The following morning, Eggman enters the command room of his now‑complete fortress, clutching a freshly brewed coffee in his hands. "Orbot, status report."
"Good news sir: progress of the construction of the Extractor has exceeded all expectations, and is minutes away from being completed," Orbot reports.
"Also, that giant food mixer is almost finished!" Cubot adds.
Eggman simply stares at Cubot with abject disappointment.
"What did I say?" Cubot asks, confused.
"Why don't you check on the badnik production lines?" Orbot suggests.
"Don't be silly Orbot: they don't need a babysitter!" Cubot chuckles. "Though some of those badniks are pretty small."
"Just get out of here before I dismantle you and rebuild you as a plunger!" Eggman barks.
"OK, OK, I'll go check on the badnik production lines," Cubot obeys. "No need to be so pushy," he mutters as he floats away.
"Finally," Eggman sighs in relief. "How's the Wisp harvest going?"
"Mostly well," Orbot reports.
"Mostly?" Eggman questions.
"Badniks have harvested Wisps from the areas known as Windy Hill, Desert Ruins, Tropical Coast, Frosted Tundra, Silent Forest, Dragon Road, and Lava Mountain," Orbot reports. "However, there was one squad that failed to return."
"Let me guess; Sonic and Tails smashed them."
"Surprisingly, no."
"Explain."
"It's better to show you." Orbot types in a couple of commands that open the relevant video on Eggman's screen. "This is the last couple of minutes of footage we received from the squad before… well, you'll see."
Eggman watches in silence as the video plays, first showing the squad chasing an Ivory Wisp before bursting through a bush and encountering an amethyst polecat who smashes two of the Crabmeats and all six Buzz Bombers before the remaining Crabmeats bring her down, only for the video to abruptly end with an extremely brief yet very loud bust of static.
"That's all there is," Orbot explains once the video ends.
"Hmm…" Eggman thinks for a few moments. An amethyst polecat… Must be the same one Wendy left for dead, which means Sonic and Tails found and freed her, and she told them what Wendy was doing. But why did she follow Sonic and Tails here, and why does she have those abilities?
"Is something wrong, sir?" Orbot asks, concerned.
"The polecat is an unexpected wrinkle, but not one I'm concerned with," Eggman answers. "The Deadly Six will eliminate her along with Sonic and Tails."
Orbot wisely decides not to reply.
In the shelter of a small cluster of trees close to the entrance of the old gemstone mine in Windy Hill, Clara stirs awake in her hammock. That was a nice rest… Why does my midsection feel so warm? Opening her eyes, she sees the waterproof tarpaulin hung above her hammock to keep the rain off her overnight still in place, and the gentle breeze in her fur confirms there's nothing blocking fresh air. But when she looks down and sees Sparky sleeping peacefully on a rubber sheet, her question is answered. It's a shame to wake them when they look so cute, but we have work to do. "Sparky?"
The Ivory Wisp wakes suddenly at the sound of their name, squeaking with alarm before realising the voice belongs to his new friend and calming down just as quickly.
"Sorry I startled you," Clara apologises. "Sleep well?"
Sparky nods and squeaks happily.
"Good," Clara smiles. "We'd better get up; don't want to keep Sonic and Tails waiting."
Sparky squeaks a quick response before floating off the rubber sheet.
Clara moves the rubber sheet to the grass, then sits up and swings her legs out of the hammock, stretches to loosen her limbs and wake up… and falls backwards out of the hammock with a surprised yelp.
A second later, Sonic lifts the tarpaulin. "You OK?" she asks, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Clara assures as she gets to her feet. "Not the first time I've done that," she adds, blushing slightly. "You two been up long?"
"About twenty minutes," Sonic answers. "Chili dogs are almost ready."
At that moment, Clara realises she can smell food cooking over an open fire. "Ah, that must have been what woke me," she concludes. "Where did you get them from, anyway? We've not seen a single shop or food cart."
"Tails always makes sure the Tornado has an emergency supply," Sonic explains.
"I fail to see how breakfast is an emergency," Clara replies.
"It's been a whole day since I last had a chili dog," Sonic informs.
"And that's an emergency?" Clara asks, unimpressed.
"It is to me," Sonic smirks. "Come and have some before I eat the lot!" he adds before dashing away.
Clara sighs and turns to Sparky. "Please tell me you find that just as daft as I do."
Sparky nods and squeaks in agreement.
"Thought so," Clara smiles. "Come on, let's go grab breakfast before there's nothing left to eat."
Together, Clara and Sparky emerge from under the tarpaulin to find Sonic and Tails sat by a small campfire over which is suspended a modest cauldron filled with simmering chili and a grill with half a dozen sausages the perfect shade of brown.
"Ah, just in time!" Tails greets, assembling two chili dogs on a small plate with practiced ease then handing it to Clara. "I hope you like 'em spicy!"
"Depends what you mean by 'spicy'," Clara replies, accepting the plate and sitting in front of the fire.
"You'll love 'em, I'm sure," Sonic promises, accepting the second plate of chili dogs from Tails and taking a good bite from one. "Mmm! Fantastic as always, bud!"
"I learned from the best!" Tails replies as he finishes assembling his chili dogs and tucks in.
Clara takes a good sniff of her chili dogs, the spices triggering a tickling sensation in her nose. Gotta admit, they smell great; I just hope they don't blow my head off. With a little trepidation, Clara takes a bite.
The spices hit immediately.
"Woah, that's hot!" Clara gasps before remembering her manners. "Sorry," she blushes after swallowing, giving Sparky an assuring smile in response to their concerned expression.
