A/N: All characters are owned by SEGA unless stated otherwise.
Sonic: Volume 0
Chapter One: Arrival at Robotnik Island
The waves were rocky. To Mighty, that much was clear.
Nothing of the outside world could be seen in their compartment of this vessel. Mighty stared absent-mindedly at the ceiling, attempting to meditate. The sound of waves crashing against their ship had a calming effect on him, almost making him forget why he was here.
"Is there nuthin' we could do, Mighty?" the passenger next to him asked - a flying squirrel, his big, bushy tail wrapped around him for warmth. "Y'know, couldn't we... I don't know, talk to wonuv the guards?"
Mighty let out a deep sigh. "We can try, Ray," the armadillo half-heartedly entertained. "We'll probably have to wait 'til we're taken to our cell. We can try to ask someone, sure - but I don't fancy our chances".
He cast his mind back twenty-four hours. Mighty walked into his apartment building, nestled neatly in a once-pleasant block in Mobotropolis - no, that's not right. Robotropolis. The lift was busted, as it had been for the last eight days. He took the stairs, bags of groceries almost dragging on the steps behind him as he reached the tenth floor. At last, reaching the floor of his shared flat with Ray, Mighty started to walk down the hall but stopped dead in his tracks. Ahead of him, an Egg Robo - the colloquial name for Robotnik's gun-toting, jetpack-wearing mechs - blocked the doorway. Mighty dropped his bags and ran to confront it.
"What's going on?" Mighty snarled, staring the Robo in its red, glowing eyes. Mighty tried to push past it, but its skinny arm shoved him back. "What are you doing here? Where's Ray?"
"Mighty!" Ray cried - peeking over the Robo's shoulder, Mighty saw two other droids dragging Ray by the arms. Before he knew it, the Robo guarding the door had its weapon drawn on Mighty.
"YOU HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF ENDANGERING THE ROBOTNIK EMPIRE," the machine monotonously declared as it poked the barrel of its gun into Mighty's red shell. "YOU WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A STATEMENT AT THE STATION. KEEP MOVING. DO NOT RESIST."
"What - endangering the Empire?" Mighty repeated, baffled. "Me and Ray? There's been some kind of mistake, I'm telling you!"
"YOU WILL NOT RESIST. KEEP MOVING. LETHAL FORCE IS AUTHORIZED IN THE EVENT OF PHYSICAL ASSAULT."
"Lethal force?!" Ray squawked, on the verge of tears.
"Just stay calm, Ray!" Mighty called to him over his shoulder, "Do what they say! There's clearly been some kind of misunderstanding..."
They never did get a chance to clear their names. They stayed at the station downtown for one night, in a crummy cell with torn-up mattresses, before they were awoken by the guards - Egg Pawns, they called them - and taken aboard this vessel. By Mighty's estimates, they had been on the water for about three hours.
"Why us, Mighty?" Ray reduced his voice to a whisper. "We were good! Like you said, we kept our heads down, didn't bother anybody..."
"They don't need a reason anymore, Ray," Mighty's eyes scanned the passengers on the bench in front of him. "It's not the Kingdom running things anymore."
Over the next few minutes, Mighty felt the ship slowing down before it came to a halt. They waited, still and silent, for a few more minutes, before the large door came down, casting the inside of the ship in the evening sunlight.
"PASSENGERS! DO NOT MOVE!" an Egg Robo commanded. Mighty squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, but raised his head to meet the eyes of the Egg Robo. He guessed they were scanning them, making sure there wasn't anyone in here who wasn't supposed to be - hell, they weren't supposed to be there, so that couldn't be the case. They were looking for another kind of people who weren't supposed to be there - the kind they didn't want there.
"PASSENGERS WILL EXIT THE VEHICLE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION," the Egg Robo pressed a button out of reach of the passengers, raising the bar that had been constraining them to their seats - like a twisted theme park ride. "YOU WILL ADVANCE TO THE COURTYARD. YOU WILL THEN BE ASSIGNED TO CELLS. ANY ATTEMPT TO FLEE THE COURTYARD WILL RESULT IN A LEVEL-THREE PUNISHMENT."
