Chapter 29: Fallen Down
As Tails and Blaze race off towards Shadow, one of his Metal pursuers unexpectedly peals away and zips in front of the pair as they approach. Shadow attempts to follow, but ends up in a series of clashes with the other, the two dotting the sky with golden explosions. Seeing the Metal stopped in mid air waiting, Tails does the same out of caution, while Blaze launches into a fiery haymaker only to pass through it as it fazes into light. It then kicks her in the back on her way by, but Tails doesn't miss the moment of tangibility and grabs the Metal's arm and twirls into a spin, building momentum before firing it into the ground. Blaze swings around as the Metal craters below and blurs down to it, the debris is still rising into the air as her fist slams into an after image and the dirt beneath. The flaming blow gouges out the ground, throwing molten rock and mud into the sky as the Metal materializes out of the ground some distance away as though mocking them. Annoyed but unshaken neither takes the bait, as Tails flies down to within earshot. "It's trying to stall us. It can't attack us as we are without slowing down to materialize its weight, but that would give us counter attacks. So, it's distracting us. Knuckles showed me how to deal with light phase shifting, but it's different when dealing with something as fast as Super Sonic that actually wants to keep its distance."
"So, what do we do?"
"One of us keeps playing tag until someone that can catch it forces it to fight."
"Shadow or Knuckles."
Tails sighs, "I have got to learn to teleport. Anyway, I'll play along here. Keep going—"
Mighty and the rest of the Chaotix run up to Sally and the others, "Reinforcements, reappeared and ready to rumble Prin-er-a Queeny."
"We're on standby. The real battle is overhead, but if any of the badniks pass down here through the ACC then we finish them off."
Charmy chimes in, "How? You guys figure out how to mash the weird terminator nanites?"
"We have. Rotor tested a theory just minutes ago in fact."
"Minutes? Cutting it kinda close ain't-cha?"
Rotor shrugs, "Eh. Not our first field test of new tech."
"And who cares." Vector nods, "Now we don't gotta just get outta the way when those damn things creep up on us. Real question is, what are the chances it works on the glowin' ones?"
"Slim tuh nil sadly. No where near the power output for putting dents. And with the chaos energy, probably not even the right kind of medium for the frequency."
"Stupid chaos magic crap, always benchin' us."
Julie-Su sighs, "I'm not thrilled either, but all we can do is stay ready for—"
*Zzzztomethingzzztrongzzzt*
Sally looks around, "Nicole?"
*ZzSallzzztcan'tzztopzitzzzztelpzzmezzzzzzzt*
"Nicole!?"
*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzt…*
"Rotor, what's happening to her?"
Rotor is frantically typing into his wrist computer, "I don't know, I'm locked out of her systems."
"Nicole, talk to us!"
Vector takes a defensive stance, "Everybody on your toes. We're being watched."
Julie-Su levels her gun, scanning the area, "Which directions, how many?"
"Every and a lot."
"Sal?"
"Rotor, Bunnie, eyes in the sky."
"Roger." "On it."
"Mighty, east vanguard, Vector, west." The two quickly take their positions. "Everyone else, backs to the building, eyes out."
Rotor scans the area from above, "Oh boy."
"Details Rotor."
"A hundred and thirty heat signatures on my scans, and my attempts to access Nicole are being forcibly blocked."
Vector chimes in, "It's too quiet down here. Like playin' hide n' seek with Espio."
Julie-Su looks over, "How can you tell with all the explosions overhead?"
"It's actually because of the explosions. Vibrations bouncing off of everything for miles giving me my sea ears back. Blasting my tunes over the years has helped me be able to dull and sharpen my focus on certain sounds. So, I can feel the vibrations hitting em cuz they're moving an' breathing. A lot of um coming in from the east side, but all the ones near us, they ain't makin' a peep."
Sally's eyes widen, "The Four Houses. But that means… quick, we have to get—"
Her words are cut short as the ground and building they have their backs to erupt to life and metal hands spring forth grabbing all of them at the ground level, as two more shoot into the sky after Rotor and Bunnie. They manage to react quickly enough to soar up out of their reach, as Mighty explodes out of the iron grip with his raw strength. "Nononono!" He spins around and jumps for the hand clutching Sally that's retracting into the ground—
"Code H!" Is all she manages to get out as all of the hands pull into the ground as Mighty lands. He raises his fist, but stops himself knowing he would do more harm than good.
Weighing his options, Bunnie swoops down and grabs him, "Y'all heard her, time to go!" as another hand shoots up after them along with a volley of kunai from the trees. They outpace the hand, and the few knives that reach them bounce off of Mighty's armored back. But as they make their way back up to Rotor, a city-wide dome rushes up from the outer wall. "Ahl' hell."
"Guess they're done with subtle."
The dome slams shut and everything goes black as they make it up to Rotor. Then strings of harsh light strobe throughout the city. "And so are we." Rotor's tone turns grave, "Mighty, warp us to New Knothole. Nicole is compromised and so is it now. Mighty tosses the warp ring right below them, and they fly through and are gone in a flash.
