Chapter 3

Starring:
Maria the Tenrec - Widowed Wife of a Hero
Mysterious Assassins
Eggman Neo - The Return of Real Evil

Somewhere, in a mountain shaped like a familiar old foe of Mobius in the middle of the ocean, an abandoned old lab laid dormant, the remains of robots littered all over the floor. A single pod remained active, a single blinking red light indicating activity as the pod opens. Smoke fills the room as a figure steps out - Eggman Nega, or now known as Eggman Neo. He lets out a yawn, stretching as he adjusts his glasses and looks around.

Neo: "Miserable. Absolutely miserable. I know my creator is a slouch when it comes to maintenance, but surely he would learn to keep his lairs clean. Even if he has no intention of using them."

He notices the reserve power was used for his pod specifically. The pod was programmed to only activate once the original Dr. Eggman was pronounced dead. Neo redirects the reserve power to the monitor in the room before moving to see the latest intel.

Neo: "Let's see… When was Ivo Robotnik last seen? …The ARK? As in trying to use the Eclipse Cannon? And what's the date today…"

Neo looks at the various bits of information saved from news articles that the Eggnet could collect before it shut down. What he found astonished him.

Neo: "So my creator was still alive during this time up until recently. According to the news feed, my creator's most hated nemesis Sonic got married to this girl… Maria. Ah, the artificial tenrec. They got married as of three weeks ago… Interesting…"

Neo leans back in his chair as he begins to think. A smile creeps onto his face as he realizes… No one knows he's awake now. He could take advantage of this…

Neo: "If no one is aware of my presence, then I could take my sweet time… I could in fact… build my own Empire… Hehehe… I'll just build some spy drones to keep an eye on these pests and plan from there. Yes… It's all coming together…"

Neo smiles as his arms stretch out, grabbing the power supply and injecting his own energy into it, restoring functionality into the entire base. The rusted robots began to come to life, now under Neo's control as he ordered them to get to work.

Years would pass, entering the present as Neo moved his base of operations to a new, secure facility, away from any prying eyes. As the Eggman finishes setting up his plans, a blip on the monitor beside him catches his attention.

Neo: "Oh? A new development?"

The monitor shows the fight between Sonic, Maria, and the assassins. Neo smiles at this, adjusting his glasses as he focuses on it.

Neo: "Oh, ho? Is that their project? The "Conspiracy" or whatever? Artificial Mobians? What a joke. Still, it would be troublesome to just jump in when they are in their fight. Best to wait until they are weakened enough… Then catch them all!"

Neo smiles until he sees Commander Brass shoot Sonic, killing him for saving Maria. Neo's smile falters, becoming a scowl as he glares at the screen.

Neo: "So… Sonic has fallen, eh? Just like that…? No real big fanfare? No big send off? Just a gunshot from a coward? …That makes me quite angry."

Neo then smiles as his glasses move from his eyes, showing a truly hateful scowl with black sclera red eyes. He repositions them back as he pushes a few keys on his throne.

Neo: "Prepare to launch the World Egg! If I can't have my chance at fighting my creator's most hated nemesis, to prove my superiority… Then this world is as good as DUST!"

Brass watches on as several towers burst from the ground, communication to his troops being blocked off by a jamming signal. The world was just alerted of the reappearance of Dr. Eggman it seems, causing what Brass could faintly hear as mass panic.

Neo: "You know, I never really liked posers who try to act like their better than true superiority."

Brass turns around, being confronted by a large mech - the Egg Dragoon - repainted in Neo's colors as the Eggman stood in his cockpit.

Brass: "Eggman… You… You're alive!?"

Neo: "Don't get your brain twisted, you second rate halfwit. I am Eggman Neo, a machine clone of the original Doctor Ivo Robotnik. You could call me his 'son', if you want."

Brass: "I don't give a damn what you are!"

Brass glares at Neo before calling in a robot mech of his own through a remote on his cybernetic arm. The Diablon crashes into the area before Brass enters the cockpit, ready for a fight.

Brass: "This world doesn't need you! I am going to be its leader! Leading to greater heights!"

Neo: "Oh? How cute. You think your tiny toy is stronger than the Egg Dragoon? Well, let's just test that."

Neo's cockpit closes as the Egg Dragoon flies down to confront the smaller Diablon. A duel for the ages was about to begin…

Down below, in the abyss near one of the towers that sprouted from under Maria and Sonic's yard, Maria begins to stir, rubbing her head as she takes in her surroundings. She was underground, in a metro system under the city. Nearby, Sonic's body had fallen with her. And much to her disgust, the two assassins who she and Sonic beat before Brass showed up. With a scowl, she approached the two unconscious assassins, taking off one of her Inhibitor Rings as she starts conjuring up a Chaos Spear to finish the job. But she hesitates… How much of what they did was… willing? Were they even aware of their actions? After a moment, Maria's Chaos Spear vanished and she moved to give Sonic a proper burial. Creating a hole, she buried her husband with the nearby debris before giving a soft prayer to him.

Voice: "Ugh…"

Maria's ears perk up as she turns, seeing the two assassins stir finally as they begin to stand up. Maria was on the defensive as she glares at the duo.

Maria: "Stay right where you are! You two have caused me enough trouble today so I demand answers!"

The silver hedgehog and gold tenrec both flinch at Maria's voice, holding their hands up as they seemed genuinely confused. Maria walked up to them, arms crossed.

