Mobius Mania
Badniks and Bewilderment
"Its finally time!" announced a cheerful Eggman. Though it had taken nearly the whole night, he and Robotnik had finally completed a device designed to regulate the Phantom Ruby's power. Now they just had to install it into Robotnik's void generator.
"We're ready to begin the test sirs!" announced Snively.
"Good. Send in Metal Sonic!"
In moments, Metal Sonic was set up in the Void's chamber, the doctors and Snively watching him from the control room.
"Listen up Metal, we're only going to keep the Void open for 30 seconds. All you have to do is confirm that our world is on the other side. If you can, feel free to bring back a specimen but you don't have to. It's currently NOT a priority. Go through, then come right back, understood!?"
With a few beeps, Metal nodded at his creator's orders.
"Good. Fire this thing up!"
With a grin, Robotnik complied. Beneath the heavy machinery, the Phantom Ruby reacted, emitting its signature eerie chime as the void roared to life, sucking the robot hedgehog through its vortex. A few seconds later, the wind grew marginally stronger, slowly pulling apart the metal sheets in the chamber.
"Ummm…sir…the void is…!"
"I know Snively! Ivo, explain!"
"Ignore that for now, just keep it open!" snapped Eggman.
Through the void's distortion, Metal Sonic zipped at high speeds, his electric field protecting him from the warped area around him. It wasn't long until he finally reached the literal light at the end. With yet another chime of the Phantom Ruby, Metal Sonic soon found himself surrounded by fields of green and checkerboard covered land.
He was back in his original world. He couldn't ascertain his exact location, but given the scenery, he had to be in either Green Hill or Emerald Hill. Regardless, he completed his task and needed to return asap. As he turned to head back, however, he spotted small something flying just in his vicinity; a lone flicky. His eyes flashing, Metal zipped over to the tiny bird and took in his grasp before jetting off back through the portal.
[]
"Huh…that's weird?"
"What's weird?"
Sonic and Tails' flight had thus far been uneventful, until there was a small blip on Tails' radar. It was quick, lasting for mere seconds, but Tails was certain he'd seen it.
"My radar just picked up something…and it looks like it was…Phantom Ruby Energy!?"
"The Phantom Ruby? Are you sure!?" said a now alarmed Sonic.
"Not entirely. Whatever did set off my radar is gone now. You think we should check it out?"
"Maybe…would you be able to follow up on it if we do?"
Tails pondered before nodding. "Probably not. If it was only enough to cause a small blip on my radar, there probably isn't enough energy for me to trace."
Sonic put a hand to his chin before making up his mind. "We should probably check it out anyways. Whenever that thing's involved, it just means trouble."
"Got it." Tugging on the throttle, Tails turned the Tornado around and jetted towards the source. As the Tornado accelerated, Tails verbally shared the thought they both undoubtedly shared.
"Hey Sonic, do you think this means Eggman is back already?"
"I dunno Tails. It could just be the Ruby acting up on its own, but since Eggman got sucked into the portal it made last time, I wouldn't be surprised if he were."
[]
The return trip through the void was nearly as rough as the 'going' trip. Still Metal was able to make it through while keeping himself in one piece. Yet again, however, his exploits would catch the eyes of another; a bearded, sharp-toothed, horned being.
"What is this? A metallic quickster? Has he finally fallen to Robotnik's power or…?" Raising his clawed hand, he focused before speaking aloud. "No…that isn't the real Sonic, is it? What is that Robotnik up to now?"
[In Robotropolis]
The thirty seconds of the Void being open stretched for an eternity as the already intense wind intensified even further, practically pulling the chamber apart, bolt by bolt. A few seconds later, the protective glass from the viewing area shattered, causing the three to dart back.
"IVO!"
"Five more seconds! Four…three…two…!"
Before Eggman could finish, the familiar whoosh of an engine filled the air as Metal Sonic blasted back through the void, fighting against the intense wind.
"Yes! Close it now, close it!"
Slamming the button, the void was sealed, Robotnik and Snively still shuddering from the intense display.
"Yes I get it now, but it seems we may need to build a stronger unit. Half a minute more and this whole lab could've been obliterated."
"Indeed, but first things first, Metal, report!"
Metal Sonic's eyes flashed before he nodded his confirmation, much to Eggman's delight. "Excellent! Just as I theorized, infusing your Void with the Phantom Ruby turned it into a gateway back home! We're in business now!"
At his master's delightful response, Metal then raised his hand showing off the flicky he captured and Eggman grew even giddier.
"Oh-ho-ho! It seems he did have the time to bring a little guest, Julian. You know what that means, right?"
Regaining his composure, Robotnik dusted himself off before replying. "Yes of course. Snively, get someone to tidy this place up while I properly introduce Ivo to the robticizer."
"You do it, you fat, lazy, hornet…" Snively muttered.
"WHAT was that Snively!?"
