Out in the Mystic Ruins, Sonic the Hedgehog was running at top speed, thoroughly enjoying the experience. He jumped across the various structures and even across a few trees before touching back down and continuing his run. As he ran, he looked up and saw the X-Tornado flying over him, with Keith being at the controls this time instead of Tails.
"How am I doing, Tails?" Keith asked.
"You're doing great, Keith. It's like you were made to fly."
"Didn't seem like that last time."
"You're looking good from down here," Sonic remarked over comms. "How about we head out for Angel Island, scare us a couple of knuckleheads?"
"I can get behind that," Keith agreed.
Sonic ran up the side of the ancient temple and leapt into the air, landing on the X-Tornado as they took off towards Angel Island.
…
On Angel Island, Knuckles and Kat were in the midst of a fighting lesson, Kat performing some basic moves as Knuckles supervised.
"Not bad," Knuckles noted. "But you're leaning in too far with the strikes. It puts you off balance."
"I thought that felt off." Kat adjusted her stance and tried again. "Like this?"
"Much better. Now, what I want to to do next is-"
The noise of the X-Tornado's engines then reached their ears. The trees began to shake from the force of the winds it was creating. Both knuckleheads covered their ears, taking several steps back as the X-Tornado began coming in for a landing. The plane touched down but still continued moving forward towards them, causing them to grow worried.
"It's not stopping..." Kat let out.
"I see that..." Knuckles replied.
The plane kept moving forward, showing no signs of stopping.
"It's not stopping!"
"I see that!"
As it got closer, Knuckles eventually just grabbed Kat and threw her back, then braced himself to try and stop the plane. Finally though, the plane slowed to a stop just inches away from Knuckles' face. The red Echidna let out a long breath, dropping to his knees in relief as Kat came over, covered in leaves from the bush he'd thrown her into.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah… fine. Just let me stay here until my hands stop shaking."
The cockpit opened, allowing Keith and Tails to climb out.
"Sorry about that!" Keith called out. "Still working on the landings."
"They… need work," Kat said gently.
"Hey, compared to some of Tails' landings, he did pretty good," Sonic declared, giving Keith a light punch to the side.
"Hey," Tails let out.
"Sorry, pal," Sonic replied. "But it's true."
"So, what are you guys up to?" Keith asked.
"Knuckles was teaching me how to fight so I could 'stop charging into battle with nothing but a baseball bat and not even an iota of a strategy'," Kat answered.
"Hey, I call it like I see it," Knuckles remarked. :Besides, whatcha gonna do if someone takes your bat, huh?"
"I'm not arguing with ya. In case you haven't noticed, I agreed to your lessons and have been actively paying attention."
"A fact I'm very thankful for."
"Agreed," Keith chimed in. "We don't need a repeat of the Egg Fort II incident."
"Hey, I was only partially at fault for that one," Kat said defensively. "Besides, I was able to get the Emeralds, wasn't I?"
"And nearly got burned by-" Knuckles began to retort.
Before the argument could go any further then that, someone cleared their throat. Everyone looked around, then spotted Bokkun sitting on the nose of the X-Tornado. The small bot looked unusually morose, wringing his hands on the strap of his knapsack.
"Bokkun?" Sonic let out. "What do you want?"
"Got a message for ya. Dr. Robotnik gave it, special request."
He pulled the tablet out of his bag, then tossed it at Keith. Keith caught it, then Bokkun flew off without so much as a giggle. Everyone watched him go, completely weirded out.
"Okay..." Keith let out. "Was that weird for anyone else?"
"Yeah…" Tails admitted. "Bokkun Is usually a lot more energized than that."
"Maybe Eggman forgot to change his batteries," Knuckles remarked.
"Well let's see what the Doc wants this time," Sonic decided, taking the tablet from Keith. "Been wondering what he's been up to since he busted out of prison."
Sonic pressed a button on the tablet, revealing the cackling Dr. Robotnik on the screen.
"I'm back! Hope you're rested and ready Sonic, because this time, my victory is assured. I've just completed work on my ultimate weapon, which in three days time, will allow me to conquer the world! Think you can stop me?! You're welcome to try!"