"What if we're not put together, Mighty?" Ray whispered. "Can they do that?"
"Don't worry about it, Ray," Mighty assured as he stood from the bench, relieved to finally stretch his legs. "If we stick together, they'll keep us in the same cell."
"Are you sure?" Ray asked again, eyes wide. Ray was always a little teary-eyed in this kinds of situations.
Mighty remembered the Battle for Mobotropolis - Robotropolis, whatever. Mighty had been out on the balcony, meditating in the cool summer night's air, when he heard the distant groans of metal preceded by gunfire. Mighty instinctively took cover behind the balcony - not to say it offered him much - but poked his head up, trying to find the source of the battle. To his horror, a huge, metallic beast stood in the distance - a robotic suit of armour, maybe three-quarters the size of Mighty's apartment building. All around it swarmed its soldiers, who flew out at speed across the city - Buzz Bombers, mockeries of mud daubers, firing their projectiles onto the streets, at the buildings. Mighty ran inside, slamming the doors to the balcony shut. Ray was already out of bed, the once-distant sound of battle now loud enough to wake even the deepest sleep. Ray was shivering nervously, his eyes gazing at the shut balcony door.
"We have to take cover, Ray," Mighty ordered. "They're here, do you understand? We have to shelter here until this is all over."
"Is - is it him?" Ray's voice trembled.
Mighty neglected his question. "Get back to your room and turn the lights out," he instructed, flicking the switches in the kitchen.
The Battle for Mobotropolis lasted two days, the last stand of the Kingdom of the Acorn. The Acorns were taken to a safe, undisclosed area when Robotnik's armada arrived over the city - at least that's what Mighty had heard. The palace was heavily damaged, so much that it might as well be a pile of rubble, but Robotnik left it there as a cruel reminder of what once was. Another one of his cruel methods of keeping morale down.
On the other side of the moat, a tower was erected, named after the alien dictator. Mighty could see it if he leaned out over the balcony - it was imposing, all-black, with strange outcroppings. Machines and airships came and went.
Ray nudged Mighty along, snapping him out of his flashback. The armadillo carefully stepped out of the vessel and onto the dockyard, following the prisoners before him. He checked that Ray was immediately behind him before keeping his head facing straight forward, scanning his surroundings with his eyes; there was no beach on this island, but rocky cliffs that plunged into the sea. Ahead of him was a long hill, and atop it Mighty saw a set of buildings surrounded by electric fences. Another prison. Next to it lay an industrial zone, and on the other side of the prison was a large mountain with a structure built into the side of it.
The walk up the hill was long and strenuous. It wasn't so hard for Mighty - before the war, he spent a lot of time in the mountains near the city, meditating and building his strength - but he could sense Ray struggling behind him, his breaths growing more tired and desperate.
"Not far now, Ray," Mighty encouraged. "We're almost there. Keep going."
"'kay... Okay..." Ray panted, his tail dragging behind him.
The sun sunk below the horizon, leaving only dim lights to light the way up the hill. Soon, the ground began to level out, and they reached the prison's gate. The prisoners reached a machine with holes to insert their hands into. Sceptical at first, the prisoner in front of Mighty looked to a nearby Egg Robo with uncertainty.
"INSERT YOUR HANDS INTO THE MACHINE," the Egg Robo buzzed. "YOU MUST INSERT YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU CAN ENTER THE PRISON."
The prisoner sighed, reluctantly cramming her hands into the box. Mighty watched her wince when a metallic snap came from the box. After a beep, the prisoner removed her hands, handcuffed together. Mighty did as instructed; the handcuffs were cold and tight, a block of metal with strange screens and modifications.
As they entered the prison courtyard, an Egg Robo instructed them to stand in a line with the prisoners facing towards it. Mighty kept Ray close by him, ensuring his place beside him in the line.
"What now?" Ray asked, adjusting his wrists in the cuffs. "And what are these for? It's not like they couldn't just blast us if we try t'escape..."