"I said, I'll get right on it sir!" Pushing the intercom button, Snively summoned a crew of cleaning robots while the doctors, flicky in hand made their exit.
"I've used the Void enough times before to know that its suction was markedly more intense than usual."
"Tis but a taste of the Phantom Ruby's true power," Eggman boasted. "Unfortunately, its too unpredictable to use beyond opening the gateway between our worlds."
"You say that, but I've yet to see this 'unpredictability' you speak of," Robotnik noted.
"Hopefully, you'll never have to. We were able to contain its power this time, but if left unchecked, it could very well bring your entire city into my world, and I mean that in the worst way possible."
Robotnik shuddered as the image of his fortress getting sucked into the Void flashed in his mind. "Ughh…now there's a haunting thought. Which reminds me, what exactly is your world like?"
"It's a far cry from the mechanical utopia you've erected here, but that'll change soon enough with your help."
"Glad to be of service. I do love the thought of Roboticizing a whole other world…speaking of…
The two ended their conversation as they finally arrived at the Roboticizer chamber. As the two went on their way, they paid no mind to the scores of Swatbots and other servant robots patrolling the fortress. One such robot however, quickly made itself scarce from the rest.
[At the Roboticizer]
Eggman watched in awe as Robotnik tossed the frightened bird into the glass tube. Immediately, it frantically tried to fly away, but to no avail.
"Rest easy now, my fine feathered friend. This won't hurt a bit," Robotnik sneered.
As Eggman pulled a lever, the tube was alit with a bright, nigh electrifying flash that enveloped the flicky's entire personage. A few seconds of mechanical humming and whirring passed before Robotnik deactivated the roboticizer. Where a flicky once flew now floated a mechanized drone of a bird circling the air of the lab.
"Incredible…to think its actually possible to transform flesh and bone into metal and circuitry!"
"Yes, it…really is quite a marvelous machine now, isn't it?"
Eggman strolled over to Robotnik and extended a hand. "My dear, Doctor, I do believe I owe you an apology. Your offense may be a bit lacking, but you truly are one of the greatest minds I've encountered next to myself."
With a grin, Robotnik shook his counterpart's hand. "Apology accepted Doctor, though I admit, I can't take…ALL of the credit for this one."
"Oh?"
"Yes…in fact, I didn't create the roboticizer…I stole it."
"Stole it? From whom?"
"Why…one Doctor Charles Hedgehog."
"Hedgehog!?"
"Tis a long story that would be best told another time. For now, let's get back to the task at hand, shall we?"
"Of course…though you will explain to me who this Charles character is now!"
"Very well," Robotnik sighed.
[]
While the doctors were in the roboticizer room, they as well as other patrolling bots paid no mind to a certain robot that had broken protocol and retreated to a familiar pile of scrap metal that opened to reveal a door. Once the coast was clear, Sir Charles hedgehog once again shed his disguise and mused aloud, "I've got to warn the kids pronto!"
[]
Sonic and Sally soon returned to the Great Forest, both still pondering the issue of Sonic's 'impostor'. It could be any number of things; The speed robot sent as a decoy to cause discourse, an illusion, some kind of newer speed robot built blue as a mockery. None of the theories seemed to add up. Whatever, they'd worry about that little nuisance later. For now, they had some bigger fish to fry.
"Ahhh, here we are, home sweet Knothole!" Sonic said as they approached the hidden passage.
"Sonic…I'm worried," said Sally.
"Bout what? That impostor? It had to have just been a trap that went awry."
"Sonic, I'm serious. If Robotnik made a robot to match your speed once, what could stop him from trying again?"
"He can try all he likes, he'll never make somethin' that can outrun me!"
Sally just sighed at Sonic's typical response. 'Maybe he's right, but then again, maybe it doesn't have to outrun him.'
"Besides Sal, we can't even do anything about it until it shows its ugly mug again, so worryin's only gonna make things harder."
"Now that, I can agree with I suppose. Still…the idea of Robotnik having a robot with your kind of power on his side…it's a little scary to think about."
Ordinarily Sonic would have a quip ready, but the genuine worry on Sally's face kept him quiet. "Don't worry Sal. As long as I steer clear of the ol' Roboticizer, Robuttnik is NEVER gonna match me. My speed is reserved ONLY for the Freedom Fighters…and the occasional chili-dog break."
Sally rolled her eyes with a grin. "You and your chili-dogs…how do you even run after eating so many without getting sick?"
"It's a talent."
The pair finally made their way to and through the secret entrance where they were promptly greeted by Tails. "Hey guys! Welcome back."
"Hey big guy," Sonic replied.
Brushing hay out of her hair, Sally chimed in, "I guess if you're here then Antoine's on lookout?"
"Yup."
"And the others?"
"Rotor's in his workshop and I think Bunnie and Dulcy are out for landing practice."
"So nothing else is out of the ordinary it seems…I just hope that we'll be prepared for whatever's going to happen."