Maria: "Why did you attack me and my husband?"

They look at each other, then at Maria, once again that look of confusion on their face. Maria notes it as she continues.

Maria: "Are you aware of the trouble you've caused? Nod your head if you do, shake your head if you don't."

They understood and answered by shaking their heads. Maria softens up as she uncrosses her arms, now placing her hands on her hips.

Maria: "Do you… know who you are?"

Again, they shook their heads. Maria simply sighs as she rubbed her head with her hand. She was beginning to think that they really were not in control of their actions. If anything, she was reminded of her time with Shadow when he first stepped out of his pod.

Maria: "Okay… I'm beginning to register what is going on… So… Let's try again. My name is Maria… Ma…ri…a."

Silver Hedgehog: "Ma…ri…a…?"

Maria: "Yes. Very good. I-"

Before Maria could say more, she heard the sound of robotic footsteps. The duo seem to hear it to, though unlike Maria, they didn't quite understand the context. Several Egg Pawns appear in the distance, holding flashlights. Maria is shocked to see robots made by Eggman back after years of inactivity, but she was neither in the mindset nor in the position to fight. Instead, she grabs the duo of amnesiac assassins by their hands and makes a mad dash out of the scene, hoping they wouldn't follow.

As Maria continues to run through the halls of the metro, holding the silver hedgehog and gold tenrec's hands, she slows to a stop and turns to see if they were followed. After a moment, she sighs as she leans against the wall.

Maria: "Those models are new, but I can recognize Egg Tech just based on the design alone… Why are Eggman's robots active again? I thought he was long gone? And that weird tower thing I saw rise from the ground…? Ugh… I am so confused…"

As Maria tries to think about what was going on, she is reminded of the duo she brought with her on a whim. The two of them stared at her with a consistent look of confusion. If she had a mirror right now, Maria could practically see her look of absolute annoyance at the situation. But she had to be patient. She took a deep breath and turned to the duo.

Maria: "Okay. You two understand me, right? Nod if you do."

They do indeed nod.

Maria: "Cool. You at least understand what I'm saying. I'm a bit stressed right now. A lot… has happened today… So much so that I'm left trying to process it all…"

Gold Tenrec: "...I can… sense a lot of… anger towards us… Wh-Why…?"

Maria paused at that as she stared at the gold tenrec. She blinked a couple of times before scratching her head.

Maria: "Uh… Well… Um…"

Maria really wasn't expecting to be put on the spot like that. She would have to say something eventually, but was it too soon to tell them? As she thought this, the gold tenrec seemed to get more upset, almost like she were reading her thoughts.

Maria: "O-Okay. I'll explain… But… I can't say I like recounting this…"

She sighs as she tells them what was on her mind. Her stress, what had happened to her friends, even down to her encounter with Brass. The name seemed to stoke some ire in the silver hedgehog and gold tenrec as they scowled at the name. After Maria finished, the duo seemed to understand a bit better.

Tenrec: "I see… Then… Perhaps it would be better if we left… If we are causing you undue stress…"

Maria: "No… No… It's… not you… You weren't in control of your actions it seems and… I don't blame you for what happened…"

Hedgehog: "Why is that?"

Maria: "Well… Um… Look… There will be time to explain my reasons, but for now… What I can gather is that an old enemy of mine is back and causing trouble… And with my old friends gone, I'd rather not be alone right now…"

The two didn't really get it, but they did at least agree to stay with Maria. Maria sat down with them to speak more.

Maria: "So do you two have names?"

Tenrec: "We don't…"

Hedgehog: "What is a name?"

Maria: "A name is… something to be referred to as. To give one individuality. I'm not the best with names, but… I think I'll call you… Silver the Hedgehog… And Gold the Tenrec…"

Silver: "Silver…?"

Gold: "And Gold…"

The two looked at Maria before smiling and nodding, accepting their names. Maria nods back, smiling a bit herself as she felt… calmer.

Maria: "We have a lot to talk about, you two. A lot more to discover…"

Though it started off as bitter and angry, Maria began to soften up to the duo after realizing that they had no memory of their recent killings. She began to teach them of the world above them and about how wonderful it could be. Lessons she herself learned during her time with Sonic. She, in a way, saw the duo as children of her own. Though they could never replace her actual kids, her time with them would make moving on that much easier… But as she spent her time with Silver and Gold, evil was brewing topside…

Within the newly built main tower of the Neo Empire, Eggman Neo walked in with a crude whistle, feeling much chipper than when he left as he sat on his throne.

Neo: "Well, that waste of space put up a decent fight, but he was no match for my top of the line mech. Now I can continue unopposed. …But without a hedgehog, I'm going to feel bored. It's no fun ruling if there's no one to entertain me."

Neo slouches in his chair, looking very disappointed. But then, in his memory banks, he recalls the original Eggman's adventures on Little Planet. Some jewels that were capable of going through time. An idea came to him and a smile crept itself on his face.

Neo: "That's it! I'm a genius! Why not rule both the present AND the past!? Set up a base here and go to the past and link them!? The Time Stones would be perfect for the job! Of course! …Buuut… Why stop there? I feel like I can go… further beyond… Eggman Neo, you are a true genius… The true superior Eggman!"

Neo chuckles to himself before bursting out laughing, his laugh echoing as his influence spreads throughout the world of Mobius, converting it into his dark image…

To be concluded…