its targets. Having clearly not been built to resist their own weapons, it sliced through them like butter, leaving clean holes in each one. Charmy ceased his aerial acrobatics and breathed a sigh of relief.

The last of the squadron, along with their misused laser rifle, clanked to the ground, having been finished off by Espio. "So," Vector grinned, turning towards the chameleon with crossed arms. "I believe that makes our score an even six-to-six, unless a three-for-one combo counts as extra!"

"How 'bout no," Espio smirked in response.

Charmy set down next to the two, giving his wings a much needed rest. "All the civilians have been evacuated from the area. Luckily for us, the robots seem to clump in one spot at a time."

"Glad we minimized civilian casualties. Let's just hope the other five do their part." Said Vector.

"Oh please, I'm this is the Freedom Fighters, plus Sonic and Blaze we're talking about!" Charmy began with a dismissive hand gesture. "Heck, I'm sure they've already got the weapon disabled and are handing the good doctor's butt to him right now!"

Before any conversation could continue, a metallic clank rang out through the battlefield, followed by several more. It wasn't dissimilar from the stomping of the previous robots, but these clanks were far deeper and heavier.

Team Chaotix all turned their heads toward the sound's source. Before them, across the battlefield was a mechanical monstrosity. It towered over Vector, being at least twice his height. Attached to the end of its heavily reinforced right arm was a long, singing red energy blade. On its left was a circular shield with a red star in the center.

"Egg Paladin unit: Online. Three priority targets acquired. Commence extermination protocols," its heavy and menacing robotic voice bellowed.

"Uhh… how many points is that one worth?" a nervous Charmy asked with wide eyes and a weak point.

"All or nothing…" Vector muttered back.

Charmy took to the skies as the Egg Paladin short forward, its bulky form moving deceptively fast. Luckily for Vector, he was faster. He sidestepped to the left, feeling a gust of wind as the sword sliced through the air and into the stone ground.

Before the robot could pull its sword out of the demolished stone, two shrunkens soared its way. The Paladin reacted in-kind, swinging its shielded arm to block the projectiles. Just as with its weaker brethren, they embedded themselves into the metal, preparing to detonate.

The glowing blade was removed and swiped along the ground at Vector's feet, the crocodile jumped up to dodge, preparing to counterattack with a powerful punch. However, as his wound-back fist prepared for its journey, the shield was swung over in front of him. Espio's projectiles detonated right in front of Vector.

"Gahh!" the team leader shouted, being knocked back by the force of the explosion.

Espio gasped upon seeing his own attack turned against them. The shock wore off quickly, his face forming a scowl as he slipped from sight.

"Boss!" Charmy yelled, aiming a dive kick at the column of smoke surrounding the Egg Paladin. Before the attack could connect however, a sound not unlike Sonic's spindash, but far deeper and metallic rang out from the center of the cloud. "Huh?!" Charmy stopped in his tracks and watched in confusion as the smoke swirled around and dispersed. Where the Egg Paladin once was, there was now a rapidly spinning metal ball. The bee's eyes went wide in realization. "Vector, look out!"

Just as Vector was getting off one knee, the Paladin's spherical form surged forward. The shaken croc was still unable to dodge, wincing in pain as he tried to dash away. Luckily for him, he had teammates. The invisible form of Espio snatched Vector up and propelled him out of the way mere moments before the Paladin barreled through.

Team Chaotix watched as the robot was unable to stop itself from crashing into the remains of a building, kicking up dirt and rubble.

"You alright Vector?" Espio asked with concern, still using his shoulder to support his leader.

"Yeah, just a little shaken up, I'll be good in a sec," Vector replied, breaking away from Espio's grasp.

Espio sheepishly apologized for being so careless.

"Hey, don't sweat it! You couldn't'a known it was gonna do that, just keep it in mind for next time!" Vector insisted. Just then, a disturbance in the clearing rubble caught his attention. "Speaking of next time…"

The Egg Paladin stepped out of the debris, back in its bipedal form and brandishing its sword once more. Team Chaotix assumed their fighting positions, but were left waiting an almost awkward amount of time for their adversary to make its move, eventually being caught off guard when it spoke.