"What's gonna happen?" asked Tails.
"We don't know yet, but Sal and I have a bad feeling that somethin' big is about to happen."
"Normal big or mondo big?"
"Neither one sounds good, but I hope its just normal big," answered Sally.
Sally was subsequently cut off by a loud rumble emanating from a flustered Sonic. "You're hoping and I'm hungry. I'm headin' to the kitchen. See ya!"
As Sonic blasted off, he was quickly followed by Tails. "Hey Sonic wait up!"
"You know…dinner does sound good right about now, doesn't it? Wait up boys!"
[Meanwhile]
[Back in Knothole]
Tonight heavily mirrored the events of yesterday as a familiar bird drone flew across the darkened skies of Knothole village. It was still early in the night, so many of the Freedom Fighters were still awake. This included the team's mechanic and their resident powerhouse.
Rotor was just finishing up a few final tweaks to Bunnie's limbs as the repeated failed landings with Dulcy were starting to take their toll on her cybernetics.
"Just one more tight twist and…that should do it. Retreating from the robo-rabbit's body, Rotor wore a prideful look on his face as Bunnie threw a few kicks to test out her repairs. The verdict: All systems green.
"Ah thank ya so much Rotor," said Bunnie.
"No problem. It's what I do."
"Maybe, but I am sorry for keepin' ya up so late."
"Late? The sun just went down like an hour ago. There's still plenty of moonlight to burn."
"Maybe, but burn it on what? Nothin' else needs fixin' and we don't have a mission right now, do we?" Bunnie noted.
Rotor's attention was quickly drawn upwards as a familiar buzzing noise filled the night. "Hey look. It's Chuck's messenger!"
Bunnie mentally kicked herself. "Ask and y'all shall receive I guess."
The drone descended towards the two before dropping the note in Rotor's hand. As he read it over, Bunnie asked, "What's it say Rotor?"
"Uncle Chuck wants to see Sonic again. He says its urgent."
"Well then lets go find ol' Sugarhog and let him know."
"Okay. I'll find Sonic, you tell Sally."
[]
"And here I was gettin' ready to call it a night." Sonic groaned with an eye-roll.
Everyone had reassembled and news of Chuck's abrupt summons put everyone on edge.
"I don't like this guys. Uncle Chuck wouldn't call Sonic back so soon unless he stumbled into something major." Noted Sally.
"Whatever it is, I just hope it doesn't have to be dealt with tonight. I still have a few chili-dogs left to finish."
"Sonic!"
"Relax. If Uncle Chuck says it's serious, then I'm bein' serious." Back in a Mobius minute."
With the familiar whoosh, Sonic zoomed off towards the lake of rings. This might be a short trip, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. When he finally returned and continued off towards the exit, Sally watched with a dour grimace.
She said earlier she had a feeling something big was about to happen. Despite her hopes, it seemed that whatever it was would be mondo big.
[Later that night]
As ordered, Sonic reunited with Uncle Chuck and was met with the Elder Hedgehog's stern gaze.
"Yo Unc, what's so vital that ya had to call me back for tonight?" asked Sonic.
"Listen for yourself and you'll see."
Inserting a disc into a nearby player, audio of Robotnik's conversation with that 'Ivo' character played, revealing not only Robotnik's new partner, but also a bit of insight on what they were planning.
"Okay Unc, I got a LOT of questions right now. For starters, who the heck is this 'Ivo' guy, and what kinda name is that anyway?"
"Sadly, I couldn't get a good look at his face since I had to keep up the façade of a worker bot, but whoever he is, he's bad news. I don't have much else to share right now, but I'll keep digging. In the meantime, get this info to Sal and stay on standby. I've got a feeling they'll be making their move sooner rather than later."
Taking the disc from Chuck, Sonic flashed him a trademark thumbs up. "Gotcha Unc, we'll catch up again soon. See ya."
As Sonic once again blasted off into the night, Chuck was left to ponder. He was well aware of how perilous messing with the void was, but given his previous experience with the anomaly, it didn't make sense for Robotnik to utilize it further than he'd done before. Just what was he plotting?
[]
It hadn't been long since Sonic left, but the abrupt summons by Chuck did little to ease Sally who impatiently paced around the house.
"Gee whiz Sally girl, if you keep pacin' like that you'll end up diggin straight through the ground.
"Sorry Bunnie, but I just can't sit still. I just know that when Sonic gets back, he's going to deliver some bad news."
"Maybe, maybe not. It could be something impertinent that he just couldn't wait to share,"Rotor interjected trying to lighten the mood.
"Do you think it has something to do with Sonic's understudy?" asked Bunnie.
Before Sally could answer, a familiar loud whoosh filled the air followed by the triumphant call of, "I'm baaaaack~!"
"I guess we'll find out soon enough."
The trio ran outside to meet Sonic who skidded to a halt before them.
"What's the 411 Sonic?"