Meanwhile the sudden rise of the bulky dome catches the attention of all those outside and the fighting ceases entirely, as one of the Mechas floats before Knuckles. *And that's check you muscle headed marsupial!* Robotnik's voice comes through the machine. *I have captured your paramours along with the rest of your merry cohorts inside the city. Surrender, or my sub-bosses inside will execute them.*
"What have you done Robotnik?"
*It's quite simple really. As you have taken it upon yourself to abscond with my anti-chaos technology, I have pulled in a few of my resources from the east to repurpose your bothersome A.I.*
'Tails, code H. Blaze and Shadow, scatter on my mark.'
*And so as you can see, your former seat of power is now a roiling royal death trap.*
'Now!' Tails explodes from his position at top speed headed southeast while Shadow and Blaze launch at a Metal and Mecha series respectively, blasting each with a sudden burst of chaos charged kinetic force, vaporizing their targets instantly.
Two of the remaining three reengage the pair and the echo of booms returns to the sky. *Confound you, I said surrender! Or do the lives of your Queens and the others mean nothing to you!*
"Yell all you like. Tails was the only one I could have ordered to stand down. And you have me restrained by your underhanded scheme. But Shadow is an agent from and allied nation acting to help us yet not beholden to my commands, and Blaze is a ruler from an entirely different zone. I have no way to stop either of them."
*Do you think this is a game!? If you do not make them stop, one way or another, I'll—*
"YOU WILL DO NOTHING! BECAUSE IF YOU DO, I'LL RIP THAT SPECK OF LAND YOUR CITY IS ON OUT OF THE GROUND AND HURL IT INTO THE SUN!" Green tinged black static crackles from him, "AND IF NEED BE, BURN THIS WORLD TO FIND YOU!"
*…Tch* Robotnik clicks his tongue, *Bit more fire and brimstone than I was expecting, but not outside my expectations.* As he says that, another Metal blurs in and kicks Shadow in the side, firing him at the ACC still looming beyond the now enclosed city. Shadow, almost instantly warps into the sky, managing to avoid the field by a small distance. The two Metals practically vanish and reappear beside him, the first spin-dashing only to be dodged as Shadow teleports in front of the other with a straight left, cratering its cheek as it's sent spiraling off. The other appears overhead with an axe kick that Shadow manages to throw up both of his arms in a cross to block. The force sends him rocketing to the ground, but right before he lands, the bot meets him and delivers another kick from the side. He manages to shift his guard as the sweep comes in, riding the momentum into a grab. At which Shadow shifts and swings the Metal up at the other, now recovered one as it races towards him. But the other avoids the incoming missile, veering just around it and rolling into a dash, forcing Shadow to fly up out of the way. The other Metal stops its momentum and soars back to him as he rises, throwing a punch which he blocks as the other unrolls into a kick. Shadow brings up his leg to guard and sparks a series of blows that he is mostly forced to parry, constantly shifting backwards to keep them in front of him.
Meanwhile, Blaze had managed to gain the upper hand on the mecha, having waded through a series of shallow jabs to bait out a heavy swing, one she sidestepped letting her clock the bot in the side of the head full force, leaving a glowing gash in the side of its face as it sails off. She then races after to deliver a more permanent attack, when another Mecha arrives in her path. But she is moving too fast to react and a heavy blow to the top of her head fires her down into the ground, gouging out a mile long crater, washing away more than a few others, as a mound of dirt and debris splashes up against the dome of the city like a tidal wave. A bit rattled, but she still manages to predict the next attack and leaps away to the side as the bot comes crashing down, its fist blasting a gigantic hole down into the center. The other Mecha hurtles towards her, but she shifts just enough to roll along the strike and plant a kick to the back of its head, sending if fly away as the other appears. She dodges the first punch and tries to counter, but the bot grabs her arm, locking her in place. Blaze reals back, ready to eat the next hit to get in her own and break free, but the second Mecha grabs her other arm, and a massive blow from the first forces the air to explode out so violently that the ground below cracks. The two bots real back in turn, hammering her with full strength straights one after another, each impact throwing her equilibrium to far off to try and lessen or avoid the next. The constant blows are exhausting her, and now she is starting to feel pain. "Urgh!" One of the hits forces a grunt out of her, "Nnngh!" as does the next.
Shadow, takes notice of her predicament and absorbs a kick to the side for his distraction. He warps, down over Blaze and slams a kick into the Mecha holding onto her left arm firing it at the city. The bot careens into the energy barrier past the ACC reverting instantly. He then quickly grabs Blaze and teleports her and the other bot into space, just in time to avoid the two Metals as they strike the air where he had appeared. The Mecha throws a punch with its free hand grazing Shadow's cheek, to which he retaliates by grabbing the bot's face and setting off a smaller kinetic burst, crumpling its face in, then kicking it away, finally freeing Blaze's other arm. Shadow quickly grabs the flickering cat and teleports them to Station Square just as the pursuing Metals arrive. "We bought as much time as we could."
Blaze's transformation breaks and tears well up in her eyes as she hits the linoleum flooring, "Damn it!"
*Damn that Shadow, always frustrating my plans and extending my timetables. But no matter. I'll have them all soon enough now that I've claimed the main prizes I came for…*
