-Episode 11: The Powers That Be-

After receiving a transmission from Geoffery to meet him alone, Sonic speeds towards the Robotnik's abandoned base. While heading there, he maintains contact with Nicole, who insists that she tracks him just incase Geoffery attempts something. Unlike the others, with the exception of Tails, Nicole has been keeping an eye on Geoffery's increasingly erratic behaviour.

Sonic thinks back to the moment of her disclosing this. This cuts to a flashback, where Nicole is seen trying to convince Sonic that Geoffery cannot be trusted.

"Sonic, I'm telling you. His behaviour is becoming increasingly unhinged. I implore you to listen to reason." Nicole pleaded.

"He's not that bad, Nicole! Besides, we can't fightin' each other now, not with Eggman still out there!" Sonic said, trying to defend Geoffery from Nicole's accusations of treachery.

"Sonic, didn't you ever think that something might be off with Geoffery? How he seems to be TOO interested in knowing about us?" Tails chimed in.

"Maybe he's just that committed?" Sonic retorted.

"Sonic, I at least request that you go to the abandoned base and find out what he wants. If it is of nefarious intent… I'll try not to say I told you so." Nicole pleaded.

"Don't be surprised if we do, though." said Tails.

"Fine, alright, jeez! I'll go…" said Sonic, before the flashback ends.

After this, Sonic finds himself in the heart of the abandoned base. Almost immediately, a sizable number of Eggman's robots attempt to ambush him, but with little success due to Sonic's lightning quick reflexes, before he then proceeds to use his homing attack to take them all down one by one.

"Darn it, Geoffery… is this your idea of a joke?.." Sonic muttered to himself. Almost immediately after, an almost-earth shaking rumble can be heard as a gigantic robot rises from the parting ground under him. Sonic dodges the flying chunks of debris and spin dashes through the last piece in his way, shredding it in half before landing.

After the dust settles, a hatch on the front of the robot, the pilot is revealed to be none other than Eggman. Sonic looked up at the scientist before the villain began his speech.

"The age of the Freedom Fighters...is over, Sonic The Hedgehog." Eggman said almost robotically, ready to take down Sonic once and for all.

"Y'know, the more I fight you, the more I kinda miss Robotnik. I mean, you don't even sound like a real, functioning being. You sound like... a robot. A robot with some screws loose and no sense of humor!" Sonic taunts, warming up for the fight ahead.

"Hn! Insolent pest! You dare mock me?!" Eggman yelled, before commanding his mech to use it's arm to attack Sonic, which the hedgehog dodges with ease.

"I would crack a joke, but you're just no fun! Stop embarrassing yourself, Eggman!" Sonic teased, provoking another strike from Eggman's mech, which he once again dodges with ease. A few dodges after, Sonic is finally hit. Not from the mech's arm, but the rubble.

"Ngh!" Sonic exclaimed before sliding along the ground on his feet, before stopping and getting into a fighting stance.

"Sonic, report!" Nicole calls out over Sonic's earpiece.

"Got ambushed by Eggman, he's pilotin' a mech, call you when it's done!" Sonic says before cutting her off.

"No, wai-!" Nicole says before being cut off.

Sonic continues to fight Eggman's mech, taking out any grunts with his homing attack and soon, slicing off one of the mech's arms with a powered up spin dash. He lands and shoots Eggman a taunting smirk. In response, Eggman's mech fires a plasma cannon from the arm that's still intact.

"You're too slow." Sonic muttered after dodging the blast. He speeds towards the mech, runs circles around the machine on order to disorientate Eggman, before coming back around one last time and blitzing straight through the robots core, with Eggman tumbling out of the debris afterwards.

"So...what's your deal been, Eggma—" Sonic attempts to ask, before being interrupted by the sight of what looks like Eggman being phased out of existence, like a glitchy computer screen.

"What?!" Sonic wondered, before hearing someone clapping and walking towards him; none other than Geoffery St. John.

"You've done well, Sonic. I've been waiting so long for this moment to arrive.." Geoffery said, sounding a little unhinged.

"Geoffery, what's going on?!" a shocked Sonic asked, to which Geoffery let's out an unstable laugh.

"I had to change my plans, but did get what I wanted in the end; a chance to finally destroy you, Sonic." Geoffery briefly explained.

"But Eggma—" Sonic says before being cut off by Geoffery.

"—was a mere fabrication. A ruse I set up to vanquish all of the other Freedom Fighters. But... you are something special. You managed to defeat my illusion and live... but I will rectify that here... and now.." Geoffery says, before taking a violet Ruby out of his his pocket, which emits a dark energy into Geoffery, who then laughs maniacally before levitating into the air.

Sonic dodges one of Geoffery's blasts, but is ultimately defeated after being slammed hard three times into the ground beneath him. Geoffery then floats towards Sonic's motionless body and picks him up by the throat.

"Such a disappointment..." Geoffery utters before tossing the hedgehog to the side, before he then floats up and rapidly heads in the direction of the Knothole. The last shot focuses on Sonic's unconscious body, with voices calling out to him on his earpiece.

"Sonic?! SONIC! WAKE UP!" Nicole calls out.

"No...SONIC!" Sally calls out on desperation.

"SONIC!" Tails, Rotor, Bunnie and Antoine called out.

-To Be Continued-