Robotnik started laughing again before the tablet began to spark. Sonic quickly tossed it into the air so it could explode harmlessly. The thing exploded and everyone covered their heads.
"Great, now I have to clean up the pieces of that damn tablet later..." Knuckles grumbled. "I hate those things."
"Eggman certainly isn't wasting time," Tails dreaded. "Three days doesn't give us much time."
"You kidding?" Sonic retorted. "That's all the time in the world! Especially with all five of us."
"Just promise me the kid won't be flying," Knuckles insisted.
"Hey!" Keith snapped.
"Sorry Keith," Kat declared as she climbed into the X-Tornado. "But you are not ready for long trips."
"Think we should call Amy?" Tails asked as he got in the cockpit.
"Nah, she's watching over Helen and Cream today with Vanilla," Sonic replied. "Let's let her be for once. She deserves a day off."
"Then let's do this!" Tails declared, powering up the X-Tornado and flying off.
…
At the Birnbaum house, Amy was seated across from Cream, Helen, and Vanilla as they all enjoyed a tea party.
"You really do make the best tea, Vanilla," Amy commented.
"Oh, thank you sweetie. We're just happy you could join us."
"I wish Chocola could be here to enjoy this with us," Cream remarked. "Cheese has missed him so much."
"Who's Chocola?" Helen questioned.
"My mom's Chao," Cream explained. "He was left behind in our world."
"Actually, he came over with me," Vanilla clarified, "But I guess we must have gotten separated."
"So Chocola could be here?" Cream realized.
Amy perked up, seeing the insistence in Cream's face.
"If Chocola is here, then I say we should go find him," She declared.
"Do you think we can?" Cream asked.
"I know we can."
Cheese chirped happily in response.
"Can I help?" Helen asked. "I was able to help when Big lost Froggy. I'm certain I can help find Chocola."
"I don't see why not," Amy told her, standing up. "Come on everyone! We're going on a Chao hunt!"
Amy went to the door and opened it, stopping in her tracks to see Big the Cat standing in the doorway. They all stopped short as the large cat ducked under the door frame.
"Hello everyone," he greeted. "I need help."
"What's wrong, Mr. Big?" Cream asked.
"Froggy is gone again. Someone took him while I was sleeping. You helped me find him last time, so I was hoping you could help me find him again."
"Do you have any idea who would want to take him?" Amy asked.
Big just shook his head.
"Then we should start at your place," Helen insisted. "Find a clue and go from there."
"Maybe we can find Chocola along the way," Cream suggested.
"Who?" Big asked.
"We'll explain on the way," Amy told him, already slipping out the door. "Mind carrying Helen? Your home isn't exactly wheelchair friendly."
"Sure thing," Big agreed, scooping up Helen and placing her on his back.
"Let's go!" Cream cheered,
With that, the four of them set off on their friend finding quest.
…
Elsewhere, Rouge the Bat was flying along the coastline, a pair of binoculars in her hand as she scanned the area.
"Topaz, are you sure about this?" she asked.
"We've been depicting unusual activity in the region, and since Eggman recently got out of jail, the President wants to check it out."
"Alright. But so far, all I'm seeing is white sandy beaches. If I weren't on the job, I'd consider settling in for a vacation."
"Try and stay focused, Rouge. We need to find the source of the activity. Is there anything in the region at all that stands out? An odd structure, some robots, anything?"
"I'm looking, but so far, it's-"
That's when she spotted something in the forest bordering on the beach. It was a building, one that bore Robotnik's insignia across the doors.
"Hold on, I think I got something."
She flew towards the building, landing in front of it to examine the security outside. To her surprise, there were a pair of simple robots completely trashed by the doors, and the security panel was broken. The doors were pushed open a crack, showing they were unlocked.
"And it seems I'm not the only one here..."
"Stay sharp, Rouge. No telling what you'll find in there."
"I have a few ideas," Rouge remarked, opening the doors and heading inside.
Stepping over a few more deactivated bots, Rouge slipped deeper into the facility, where she could hear a distant voice, as well as the sound of the occasional spark of electricity. She moved in closer, rounding a corner to see, of all people, Chessie, working to unlock a security door.
