Sorry for the delay again! Man, I gotta try to update harder (eh, who am I kiddin'? My Summer job comes first…unfortunately). Now to present, Chapter 8!
Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, Espio, Shadow, and Geoffrey looked in shock. For although they had finally reunited with their old friend, Necronos he was forced to show them a most horrifying discovery. The demon prison known as the Cataclysmic Emerald had a vicious crack. Revealing that one of its seven shards was missing, and one of Catalyst's spirits had escaped!
"You're joking! Please tell me you're joking!" Rouge begged.
"I really wish I were, Rouge." Necronos confessed.
"But why now?" Tails wondered. "When we've already got a Zone that threatens Mobius Z's existence?"
"Think about it, my friends." Necronos began.
The gang looked at him with attention.
"As I told you before, Catalyst's spirits each had the ability to warp reality to be used as they will! The very crisis you're trying to stop can only be caused by none other!"
Knuckles' eyes widened. "So they're the ones responsible for what's been going on around here!"
"Correction. Only one of them is, this time…"
Elseware, in a darkened room lit by only the glow of monitors and screens, a familiar dark, sinister robot listened to the speakers. He seemed to be enjoying what he was hearing: it was the trembling of a girl's nervous voice; a sign of fear. It was coming from the girl he expected it was.
"He, he, he, he, he……"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"I can just picture the look on your face, rebel. You never thought you'd see ME ever again, did you……"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"
Necronos looked at Rotor's projecting hologram.
"I understand what you're planning, Rotor. And I think know how to help."
Now Rotor was interested. "Really, now. How so, if I may ask?"
He stared at the seven glowing reactor capsules surrounding the main booster in Rotor's equipment case.
"I know your seven capsules are to provide the temporary dimensional energy of Chaos Controlneeded to make the booster do its stuff. But I believe I know a way to give their energy a bigger boost!"
Shadow's ears perked up. "This I gotta hear."
Everyone watched in amazement as a scroll suddenly appeared from nowhere in Necronos hands. Unrolling it, he showed the gang and revealed it to be a map of marked Zones, and began to explain.
"Since we're dealing with a Zone dimensional imbalance cause by a Catalyst spirit, then your mission is to remove the Zone it formed and is now in control of. If you were to place your main booster somewhere in the Zone itself, its power will be at its maximum. Plus, by placing the seven boosters in the marked areas here, their energy transferred to the booster will increase greatly!"
Tails looked a little shocked. "Wow. I had no idea you knew so much about technology!"
"Well, I don't actually," Necronos confessed. "But when it comes to dimensional capabilities and magic, I'm a pro!"
Geoffrey looked at the map. "So you're saying these areas hear are where to place the rectors?"
"Yes. They are the only seven Zones with the dimensional power capable to increase the energy to our cause. Nowhere else in the world."
Knuckles took a look at the areas marked.
"Mystic Cave Zone, Star Light Zone, Lava Reef Zone……Wait a second. I get it now! These are the Zones where each of Catalyst's spirits were defeated!"
"Hey, you're right!" Rouge noticed.
"That explains why their dimensional energies would help. They're practically linked since the incident one year ago." Espio realized.
Knuckles continued. "Then that means the other ones are the Grand Metropolis Zone, Marble Garden Zone, Carnival Night Zone, and Hang Castle Zone!"
Rouge thought for a second, then a though crossed her mind.
"But, the Grand Metropolis Zone was destroyed!"
"WHAT?" Knuckles turned to her in surprise.
"That's right," Espio agreed. "Amy destroyed the entire Zone last time we were here. The spirit she fought with fused himself with the Zone. So she had no choice but to blow it up, taking the spirit with it."
Necronos shifted his gaze downward. "Unfortunately, her efforts and attempt failed!"
The six turned back to him.
"Wha-what are you saying?" Geoffrey questioned.
"I have no idea how it's possible, but that very same spirit somehow survived, and is now the one causing the chaos on this planet as we speak" he answered.
Tails' stared wide-eyed. "Then that means…"
"Yes" Necronos finished. "Our menace is none other than………"
"Gamma Catalyst"
The name haunted Amy every time she said it.
"Of all villains, why did it have to be GAMMA CATALYST?"
Sonic placed his hand on her shoulder for comfort.
"It's a real drag, isn't it? You always think you've put down a creep for good. And suddenly, they just pop out of nowhere lookin' fresh as a daisy!"