"Unc still doesn't know exactly what Robuttnik's up to, but he did have a thing or two to share with us."
Returning inside the house, Sonic played back the recording Chuck gave him, leaving everyone, mostly Sally with more questions than answers.
"I can't believe Robotnik has a partner," Sally exclaimed.
"Now who on Mobius would willingly work with that ol' rotten egg?"
"Someone with a scrambled brain," Sonic joked.
"Back on topic, I want to know more about this Phantom Ruby." Reaching into her vest, Sally pulled out her trusty handheld computer. "NICOLE, search subject, 'Phantom Ruby'."
"Searching Sally," the computer replied. There was a pregnant pause with the only sound being NICOLE's various beeps and hums.
"NICOLE, we're waiting~!" growled an impatient Sonic.
Sally rolled her eyes just as NICOLE finally finished up. "No information available Sally. Subject Phantom Ruby is unknown."
"Nothing huh?" asked Rotor.
"Looks like if we want more info on that thang, she'll have to scan it directly," Bunnie suggested.
"Or maybe steal some files on it?" Rotor suggested.
"Then I guess we're goin' on a mission tomorrow," said Sonic.
"Don't get too excited Sonic," Sally dissuaded. "We still don't know what Robotnik's end goal is. Whatever we do next, it's recon only."
"But if we happen to find the thing, what's gonna stop us from just takin' it right then and there? Plus if we take too long to do somethin', we might just be lettin' Robotnik do what he wants."
"You have a fair point Sonic, but we need to plan before we act," Sally emphasized. "If we just rush in willy nilly, we could end up taking some unnecessary risks that won't help us in the long run."
A pouty Sonic crossed his arms but ultimately relented with a sigh. "Alright fine, but don't worry about the long run when you got me on your side."
"Whatever this Phantom Ruby is, I'm willing to bet its some sort of power source, possibly like the Deep Power Stones. If what Sir Charles said is true, then the Doomsday project may be small potatoes compared to what they're cooking up now."
A dreadful silent filled the room before being broken by Rotor. "Uhhhh Sal…I just had a thought."
"What kinda thought?" asked Bunnie.
"Do you think Robotnik might be trying to destroy the Void?"
"Destroy the Void!?"
"Can he even do that?" asked Sonic.
"I…I don't know…." Sally admitted. "The void is an entirely different dimension. I don't think even Robotnik could find the power to destroy an existence so vast…."
"Unless he happened to get his hands on a new power source…" Bunnie added.
"Like whatever the Phantom Ruby is…?" said Rotor.
"And we know he's crazy enough to try, especially since doing that would get rid of Naugus."
"…And my father…!" Sally added.
A quiet dread loomed over the Freedom Fighters as they started drawing conclusions. Whatever Robotnik was planning with the Void, it could very well put King Max at risk, especially with his current condition keeping him trapped inside.
"Don't worry Sally girl. Whatever ol' Egg Belly's up to, we won't let anything happen to your ol' Pa."
Wiping a tear from her eye, Sally replied, "Thanks Bunnie."
"Uhhh…Sorry I brought it up," said a bashful Rotor.
"No, its fine. Its…tough to think about, but it is a genuine possibility to consider. My father aside, if Robotnik destroys the void, who knows what the ramifications could be?"
Rotor could see that things were getting more and more dour by the second. Attempting to brighten the mood, Rotor spoke again. "Hey uh, if t makes you feel any better, I could just be wrong…?"
Everyone took a moment to consider. While Rotor's theory could be incorrect, it was the most sensible guess they had for now. Although, there was one bit of the recording that didn't add up with it.
"You may be right that you're wrong Rotor…." Said a contemplative Sally.
"Wait…so…is he right or wrong?" asked Sonic.
Sally rolled her eyes as she began her explanation. "Rotor suggested that Robotnik may be trying to destroy the void? Why? Possibly to remove Naugus as a threat…as well as my father…. While that ay be the case, it doesn't add up with what Robotnik said in the recording. Something about, 'Roboticizing a whole other world'."
"Hey yeah…maybe he's trying to Roboticize the Void instead?"
"That don't make no sense, I mean why would he bother roboticizin' the place if he's already using it as a makeshift prison?"
"Okay, okay, that's enough," Sally interjected. "We all have our theories, but now's not the time. All that matters is that whatever Robotnik's planning, he won't be able to do it if he doesn't have this Phantom Ruby."
"So we're goin' after it?" asked Bunnie
"Sounds good to me."
"At the very least, we need to learn more about it. After that, we'll just have to wait and see."
"So I guess we've got a plan."
"Okay then. Meeting adjourned."
[]
The next day, after another quick visit to Uncle Chuck, Sonic, Sally and Bunnie roamed the heart of Robotropolis. Sadly, Chuck hadn't gotten much new info worth talking about, but he would be able to help guide them to where the Phantom Ruby was being held. He hadn't been able to lay eyes on the gem itself, but strolling around in disguise let him learn just enough. After corroborating theories with each other, Robotnik's ultimate goal was still as in the dark as his city. Hopefully whatever dirt they could dig up on the Phantom Ruby would shed some light on the whole affair.