"Well now," Rouge let out, getting her attention. "This is a surprise."
Chessie turned, shocked to see the bat standing there.
"Rouge… what are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that. You never begged me for the larcenous type."
"I'm not stealing. I… it doesn't matter." Chessie turned back to what she was doing. "I have to get this door open."
Rouge leapt up into the air and kicked the door down, landing in front of her.
"That help?" Rouge asked.
"Yeah… thanks."
Chessie tried to go in, but Rouge stopped her.
"Not until you tell me what you're doing here."
"I have my reasons for being here, and that's all you need to know."
"Not good enough, sweetie. Now tell me why you're here before I arrest you for disruption of justice."
Chessie looked angrily, then turned away.
"I'm looking for someone, okay?"
"Who? Eggman? Join the club."
"Not, not Eggman."
Chessie began fiddling with the golden band around her wrist, the one Sonic had given her after the ARK incident.
"Shadow?" Rouge realized. "But he's dead. We were there."
"He's the Ultimate Lifeform. He survived fifty years in cryogenic stasis. I have to believe he survived his drop from orbit."
"I don't know. Sonic said the guy was struggling to maintain his super form. I don't think-"
"He's alive!" Chessie snapped, sounding almost desperate. "He has to be! I need him to be!"
Rouge saw the desperation in her eyes, knowing she wouldn't drop this. Reluctantly, she stepped out of the way, letting Chessie in. Once they were inside, they found that aside from some basic supplies and a few munitions crates, the only thing of note in the room was a large, vitrine tank. Inside it, they could see a figure that was mobian in appearance, and had five head spines.
"You don't think…"
"Don't get your hopes up," Rouge warned. "We don't know what's in there."
As the two walked over to the capsule, they incidentally tripped a laser on the floor. Across the room, a set of robotic eyes flashed on, allowing a large metal monster to step forward and lock onto the two of them as Rouge looked over the tank's controls.
"I think I can get this thing open..."
"Leave it to me," Chessie insisted. "I was born in one of these things. Just watch my back."
Rouge backed away as Chessie operated the controls. As this happened, the robotic eyes narrowed, and something massive moved in the shadows. Finally, Chessie was able to drain the tank, revealing the captive inside to be none other than Shadow himself. He fell out of the tank, but Chessie quickly caught him, happy when she felt him breathing, as well as a steady heartbeat.
"He's alive..." she gasped. "He's really alive… Thank Aurora."
"I… I can't-"
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the shadows as a massive, red, E-Series robot stepped out of the darkness. Rouge instantly took into the air as Shadow, on instinct, tackled Chessie out of the way.
"Stay here," he insisted before charging at the robot.
The robot continued firing as Shadow leapt out of the way of the shots.
"Looks like all that time in the tank hasn't slowed you down, Shadow," Rouge remarked.
"Who?" Shadow questioned, instinctively dodging more gunfire.
Rouge cocked an eyebrow at that. On the ground, Chessie picked herself up, looking at the giant robot attacking them. She activated her cables, using them to try and bind the robot.
"Stand down!" she yelled. "Don't make me deactivate you like I did the others!"
The robot just spun its torso around, tossing Chessie aside before resuming fire on Shadow.
"Must annihilate all Robotnik robots!" the robot let out.
This took both the girls by surprise, but Shadow remained unfazed, moving in for a destructive blow on the bot.
"Hey, hold it!" Rouge called out, getting between Shadow and the robot. "Lets all calm down and talk this out. First off, we're not robots, so cool your jets, robo-butt."
"Proper designation is E-123 Omega. The last of the E-series robots."
"Okay, Omega," Chessie addressed, recalling her cables. "None of us are your enemy. Not me, Rouge, or Shadow."
"Who is this Shadow you keep referring to?" Shadow questioned, crossing his arms.
That made Chessie deflate slightly.
"Shadow… that's your name."
"My name… is Shadow?
"You- you don't remember?"
"Looks like that fall gave him a nasty bump on the head," Rouge noted. "Either that or Eggman wiped his memory so he'd work for him again."
"Eggman?" Shadow repeated.
"An evil scientist. He's the one who..." Chessie trailed off, then shook her head. "Well, he's done a lot of evil things."
