Chapter Fourteen:

Scheming in the Shadows

Eggman, Classic Eggman, Boom Eggman, and Eggman Nega returned to the doctor's lair, all fuming in their own way. This was their third defeat at the hands of Sonic since the alliance started, the second one in Westopolis counted. And it didn't matter how many times they lost, they would keep fighting, even if they exhausted their resources.

"That went well." Boom Eggman grumbled.

"In technicality, it went poorly." Classic Eggman corrected his leaner counterpart.

Eggman Nega stamped his foot. "That stinkin' cat and her fire powers. How? How is SHE here? Forget the stinkin' Sol Emeralds, it's a wonder she's with Sonic and the other hedgehogs, and this is not helping our case, MY ANCESTOR'S CASE!"

Eggman ceased walking, his face furrowed with rage. "I thought we would beat that blasted hedgehog in one go, together, all of us." He growled, "I thought I had it figured out that, if I combined my genius with the mind power of my past self and our descendant with alternate variations of myself from across the multiverse, we would obliterate that hedgehog.

"BUT NOT ONLY IS HE STILL BEATING US, HIS COUNTERPARTS ARE HERE, EVEN HIS YOUNGER SELF AND THAT BLASTED FIRE-SPITTING CAT FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION! A SETBACK MAY BE A SETBACK, BUT WE'LL GET THAT STINKING BLUE RODENT, IF IT IS THE LAST THING WE WILL EVER DO! PERHAPS WE NEED MORE GENIUS, PERHAPS WE NEED MORE FIREPOWER!

"THAT HEDGEHOG THINKS HIS SPEED AND HIS COUNTERPARTS WILL BE ENOUGH TO TRUMP US, BUT WE'LL OUTSMART HIM! WE GOT THE TECHNOLOGY AND WE'LL HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS UNTIL THAT HEDGEHOG IS A SMOKING CRATER!"

Boom Eggman flinched. "I may hate that hedgehog..." He said, "But you're just as crazy as I am..."

"Oh, I am starting to dread the day where I will have suffered so many defeats to a point where I will be the one to assemble my multiversal selves in an effort to combat Sonic." Classic Eggman said nervously, "At this rate, by the time we do manage to strike the blow against the hedgehog, my future self will be nothing but a raging mess!"

"You insolent Eggman!" Eggman glared at his Classic era self with fury, "I do not take too kindly to dolts like YOU whispering stuff behind my back, you had a lot of guts saying you'll dedicate your life to forgetting how MY Time Eater plan would be YOUR plan!"

"I meant no offense, Doctor Eggman..." Classic Eggman chuckled, "By the way, what's the time?"

"IT'S EIGHT O' CLOCK!" Eggman Nega shouted.

"RRRGH, enough!" Eggman stamped his foot, "My lab, NOW! Oh, I bet Mama Robotnik is free from my dictator counterpart's grasp and will have words to say about our defeat. And I can hear my wacky cone-headed counterpart ranting about a... pingas, he called it?"

The four Eggmen marched into the lair, greeted by a group of Sat AM Robotnik's robots, who saluted them. Despite a good number of these robots being wasted, it was remarkable that the Swatbots had great respect for Doctor Eggman. Boom Eggman looked at them, thinking about the contrast between his robot armies and the other Robotnik's armies.

"Doctor Eggman?"

Classic Eggman was staring at Boom Eggman with an odd look.

"Eh, nothin'." Boom Eggman quipped, "I was just having sentiments about my robot production line in contrast to Doctor Robotnik's Swatbots. Perhaps if I'd conquered Bygone Island and managed to destroy Team Sonic long ago, if I still succeed in the future, maybe I should expand my production line to include robots akin to those Swatbots."

"Lord Eggman conquered Bygone Island in his universe before your world's version of Sonic showed up..." Eggman Nega told him, "Maybe he had some Swatbot-like Badniks on the drawing board for a while."

"HEY!" Eggman shouted, "I'M TRYING TO THINK HERE WITH MY 300 IQ!"

Classic Eggman stroked his mustache. '300 IQ and we're still losing.' He thought.

The Eggmen entered the laboratory, where they were greeted by AoSTH Robotnik, Lord Eggman, Morpho, Doom, Fleetway Robotnik, Scratch and Grounder, Sleet and Dingo, and Mama Robotnik, along with a pair of Egg Pawns. Various other Badniks were in the room too, all awaiting the doctors.

"Plan totes didn't go well, eh?" Morpho asked.

"Maybe you should have come with us." Boom Eggman told the shape-shifting robot.