Taking shelter beneath a wall of scrap metal, the trio took the moment to hash out their plan of attack.
"Alright Sal, the floor's yours. Which way to the Ruby?"
Taking out NICOLE, Sally scanned the surrounding area. Though they had no prior info on the gem, it was "According to NICOLE and the info we got from Sir Charles, this Phantom Ruby should be approximately 50 yards to the northeast."
"Should?"
"We're dealing with an unfamiliar energy source here Sonic. NICOLE can't be as precise this time around."
"Precise or not, ah thank we should get movin' before we get spotted," Bunnie noted.
"Right. So far its all we got and that's good enough for me. Okay ladies, let's juice!"
[]
Aside from the expected patrol, the trip to the Phantom Ruby's holding zone was surprisingly easygoing. There were a fair few close calls with the ever impulsive Sonic nearly running out into plain sight, but overall, the trip was smooth sailing. Their run ultimately led to what seemed like a giant garage.
"Is this the place?"
Sally looked down at NICOLE and confirmed. "Yup. Whatever this Ruby is, it's through here, but there's something that's bugging me."
"What is it?" asked Bunnie.
"If this is where Robotnik is keeping his power source, there should be more guards stationed here."
"You think this might be a trap?"
"Maybe, but it's a risk we're going to have to take. Bunnie, Sonic and I will go in and investigate that energy source. You stand guard out here. If any Swatbots show up, knock the signal. If worse comes to worse, head back to Knothole."
"You got it Sally girl!" Bunnie gave a thumbs up.
Sally strolled over to a nearby control panel and plugged NICOLE into it. Pushing a few buttons, the panel shorted out and the door creaked open.
"Okay, ready?"
Giving a group high-five, the heroes split up with their signature, "Let's do it, to it!"
Sally hopped into Sonic's arms and the duo blasted off inside while Bunne went to find some cover as the door shut behind the co-leaders. Unbeknownst to the Freedom Fighters, their arrival was seen, just barely, by a patrolling spy-bot.
[]
"Sir, it seems we've got a hedgehog sighting, and he's accompanied by the Princess and the cyborg." Snively informed.
"The hedgehog!? Why is he here?"
"I don't know sir, but it seems they've entered the vault where the Phantom Ruby is being held sir."
"WHAT!?"
"What's going on here?"
Snively and Robotnik turned to see Eggman, still in his pajamas enter the room.
"Now where have you been?" Robotnik glared.
"Getting some shut-eye after pulling a late-nighter."
"A late-nighter?"
Eggman nodded. "After you turned in last night, I took a moment to sift through some of your previous machines, and a certain model caught my eye, so I had the factory-bots whip up a little something."
Robotnik's eyes narrowed. Despite his willingness to work with Eggman, he was none to pleased to hear that his counterpart was fiddling with his machines.
"What exactly did you have them whip up?"
"I'll tell you after you get me up to speed," Eggman challenged.
Robotnik growled but ultimately relented. "Long story short, we've got some unwelcome visitors heading towards our ruby."
"Hedgehog?"
"And friends."
The response made Eggman sneer. "Well then, it seems you'll get to see my little pet project in action sooner rather than later."
"Oh?"
"You asked what I had the factory build? Long story short, I had them build up a little something to guard the Phantom Ruby for us. A swarm if you will."
"A swarm?"
[]
With a clear road ahead, Sonic and Sally zoomed down a wide, empty corridor. Surprisingly, there wasn't much in the way of resistance for the resistance members. Still, they followed NICOLE's readings and continued onto the source of the large energy reading.
"How much further NICOLE?"
"Energy reading imminent. At current speed, in t-minus 20 seconds."
"Make that t-minus 15 cause I'm crankin' it up a notch!"
Sonic sped off until they finally hit the end of the tunnel. Searching around, the duo found nothing of interest.
"Hunh…dead end. Figures," Sonic snarked.
"NICOLE, are you sure the source of energy is here?"
"Scanning Sally…affirmative. Energy reading is directly above current position."
"Above us?"
"Would've been nice to know that a Sonic second ago."
"Sorry Sonic, but the juice in that rock is throwing me off my game."
"Oh I hate when she talks like that…" Sally muttered.
"Its cool. We just gotta get up there, no sweat."
"No sweat how? Sure you have your anti-gravity sneakers to get on the ceiling, but how do we get through?"
"Hmmmm…guess we gotta backtrack and take the long way. Shouldn't be a problem for…."
"Wait a second Sonic!" Sally cut him off before pointing to a spot towards the center of the ceiling.
"Am I crazy or is that some kind of hatch?"
"Looks like we got our way upstairs."