"Robotnik: enemy," Omega declared. "Designation: primed for extermination."
"So what's your story, big guy?" Rouge wondered. "Never saw one of Eggman's bots turn on him."
"This unit was intended to be the ultimate battle machine. Instead, this unit was assigned to lowly guard duty."
"And now you're pissed off because your talents were squandered. Makes sense." Rouge turned to Chessie, gesturing to Omega. "Hey kitty cat, think you can do something for our friend here? I'm sure he probably has some sort of loyalty circuit like you did."
"I'm on it."
She got behind Omega, popping open his panel and beginning her work. While she did that, Rouge turned to Shadow.
"So, you really don't remember anything? At all?"
"No… do we know each other?"
"You might say that. Tell me, does the name Maria mean anything to you?"
Shadow tensed up upon that name, he didn't know it, but felt like he should. A blurry image came to mind, but it was nothing but shapes and colors. He gritted his teeth, a hand going to his head as he struggled to make it focus. Upon seeing his struggles, Chessie looked up from her work and went over to him. She placed a hand on his back, trying to be comforting.
"Easy there. Don't try and force yourself. Your brain just isn't ready to remember yet."
For some reason, Shadow felt calmer at the sound of her voice.
"Eggman… he did something to me… he had to…"
"If he did, then he might be able to reverse it," Rouge suggested. "Whatever he planned to do with Shadow has to be big, and frankly, something worthy of GUN's attention. Knowing Chessie here, she wants to make him pay for what he did to Shadow."
"Damn right I do," Chessie nodded.
"And you want to take down Eggman for locking you up in this room," Rouge surmised, turning to the robot.
"Affirmative."
Rouge smirked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Then it's settled. The four of us are going to track down Eggman, together."
"This should be fun," Shadow remarked.
...
At the Chaotix Detective Agency, Vector was sitting at his desk, jamming out to some tunes on his headphones. Espio was listening to his own tunes as he worked on his accuracy training. He threw a kunai knife at a dartboard, hitting the bullseye no problem. All of a sudden, Charmy came flying in, carrying a small package.
"Vector! Vector! You got mail! You got mail!"
Vector sat up with a start, falling out of his chair as a result. This caused Charmy to toss the package into the air, forcing Espio to toss a knife towards the package, pinning it to the wall. Vector then picked himself up, snagging the package and opening it with the knife. Inside, there was a red walkie talkie.
"What 's this?" Vector asked, picking up the walkie talkie.
"It appears to be some sort of communicator," Espio remarked.
"Why would someone send-"
"Greetings detective," the walkie talkie spoke up, much to their surprise. "I've heard good things about you, and require your detective services."
"Is that so?" Vector questioned. "What's in it for us?"
"I can pay you quite handsomely."
"How handsomely are we talkin here?" Charmy inquired.
"Handsomely enough to make the ritz Sonic the Hedgehog is living with look like a homeless shelter."
Both Vector and Charmy perked up upon hearing that.
"We'll take the job!" Vector declared.
"I don't know, Vector," Espio voiced. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Hey, you know our policy! We never turn down a paying job!
"We can't afford to," Charmy chimed in. "Literally!"
Espio sighed, shaking his head as the three took off.
"We're going to regret this. I just know it..."
...
Meanwhile, Sonic and his team soared through the skies towards the remains of Robotnik's island fortress.
"So what makes you think we'll find anything here?" Keith asked.
"This is his base and frankly, I can't think of where else to start," Sonic answered.
Tails slowly brought the X-Tornado down on the beach, allowing everyone to disembark.
"Keep your eyes peeled for anything," Sonic instructed.
Everyone nodded as they moved out, Sonic making a beeline for the remains of the base itself. As he went inside, he looked around at the damaged walls and exposed wiring, seeing that just about everything worth taking was already gone.
"Where are you, Eggman?"
Suddenly, the base started shaking, causing Sonic to make a beeline towards the exit.
"Guys!" Sonic called out. "We're about to have company!"
"Keith, Kat!" Tails shouted. "Make for the X-Tornado! Hurry!"
"We can help!" Kat insisted.
"We are helping, by doing what we're told!" Keith told her, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the plane.