"Threat level increased to level two. Adapting accordingly." Out of its shoulder region sprouted two more small appendages, each sporting quite a wide laser cannon. A mechanical whirring sound ensued as their interiors began to spin, emitting a red light.

Vector nervously stepped back, wide-eyed. "Uhh… I didn't know it could do that."

The heat was turning up in the Faceship as a pyrokinetic cat and her speedy spouse stormed through the upper levels. Another freshly wasted squadron of robots laid in a heap behind them as they pressed onward.

"Heh, you'd think after all these years that Egghead would've hired some better help," Sonic smirked, him and his wife rounding a corner to reveal yet another group of enemies.

"Let's be fortunate the deadliness of his 'help' doesn't match the newfound deadliness of his plans," replied Blaze, her hands producing fireballs as they advanced. "This new device of his… it's horrible, inhumane-"

"And don't forget doomed to fail!" Sonic cockily added on. "Speaking of doomed…"

The wide hallway filled with robots became another battlefield, with the couple going on the offensive. The robots struggled to keep up as Sonic's spindash carved through them one-by-one, bashing through them before bouncing up and speeding towards it next target. Meanwhile, the other half of the robots were no match for the sweltering heat of the queen's pyrokinetics. Several at once were bathed in scorching fire and melted down to scrap.

"Five, six, seven…" the speedy monarch counted as he racked up a score. Seconds later, the sound of busting metal and electronics left the hallway. "And… nine! Ha, let's see you top that!" he finished, whipping around to his wife.

Blaze's flames calmed, revealing what was left of their targets. "Twelve."

"Wha? No way!" Sonic protested.

"The number of pools of molten metal and half-melted robots confirms my counting," Blaze playfully smirked.

"Alright… you win this one." her defeated husband admitted.

With the latest group of dispensable metal henchmen taken care of, the rulers decided to take it slow for a bit, briskly walking through the red-accented halls. However, the silence didn't last long, with the queen voicing her skepticisms.

"It's a little… odd for Eggman to attack like this, don't you think?" she asked the easygoing blue hedgehog to her side.

"Weird how?"

"If this had been a decade or so ago, back before you moved away-"

"To rule the Sol Kingdom with the most amazing wife a blue speedy hedgehog could ask for?" Sonic interrupted with a grin. Blaze smiled bashfully, a small blush creeping onto her face before she righted herself and continued.

"This would've made sense then, but his plans became more and more calculated after the metal virus fiasco. This seems way too brute-force for him now."

"Well maybe the old geiser's age is finally getting to him," Proposed the cocky hedgehog.

"Ha, maybe," Blaze chuckled. "But still, something just feels… off."

Rounding a corner, the couple spotted a massive door at the end of the growing hallway. The cat's eye narrowed at the sight as the two approached, their feet tapping on the metal floor.

"Quite the door," she thought aloud.

"You know how good ol' Egghead is, always tryna' make himself look way more important than he actually is." Sonic sneered, shrugging his shoulders.

The duo paused in front of the grey door with Eggman's red logo in the middle, looking up to take in its size, standing about three times their height. "This is likely our destination, we'll have to do what we did outside and-" Before Blaze could finish articulating her plan, the mighty door began to grind open. "Interesting…"

A massive circular room was revealed by the parted door. The monarchs strode in and gazed around, noting how generally featureless the red and grey room was. Four large metal vents lay in different corners of the room, and its dome-shaped ceiling's grey surface contained no windows or standout features, aside from another Eggman logo at the top. Finally, they turned their attention to the center of the room. A yellow Chaos Emerald floated atop a short pedestal, covered by a transparent dome.

"Hmph, weird that Egghead would leave part of his rock collection out on display," Sonic joked, striding forward nonchalantly.

"It's obviously some sort of trap," Blaze deduced.

"You should really listen to that wifey-poo of yours, you rotten rodent!" a taunting, all-too-familiar voice rang all throughout the room, proving the queen correct. "She may not hold a candle to my brilliance, but she's always been leagues ahead of you and that pea-sized brain!"

Blaze ignited her hands while Sonic circled his arms, stretching while he yelled back to his old 'friend.' "Yolk-for-brains, bout time! Where's our welcome mat?"

