Built when the facility was first constructed nine years ago, two silver double doors made of steel-reinforced concrete were made with the sole purpose of withstanding anything thrown at it by a potential intruder.
They fall after four shots of the Egg Mobile's built-in laser. Both doors crash to the reflective floor, their landing echoing through the well-lit gargantuan room.
The surrounding walls are white and reflective, much like the floor. On the ceiling are rows of white lights illuminating the mostly empty space, save for what lies in the center on a small pedestal. It's unmistakable. The width of Eggman's smile breaks his previous record as he begins approaching the ancient cyan gemstone awaiting his grasp.
He swipes the emerald from its holding place the moment it's within arm's reach. Like the others, he brings it closer for observation. This will be his last time getting the chance to savor the view of such a mysterious and powerful relic before it's reduced to a colorless, useless piece of junk to power what truly matters.
"I've done it..." Eggman says barely above a whisper. "I've found all seven. Now I just have to return to the Egg Carrier and soon... the phantom ruby's power will be mine to wield."
"HEY!"
Every molecule in the Doctor's body freezes. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Even after five long years, that voice is as clear as day. It belongs to the one who thwarted his ambitious plans. The one and only...
"Sonic the Hedgehog..." Eggman grumbles, turning around to face the blue hedgehog standing in the empty doorway.
"Long time no see, Doc" Sonic remarks. "You've somehow grown uglier."
"You're too late, Sonic. This here emerald is mine- like the others you've failed to save."
"Save?"
Wait, when we arrived, Tails' radar only detected two sources of energy. Does that mean...?
"What did you do?!" Sonic demands, his fists tightening.
"Why I only borrowed some of their energy," Eggman shrugs, grinning. "Just as I intend to borrow this one's."
"I won't let that happen."
"Well, aren't we confident? Tell me, rodent, do you really think you can stop me? Your previous lucky triumph has really gone to that thick head of yours. What is it they call you? 'War hero?' Don't make me laugh, you're just another dirty Mobian. Both your pathetic species and all of humanity will bend to my rule."
"Why are you doing any of this?" Sonic takes a step forward. "What do you have to gain by conquering the world? What, are you trying to make everyone hate you? Because you've done a great job so far."
"Spare me the dumb questions, rodent. Someone of my caliber really can't stomach them. With the rise of the Eggman Empire, everyone will LEARN to love me. They'll appreciate my brilliance, and see me for who I really am. The pinnacle of all life. And soon... the controller of reality."
Eggman looks down at the control panel before him and slams his fist against the yellow emergency button. A contingency designed for this exact situation. To Sonic's surprise, the outer metal of the Eggmobile begins expanding below, unveiling multiple growing plates, a lot of them moving in different directions.
It doesn't take long at all before they begin reassembling a torso.
"That's not good," Sonic grumbles.
Rapidly expanding metallic plates varying in color form more and more of what looks like an overgrown SWATbot. But when the Eggmobile nearly touches the ceiling by the time the transformation is complete, the end result is completely different.
Eggman's ride sits on top of the head of the newly constructed robot towering over the wide-eyed Mobian below it with a height of twenty-seven meters.
All of its giant limbs connected by silver joints are a shade of dark blue. Its torso is black with two parallel, jagged red blades that point upwards. Its bulky grey head has a black stripe running through the middle of it where two, large glowing eyes shine down on Sonic like spotlights. Eggman's voice booms through the machine's speakers.
"With the help of my newly created special alloy, I have succeeded in creating nanotech," he proudly boasts. "But NONE of this will even begin to compete with the phantom ruby's power!"
"Well, it's definitely... big," Sonic comments, having to crane his neck to meet the machine's glowing gaze. "But that just means it'll fall harder once I trash it."
"You want in on a little secret, hedgehog? I've been looking forward to this moment for a very long time now. Every machine I've invented, every scheme I've hatched- the thought of showing the world how weak you truly are fueled all of it. More than even my personal goals. Thankfully, my newly created E-18 Guerra-Hard can help commemorate such a special event. Are you ready, hedgehog?"
