-Chapter 106-

Healing


Robotropolis

Eggatha sat in her bed, her uncle tending to her rib as Metal held her hand. She winced as the bandages tightened.

"Ow…" she managed.

"Sorry," Robotnik told her. "But we need to be sure the bone's set properly."

"I know, I know," Eggatha sighed.

Eventually, he finished, pulling away. "That should do it."

She settled back into bed.

"I'll bring you lunch here in a minute," Metal assured before departing.

"Now, I've been thinking," Robotnik piped up. "We've gleaned all the information we possibly can from the Dark Legion's implants. I'd say it's time Lien-Da hold up her end of the bargain."

"Agreed," said Eggatha. "She should still be in her cell. The code is my birthday."

Robotnik patted her head before heading for Eggatha's lab. Seated in her cell was Lien-Da, who regarded the doctor wearily.

"Time for more scalpels and needles, Doctor?" she asked.

"Not this time," Robotnik replied, inputting the code 0815 (1). "It's time for you to uphold your end of the bargain."

As the cell opened, Lien-Da stood up. "I haven't forgotten. I go back to the Dark Legion, and act as your mole."

"Precisely," Robotnik confirmed. "And I suppose this goes without saying, but you will tell no one of your involvement with me or my niece. Should a single Dark Legionnaire come for either of us, I will take great pleasure in eradicating you."

"Understood," Lien-Da replied. "As far as the Legion will be concerned, you held me hostage for a few months, interrogated me to no avail, and I finally managed to escape."

"I'm so glad we could come to an understanding," Robotnik told her. "Now back to the Isolated Island you go."

Lien-Da nodded before leaving the room. As she went, her face darkened.

"I may be forced to do his bidding, but he said nothing about a little personal vengeance." she muttered.


Isolated Island

It didn't take long for Lien-Da to make it back to the Isolated Island in a "stolen" Egg Mobile. The Dark Legion saw it approaching, preparing to fire.

"Stand down, you fools!" Lien-Da barked. "It's me!"

One Legionnaire perked. "The Kommissar?"

"Yes!" Lien-Da snapped. "Now clear out so I can land this thing!"

They all backed off as Lien-Da touched down with the Egg Mobile.

"Welcome back to us, Kommissar," a second Legionnaire greeted.

"Yeah, yeah," Lien-Da waved a hand dismissively. "Where's my brother? I need to speak to him."

-X-

She was escorted to the top of the Techno Tower, where Kragok sat in his throne room. He looked up in surprise as Lien-Da entered.

"Lien-Da!" he exclaimed. "You live?"

"The evidence is in front of you, isn't it?" Lien-Da dismissed her escorts with a wave. "Not that you cared. You let that brat and her metal companion take me!"

She stomped forward, scowling.

"Do you have any idea what their master, Dr. Robotnik, put me through on a weekly basis? Strapped to an operating table and cut open again and again so they could study our implants! All I could do was wait and watch, to take the first chance of escape I could! And what did you do, brother? Nothing!"

Kragok scowled, standing up.

"You would do well to watch your tongue, sister!" he warned. "Don't forget who the Grandmaster is!"

"I haven't forgotten," Lien-Da spat. "Which is why I've come to do this."

Her hands began sparking with electricity, which she formed into a whip.

"It's high time you stepped down, Kragok! By the end of this day, the Dark Legion will be mine!"

"Fool! You think you can beat me?!"

"I know I can."

Kragok bore his cybernetic claw, revealing a laser cannon concealed within the palm.

"You think I am unaware of what you can do?" Lien-Da demanded.

They clashed violently, tearing the throne room apart in their wake.

"You remember what we promised that day, Kragok?" Lien-Da ranted. "To take out Father and rule as joint Grandmasters? How convenient that the weapon you gave me to assassinate him just happened to explode and put me in a coma when I did it!"

"I remember the unfortunate accident," Kragok replied. "One that clearly happened in my favor."

"You know what I think?!" Lien-Da demanded. "That you sabotaged the cannon to get me out of the way so you could take over yourself! You refused to promote me when I woke up because of 'unnecessary confusion', but we all know that was an Aurora-damned lie!"

"And what proof do you have of that, dear sister?" Kragok shot back.

"The fact that you allowed Robotnik's minions to take me without a fight! To get me out of the way for good, no doubt!"