Just then, the top of the base opened up, allowing a large red aircraft in the shape of a hawk to rise up. It turned towards the group just as Keith and Kat got to the X-Tornado. The hawk then proceeded to open fire, causing Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to stop just short of the X-Tornado.
"Sonic!" Keith called out.
"Don't worry about us!" Sonic called out. "Just get airborne! We'll draw Eggman's fire!"
"We're not leaving you!" Kat snapped.
"Never said you had to."
Keith nodded before climbing into the cockpit. He fired up the X-Tornado, and the plane took off into the air, allowing the three Mobians to turn and face down the deranged doctor.
"Smart of you to send the kiddies away!" Robotnik called out. "The only thing you're going to accomplish here is make fools of yourselves!"
"Heh!" Sonic let out. "I think you got that backwards, Doc!"
Robotnik opened fire on the three, causing them to scatter across the beach. Tails took off into the air, prompting Sonic to grab onto his feet. Knuckles followed suit, grabbing onto Sonic's feet as the two tailed fox carried them up.
"Think you got enough strength for this, buddy?" Sonic asked.
"I'm willing to try!" Tails replied.
Tails then began spinning in the air, building up momentum before finally launching Sonic and Knuckles at the hawk. Sonic rolled into a spin dash and collided with the hawk, denting it severely. Knuckles just landed on it, punching a hole in the wing.
"Why you!" Robotnik let out, swerving the hawk to try and throw him off.
Just then, the X-Tornado's guns started opening fire on the hawk, Keith bringing the plane in for a devastating attack. Kat meanwhile was standing in her seat (still strapped in obviously) with her bat in hand. She sent as many explosive balls sailing at the hawk as her bat could muster. Tails smiled at this before swooping down to grab Sonic, bringing him back up and tossing him at the hawk once more. He collided with the hawk hard before bouncing off, causing Knuckles to smirk before leaping up towards him. Sonic quickly grabbed Knuckles' hand and spun him around before launching him back at the hawk. Knuckles plowed clean through the hawk's wing, causing the machine to spark.
"Alright!" Sonic cheered. "Nice shot, Knuckles!"
Knuckles shot Sonic a thumbs up as the X-Tornado continued to open fire on the hawk. The combined firepower of the guns, as well as Kat's baseballs, managed to do enough damage to send the hawk on a collision course with the tower remains.
"This isn't the end!" Robotnik declared, ejecting from the hawk and taking off before it crashed.
The five heroes watched as Robotnik took off in his egg mobile, flying off into the distance.
"He's getting away!" Knuckles cried out.
"Not for long!" Sonic declared as Keith attempted to land the X-Tornado.
Keith touched down, skidding a bit as he did so, but still coming to a stop before reaching the others.
"His landings are getting better," Sonic noted. "Come on, let's get going."
…
Elsewhere, Amy and her friends made their way to the Mystic Ruins, and by extension, Big's house.
"So what exactly happened when you found out Froggy was missing?" Amy inquired.
"Well, Froggy and I were fishing, just minding our own business when suddenly, something just up and grabbed him."
"And you have no idea what?"
"No. it was moving too fast."
"Maybe Mr. Sonic can help us find out who it is."
Before Amy could respond, a laser blast fired at their feet, causing them to look up in shock to see Robotnik hovering over them.
"It's Eggman!" Amy let out.
Cream quickly hid behind Big with Helen as Robotnik lowered down towards him.
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise," Robotnik remarked. "I was just on my way to my new headquarters, and what do I find but a couple of Sonic's junior partners in crime."
"What are you up to, Eggman?!" Amy demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know, my dear. Sadly, I'm not in a sharing mood.
He fired at them again, prompting Amy to leap out of the way as Big picked up the girls and moved out of firing range. Robotnik continued shooting at Amy, who kept leaping out of the way of the blasts. Having enough, Amy pulled out her hammer and swung at one of the blasts, knocking it back towards Robotnik. He quickly pulled up to avoid getting hit, much to his irritation.
"You're going to pay for that one!" Robotnik declared, blasting again.