"Mobians are quick, but these things have gotten better at keeping up with us," Mighty muttered back. "Still, I reckon the cuffs are to make things easier for them, should something happen."
"PRISONERS WILL REMAIN SILENT," an Egg Robo prodded Mighty in the back of his head, much to his annoyance. After all the prisoners on the vessel were lined up, the Egg Robo in charge spoke up.
"YOU WILL NOW BE ASSIGNED TO YOUR CELLS," the Egg Robo loudly produced. "YOU WILL STAY ASSIGNED TO THESE CELLS. RETURN TO THEM AT CURFEW. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT STAYING IN ANOTHER CELL, OR ON UNAUTHORIZED LEAVE FROM YOUR CELL POST-CURFEW, YOU WILL BE SENT FOR IMMEDIATE ROBOTICIZATION."
The Egg Robos in the courtyard flew around the line, handing out directions to the prisoners. One lowered in front of Mighty and Ray, scanning their faces for identification. "MIGHTY, ARMADILLO, AND, RAY, FLYING SQUIRREL, FOLLOW THE SIGNS FOR CELL BLOCK B. YOU ARE ASSIGNED TO CELL B-10."
"B-10, got it..." Mighty nodded. He found an electronic sign on the opposite side of the courtyard: "CELL BLOCK B" the text read, looping horizontally across the screen. "This way, Ray."
"Thank God!" Ray sighed in relief. "Not that I'm happy to be here, but at least they kept us together."
"I wouldn't give 'em that much credit - we're just lucky there were two spaces ready in a cell for us," Mighty focused ahead of him; he walked inside of the cell block, following the numbers on the doors. "Seven... eight... nine... ten, here we are," the red armadillo stopped at the door. He tried the handle, but it wouldn't give.
"Hey!" there was a rap at the small glass window on the door, catching Mighty by surprise. He looked up and found the face of a green duck, eyes wide with excitement. "Hey, you gotta use the thingy on the cuffs! They unlock your cell door!"
"What?" Mighty examined his cuffs before finding a small fob that had been soldered on. Mighty twisted his arm awkwardly to hold it against the lock on the door. It made a loud, low beep and the lock clicked. The duck on the other side flung the door open for them.
"Welcome to Cell B-10!" the duck yapped, standing back to let Ray and Mighty in. The fresh inmates entered the cell. It was barely bigger than the one they had stayed in in Robotropolis, but at least the beds were in better shape. Crammed in the bottom bunk of one of the two bunk beds was a large, muscular polar bear. A tuft of white fur sat on his chest, whereas the rest of his body was cream-coloured. A green snood scarf surrounded his neck. He tried to sit up to meet the guests, sliding a red beanie on top of his head.
"Uh... good to meet you," Mighty smiled, surprised at the duck's plucky demeanour. "Name's Mighty, and this is Ray."
"Mighty 'n' Ray!" the duck jumped onto the bunk above the bear. "I'm Bean - you might know me as Bean the Dynamite, no?"
Mighty looked to Ray, only to see his face was just as blank as his own. "I don't think we're familiar?"
"Oh," Bean wasn't at all dismayed. "Well, we were tryna hold this heist on a bank - me, Bark here, and our boss - but we accidentally caught the attention of some of Robotnik's droids! The boss got away alright, but we weren't so lucky! We been here for about six days!"
"Five days?" Ray asked. "What have you been doing here?"
"Oh, just work!" Bean sighed with all the dramatism of an oppressed teenager. "They take us to the factory 'n' make us repair those bits o' junk. Hell, I bet I probably fixed up one of the ones I busted!"
"Right," Mighty nodded sarcastically. "Other than work, what goes on?"
"Oh, they feed us every day! Heck, breakfast oughta be comin' soon!" the duck swung his legs that dangled over the bunk, narrowly missing Bark's head. "We wake, we eat, we work, we take a break to eat, then we finish workin', and a little later they feed us one last time! Nothin' special, like - I don't even know what it's made out of! I guess it tastes alright, though - I can't complain, I guess I'm lucky they're even feedin' us, and-"
"Did they ever say anything about..." Mighty interrupted. "I don't know, good behaviour? If you work hard enough for long enough, do they let you outta here?"