Sonic takes a breath. He lowers himself, one knee, both hands, and the soles of his shoes touching the floor.
"You bet... Eggman."
For a machine so big, Sonic could've never imagined it being very mobile. However, he gets a reality check when the robot reels its arm back and strikes the ground with enough force to leave behind a giant crater. The impact just barely missed its intended target who just barely dodges right in time.
The war hero curls into a ball and risks only two stationary seconds to rev up before he shoots up the metallic titan's leg like a bullet. He doesn't know what hits him when the robot's left hand swats him off like a fly, hurling him to the ground.
Landing, Sonic does a quick backflip, evading the massive stomp of the machine's left foot. The force of the impact still carries him back a few steps.
"GET A LOAD OF THIS!" Eggman screams, sending the machine's right hand crashing down at the hedgehog's current spot.
Aware he'll likely not make it out of the hand's range, Sonic goes for the next best thing and stands in between the middle and index finger of the large blue hand when it finally lands.
Up above, a devious smile spreads across the Doctor's face.
He can't seriously be this stupid.
Before Sonic can begin to move, the two fingers he stands between close together, clamping his legs.
"AAAARGH!" Sonic screams, unable to free himself of the metal hand's intense grip.
"TIME FOR A CHANGE OF PACE!" Eggman says before throwing Sonic in the air.
The second he leaves the robot's hand, the hedgehog is met with a straight, vicious kick from the large mech, causing him to fly straight into the nearest wall.
"THE PRESSURE IS ON NOW, SONIC!" Eggman cheers.
Guerra-Hard's hand reels back, gaining enough force behind its brewing attack, before finally shooting forward and pressing the dazed Mobian further into the wall.
All of Sonic's bones feel as though they're about to snap as he's squeezed between a rock and an even harder place. Despite barely being able to feel his legs, the rush of adrenaline allows Sonic to perform a single spindash. He grinds against the resistant blue metal of the hand in front of him before the giant finally recalls its arm. After, the hedgehog sees black for a brief moment before he comes to in time to see the approaching floor he lands on, face-first.
"OH HO-HO-HO, YOU'VE MET YOUR MATCH, SONIC!" Eggman proclaims, holding a fist in the air. "It appears your last victory was a matter of blind fortune after all."
Guerra-Hard mimics its master, raising its right industrial fist in the air. Eggman continues his ramble.
"Once I've taken all of Mobius, those who opposed me will be made an example of. GUN's commander, my traitorous subordinates... your friends..."
Sonic snaps out of his blurry trance and he looks up at the metal titan's controller, an anger unlike ever before building inside.
"That dim-witted echidna, the pink hedgehog I heard about, your bothersome fox-friend, ALL will suffer a fate more excruciating than death. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it. But enough of this chit-chat, it's time to put you out of your misery you over-sized pin cushion. It appears we've reached your limit."
"Limit?"
Ignoring the excruciating pain coming from his injured legs as they carry the full weight of his stand, Sonic picks himself up from the ground. Whatever it is inside him, it overrules the protest of his entire blackened and bruised body.
"Limit?" he says once again, teeth about to snap under how hard they're grinding against each other. "I'VE GOT YOUR LIMIT RIGHT HERE!"
A blue wave grinds along the left side of the metal creation at unprecedented speed. Eggman only has so much as a second to counter the blue ball of destruction once it makes it to his cockpit. Like before, the robot slaps the curled hedgehog into a wall, but unlike last time, the ball rebounds off its surface with more force than before.
Its destination- the left shoulder blade of Guerra-Hard's arm. The silver joint shatters into tens of hundreds of tiny pieces that rain down like glitter. Below, the robot's arm comes crashing to the floor, the loud noise reverberating off the walls. It takes a moment before its pilot can even process what just happened.
"WHAT?!" he says, startled. "ALL SYSTEMS- FULL POWER!"
The now one-armed robot hops only a little into the air to avoid crushing its master, and its hard landing sends a shockwave that, sure enough, carries the blue devil back to the front entrance, putting him in his foe's line of sight.