Amy understood perfectly. "And without a scratch from last time, to boot!"
The two of them looked outside their cavern hideout outside Labyrinth Zone. The Metal Metropolis Zone's lights illuminated the city, as well as the closest areas of surrounding landscape. Scyzor and Krystal both sat with them.
"Banned from the city……I just can't believe I did nothing to stop it" Scyzor said disappointed.
Sonic looked at him. "Trust me, pal. It's a really good thing you didn't! Or else you may not be here to try again!"
Krystal looked at him confused. "Try again? You mean you're still going to try and help us?"
"Of course!" Sonic answered back. "Why not?"
Scyzor began to answer. "Because, our leader is BIG, powerfully strong, and……"
"…Can't be defeated."
The three of them turned to Amy as she spoke up.
"Think about it, Sonic. I faced that guy before. He nearly wiped me out with Espio, Rouge, and Vector. And I even blew up an entire Zone to make sure he was gone!"
"So, your point is?" Sonic asked.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK, IDIOT?" she snapped at him! "If he was able to survive such a devastative explosion, how could we possibly be able to stand up to him now……when he looks so much stronger?"
Her head sank low, and a small tear of worry ran down her cheek.
"Simple," he answered. "We do what we always do: Wing it!"
She turned to Sonic with slight interest. "What?"
"Think back, Amy. To practically every single battle or bad guy we've fought. Did we ever know what the end result would be each time? No! We almost never think rationally about the odds against us, or the possibility of losing. And we always come out on top!"
Amy's eyes started to slightly widen. So did Scyzor and Krystal.
"It's the same as how we beat Catalyst himself last time! Was he bigger than us? Yes! Did he prove himself super powerful? Yes! And, did almost kill us for good? Almost conquer our worlds? Almost plunge our existence into total darkness? Yes, yes, and YES! But did we give up? NO! We had no idea how we could beat him; no clue how we'd pull off a miracle. But we did! And do you know why?"
Amy wondered. "Well…"
"I'll answer!" he interrupted. "Because we're the good guys! And the good guys always find a way to win in the end! It's a fact of life!"
"He's got a point, guys!"
The four looked back to see the voice come from Mighty. He and Lupe stood ready and re-energized. It looked like their nap really did the trick.
"I ain't ready to give up until I show that bot-head what these matchless muscles can do!" Mighty continued while flexing.
"And what we can do with an unlimited supply of determination for victory!" Lupe added.
Amy's look of concern quickly changed to a smile and sign of determination.
"You always know the right motivations. I'm with ya, Sonic, and I'll make sure that mehca-creep stays down after I'm done with him this time!"
The four turned to see Krystal suddenly stand up.
"And I……I'll fight, too!"
"You will?" Sonic asked. "Really?"
"Don't let my feminine design fool you," she answered. "I've got a few surprising gimmicks and tricks inside me!"
Finally, Sonic turned to her still sitting partner. "Well, Scyzor?"
After a pause of silence, Scyzor gave a muffled sigh. "You know, I've only known you for a day, and already you never cease to amaze me, Sonic." He stood up looking a lot more determined than he had all day. "We'll never get back our freedom unless we do something about it, am I right?"
"RIGHT!" The five others shouted.
Amy faced her leader. "So what's the game plan, Sonic?"
He faced them all with full confidence as he answered. "………I haven't got a clue!"
Group drop! 'WHAM!'
"Oh, COME ON!" Amy shouted. "Can't you EVER be serious?"
"It's hard to be serious when you're only clothes are gloves and shoes!" he answered laughing.
Amy sweat dropped. "I didn't need to hear that."
"You can leave the first part to me, Sonic." Scyzor offered. Everyone looked with interest. "Radian can help us."
The gang looked confused, but Krystal's bright eyes widened.
"Are you serious?" She questioned. "Radian? The leader of that underground group of abandoned Metal City protectors?"
"Yep. He can be considered an old friend if he don't like Gamma Catalyst."
"Sounds good enough to me!" Sonic agreed. "Then lead on, pal!"
The six took a last look of the glowing City in the distance. This time, they wouldn't leave until they're mission was accomplished!
"Rotor?" Necronos faced Rotor's projection from the equipment. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take charge and lead my friends here into accomplishing your mission to save this world once more."
Rotor just smiled. "With your knowledge of our newly discovered enemy, by all means it's alright with me. But I do believe it's up to the gang's decision. Well guys?"