"Good behaviour?" Bean repeated, his voice shaking as he tried to contain laughter before bursting into cackles, falling onto his back and kicking the air. "Good behaviour? Geez, d'you guys know where we are? This is Robotnik Island, numbnuts! You ain't gettin' out on good behaviour!"
"What do you mean?" Ray's eyebrows furrowed. "What's this place s'posed to be?"
"Robotnik Island? You kiddin' me?" Bean looked less amused once he realised the genuine cluelessness of his new cellmates. "There ain't no gettin' out of this place! This ain't some ol' wives tale, kiddo - this is the highest security prison on all of Mobius! Built on the orders of Doc Robotnik himself! No, sir, there ain't no way out of here! This is where you go for truly bad behaviour! Speakin' of, what landed you here in the first place?"
"Nothing like that, that's for certain," Mighty said defensively. "We were thrown out of our apartment by Egg Robos - they had their claims, sure, but they didn't have any evidence!"
"Yeah, right..!" Bean eyed Mighty sceptically. "If that's true, the only hope you got is that they realised they made a mistake. You 'n' I both know our new despots aren't the most forgivin' folk."
"They'll realise their mistake," Mighty replied conclusively, sitting on the bottom bunk opposite Bark. He looked at the polar bear, who had been staring at them since they came in, yet hadn't spoken a word. "What was your name again? Bark?"
The polar bear let out a brief grunt.
"He don't talk a lot," Bean spoke on the bear's behalf. "He really lives up to the strong 'n' silent type, huh? Poor Bark's barely spoke a word since we got here..."
Ray climbed the rusty ladder to the bunk above Mighty. For the next half-hour or so, they listened to Bean's tales of glorious heists and thrilling get-aways. They listened against their will, though they made no effort to protest. The two felt somewhat relieved when they heard the cell door click open before it was shoved open by an Egg Pawn.
"SUPPER RATIONS," the Egg Pawn buzzed, the blue LEDs of its mouth blinking with each syllable. The orange droid pushed itself into the cell, carrying a tray with four steaming pots. "TAKE ONE RATION EACH."
The polar bear was the first to grab one, wrapping his paw around the plastic cup. Mighty, Bean, and Ray followed. "What is this?" Mighty asked, eyeing the grey contents of the small pot.
"Some kinda soup!" Bean gulped it down him. "Trust me, it ain't as bad as it looks - not to say it's particularly flavourful..."
Mighty cringed before raising the cup to his mouth. The soup was bland with a lumpy texture - no telling what it had been made out of.
"Do you eat this for every meal?" Ray asked, coughing after finishing his cup.
"M-hm!" Bean nodded. "They ain't gonna give us anythin' we need a knife or fork for. They don't want us carvin' holes into walls or that kinda thing."
Mighty tutted and shook his head. He put the empty cup on the tray which had been placed on the floor by the Egg Pawn before he left their cell.
"Say, if you fellas are interested..." Bean reached underneath his pillow before producing a set of cards. "How d'you feel about a game of cards? Y'know, to pass the time 'n' all."
"Sure!" Ray's face lit up. The two sat on the floor by the wall opposite the doorway, underneath a small glass pane from which moonlight shone through, chatting loudly. Mighty watched the two childlike players on the floor. He was never one for card games - nor was Bark, by the looks of things.
"Hey," Mighty lowered his voice as he directed it at the polar bear. "So what's your deal? You know anythin' else about this place?"
Bark let out a deep, burly sigh. He struggled to sit up on his bed without hitting his head on the top bunk, so he hunched over as he answered Mighty. "We've been here for six days," his voice was elegant, and low in pitch. "I've heard things. This prison is supposed to be some kind of state-of-the-art institution, but Robotnik has barely got it up and running. There are still mistakes being made. People being left behind."