"GOTCHA!" Eggman yells, spit flying from his mouth, as he frantically presses away at the controls.
Guerra-Hard's hand comes down faster than before, trapping the tiny hedgehog once again under its metal weight. Below, Sonic can feel multiple bones of his give in under the pressure. He puts everything into his aching legs, holding the hand from crushing him with his two arms. A shrill scream escapes his mouth. It's become harder to ignore such extreme pain. If this battle doesn't come to an end, the hedgehog is sure he'll black out.
"GIVE UP AND DIE ALREADY!" comes from above.
"You wish, Egghead..." Sonic grunts, lifting the hand just barely enough to gain enough space to safely spin-dash out of its way.
He does just that, the metal hand crashing to the floor behind him and shaking the entire facility.
"NO WAY!" Eggman watches his blue nemesis spin-dash up the machine's right leg. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"
His sentiment is further amplified once the blue ball begins spinning around the leg's silver joint. He realizes what's happening too late as the ball drills away at a circular angle, completely separating the limb from its source.
Guerra-Hard's loss of balance sends the giant robot crashing down. Eggman hangs onto the cockpit's walls for dear life during the machine's quick fall. Admittedly, Sonic didn't anticipate much of this next part. He hurriedly runs to the opposite end of the room, escaping from under the robot's gradual descent. After its landing that sends a rumble through the entire prison and shakes Sonic off his feet for only a moment, Guerra-Hard leans on one side, missing two essential limbs.
"NO!" Eggman protests. "I WON'T BE BEATEN! NOT AGAIN BY YOU, YOU BLUE, PATHETIC RODENT!"
Luckily for the Doctor, the robot's right arm is still fully operational. Something Sonic becomes quickly aware of as he sees its iron fingers ball into a fist.
"I'm not a rodent, Eggman," Sonic corrects. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. Mobius's war hero. Remember the name of the one who beat you... twice."
The fast hedgehog rockets ahead, disappearing into a blue blur at the same time Guerra-Hard's arm delivers its last-ditch strike, aimed straight in the Mobian's direction. Knowing the bottom way is the faster way, Sonic slides under the gargantuan fist which misses his body entirely, instead punching through the South-side wall. Now it's up to him to not miss.
Fully certain of his ideal target, Sonic curls into a spinning ball once more, hurling through the air at unseeable speed- the fastest he's ever gone. He cuts right between the red blades on the machine's large torso, grinding through its exterior metal and the newly formed self-made tunnel of tangled wires, each of them snapping before the ball even reaches them.
He emerges from the machine's backside and lands on his feet, briefly hearing a mechanical wailing before it dies down completely.
"NO, NO, NO!"
Of course, things are not over yet. Sonic turns around to see Eggman fleeing from his cockpit, hopping out of it, emerald in hand, with surprising grace. He makes a run for the entrance, only getting within a two-meter distance before something hard knocks the wind out of him. The same blue ball that just tore his mech into unsalvageable pieces.
The emerald slips from his gloved palm, sliding across the floor and stopping at the doorway. Eggman lays on his underside, reaching a hand for the glowing gem outside of his reach.
"Come on..." he whimpers. "Not when I'm so close!"
"Give it up, Eggman."
To his side, Sonic stands over the groaning Doctor, taking heavy breaths. Truthfully, he shouldn't even be conscious, let alone standing. But he'd sooner take a sea voyage than let Eggman get away now.
The groaning genius doesn't take his enemy's advice. He crawls just a little further, still reaching for the emerald. His eyes widen as he sees a black, ragged hand pick it up. It belongs to the last person he'd ever expect to run into. Sonic notices the same thing, more peeved than surprised.
Standing before them is Zero, too busy eyeing his newly acquired emerald to acknowledge neither Mobius's war hero nor their most feared terrorist.
The emerald is the last of Eggman's concerns. Held in the Jackal's left hand is the phantom ruby, pulsating ever so brightly.
...