Forty minutes later, Sonic and Tails have reported progress so far to Nicole, and Clara has been brought up to speed about Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, all the types of Wisp Sonic and Tails encountered, and the final battle to save Mother Wisp, all while repairing the Tornado.
"That was quite an adventure," Clara comments once the story is over. "So, making sure I understand this correctly: Wisps are sapient aliens from another world, they were brought here when their planet was tethered to Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, some people can absorb them into their bodies and temporarily gain special powers, and the only thing that can understand what they're saying is the MilesElectric."
"Spot on," Tails confirms.
"There is one thing I don't get though: how do they eat?" Clara asks. "I didn't see a mouth on that pink one."
"From what I can tell, they're made entirely of something called Hyper Go‑On energy," Tails explains. "Dumb name, I know."
"Totally," Clara agrees. "And this energy is all they need to survive?"
"It looks that way, yeah," Tails confirms.
"Wait, does that mean we're using some of their own life force when we absorb them and use their powers?" Clara asks.
"I… guess so?" Tails replies. "I uh… I honestly hadn't thought about it that way before."
"I'm not surprised," Clara remarks flatly.
"In all fairness, they volunteer to share their power," Sonic explains. "The first one I absorbed was a Cyan Wisp I saved from Orbot and Cubot, and after I'd bounced around as a laser beam for a few seconds, it popped out of me and flew off, squeaking happily to itself like that pink one you absorbed did. And it was the same story for all the others I absorbed: they volunteered, helped me past an obstacle, then flew away happy."
"We do know that if a Wisp is drained entirely, it becomes a Nega‑Wisp," Tails informs. "You'll know one when you see it: instead of an eye, it has a wide mouth with sharp teeth."
"Eggman was the only one who drained all the power from Wisps," Sonic adds, anticipating Clara's next question.
"And if you surround a Nega‑Wisp with a handful of regular Wisps, the Nega‑Wisp is cured and returned to normal," Tails assures.
"So, they suffer no lasting harm?" Clara asks.
"Not as far as we can tell," Tails confirms.
Clara thinks a moment. "I'm still not comfortable with the idea of using a being's life force for a brief power boost, but it sounds like the Wisps themselves aren't so hesitant… I guess if there's no other option, I'm OK with it. But I'm not going to abuse any opportunities."
"Same here," Sonic agrees. "And speaking of abuse of power, we'd better find Eggman and put an end to whatever he's planning this time before it's too late."
Meanwhile, in the volcanic area of the Lost Hex, Dr Eggman is overseeing the rapid construction of his newest base, an ostentatious fortress factory built at the base of the massive volcano central to the region.
"Construction of the new base is an hour ahead of schedule," Orbot reports.
"Excellent," Eggman grins. "We can get started on the Extractor sooner than I planned."
"Are you sure this is a wise plan, sir?" Orbot asks. "I think it would be better to spend a day refining the design before starting construction."
"It's not your job to be advising me on my plans," Eggman growls. "Nevertheless, I will humour you this time. If left on for too long, then there is a risk that the Extractor will overload, in which case I'll need to reprogram the shutdown sequence to prevent it destroying the planet. However, I do not plan to leave it unattended, nor do I plan on draining the planet completely dry."
"But what if the natives take over the base?"
"Impossible; I have the perfect counter," Eggman explains, taking the Cacophonic Conch out of its box.
A short distance away, hidden behind a cluster of rocks, a group of brightly‑coloured yet intimidating ogre‑daemons watches with malevolent interest.
"This invader looks trivial to deal with," the second‑largest and most menacing of the group concludes, his buff figure consisting of a red torso, arms, and tail, a black head and legs, and twin long curved horns of black and grey. "We shall dispose of him in seconds."
"Caution, young one," the smallest and oldest of the group warns, his diminutive near‑spherical form consisting of a black body, a cyan head and hands, two short black and yellow horns, and a long thing white moustache, leaning on his wooden walking stick. "We know nothing of his capabilities."
"He looks like he eats as much as I do," the largest and most corpulent member comments, his colouring orange‑yellow from the waist up and black from the waist down, with four small black and red horns on his head.
"No‑one eats as much as you do," the female of the group comments, her colouring giving the impression of wearing black leggings paired with a form‑fitting long‑sleeved light green tunic with black bands around the abdomen and wrists, and seemingly more focussed on ensuring her long green hair is exactly as it should be around her singular black and magenta horn than she is on the interloper.
"Come on, just let me at him already!" pleads the most unhinged of the group, a scrawny magenta figure with black legs and twin black and purple horns.
"Must you moan so incessantly about that which is ultimately pointless?" the last member asks in a depressed tone, his colouring making it look like he's wearing a white shirt with long tails over black leggings, his black and cyan horns contrasting with his vivid purple hair, his focus primarily on the cyan rose in his hands.
"Cease the arguments, my kin, and follow me," the scarlet leader instructs.
Orbot is the first to notice the approaching group. "Uh, sir? We've been spotted."
"That pesky blue runt crashed on the other side of the Hex," Eggman reminds. "There's no way he could have found us already, even with his speed."