Necronos faced the six, looking at their confident smiles facing back at him.
"It's hard to argue with Rotor, mate!" Geoffrey said.
"After helping me before, I believe I can trust you." Shadow answered.
Espio, Rouge, Tails, and Knuckles didn't think for a second.
"Buddy," Knuckles began, "It's been quite a while since last we saved this planet with you behind us. This time, I don't think we'd love anything more than to follow YOU this time!"
"Awaiting orders, fearless leader!" Rouge spoke up.
"Ready for action!" Tails said eagerly.
"I know you'll guide us well!" said Espio.
If anyone could see Necronos' face, they knew they'd see a smile. "Thank you for putting your faith in me, my friends. Since one year ago, I have sworn protection to your worlds from the evil of Catalyst. I promise not to fail you in my line of duty!"
"Impressive speech, pal!" Tails complimented.
"Heh, sometimes I get carried away with the whole 'top authority' thing…" he blushed. He motioned for the team to huddle to him. "Alright, here's the plan: If were to accomplish this, we need to do it the quickest way I can think of. So here's what you gotta do…"
Everyone listened carefully.
"There are seven of us here, and we have seven Zones to find. We'll each take one of the seven reactor capsules and place them in the center of each necessary Zone."
Necronos passed one capsule to each member and the last one to himself.
"For Rotor's main booster to work properly, I'm positive that it and the seventh capsule need to be placed in the center of the Zone endangering the planet; the same Zone Gamma Catalyst took control over. Once all of you place your capsules in each other Zone, that's when I'll activate the booster in his Zone. Thus activating your synthetic Chaos Control, and warping the Zone off the planet for good!"
The team grinned looking more impressed than before.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Knuckles said.
"Then why we sitting here chattering?" Rouge began. "Let's do it!"
"YEAH!" they shouted in unison.
Necronos watched as Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, Espio, Shadow, and Geoffrey took off in different directions across Sandopolis' dunes to their destinations. Then turned to face Rotor's still transmitting projection.
"I can see we're all lucky you've come to help us, Necro!" he complimented. "I haven't got much time left, so I wish you the best of luck!"
"Thank you, Rotor. I gotta get moving to that Zone ASAP anyway. Sonic and the others are probably there already, and have found out their up against and old foe again…"
"How will find them anyway?" Rotor asked curiously.
Necronos held up his all-too-familiar cracked gemstone.
"Like your Chaos Emeralds, the Cataclysmic Emerald and its shards attract to each other like magnets. Wherever the missing piece is, that's where Gamma is. When I find him, I find the Zone!"
"Interesting…" Rotor seemed very impressed. "Do you think sometime I could take some time to study that-"
"NOOO!" Necronos shouted! "Uh, I mean, believe me. You really don't want to be doing that, Rotor. Take my word for it."
Rotor started to fizzle put of transmission. "Hey, with a reaction like that, I understand whole heartedly! Good, luck Necro!" And Rotor's hologram faded form view.
Necronos began hovering off the ground to find Sonic and the others. He knew for certain they'd be at the Zone by now, and most likely needing big help.
"Good luck………absolutely…"
It was dark. Not as dark as the night outside, but dim enough for one to feel uncomfortable. A large auditorium like chamber, sitting secretly underneath the streets of the Metal Metropolis Zone, was lit only many scattered torches hanging on the walls. But although gloomy, it was hardly empty. Robots. Hundreds of robots; all which seemed to having their attention facing on group in particular. Within a wide, empty circle in the crowd stood who they were all staring at:
Sonic, Amy, Mighty, Lupe, Scyzor, and Krystal stood still facing their objective. One robot stood tall above the crowd surrounding them. His slightly fading gold armor, pointed shoulders, sharp claws, and serious expression on his slightly jagged face and head showed he was most likely a warrior. It was who Scyzor had brought his friends to see: Radian, the leader of all the robots watching them. All city protectors abandoned by Gamma Catalyst soon after his conquest.
His green, glowing eyes stared with disbelief at the proposal Scyzor had just presented to him.
"………Overthrow Gamma Catalyst, you say?"
"That's correct, Radian." Scyzor answered.
His eyes did not change. "Scyzor. You and Krystal have some nerve setting foot back into the city after banishment. And what's more, you suggest we do as you say, and try to fight the very tyrant who ruined our way of life, just because you have a sense of victory. When deep down you have no clue what to do to make it certain!"