Mighty repeated, "Left behind?"
The bear nodded. "Every week, they empty out the place to create room for prisoners. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you where they empty them out, so I can't say for certain, but the rumour is that they take you underneath the factory. That's where they carry out roboticization. Supposedly, they do this once a week, but I know people who have been here for eight, nine days, who saw the last batch of prisoners get sent away almost a week ago."
Mighty sighed resignedly. "When will they round up the next batch?"
"Tomorrow," Bark answered bluntly. "I've not told Bean. It's up to you what you want to say to your friend. But I won't fool around with you. I'm a crook, but I wouldn't lie to you - not about something like this."
Speechless, Mighty just stared at Bark. Deep down, he respected the polar bear's honesty, but it was so disarming that he felt like he had nothing left to say.
"You don't strike me as a criminal - or at least not the kind who'd end up in a place like this," Bark continued. "It's the most extreme punishment. Not a fate worthy of anyone. If you have a deity you believe in, anything that makes you feel more at ease..."
"Right," Mighty breathed. "Sure. Okay."
Mighty laid himself down on the bed, staring at the bottom of the bunk above him. He heard Bark awkwardly shuffle back onto his bed. He heard the sound of Ray and Bean shuffling cards on the other end of the room. He woke once in the night - the Egg Pawns doing their routine checks.
Come morning, the armadillo woke to the sound of a morning alarm siren; simultaneously, an Egg Pawn carried a breakfast tray into their room. "BREAKFAST RATIONS," it blinked. "TAKE ONE RATION EACH AND PROCEED TO THE COURTYARD."
Mighty stretched as he sat up in his bunk, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and taking a ration from the tray. The same gooey, grey gunk as yesterday. He chugged it down quickly, less sceptical of it than the evening before. "You awake, Ray?" Mighty craned his neck to look up at the top bunk. He heard a tired groan as Ray, with squinted eyes, climbed down the ladder and took a cup.
Then Mighty remembered the Pawn's order. Proceed to the courtyard. He looked at Bark, who tightened his snood and adjusted his hat. The bear gave Mighty a knowing look. Bean, who had leaned far over his bunk to snatch a cup of soup, spoke between slurps. "Courtyard, huh..? Maybe they're giving us new jobs. Hope you two are ready for your first day!"
"D'you think they'll come get us, Mighty?" Ray asked, sitting beside his friend. "They must realise sooner or later that they made a mistake. I don't fancy working here for the rest of my life."
"We'll be fine, Ray," Mighty chucked the empty cup onto the Egg Pawn's tray. "C'mon, let's get a move on."
Ray tiredly lifted himself as they followed Bean and Bark out of the cell. They joined the line of prisoners leaving their cells, and Mighty raised his head to whisper to Bark. "How did they do it?"
Bark turned his head, showing an irritated expression. "What?"
"You said people got left behind. How?"
"I don't know. Maybe they keep some people around so it's not totally empty when the next batch of prisoners come in. They get lucky."
It wasn't the answer Mighty was hoping to hear. There must be some way they could play the system. When Mighty went to get Bark's attention again, an Egg Pawn punched his shoulder. "PRISONERS WILL REFRAIN FROM COMMUNICATING WITH ONE ANOTHER," the pawn imposed.
"Sorry," Mighty half-heartedly replied. They slowly moved onto the sandy courtyard, and Mighty began to notice the aching discomfort in his wrists from the blocky cuffs around them. Mighty took extended breaths to calm himself. He could barely bring himself to look at Ray.
At last, all the prisoners lined up on the courtyard, surrounded by walkways and cell blocks. The chief Egg Robo began to speak. "ALL PRISONERS WILL FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS PROVIDED TO THEM. DO NOT QUESTION THE DIRECTIONS GIVEN TO YOU. DO NOT RESIST. YOU WILL BEGIN TO PROCEED IN AN ORDERLY FA-"
A wailing siren assaulted Mighty's ears - he went to cover them, only to find his ability limited by his cuffs. The sirens continued to scream, sending the Egg Robos into a frenzy. When the chaotic cacophony of metallic whirring and ear-splitting alarms couldn't get any worse, there was the screech of the speakers all around the courtyard and beyond.