"Don't sweat it," Sonic assures. "Believe me, others have reacted far worse than you just did."
"Dare I ask?" Clara asks, braving another bite.
"Don't tell Sally I told you this, but when she tried one my dogs, the spices hit her so hard she almost drowned herself trying to wash them away," Sonic answers, chuckling at the memory.
"That doesn't sound funny to me," Clara replies in disapproval. "Sounds pretty mean."
"She saw the funny side eventually," Sonic assures. "Besides, she asked to try one."
"After a lot of persuasion," Tails reminds.
"…OK, maybe I pushed a little hard," Sonic admits. "Still, it was worth it," he adds with his trademark smirk.
"I'm surprised you're still on speaking terms with her," Clara opines.
"When you've been through all the battles we have together, it forges an unbreakable bond," Tails explains.
"…fair enough," Clara accepts, finishing her first chili dog. "I'm loving these," she realises before starting her second. "Can I have the recipe?"
"Sure thing!" Sonic replies.
"I'll print a copy for you when we take you back to Emerald Hill," Tails adds.
"Thanks," Clara smiles.
As with the previous day, Sonic continues the search for Eggman on foot while Tails are Clara follow in the skies aboard the Tornado. However, with the only path forward being the gemstone mine they camped at the entrance of overnight, there is a concern that there might be interference with their communicators. Thankfully, those fears prove unfounded as the signal remains as strong as ever.
For Tails, Clara, and Sparky, the flight is relatively uneventful aside from a few spots of minor turbulence that the Tornado weathers without issue. But for Sonic, the journey through the mine is rather more eventful, as overnight it has been infested with Eggman's badniks. Of course, a few hundred badniks is nothing to the experienced hero, and he dispatches them with practiced ease as he works his way through the mine, emerging the other end to see the Tornado overhead waiting for him.
Soon after emerging, Sonic's wrist communicator beeps. "Yo Tails," he greets after accepting the incoming connection.
"What kept ya?" Tails asks cheekily.
"Sightseeing," Sonic replies, playing along. "Woulda been quicker, but some badniks insisted on autographs and selfies. See any sign of Eggbutt?"
"Only a few squads of Balkiries," Tails answers. "Oddly, they didn't seem interested in attacking us."
"That is odd," Sonic agrees. "We should be top priority targets, which means Eggman has something bigger in store for us. Any ideas?"
"I've already radioed Nicole for as much information on the Lost Hex as she can find," Tails informs. "I'll update you as soon as I hear back."
"Thanks bud," Sonic replies. "Fly safe."
"Always do."
The answer to the question of what Eggman has in store for Sonic and Tails is answered an hour later when they arrive at the edge of Windy Hill to find a strange inert yellow orb quite unlike anything else on the Lost Hex, though it does bear the unmistakeable signs of being an Eggman creation.
Sonic slides to a halt in front of the orb and activates his wrist communicator. "Yo Tails, you see this thing?"
"Sure do, Sonic," Tails replies. "Keep your distance until we're sure what it's capable of."
"Thanks for the advice, but it's just an Egg‑mech; eight hits and it'll be toast," Sonic replies.
"Is that how many hits the Nega‑Wisp Armour took?" Tails asks. "Or the Egg Destroyer Battlesuit? Or the‑"
"OK, OK, you made your point," Sonic interrupts. "But all those were his most advanced and dangerous designs, while this thing looks less scary than the toys he tries to stall us with in every Zone. Besides, it's not even‑"
The yellow orb suddenly bursts into life, its eyes opening to reveal black orbs with glowing cyan rings and its jaw opening to reveal a viciously sharp set of metallic teeth as it levitates a few feet from the ground.
Sonic instinctively leaps back several feet to give himself a little extra reaction time. "…yeah, so it just turned itself on. Wanna land and join the fun?"
"Too late: we're under attack!" Tails reports. "A dozen Balkiries!"
"Understood," Sonic replies before closing communications. Last thing he needs is me distracting him.
A moment later, a hologrammatic image of Eggman's head and shoulders appears above the mech. "So, you finally found your way through Windy Hill," the doctor greets. "Took you long enough."
"Whatever you're planning, we're here to put an end to it!" Sonic promises defiantly.
"Obviously," Eggman replies. "And I bet you're expecting me to argue that this time, I'll emerge victorious."
"Well… yeah, I am," Sonic confirms, a little taken aback by Eggman's reply.
"Tell you what: why not just skip the entire monotonous song and dance and get straight to the action?" Eggman suggests. "How about you start by smashing my new Moon Mech?"
"Since you asked nicely," Sonic answers, leaping into the air and preparing to perform a Homing Attack‑
A brutal punch from a clawed fist slams Sonic into the ground, where he tumbles several feet before coming to a rest.
"What on Mobius was that‽" Sonic exclaims as he picks himself up and gets his first look at his assailant: a scrawny magenta figure with black legs, twin black and purple horns, and a crazed expression brimming with a barely contained thirst for violence.
"This is Zazz, one of the Deadly Six, a group of malevolent Zeti who work for me," Eggman answers. "And while I'd love to watch him disassemble you, I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do," he adds before closing communications.
"I'm going to enjoy tearing the limbs from your body!" Zazz cackles as he advances menacingly.
"You'll have to catch me first!" Sonic challenges before sprinting away at top speed.
"Hey, get back here you blue furball!" Zazz yells, leaping atop the Moon Mech and setting off in pursuit.