"I'm not talking about Sonic, sir," Orbot explains. "Look."
Eggman looks where Orbot is pointing and sees the group of six approaching, the scarlet leader and the diminutive elder walking alongside each other with the other four lined up behind. "Ah, I was wondering when the natives would visit," he greets.
"You will leave our lands immediately," the scarlet leader demands. "If you refuse, you will pay the ultimate price."
"I have an alternative suggestion," Eggman replies. "Submit to my command willingly or be forced to obey. Choose now; I don't have all day."
"You have signed your own death warrant," the scarlet leader growls menacingly. "Zazz, eviscerate him."
"Finally, some action!" the magenta ogre‑daemon cackles, leaping over the leader and elder and charging directly at Eggman‑
The Cacophonic Conch rings loud, its discordant notes causing the ogre‑daemons considerable pain and bringing them to their knees.
Eggman lowers the Conch. "Now that I have your attention, you will submit to me. If any of you attempt to rise against me, I will use this until you submit once more. Understand?"
"You'll never force us to submit!" the scarlet leader growls.
Eggman simply blows into the Conch again, causing the group even more pain and distress. "I can do this all day," he cackles.
"I advise we submit to his command," the diminutive elder quietly suggests to the scarlet leader. "We will have our opportunity eventually."
"You better be right about this," the leader replies equally quietly, then turns back to Eggman. "It seems you leave us with no other option… The Deadly Six are yours to command."
"A wise decision," Eggman replies. "Your first task is a simple one: bring me Mobini."
"Mobini?" the leader asks. "What for?"
"I need them to power my badniks," Eggman explains. "After all, what is a conqueror without an army?"
"As you command," the leader replies.
"Zavok, surely you're not going to let this disgusting creature treat us like slaves?" the viridian female asks.
"You may rebel if you wish Zeena," Zavok replies. "As for myself, I don't wish to be subjected to that cacophony a third time."
"Oh, before I forget, there's one more thing," Eggman adds. "A blue hedgehog and a twin‑tailed fox have crash‑landed on the other side of the Hex. If you see them, destroy them."
"Oh! Oh! I wanna do it!" Zazz volunteers.
"Very well," Zavok agrees. Win or lose, we'll learn something useful about this hedgehog and fox that we can then use against them.
Eggman and Orbot watch as the Deadly Six depart.
"That went better than I expected," Orbot comments.
"You set your expectations too low," Eggman replies.
"Experience has taught me that's a sensible course of action," Orbot quips.
"Shut up and get back to work," Eggman growls.
Once out of earshot, the Deadly Six regroup.
"My kin, I understand your disgust at serving an invader," Zavok begins. "I promise it will not be for long as I will work out a way to relieve him of that shell and destroy it. Until then, we pretend to be obedient minions."
"What if we can't find a way?" Zeena asks.
"A way will inevitably be found," the diminutive elder assures. "When the time is right, we will strike."
"Take Master Zik's words and use them to fuel your patience," Zavok instructs, getting nods of agreement in response.
With repairs to the Tornado complete, Tails and Clara make one last inspection to ensure everything is working correctly.
"Ailerons and rudder all work," Tails reports from the cockpit.
"All fluid levels are within nominal range," Clara reports from the engine bay. "No way for us to ensure the prop is properly balanced though."
"If it's not properly balanced, we'll land and figure something out," Tails decides. "Found any faults on the wing, Sonic?"
"I can't see any holes, and it doesn't break when I stand on it," Sonic replies.
"Good enough," Tails acknowledges. "Thanks for donating the material, Clara."
"Jenna's never flying again, so it makes sense for her to donate the material that wasn't shredded on impact to repair the wing," Clara replies. "Is my seat fitted?"
"As well as I can fit it given what's available," Tails answers. "It may not look pretty, but it'll stay in place even during extreme manoeuvres."
"I'm just glad we could recover enough intact tubing," Clara replies, dabbing a tear from her eyes.
"Are you OK?" Tails asks, concerned. "We don't want to upset you or be disrespectful."
"She'd have wanted to donate the material and tubing," Clara assures. "I just need time to adjust to life without her, that's all."
"Of course," Tails acknowledges. "If you need any time to mourn, we'll make some."
Clara takes a deep breath and composes herself. "Mourning can wait until Eggman's defeated," she decides.
"In that case, we're ready to go," Tails nods. "Here's the plan: Sonic will search on the ground while we search in the air."
"Works for me," Clara agrees.
"Nothing I like better than running!" Sonic grins. "See you at the other end!"
Before Tails or Clara can reply, Sonic charges a Peel Out and speeds away, deeper into the grasslands.
"Does he always do that?" Clara asks as she climbs into her seat, secures the harness in place, and lowers her aviation visor.
"Pretty much," Tails answers, moving his goggles into position. "You belted in?"
"Securely," Clara confirms.
"Then let's go."
Tails fires up the engine and takes the patched‑up Tornado into the sky, pleasantly surprised that the propeller is in fact properly balanced. A properly balanced prop made entirely by eye… Even I can't do it without a balancing machine! There's no doubt about it: Clara's got potential to be a truly brilliant mechanical engineer.