Chapter 5 – Arrival of the Allies
Blaze the Cat, General Klump and the rest of their team were led out of the base by Eggman's robots. They marched slowly while surrounded by their captors, careful not to step out of line as the robots had their weapons pointed at them and they were ready to use them if they dared to escape.
"Quit dawdling and move it!" ordered one of the Egg Knights.
Viper looked at Blaze. "This looks really bad," he whispered to her. "I don't see any way out of this one."
"Hopefully, something will come along and save us," replied Blaze as she checked her surroundings. "But at the moment, I just sensed a dramatic shift up in the sky."
"What do you mean?" asked Viper.
"I don't know," whispered Blaze. "But it seems as if Eggman has been eliminated, not by Sonic, but by something else…"
"Then that should be a good thing, right?" asked Bowser. "I mean, with Eggman gone, everything should get better for us."
"Not really sure about that, Bowser," said Blaze. "I'm sensing another threat within the Death Egg, something that is a hundred times more sinister and lethal than Dr Eggman."
Viper and Bowser became very concerned about what Blaze was saying, and it made them wonder if their friends on the Death Egg were going to be fine.
Please be alright, Sonic, Tails and Cynder… thought Blaze. We are all counting on you to set things right!
Just then, one of the Egg Knights received a sudden message. It pressed on its arm, and a hologram of an E2000 appeared.
"Gold leader," it droned. "Dr Eggman has been removed from power and a new leader is in place. Metal Sonic will handle our operations."
"It's about time," replied the Egg Knight. "So our plans are setting in motion."
"Affirmative," said the robot. "We're about to make the report to our space fleet. The Anthro League will be defeated as soon as possible, over and out."
Bowser and Klump exchanged confused glances at each other. "Who's Metal Sonic?" they asked.
"I had a feeling it had to be him," said Blaze. "Metal Sonic is Dr Eggman's most powerful creation, and he was made with the sole purpose to rival Sonic in so many ways, including speed and tenacity. He kidnapped Amy when Dr Eggman attempted to conquer Little Planet, he was with Eggman in his plot to take over and convert Angel Island into the Newtrogic High Zone, and then he orchestrated a plot to overthrow Eggman and conquer the world by copying the abilities of Sonic and his friends, including the power of Chaos."
"I'm confused," said Jeremy. "Why would this Metal Sonic turn against his own creator?"
"Because over time, Metal Sonic grew more power-hungry and ruthless that he wanted to rule the world himself, even if it means rebelling against Eggman," said Blaze. "He's a very dangerous enemy and not to be messed with."
"Silence!" ordered the Egg Knight. "Now, in a few hours, you will all be shipped to the Death Egg where we will be have you roboticised and serve your new supreme commander. Are there any questions?"
Blaze was about to say something when she noticed some figures from the distance. Although they were hidden by the bushes, she could tell that they were some of her friends, including Rouge, Espio and Lonnie. A devious grin crossed her face as she had an idea. "Yes, I do have a question," she said. "Why don't you robot just take a quick look to your sides?"
Confused yet intrigued, the robots turned around, and suddenly, they were caught off guard when Axl, Lonnie, Rolf, Knuckles, Espio, Vector, Rouge and the Daring Dragon Dynamos jumped over them, incapacitating the bunch.
"Yes, the Nightriders are here!" cheered Jeremy. "We've been rescued!"
"Come on, everyone!" shouted Blaze. "Let's get those robots!"
Feeling a sudden burst of resolve, the captives fought against the robots. Bowser and Krusha grabbed some Egg Pawns and tossed them around. Viper and Blaze managed to seize some of the laser guns dropped by the robots and they shot several of them down.
"It feels good to be carrying a firearm again," beamed Viper.
"This is the first time I'm using a gun," said Blaze. "I don't what to say, but I like this!"
Kalypso, Kip and Kass also hurried to the battle. "Here we are, home boys!" they called.
"How did you three make it here?" asked Klump.
"Moonracer brought us here," said Kalypso. "He figured that you guys will need all the help you can get with stopping Eggman."
"That's right," said Moonracer. "I'll be there when you guys are in trouble."
"Well, thanks very nice of you to come all the way here and join the fray," said Blaze.
Moonracer looked around. "By the way, where's Cynder?" he asked.
"She and her group have gone with Sonic to the Death Egg so they can confront Dr Eggman themselves," said Dark. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be back as soon as they can."
"I sure hope so," said Moonracer.
"Uh-oh, the doors to the base have closed," said Jeremy. "And I see Eggman's got some tanks roaming about!"