Fleetway Robotnik stroked his mustache with a frightening gleam in his eyes. "If I had the Chaos Emeralds of my universe," He said, "I could erase every last molecule from the hedgehogs and then use the power of the Emeralds' to rewrite ALL of reality as we saw fit, allowing us to control the multiverse without delay."

Mama Robotnik shrieked. "YOU DOLTS KEEP BLUNDERING TO DEFEAT!" She shouted, struggling against the rope that held her down, "AND WE ARE STILL NOWHERE CLOSE TO DOMINANCE OVER THE MULTIVERSE ITSELF! Do I need to use that multi-dimensional machine AND SUMMON A DEITY OF DESTRUCTION THE HEDGEHOGS CAN'T STOP?!"

"Maybe I should bring in Mombot and you two can have a tea party WHILE WE OBLITERATE THE HEDGEHOGS NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE LOSE!" Boom Eggman howled.

AoSTH Robotnik stepped forward, glaring at Eggman. "You 300 IQ dimwit!" He cried, "For someone so determined to destroy Sonic, you'd form this alliance, WE KEEP SUFFERING DEFEATS AND OUR TACTICS HAVE FALLEN APART! What is our plan? DO WE TRULY HAVE A PLAN TO DESTROY THE HEDGEHOG?!"

Doom stepped forward, sinister eyes glinting. "And no one has deployed me in battle yet..." The Demon King crooned, "This is quite disappointing, especially as I have the power to crush the rodent, regardless if the other hedgehog has a sword."

Eggman chuckled. "Oh, I think I have a plan that may involve you, Lord Doom..." He sneered, "...and this plan may take a while to formulate."

Just then, the door opened and Eggmandorf entered the room.

"Doctor, we have an urgent dilemma." The Dark Lord said.

"And what is that, my lord?" Eggman asked.

"Your trans-dimensional machine you used to bring us here was shut down!"

Everyone in the room was shocked.

"WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU MUSTACHED BEARER OF POWER?!" The doctor cried, "WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?!"

"It was not my doing or the others' doing." Eggmandorf said, "Sonic showed up while you were gone and shut down the machine. He made his way past the guards, bypassing all security, and made quick work of the device. Until that machine is fixed, until Sonic is defeated, we may as well be all stuck here in this world."

"SONIC INVADED THE LAIR AND SHUT DOWN THE MACHINE?!" Boom Eggman yelled.

"Which one was it?" Classic Eggman asked.

"Ultimately..." Eggmandorf replied, "It doesn't matter, but the culprit was Sonic..."

He held up a tablet, showing footage of Sonic getting closer towards a massive machine in the middle of the room as it gave off power. Sonic made his way to the control panel and then flipped the switch, shutting it down, and then the hedgehog began smashing the panel.

"Nothing surprises me anymore..." Eggman snarled, "...Especially with that blasted hedgehog ruining my plans. Of course he'd come to my lair AND DEACTIVATE MY MEANS OF TRANSDIMENSIONAL TRAVEL! If he thinks he can get away with that, that rodent and his cohorts have another thing coming. It's time for another meeting, we're going to plan EXTRA HARDER!"

Eggmandorf looked at Doom, who nodded at him. And then, the mustached dark lord departed the room. He looked at the tablet showing the paused footage and smirked, then he walked to a door and entered a lift on the other side.

He tapped a button and the lift began to descend to the base's lower levels. Eggmandorf stood patiently, slowly stroking his mustache as he watched the elevator lights blink.

The door rolled open, allowing Eggmandorf to enter a dark room, one of Eggman's other laboratories. And sitting in a mechanical chair, Sat AM Robotnik waited as he tapped his fingers together, guarded by a pair of Swatbots. Snively stood nearby, operating one of the control consoles that allowed access to security footage in the rest of the lair.

Eggmandorf walked towards the mustached dictator, his fellow schemer, his face calm and relaxed. The elevator closed, leaving the two Eggmen in the room.

"Well?" Sat AM Robotnik asked.

"He's got quite the underground lab." Eggmandorf remarked, "Nice of Doctor Eggman to give us access to this place."

"The room is secure and no one else can hear. How did he take it?"

Eggmandorf smirked evilly, "He doesn't suspect a thing."

"Perfect, the fool thinks Sonic was the one who shut it down. And when he doesn't suspect, that is when we will make our move." Sat AM Robotnik stroked his mustache, "Our greatest enemy has proven to be a valuable ally, thanks to your manipulation. How he will never see it coming..."

Eggmandorf nodded, "Indeed." He then glared at Snively, "I just hope your associate doesn't complicate things."

Snively whimpered.

"Oh, Lord Eggmandorf." Sat AM Robotnik purred, "I can assure you that Snively won't prove to be a complication in our plans..."