"It's your word against mine, and soon, you won't be able to say a single word!"

"I've earned this! All of it! And now I'm taking what's rightfully mine!"

The two clashed once more, Lien-Da's body crackling with power. Her eyes also began sparking before lashing out with an electric whip, wrapping it around Kragok before electrocuting him. He screamed, his implants exploding and shorting out as he fell to the ground. Lien-Da smirked, her electricity fading as she stood victorious.

"Checkmate, brother," she gloated.

Kragok looked up, scowling in rage and pain.

"Traitorous bitch…" he growled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Finish it."

"No, not yet," Lien-Da told him. "I want you to feel just as helpless as I was."

She grabbed him by the throat.

-X-

Later, Kragok was locked up in a cell as Lien-Da addressed the rest of the Legion.

"Today, I have bested my brother in a duel for control of the Legion!" she declared. "The age of Grandmaster Kragok is over! As of today, there's a new order! Grandmaster Lien-Da's order! The beginning of a great and glorious era, where Mobius will bow before the might of the Dark Legion!"

The Legion all cheered, Kragok curling up in his cell angrily.


Knothole

In the lab, Chris, Keith, and Hope were working around the Flame Shield plans, Kat sitting off to the side, bored, with her arm in a fresh cast.

"You good over there?" Keith asked.

"I'll be better once I get my arm back," Kat muttered.

"I take it Lara-Le wasn't too happy when she found out about your cast breaking?" Hope questioned.

"Oh no, she was not," Kat confirmed. "She was madder than Locke was. And me saying I deserved it didn't help."

"Eggatha knew what she was getting into, and it was just a cracked rib," Hope told her. "She messaged me over it; she's getting the best possible care, and isn't mad at you."

"Doesn't mean I'm not mad at myself," Kat said simply.

At that, Chris decided to change the subject. "So, you wanna know what we're working on?"

"Wow me with words I don't understand," Kat declared.

"We've been looking over the Flame Shield blueprints, and working out ideas for variants," Hope explained. "Keith and I have been using the Ring Magnet we got during the Silver Moon Ring incident to make what we call a Thunder Shield."

"Awesome," Kat mused.

"It attracts Power Rings, and Hope made a little addition," Keith added. "When it's active, we can pull off midair jumps."

"Have you tried it out yet?" Kat asked.

"Not yet," Chris said. "But while they're doing that, I'm going over my latest Power Sneaker mod."

He pulled aside to reveal sneakers similar to Sonic's, but with what looked like miniature rocket engines attached to the heels.

"Whoa, what are those?" Kat questioned.

"I call them Rocket Shoes," Chris answered. "Basically, they're jet boots."

"And have they been tested?" Kat asked.

"Sonic and I are gonna take them on a test drive before he heads to his next appointment with Dr. Sorders," said Chris.

"By which he means Sonic's basically gonna strap on a helmet and play crash test dummy," Keith cut in.

"Yep!" Sonic declared, walking in at that moment. "So where's my helmet?"

Chris handed it to him at that before leading him to a more open section of the lab.

"This is gonna end badly," Hope sighed.

"Yep," Kat grinned. "I'll get the popcorn."

-X-

Some time later, Kat entered with a tub of popcorn, Sonic donned in a helmet and some protective gear with the Rocket Shoes on his feet. He was standing on a runway leading to a target that read "Hit Here". He gave a thumbs up, and Chris pressed the button. The jets booted up and he shot towards the wall. Despite his best efforts, however, Sonic was unable to pull up in time and slammed full force into the wall.

"Sonic!" Hope, Chris, and Keith all screamed at the same time.

Sonic slid down the wall, a scorch mark in the shape of his body as he peeled himself off of it.

"...Ow." he let out.

"How are you okay?" Hope demanded.

"Could be all the Chaos Emeralds and Power Rings he's been using," Keith theorized.

"Chaos energy," Kat mused. "One hell of a medicine."

Sonic stood up slowly, steadying himself against the wall before walking toward the others.

"I'm gonna feel that in the morning," he remarked. "But hey, at least we know there are still a few bugs to work out."

"I'll get to work immediately," Chris assured.

As he took the sneakers, Hope turned to Sonic.

"You do know there are better, healthier ways to test Chris' Power Sneaker mods than potentially landing yourself in the hospital, right?"