"Ah yes, how rude of me, not greeting my valued guests at the door!" Eggman fake-apologized. "I'll be right out, just let me get prettied up first!"

"Oh boy. Can't wait to see what walking trash can you've built to throw at us this ti-" the room shook below Sonic and Blaze's feet, interrupting his taunting.

A piercing metallic creak echoed throughout the room. "What is this?!" the pyrokinetic queen yelled as she watched the center of the room rise along with the emerald. As it continued to rise, a wide glass window, along with several pattern-forming lines surfaced.

Eggman cackled madly as the cylinder rose higher, towering over Sonic and Blaze by several body lengths.

The rumbling and rising ceased, an ominous silence falling over the battlefield as the two parties sat there, as-if staring each other down.

A loss of control accompanied by mad cackling broke the silence. Sonic held his stomach, mockingly pointing at Eggman's creation. "Oh man, I was spot on this time! Except it's not even a walking trash can!"

"Silence, insolent insect!" Demanded Eggman from the top of the mech. "You won't be so quick to judge once I show you my mechanical marvel's true form!"

With the tap of a button, Eggman's mech began to unfold. Four spider-like legs sprouted from the bottom, along with two arms from the sides. Some of the extra armor folded up and in to reveal an all-encompassing ring of strange openings below the cockpit.

In one final, powerful motion, it stood up and brandished its arms. On the right arm was a simple wrist cannon, while the other housed a shield along its length. The fingers of both hands seemed to have holes on the tips for reason that neither of the monarchs could discern.

"Well I'll give one thing to ya' Egghead. I was wrong, your latest toy's no trash can, it's a glorified can opener!" Sonic jeered.

"It's far more than just a toy, hedgehog! And the only thing it'll be 'opening' is your skulls!"

"We'll just see about that," Blaze growled, taking a step forward.

"Ah, ah, ah, my fiery feline, this marvel before you isn't all I have in store for you," Eggman mocked through his fervent typing on a keyboard.

The queen stopped in her tracks as the faint hissing of air through a vent filled her ears. She whipped around, trying to locate the origin of this new sound. Aside from the openings on mech itself, the four vents they'd noticed earlier also joined in. Their purpose was made clear as a light fog billowed out. Blaze and her husband watched in awe as it settled to the floor.

"What are you trying to accomplish? 'Spooky zombie movie' us to death? Don't you remember, you already tried that whole 'zombie' thing. Didn't exactly work out in your favor," Sonic taunted as the fog thickened near the floor and lowered the temperature considerably.

"Sonic, wait, something's wrong!"

The flaming monarch was indeed correct, she looked down at her hands as their fire began to weaken. Blaze struggled to keep the flames going, grunting as her hands barely stayed lit.

Sonic's eyes grew wide with epiphany. "Egghead!"

"What's the matter, Sonic? Feeling a little sticky out there?" He teased with a chuckle as he slammed a button, stopping the flow of humidity into the room. "That's right, your precious queen's flame powers will be heavily hindered, if not useless in this environment!"

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Blaze stated warily, her fists clenching.

"Why's that, dear?" asked the confused hedgehog. "So what if he came a little more prepared than normal? We're still gonna kick his butt!"

"That's not it," she replied, narrowing her eyes at the chuckling mad genius and his combat-ready mech. "How could he possibly have known to plan to combat my powers specifically? It doesn't make any sense…"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the supervillain taunted in response. With a few more button presses and lever pulls, the mech snapped into a fighting stance, leading with its cannon arm and bending its front legs to compensate. "But enough talk, you obnoxious animals have been throwing your furry wrenches in my plans for far too long! Soon I'll be rid of you once and for all!"

"Isn't that what you said the last hundred times?" Smirked Sonic, assuming his own fighting stance along with his handicapped, but determined partner.

"Hmph! This time will be different, rodent," Eggman rebutted with a sinister grin.

"Trust me…"

XXXX

All Sonic the Hedgehog characters and concepts are owned by SEGA. All original characters, as well as the AU concept as a whole is by Sonicxfan64 on DeviantArt.