"Let me handle this," said Blaze. "I think I remember the code to get inside."
"Rouge and I will make sure you don't get hurt," said Knuckles.
"Me too," said Viper.
"We'll take of Eggman's robots for ya," said Axl. "Lonnie and Bowser just had an idea, and they're diverting some of them to chase after them."
"Good plan, Axl," said Blaze. "Now, hurry and fight them off!"
The Nightriders, the Daring Dragon Dynamos, and the Kremlings raced off to battle with Eggman's robots while Knuckles, Rouge and Viper remained at the base with Blaze as she tried to figure out the password to open the doors. The robots continued to attack, but the three fended them off with their firearms.
"Blaze, I sure hope you know what you're doing," said Viper. "Can you imagine how Tails would feel if he finds out that you got hurt in the heat of the battle?"
"Relax, Viper, I'm a strong girl, so I can take care of myself," said Blaze. "Besides, I should be able to get the door open so we can get inside soon, once I figured out the password."
Viper could only remain silent and keep watch on Blaze, but he knew that she was taking a precarious risk and any of the robots could attack her if she was not careful.
The battle in the rainforest raged as the team led by Axl and Klump fought the army of robots. Moonracer and the Daring Dragon Dynamos also participated with them. However, the battle proved to be very tough as not only they had to deal with the Egg Pawns, Egg Knights and Egg Hammers, but also the Flappers that dropped bombs, forcing them to dodge to avoid getting blasted by the explosions. Tanks were patrolling the jungle too, and they kept them on the move as they relentlessly fired at anything on sight.
Axl and Klump took cover in the foliage as they tried to figure out their next course of action.
"Talk about an intense battle!" exclaimed Axl. "My band and I have fought a lot of bad guys, but this is certainly something we had never experienced before!"
"Where's Krusha when I need him?" wondered Klump.
"He went with Lonnie and Bowser to fight some of those robots," said Axl. "Wherever they are, I know they'll take them out for sure."
"Klump, Axl, come here!" called Kalypso.
"What is it, Kalypso?" asked Klump.
"We have found a way to neutralise the tanks," said Jeremy excitedly. "Have a look, you guys!"
Klump and Axl crept out of the bushes and noticed that a tripwire has been planted between a pair of trees. "That's pretty impressive," they said. "But how did you get them?"
"We borrowed some equipment back at the Anthro League Headquarters," said Kip. "Thought that they'd come in handy for the fight against Eggman's robot army."
"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Axl.
"Oh, yes, trust us on this," said Selena. "Here comes a tank right now, so observe!"
Axl, Klump and their collaborators quickly hid within the foliage as a large Egg Tank came strutting in. It scouted the rainforest searching for resistance that it did not notice the tripwire ahead. Soon when it attempted to walk through the tripwire, the Egg Tank tripped over and collapsed with an explosion. Several Egg Pawns emerged from the tank as it was engulfed in flames.
"Stop those robots!" shouted Klump.
Jeremy, Axl, Selena, Kalypso, Kip and Kass quickly jumped over the robots and managed to bring them down before they could even attack.
"That was pretty good," said Klump. "I really like that tripwire idea. Let's see if we can be able to destroy a few more tanks with them."
"Look out, Klump, behind you!" called Kalypso.
Klump turned around and saw a bunch of Egg Knights pointing their laser blasters at him. There was no way he could be able to escape from the imminent attack. Just then, Moonracer and Starfire flew in with some boulders and dropped them on the Egg Knights, doing significant damage to them that they collapsed to the ground.
"Thanks for saving my life!" Klump called to Moonracer and Starfire.
"Don't mention it!" called Moonracer. "There are still more of them coming, so we're in for a very long battle!"
"Have any of you seen Zippy and Salem?" asked Starfire. "They were with me when we came here, but not they've disappeared without saying anything."
"I don't think I have seen them," said Klump.
"Oh no," said Starfire worryingly. "They must have wandered off somewhere! I must find them as they could get hurt if they're not careful!"
"You go and search for them, Starfire," said Moonracer. "I will stay here and help out Klump's party with the robots."
"Alright then," said Starfire. "But please, if you find them both, please let me know."
"You got it," said Moonracer.
Starfire flew away frantically in her search for Zippy and Salem. She did not want to lose her Charmander and Yoshi partners as she was equally worried about Cynder.
Author's Note: About time we see Knuckles, Rouge, the Daring Dragon Dynamos and the Nightriders taking part in the battle on Brazil! Things are getting really intense as the team have to try to regain access to the base so they can destroy the shield generator, and with so many robots attacking, it isn't going to be easy!