"I'm fine," Sonic insisted. "I've taken worse hits in the past, Hope."

"Still, you should take better care of yourself," Hope warned. "There's only so much abuse someone's body can take."

"I'm fine, I promise," Sonic checked his watch. "And it's about time for my next therapy session."

"We're not done talking about this, Sonic!" Hope insisted.

"Pretty sure we are."

Sonic darted off at that. Hope sighed.

"Seriously, he's so reckless." she muttered.

"It's part of his charm," Kat remarked.


Station Square

At Dr. Sorders' office, Sonic was laying back on the couch as the doctor pulled out her notebook.

"I've noticed quite a change in you, Sonic," she noted. "You seem to be happier, calmer."

Sonic shrugged. "Things have been looking up. I've been making sure not to bottle up my feelings."

"That's good," Dr. Sorders said. "And have you been taking some time for yourself?"

"Here and there, whenever Eggman's not enacting another evil plan."

"Well, he's not now," Dr. Sorders pointed out.

"True," Sonic remarked. "But... I have no idea what else to do with my time at the moment."

"What about hobbies? Is there anything you enjoy?"

"Well, I like running."

"Then go running," Sorders suggested. "Walk the earth. Go wherever the wind takes you."

"In other words, take a vacation."

"Exactly." Dr. Sorders nodded. "Take time for yourself."

"Yeah, you're right," Sonic sat up. "I'm gonna go out. See Mobius. Take in the sights. Especially with no Eggman around to screw them up."

Dr. Sorders smiled. "Excellent. Enjoy your vacation. You've definitely earned it."


Knothole

In his room, Sonic was packing different belongings into a dark blue backpack.

"Going somewhere?"

He looked up to see Sally at the door.

"Doctor's orders," Sonic answered. "I'm taking a little time out for myself."

"Where will you go?" Sally asked.

"Wherever the wind takes me. Gonna take the time to see the sights of the world when we're not saving them from Eggman."

"You have fun, Sonic," Sally told him. "And try to call at the very least."

Sonic smiled. "Of course."

They hugged tightly. Once they parted, Sonic gave a two-fingered salute before heading out of the village, his backpack slung over his shoulder.


Robotropolis

In the lab, Robotnik showed Snively the blueprints for his latest work.

"I've had this on the drawing board for far too long," he said. "The Egg Carrier. A battleship, home-away-from-home, and headquarters all fused into one. My floating masterpiece."

"And you're just now deciding to bring it to life?" Snively asked. "What changed your mind? Don't tell me it was the attack on the brat."

"Yes, it was the attack on the 'brat'," Robotnik said, giving him a dirty look. "And for the record, this was always on the table. Even if Sonic hadn't kidnapped Agatha, I would have built it eventually. He just speeded up my endgame."

"Why do I get the feeling an attack on me would not merit the same courtesy?" Snively deadpanned.

Before the conversation could continue, the door opened, allowing Grimer to enter. He removed his hat and coat, putting it up.

"Sorry I'm late, Doctor," he said. "Traffic around the Mystic Ruins was awful."

"Ah, Grimer, welcome back," Robotnik greeted. "Find anything of value in that jungle?"

"I believe I have," Grimer confirmed. "Something very interesting on stone tablets within the old shrine in the heart of the ruins."

He pulled one from his bag. "See for yourself."

Robotnik took the tablet, looking it over.

"Oho…" he mused. "Isn't this interesting."

"What is it?" Snively asked.

"These tablets mention a powerful creature with a connection to not only the ancient Echidnas, but the Chaos Emeralds themselves," Robotnik noted. "It could prove quite a boon to our cause."

He handed the tablet back. "Grimer, continue looking into this beast while we work on the Egg Carrier. I want to know all I can about it."

Grimer nodded. "I'll get right on it."

Robotnik smirked as his green assistant headed off.

"With the Egg Carrier and this creature at my side, Mobius will fall to me in no time."


Author's Note:

(1): August 15. That was the date Sonic Mania was released. Little nod to the fact Eggatha started out as a Mania meme.

Well, that was a nice filler chapter. And to explain, Lien-Da is still Robotnik's mole in the Dark Legion. She's just the mole in charge.

Next chapter, we begin an adaptation of the first Sonic Adventure.

Please R&R. Until next time!