Hitting a button on his right sneaker, Sonic then ran to the nearest wall before going up it and running upside-down on the ceiling towards the hatch. With a fervent grunt, he forced the valve aside until finally it opened, granting him passage.
"We're in Sal."
"Great work Sonic!"
Zipping back to Sally's side, Sonic took a dramatic bow. "Thank you, thank you. Now let's get to that Ruby!"
Once again carrying Sally in his arms, Sonic zipped back up the wall, dashing into the hatch, before flipping into the room above them. Upon entrance, the pair were bathed in a faint fuschia glow. Turning around, they came across a large, multi-pointed gem of the same color.
"Is that the Phantom Ruby?" asked Sonic.
"It might be…although its a bit too purplish for a ruby if you ask me," Sally lightly joked.
"Yeah, but I guess 'Phantom Amethyst' is a bit of a mouthful."
As the pair cautiously approached the menacing gem, Sally took out NICOLE. "NICOLE, analyze."
After scanning the jewel, NICOLE hummed lightly before she started to beep sporadically."
"Uhhhh Sal…is that normal?"
"NICOLE? Respond."
"ANalYsis aNallYsi- An-aN-An-aN-Error-!"
"Ohhh no…!"
NICOLE'S glitch wouldn't be the only problem as the familiar voice soon rang across the room.
"Well, well, look who's decided to pay us a visit?"
"Robotnik."
Sure enough, the menacing dictator announced his awareness of their presence over the intercom, cackling. "I'm flattered you lot are so interested in my latest…acquisition."
"I'm flattered you're flattered Doc. So how bout you do us a favor and spill what you're plannin' to do with The Void?" Sonic demanded.
"Sorry dear boy, but that is classified information. But don't fret, a special gift has been prepared just for you two."
With a menacing guffaw, the already low light in the room dimmed. The window where the ruby was quickly sealed up before being followed by a long, metallic screech. When the screeching finally died, a small pair of red lights did make themselves known. Followed by another, and another. Accompanying each revelation of the lights was a low hum that was…growing louder. Actually, it didn't even sound like a simple loud hum, it sounded like…buzzing?
When nearly two dozen pairs of red lights were revealed, the room light reactivated revealing a large swarm of wasp-like robots.
"Are those…!?"
"Buzz-Bombers!?"
The pair couldn't dwell too long on the scene as no sooner had the thought crossed their minds, the mechanized insects all pointed their stingers at the pair.
"Outta here!"
Yanking Sally by the arm, Sonic zipped away just as the Buzz-Bombers opened fire. After their initial volley missed, they took off after the pair.
"Sonic the hatch!" Sally shouted.
"No time to do this pretty! Sal, bust out the Power Ring!"
Reaching into Sonic's backpack, Sally pulled out the ring and gave it to Sonic. The two of them were bathed in a brief golden glow before Sonic shot off even faster. Zipping up the wall to the ceiling, Sonic blasted them down, destroying the hatch door and taking them into the room below.
Sadly, the main entrance was still closed and given their hot pursuit, Sally wouldn't have time to hack it open like before. Fortunately for them, the door did open with a harsh metallic creak and on the other side, stood Bunnie with her metallic arm lifting it up.
"I heard the commotion…and thought y'all might need a hand!"
"Mondo timin' Bunnie, cause we gotta bail, Warp 8!"
Sure enough, the buzz-bombers came pouring in through the top entrance, heading straight for the Freedom Fighters, but thankfully, the ring wasn't spent just yet! Raising it in his hands once more, an energized Sonic sped off, letting Sally grab Bunnie before zipping out of Robotropolis as fast as he could. The buzz-bombers did attempt to pursue, but were quickly recalled once Sonic hit the city limits.
[]
Back in the main room, Eggman, Robotnik, and even Snively all shared a laugh as Sonic and the girls were hastily chased out of the fortress.
"Ohhh, happy days gentlemen. That may have been short lived, but its always a fine day when the hedgehog gets completely outmatched like so."
"A very good show indeed sir," Snively concurred.
"Hehehe, if that was all your Sonic had to offer, then I have to say, I'm less than impressed. Although, I am intrigued about that golden ring."
"The Power Ring. It isn't a priority, but I do intend to one day uncover the secrets of their power," Robotnik declared. "Onto current events, I must admit, I didn't think you'd revive the Buzzbombers of all models."
"Like I said Julian, that model was familiar to me since I myself use them as well, right down to the name," Eggman revealed.
"Well…it seems great minds really do think alike." The two shared a moment of laughter before being interrupted by Snively.
"Sirs, shouldn't we move the Phantom Ruby to a more secure location in case they try to come back for it?"
"Its fine where it is. Its better not to have it so close to the main base just in case of any 'accidents'," Eggman dissuaded. "We should up security however, just in case, as well as move our plans forward."
"Don't you think we're moving things a little too quickly?" asked Robotnik.
"Maybe, but when your nemesis is a speedster, if you take too long to act, he could leave you in the dust."