"He's here!" an angry, frantic voice blared out, "He's heading towards the island! All units, prepare for battle!"
"What's going on?" Ray asked Mighty, his voice barely loud enough to be heard above the clamour. "Who are they talking about?!"
Before Mighty could answer, he heard a harsh, metallic noise. It wasn't the usual sound of joints scraping as they moved, rather the sound of something slicing through them. He looked back to where the chief Egg Robo was; no longer did it float inches off the ground, rather it was collapsed on the ground in a cloud of dust, with its body cut perfectly down the middle.
Then from above, Mighty heard the wailing sound of an Egg Robo. Looking up, he saw it being piloted into the ground - on top of it, a blue hedgehog with a cheeky smile spread wide across his face.
Instinctively, Mighty took Ray's arm with his cuffed hands and led him behind a thick pillar that supported the walkway above. They crouched down there, listening to the sound of battle on the other side - aimless gunfire, razors cutting through metal, Egg Robos blowing up. "Who is that?!" exclaimed Ray, trying to look around the cover while still concealing himself behind it.
"I don't know," Mighty looked to Ray, "Freedom Fighters, maybe? No idea how they could have got here."
"You think so?" someone piped up from beside Mighty, who jumped when he saw the blue hedgehog lying against the pillar beside them. "Boy, a Freedom Fighter, huh? Sounds like someone who means business!"
"What?!" Mighty was baffled by the hedgehog's coolness and charisma. "Who are you?!"
"Name's Sonic!" the blue hedgehog took Mighty's hand with his own, wrapped in a white glove. Mighty took a look at Sonic - blue fur all over except a tan muzzle and belly; long, blue quills; red, gold-buckled sneakers; dazzling, verdant eyes. Sonic then leaned over Mighty and shook Ray's hand. "Hey, these cuffs look tight - hold still!"
The hedgehog picked a piece of shrapnel from the ground and used it to pick open the circuit board of Mighty's cuffs. "What are you doing?" Mighty hushed.
"Haha," Sonic chuckled nervously. "I don't know. I've never seen these before, but I figure something's gotta give!"
With a loud spark, the handcuffs opened. "A-ha!" Sonic celebrated quietly. "C'mere, squirrel - what did you guys say your names were again?"
"I'm Ray!" the squirrel introduced himself. "And this is Mighty! Are you really a Freedom Fighter?"
"Never heard of 'em!" Sonic dismissed as he attempted to work his magic on Ray's cuffs. "What are they, a punk rock band? Nah, I'm here on personal business!"
"Personal business?" Mighty repeated in disbelief. "You're telling me you're alone?"
"Best way to be!" Sonic snickered. "I was stayin' over on South Island when Robotnik started causin' trouble. I beat the hell outta his Badniks single-handedly, but he escaped before I could dish out some justice - lucky him!"
"I don't understand," Mighty struggled to find the words. "Robotnik Island... they told me this place is..."
"The real deal?" Sonic finished his sentence. "Yeah, if I had to give the Doctor credit for something, it's effort. But Robotnik isn't all he cracks himself up to be. Nothin' he's come up with can keep up with me!"
"Keep up with you?" asked Ray.
"Wait - what are you doing?" Mighty interrupted. "What happened to those Badniks you were fighting?"
Sonic's eyes widened when a robotic voice blared from behind the pillar. "TARGET FOUND," an Egg Robo chirped. "OPEN FIRE!"
Mighty and Ray braced themselves before they felt a rush of wind around them. The Badniks opened fire on the pillar, reducing it to a pile of rock and metal, but the three targets were no longer behind it. Mighty opened his eyes and found himself with Ray and Sonic in a doorway.
"That answer your question?" Sonic smirked at Ray. "You two stay here!"