This time, it hit the ground near Amy, knocking her backwards. She collided with a tree as Robotnik closed in on her, readying his weapon again. Before he could fire, he felt something tug on his Eggmobile. He turned around and saw that Big had slung his fishing line on the back of it.
"Leave my friends alone!" Big shouted, pulling on the line.
"Release my Eggmobile, you oversized kitten!"
Robotnik quickly turned around and began firing at him. Big dove out of the way, gripping Helen as tight as he could. Cream quickly took off into the air, flying out of range of the attacks. She quickly scooped up Amy, who grabbed her hammer as Cream flew up.
"Thanks, Cream!" Amy told her. "Bring me in close to Eggman!"
"Ok," Cream replied as they flew in close.
As Big and Helen hunkered down behind a rock, Helen saw a small collection of stones laying on the ground. Having an idea, she scooped them up and started chucking them at Robotnik, much to his annoyance. Cheese happily flew around, grabbing more rocks for her to throw. While Robotnik was distracted by the pelting, Cream flew up behind him with Amy still in hand. Cream then spun around in the air a few times before launching Amy at Robotnik, allowing her to swing her hammer right at Robotnik's Eggmobile. The impact launched Robotnik into the air, with him screaming all the way.
"Yes!" Helen cheered. "We did it!"
"Yeah…" Amy realized. "We just fended off Eggman!"
"We did, didn't we?" Cream realized, Cheese chirping happily in response.
"We did pretty good," Big added.
Suddenly, Amy perked up with a thought.
"You know what? We don't need to talk to Sonic. We can find Froggy and Chocola on our own."
"Really?" the three asked in unison as Cheese chirped in curiosity.
"We just took on Eggman all by ourselves. And I'm willing to bet he might have something to do with what happened to our friends. We'll track him down, stop his latest plan, and save our friends! You with me?"
"Yeah!" Cream cheered with Cheese chirping along.
"Count me in!" Big agreed.
"I'm in too!" Helen declared, throwing a hand in the air.
"Then let's get going, team!" Amy declared
With that, the four were off, ready to find their friends at any cost.
…
Meanwhile, Chessie, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega made their way out of the storage house where they'd found Shadow. They found themselves on the shores of Seaside Hill, a luxurious beach miles away from the city.
"So, how do we find this 'Eggman'?" Shadow asked.
"Honestly, I don't even know where to begin with that," Rouge admitted. "The only reason I found you was because GUN detected activity here."
"Well, I managed to hack into his personal servers," Chessie spoke up. "Eggman made a big mistake when he gave me mastery of machinery."
"Robotnik's vanity will be his undoing," Omega swore.
"No doubt," Rouge agreed. "So whatcha find?"
"I was mostly just looking into Shadow, trying to find him. I never paid much attention to anything else. Although, I do remember catching a glimpse of designs for an airship of sorts."
"Airship?" Rouge let out. "Wouldn't be the first time he tried attacking us from the air."
As if on cue, a barrage of blaster fire rained down on them, knocking them back. As the four of them tumbled onto the ground, they looked up and saw a massive mechanical scorpion dropping down in front of them. It had blasters concealed within its pincers and a razor sharp tail with an energy cannon attached to it. Inside the cockpit was, of course, Dr. Robotnik.
"Well, isn't this a surprise," Robotnik mused. "Traitors and renegades all in one place."
"Primary target acquired," Omega recognized. "Destroy Dr. Robotnik!"
"So, you must be Omega… you would be wise to respect your creator!"
The Egg-Scorpion then opened fire on the group, causing them to scatter. Chessie shot a cable out and zipped while Rouge flew upwards, Omega rocketed away, and Shadow ran on the ground. As he did, his hover shoes activated, much to his surprise. He quickly adapted to it though, skating along the ground and keeping ahead of Robotnik's attacks. The Egg-Scorpion swung its tail at Rouge, forcing her to fly upwards and dodge it. Chessie meanwhile shot a cable onto the tail and swung onto the scorpion itself. She landed on the back of it, running up to the base of the tail and pried off a panel. Robotnik turned around and saw her pulling out some wires.
"Get off my back!" Robotnik demanded.