Scyzor tried once more to convince him. "You and all the warriors here have suffered more than you may know. You all used to protect our city from harm; preventing discord from destroying our lives and how we lived in peace. But as you said, one evil being had ruined it all. This could your chance for revenge; getting back the meaning of your existence!"
Radian's green eyes squinted with anger. "Get out of here………"
Scyzor looked shocked by such an answer. Then again, he couldn't blame him. He also knew deep down that their objective was crazy. As did most likely every other robot in the chamber. Feeling turned down and hanging his head in disappointment, Scyzor turned and began walking away. Krystal's eyes showed sadness as she began to follow him.
"What?"
Suddenly, the two bots turned back at the sound of Radian's metallic voice. Their eyes widened at the sight before them. Sonic, Amy, Mighty, and Lupe didn't move an inch, and remained facing Radian with faces of sheer determination and seriousness; not even a minimal sign of hesitance on their face.
"Is there more for you to try and say?" Radian questioned the four steadfast organic beings. "Just who do you all think you are?"
Just then, something seemed to strike him. He gazed deeply into Sonic's emerald eyes which seemed to resemble his own. No twitching, no movement, nothing. Just a still stare of total focus. As if nothing could break snap him out of it.
"Those eyes…" Radian said softly. "You have complete confidence…"
"The name's Sonic." He said back.
"Do you realize exactly who it is you'll be dealing with if you go along with this foolish little assault of yours?" Radian asked.
Sonic's eyes remain unchanged. "If there's one thing our mission isn't, it's foolish, Goldie!"
Many of the bots surrounding the team gasped at Sonic's name-calling.
"I'm not always good at speeches, but just bare with me this time, ok?" Sonic began. "What we're doing may seem crazy, insane, and downright nuts! But what we're really attempting is something me and everyone I know have been doing for all our lives: fighting for freedom. Ours has been taken from us countless times, but we never gave up the thought of winning it back for good one day. That's what has not only kept us together for so long, but has also given us an endless supply of hope. Hope to bring peace to everyone who deserves it."
Sonic took a pause to see Amy, Mighty, and Lupe still standing determined like him.
"You're people have that in common with us: you all have lost your freedom as well. Do you really think that you'd be better off letting evil win over you, and just accept the fact that he's not only degraded you, but took what matters more to you than anything else in your existence? That's why I ask you again, to take a chance in getting back what is rightfully yours, as well as every single bot suffering above us in your city at this very moment! It will never be returned to you if you do nothing to get it back! Please!"
Sonic had practically begged him to take him seriously. An uncomfortable silence filled the large room, as Radian just continued staring at the hedgehog before him. After what seemed like forever, the threatening glare in Radian's emerald eyes seemed to slowly fade away.
"………Hmph. Who'd thought an organic outsider could be so convincing to my metallic heart?"
Sonic looked up in surprise, as well as his friends behind him. Radian nodded agreeably, and turned to face the large crowd still around them.
"Well now, what do you all say we take up on this rambunctious rebel's offer?"
Every robot in the arena held their hands up high in agreement. "YAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Sonic stood back up, and for the first time in front of Radian, he smiled. "Good call, Goldie."
"The name's Radian, blue boy. And don't you forget it!" he answered jokingly. "Scyzor, I'm glad you found such inspirers." He complimented.
"Soon enough, I'm surewe'll all be glad." Scyzor added.
Amy suddenly spoke up. "I hate to try to give a false start, but how do we get to Gamma Catalyst in the first place? Isn't his dark tower probably covered with guards or something?"
Radian looked at her. "Take it easy. We old warriors happen to be good at a little thing called fighting, miss. We can give you more than enough power and strength to get to that tyrannical jerk!"
"And if not, you always got my strength!" Mighty shouted while flexing again.
"You're always such a show off…" Lupe sighed.
Scyzor and Krystal held each other happily. They were finally convinced they had a great chance of winning back their freedom, just like Sonic promised them.
"This is it, Amy!" Sonic said facing her.
She smiled while getting out her Piko Piko Hammer. "Yeah! This time, that robo-bozo won't know what hit 'em!"
"Tough words, dearie. I'd love to see you put them to good use soon. Very soon indeed! Just wait until it's just you and me personally! Just wait………"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…………………"
End of chap! Nothing more to say this time! Except, hope you enjoyed, and please don't forget to review! Their a good inspiration to continue, y'know? Until next time, everyone! R&R!