In another gust of wind, the blue hedgehog sprinted into the courtyard, his footsteps followed by a trail of gunfire. Mighty and Ray watched in awe as the hedgehog jumped at the nearest Badnik, spinning mid-air and sending his heel crashing into its body. The machine let out a mimic of a cry of agony before it collapsed, sparks emitting from where its grey head on the upper half of its oval body met the red torso of the lower half. The two remaining Egg Robos were quickly dismantled; one had its head squashed under the hedgehog's sneakers, and the other's arms were sawn off as the hedgehog spun through them at blistering speeds.
The blue hedgehog skidded to a halt, leaving a thick cloud of sand behind him. "That all you got for me, Robotnik?" he shouted out at nothing. "You thought you could outrun me, huh? Are you that dense?"
A large set of doors from an unmarked building came crashing open. The doors themselves flew off the hinges, landing a few feet behind Sonic. The hedgehog turned to see a large, bipedal mech with an open top come through the doorway. The cockpit was protected by a glass screen and had two automatic-locking weapons built onto it; a minigun and a rocket launcher. In the cockpit itself, Mighty saw a figure who made his stomach drop.
The pilot had a pig-like face. He had a snout-like nose, cushioned by a bristly, wild moustache. The top of his head was bald, and his eyes could not be seen beneath his mirrored glasses. His body was somewhat obese, almost spherical in shape, though his arms were thin. He wore a yellow cape atop a red military jacket. Mighty recognised him from the newspapers, from the tapes he had sent to news stations all over the Kingdom of the Acorn in which he declared war on its citizens. This was the man who had more or less conquered Mobius; Doctor Robotnik.
"Do you know where you are, rodent?" he snarled, peering over the glass panel of his cockpit. "Do you understand where I have lured you to? I have lured you to your grave, Sonic. Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?"
Grabbing the controls of his cockpit, Robotnik began to pilot the mech, sending it running towards Sonic while firing its machine gun. The hedgehog sprinted at it in a zig-zag path, weaving between its bulky, clunky legs, by no means fit to keep up with a hedgehog of Sonic's speed. The thrill on the Sonic's face that had been there when he was fighting Robotnik's lowly soldiers was now replaced with a look of fierce determination now he was facing an opponent with higher stakes. Skidding to a halt behind the mech, Sonic leapt up into the air, curling into a ball and crashing into the body of the mech. Robotnik turned it around and, peering through a scope as his weapons systems locked onto the blue rodent. Rapidly smashing the button of a joystick with his thumb, Robotnik opened fire on Sonic with a barrage of miniature rockets, which chased him around the courtyard. Weaving between the support beams of the walkways, Sonic lead the rockets to crash into them, grinding to a halt once they had all been wasted.
A smirk spread across Robotnik's cheeks. Re-directing the mech's rocket launcher, he opened fire on the weakened walkway above Sonic, bringing it down on top of him.
"Damn!" Mighty cursed under his breath, clutching the doorway. He watched Robotnik's mech stride towards Sonic as he crawled out from beneath the pile of rubble. Just as the hedgehog began to regain his bearings, the heel of the mech's boot pinned him to the ground.
"I knew you'd be so gullible," Robotnik sneered. "I knew that if I intruded on your precious little South Island, I'd soon have you in the palm of my hands. You seem to forget, hedgehog, that I know as much about you as you know about me! Oh, no, let me correct myself - Kintobor, eh? For I am nothing like the babbling oaf you thought you knew!"
Sonic grunted from beneath the mech's boot, staring up at Robotnik through the screen with a grin. "I don't know...", he struggled for breath. "Babbling oaf? Sounds like you, alright..."
Robotnik's victorious sneer turned into a scowl. "You've lost, hedgehog. It's only fitting that since Kintobor made you, I, Doctor Robotnik, should be the one who advances you to your true potential. Until then, I will watch the light leave your eyes!"
The boot slowly pressed down, harder and harder. Sonic squirmed beneath it, fruitlessly attempting to push it back with his hands. With every forced breath, Sonic found the struggle to draw air to be increasingly challenging. Just as he began to feel himself drifting, he heard something; the rushed sound of footsteps.