The tail then lashed out, aiming right at her. She backflipped out of the way and onto the ground, looking up to see the tail aiming to strike again. Shadow quickly came to a stop, seeing the tail coming to strike. Acting on instinct, Shadow rushed towards the scorpion, leaping up and rolled into a spin dash. It smashed through the blade of the tail, much to Chessie's delight.
"You may have forgotten who you are, but you haven't forgotten how to fight."
Shadow smiled in response as the two leapt out of the way of the energy blasts. Rouge dove down towards one of the pinchers. She then spun into a screw kick, tearing through one of the pinchers with relative ease. Omega meanwhile activated his arm cannons and opened fire on the base of the tail, blowing it clean off.
"No!" Robotnik let out. "It's impossible!"
"Think again!" Chessie replied, shooting out her cables and yanking them down hard on the other pincher arm.
This managed to sever the entire arm off the mech, her cables then dug themselves into the exposed circuitry, ripping it apart like it was nothing. Seeing he was out of options, Robotnik ejected from the mech and flew off.
"This isn't over!" Robotnik promised. "Not by a longshot!"
"He always says that," Rouge said with a small shrug. "Sweet upgrades, by the way."
"Had some free time after everything," Chessie replied. "Thought the cables could use some enhancing."
"The upgrades are efficient," Omega remarked.
"Thanks Omega."
"The Doctor is getting away," Shadow reminded. "We have to get after him."
"We will," Chessie reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I promise, we'll find him and figure out what he did to you."
Shadow smiled, nodding in response.
"Well then, shall we get going?" Rouge directed.
"Warning, immediate destruction if distracted," Omega warned.
"Just make sure you can keep up," Shadow remarked, igniting his hover boots and taking off.
"Hey, wait for us!" Chessie called out, shooting a cable and zipping off after him.
Rouge and Omega quickly took off themselves, not wanting to fall behind.
...
Elsewhere, Team Chaotix made their way to the Emerald Coast, per their clients instructions.
"Alright!" Charmy let out. "Time to hit the beach!"
"Don't even think about it," Vector shot down, grabbing him by the back of the neck. "We're on a mission here, and we don't have time for messing around."
"Aw come on!"
"Vector is right," Espio insisted. "We need to find the capsule buried somewhere on this beach."
"Indeed," the voice on the other end replied. "It will help you in locating Robotnik's secret base."
"Why do you want us going after Robotnik anyway?" Espio wondered.
"That's my business."
"Let it go, Espio," Vector insisted. "Just start looking for that capsule."
Espio just shrugged as they got to work. They all spread out, checking various parts of the beach in their search for the capsule. Charmy just dug one hole after another, hoping to find it buried in the sand. Espio decided to go towards the water, making sure the capsule didn't get washed away in the tide. Vector meanwhile stationed himself at the edge of the beach, surveying the area for signs of the capsule. His eyes stopped at a nearby cliffside, as he noted some peculiar rocks.
"Hang on…"
He ran towards the cliff, moving around to get a better angle on the rocks. As he did so, the rocks began to take on the shape of an arrow. The revelation caused the croc to smirk before turning towards the others.
"Espio! Charmy! Over here!"
Espio and Charmy looked up from their respective searches and hurried over towards Vector, who followed the arrow to the base of the cliff. Once they got there, Vector pointed at the ground.
"Charmy, do your thing."
Charmy saluted before diving down and digging his way through the sand. He dug down quite a bit before finally hitting something hard.
"Hey guys! I think I found it!"
Charmy flew up out of the hole, dragging the capsule with him before plopping it onto the ground. Espio pulled out a shuriken and used it to slice through the top of the capsule. It slid off, revealing some kind of tablet device.
"This is what's gonna help us find Robotnik?" Vector inquired.
"Yes. just turn it on and it will lead you to where he's hiding."
Vector did just that, activating the tablet as a radar came onto the screen.
"Works like a dream," Vector reported.
"So what do we do when we get to wherever Eggman is based out of," Espio asked.
"He's working on a top secret super weapon. I need you three to destroy it and locate a special item he has tucked away."
"What item?"
"I can't say right now."
"Guess we'll have to worry about that later," Vector surmised. "For now, let's get going."
The three detectives quickly followed the radar, silently wondering what was waiting for them when they reached their destination.