Robotnik pondered with a hand to his chin. "Hmmm…good point. Speaking of our plan…."
"Right. We still need to finish that dampener, but after getting all those buzzbombers operational, I need some more time to recover. Though I do have some notes for you to look after.
Reaching under his sleeping cap, Eggman tossed Robotnik a small disc. "That has some extra details about my previous device to wield its power. If you think we should make some improvements to our regulator, your can refer back to that if you need to, and let me know but for now…I'll return to my quarters."
With a yawn, Eggman made his exit, leaving the uncle/nephew duo alone. It had merely been a few days at most and yet, already he was making some major bounds within Robotnik's armory. He'd made an astounding first impression, but Robotnik, was less than enthused about someone else making adjustments to his forces, even if it had yielded a positive result. Maybe it'd be wiser to keep an extra eye on him.
[Meanwhile]
Sonic and the girls had made it back to the Great Forest in one piece, though needless to say, spirits were less than high.
"Talk about bummer majores. We go through all that mess just to get a glimpse of Robuttnik's new toy and a bunch of bug-bots in our hair."
"And to make matters worse, NICOLE is out of commission," Sally groaned. "What am I going to…?"
"Halt! Who is going there!"
"Speakin' of makin' things worse…"
An exasperated Sonic rolled his eyes as Antoine made himself known from atop a nearby tree, cutting Sally off. Apparently, he was on guard duty today and, judging by that little outburst, was doing a solid job.
"Antoine, its us!" Sally called.
"Oh, bonjour, ma Princess, Bunnie! Who is being your guest?"
"Ha, ha, real funny Ant. Now could you speed it up before the 'Buzz Bots come swarmin' in?"
"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-Buzz Bots?" Antoine stammered.
"Knock it off Sonic. We shook off the buzz bombers miles ago."
Hearing Sally's rebuttal, Antoine let out a relieved breath before he reached over to lean on the post's rail…only to miss it completely and come tumbling down the tree.
"Eyyyyyagh-!"
Wasting no time, Bunnie activated the lifts in her legs to spring up and catch Antoine with her robotic hand. "Y'all better watch that step now."
"Ehheee…Merci."
Moments later, everyone had gotten settled back into Knothole, Sally and the others gave a quick rundown of their recent mission. It was never fun to discuss a failed mission, but the one bright spot was that nobody was lost…well…almost nobody. The loss of NICOLE may only be temporary, but a loss is still a loss, and with her being down, it meant a wealth of information the had was now currently inaccessible. Not to mention Sally herself would be disadvantaged in the field without her guidance.
"So that whole trip was for nothing?" asked Rotor.
"I wouldn't say that entirely," Sally dissuaded. "Though it does leave more questions."
"Yeah, like why would Robuttnik rebuild the buzz bots? We smoked em' once and Robotnik never tries the same plan twice."
Sally pondered before Bunnie cut-in. "Well, they were just guarding the Ruby. Maybe he just needed somethin' to watch over it while he did somethin' else?"
"That's possible…but I don't know how likely. Regardless, we should probably lay low in the meantime. We'll let Uncle Chuck do the heavy lifting for now and move out again once he has sufficient information."
"But what if Uncle Chuck doesn't get the info fast enough?" Sonic interjected. "He may be family, but I'm the only one with the speed."
"You make a good point Sonic, but unless we want a repeat of today, we should wait until we have a few more pieces to this puzzle."
Sonic impatiently tapped his foot, but ultimately relented. "All right, you win Sal."
"What should we do in the meantime?" asked Rotor.
"Everyone just do what you usually do, but keep your eyes and ears open. As for you Rotor…."
"We're going to try and fix NICOLE, aren't we?"
"Bingo."
Of course, Sally didn't intend to let that hold her back, but she did want to get NICOLE fully operational ASAP. Unfortunately, even with help from Rotor, it seemed like NICOLE would take quite a while to get back to normal.
[Meanwhile]
Sonic and Tails had arrived on Westside Island where the Phantom Ruby reading had appeared and quickly got to work investigating. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary and like Tails mentioned before, the energy signature had already waned.
"Tails, are you sure you can't trace anything?"
"Sorry Sonic, but the signature's too weak. If it had stayed active just a few seconds more, I might've been able to, but as it is…."
Sonic crossed his arms and sighed. "Guess this was a waste of a trip after all."
"Maybe, but then again, we didn't have anywhere else to be, did we?" Tails countered.
"I guess not. Still, I just wish there was something major going on."
"Sonic, it's been less than a week. Even Eggman can't put something big together that quickly."
"Unless he uses the Time Stones maybe," Sonic chuckled.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sonic was met with an ever-familiar calling of his name by a female voice.
"Soniiiic!"
"Speaking of the Time Stones…."
The pair were quickly approached by a young, pink hedgehog in an orange dress, accompanied by a small pink flicky.
"Hi Amy!" greeted Tails.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Amy responded, "I'm glad I caught you guys, cause we've got a bit of a problem here."
"What kind of problem?" asked Sonic.
"This flicky says her brother's gone missing, and I want to help her find him."
"Oh sure, we can help," Tails readily accepted.
"Hold on there buddy," Sonic halted.
"Sonic…!"
"I didn't say we weren't gonna help, but I will say something's probably not right around here."
"What do you mean?" asked Amy.
"We only came to this island because I picked up traces of Phantom Ruby energy," Tails began.
"And then you show up and tell us that an animal's gone missing? Doesn't that seem rather suspect?"
Amy may have been out of the loop, but it didn't take long for her to catch the implication. "You think Dr. Eggman might be up to something again?"
"Calm down you two, it's just one flicky that went missing. It could be a coincidence," Tails noted.
"Maybe…but if any more animals start going AWOL, I reserve all rights to say I told you so."
"Only if we actually find Eggman," Tails added.
"Guys!" Amy interjected.
"Right, right, back on topic. Any ideas where Ms. Flicky's brother went?" asked Sonic.
Amy nodded. "Sorry, but all we know is that he disappeared after a small wind storm."
"Wind storm? What wind storm?"
"Apparently, there was some huge wind earlier today. It didn't last long, but after it blew over, pardon the pun, her brother never came back to their nest."
Tails wore a contemplative look while Sonic's expression was smugger. Though nothing was definitive, this was starting to sound more and more like an Eggman plot. Phantom Ruby, missing animals, and a random strong wind; not the most natural of circumstances.
After giving it some thought, Tails finally came to a conclusion. "I think I might have an idea of what might've happened, but just in case I'm wrong, let's take a quick lap across the island."
"Alright. Tails, you and Amy search the West side of the island, and I'll take the North and East since I can cover more ground." After giving the word, Sonic took off leaving the young heroes.
"I know speed is his key, but I do wish he'd slow down sometimes," said Tails.
"Welcome to my world…but then again, that's just what makes Sonic 'Sonic.'" Amy giggled.
Tails and Amy took off opposite Sonic, the flicky in tow but as they left, neither one heard the beeping of the Tornado's radar.
[Meanwhile]
Far outside Robotropolis, Robotnik, Snively and Eggman were assembled with a Metal Sonic and a small squadron of Swatbots. The latter wielded the Phantom Ruby in a strange mechanical cage.
"You're sure this is the spot?" asked Eggman.
"Yes…I could never forget where that blasted Naugus first escaped the Void."
"Well then, here goes!"
Eggman hit a switch on the cage and the Phantom Ruby sprang to life with its unmistakable chime. A few beats later, and a vortex of fuchsia and yellow appeared.
"After you," Eggman motioned for his counterpart and his company to go first, but Robotnik hastily declined.
"Oh no, dear Ivo, I insist. You first."
Pressing a hand to his forehead, Eggman sighed. "Let's not waste time with a gag that'll go nowhere. Metal!"
His eyes flashing, Metal Sonic immediately looped around in midair, dashing into Robotnik and shoving him through the void.
"Gwaaaagh…!"
Snively barely had time to yelp as Metal grabbed him by the collar and flew in after him. Eggman quickly boarded his Egg-Mobile and followed suit, as did the Swat Bots who were preparing to shoot Eggman after Metal Sonic had manhandled their leader.
Once the final Swat-Bot passed through, the Void closed leaving Robotropolis unnaturally quiet.
(A/N: I'm finally back! Apologies this chapter took so long but in addition to taking an overall hiatus from writing for a few personal reasons, I've made a startling discovery: Writing the characters from SatAM is easy, but writing the setting is harder than I thought. Hopefully, I managed to cook up something on point this time around. Speaking of characters, on the game side of things, Amy's here! I realized as I was writing that I'm sort of rehashing her story from Sonic Adventure to get her involved, but technically, Sonic Adventure hasn't happened (yet) in their world so it's fair game! On the show side of things…again, writing the SatAM setting is hard, mainly because you have to take into account things like time. The FF's don't go on missions every day, and not every mission will take them directly into Robotropolis or against Robotnik. This one did however and ended in failure (which I don't think we see too often actually). Speaking of the mission, I thought bringing back the Buzz Bombers would be an appropriate little touch since its one aspect from the games that got directly worked into SatAM (even if it was just the pilot episode), and that Eggman would appreciate working with a 'familiar design'. Also, since the plot of the pilot episode was Robotnik sending an army of the things to destroy the forest, I figured a small army of them would be just enough to be too much for Sonic to handle where retreating would be the sensible option.
Now that we've gotten through all the semi-tedious preamble, next time we can get through the more interesting preamble and maybe kick things off properly since now the Doctors can freely move between worlds and a plan is about to shift into motion. Until next time, I'm up, over, and GONE!)
PS: This chapter took three rewrites to finish. Seriously, SatAM's setting is hard to write!
