-Chapter 222-

Eggman's Dozen?


Station Square

It had been three days since Kage's attack on the city. With aid from Acorn, repairs had been progressing smoothly, but it did little to ease the peoples' minds. At the newly repaired police station, Sheriff Wachowski looked over several reports; his arm in a cast from Akhlut crushing his wrist.

"This is crazy," he said with a grimace. "First Station Square, now Mercia?"

Before he could continue, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened, revealing Princess Sally. With her was Amy, Chris, and Cream, the latter carrying a box of donuts.

"Good morning, Sheriff Wachowski." The princess greeted.

"Just call me Tom, Princess." He said. "We're all friends here."

"Of course."

The group walked inside, looking around in awe.

"Wow, so this is the Lair of the Donut Lord?" Amy said. "I never thought I'd actually get to see it."

"Yeah," Chris added. "The only other one of us who's been here is Sonic when he was a kid."

"Ahh yeah," Tom said as he shook his head fondly. "That was one crazy day. The little guy actually thought my donuts were Power Rings and tried to use them to get back home."

The group chuckled at that.

"Oh, right!" Cream set the donut box on his desk. "We got you these. We weren't sure what kind of donuts you liked, so we got a bunch."

Tom opened up the box and sure enough, it was filled with a wide-variety of donuts. Glazed, chocolate frosted, bear claws, maple sugar, jelly and cream filled, and even a cinnamon roll.

"Awww, thanks Cream," Tom said with a smile. "That was really sweet of you."

"It's the least we could do after what happened," the rabbit said. She frowned as she eyed Tom's cast nervously. "It must've been so scary, being face to face with…him."

"Ahhh, don't you worry." Tom patted her head. "I've faced scarier people than that overgrown anchovy." His expression changed to one of worry. "Honestly, I'm more worried about you kids. What happened that day was…"

The Freedom Fighters grimaced at that.

"Yeah," Sally said. "It was…crazy."

"Crazy? Try absolutely insane!" Amy shouted. "Seriously, we've had some close calls before, but that was…" The pink hedgehog took a deep breath. "Eggman's goons utterly trounced us…even Sonic."

"Speaking of…" Tom's expression became worried, "how's he holding up?"

Chris sighed. "I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Tom. He's practically a zombie. He barely leaves his room except to eat and use the bathroom, and he's been messing with his fidget spinner non-stop."

"Not surprising," Tom said as he shook his head. "That orca's one tough customer."

"His whole troop was full of tough customers," Amy corrected. "I don't wanna sound like a broken record, but since when were Eggman's goons that good?"

"It's because they weren't Badniks." Chris said. "We're used to dealing with robots and machines with limited thinking capabilities and self-preservation instincts; those guys were actual people fighting for their lives."

"But why would so many people want to work for a bad guy like Eggman?" Cream asked.

"They probably didn't," Tom's expression suddenly turned grave. "Shortly before the attack, I passed by a building that was literally covered in missing person posters. Most of the disappeared were Mobians, but there were a few humans here and there."

"That's right!" Chris perked. "We saw some of those posters on the way here!"

"Not only that, but we've been receiving several missing persons reports for the past couple weeks." Tom showed Sally some of his papers. "After comparing some of the reports you brought in and observing footage from the fight, we discovered that several of the missing were among the troops that attacked the city."

"Then it's as we feared," Sally said with a grimace. "Cyberization is the new Roboticization."

"Wait, you knew about this?" Tom asked.

"We weren't sure," Sally said. "But this matches up with intel GUN shared with us." She grimaced. "And it's not good…"


Knothole

Back at Knothole, the Freedom Fighters were in the middle of a video meeting with Commander Tower.

"Over the past few weeks, people have been disappearing left and right without a trace; not just in Station Square, but all over Mobius." he explained. "Additionally, several of our units have clashed with these 'Egg Soldiers', and sightings of them keep popping up every day. It all points to one, horrifying conclusion…"

"Eggman's running a recruitment drive," Porker realized.

"More like a conscription campaign," Johnny corrected. "You saw how those guys reacted to Kage's little 'rallying speech'."

"Indeed," Tower shook his head wearily. "I've dispatched Agents Shadow, Rouge, and Omega to investigate these sightings. With any luck, we can track down their bases and rescue some of the captives before they're Cyberized."

"Speaking of Cyberized," Tekno interrupted. "I ran some tests on the-" she choked slightly. "…scraps left from the victims."

"Anything interesting?" Antoine asked.

"Well for one thing, they're highly advanced and extremely durable."

"That's not anything new," Shorty pointed out. "Eggman tech's always been tough to crack." He cringed as Hope flinched at his choice of words. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry, Hope!"

"It's alright, Shorty," Hope assured, not quite convincingly. "I'm fine."

Shorty went to say something else, but Bunnie just shook her head, stopping him. He sighed, and remained silent.

"A-Anyway, that's not all…" Tekno took a deep breath. "Some of the scraps were…odd."

"Odd how?" Antoine asked.

"Well, they're clearly made of metal, but they're…softer, more malleable." She squinted, trying to find the right words. "I swear, they almost felt…organic."

"Like they're made of fleshy stuff?" Bunnie asked.

"I don't know what it is." Tekno shook her head. "The point is, Eggman's upgrading his tech."

"His tech, his soldiers, his weapons," Rotor recalled. "He's stepping up his whole game! If Kage hadn't decided to be a dick, Akhlut would've killed Sonic!"

"Speaking of Sonic, how is he?" Tower asked.

"Still in his room," Tails answered. "He's barely left since the fight."

"That isn't surprising." Nicole said. "I can only imagine what he's going through."

"I doubt Kat's doing much better." Keith added.


New Cavum Canus

High above the rest of Mobius, Kat and Knuckles had met with Locke to inform him of what happened, as well bring the news to General Helmut and the rest of the Dingo Regime at their new base.

"Kage did all that?" the elder dingo said in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so, General Von Stryker," Knuckles said solemnly. "There…There was nothing we could do."

"By the gods…" Helmut crumbled back into his chair in shock.

"It was horrible…" Kat said, trembling as she remembered the carnage from that day. "All those people, captured and forced to fight. Blown to bits, just to kill us." She hugged herself tightly. "And Hope…Aurora, Hope…"

Locke growled, hands shaking with barely suppressed horror and outrage.

"Seriously," Knuckles shouted, "even with all the bad blood between our races, how can he be so…so…messed up?! It just doesn't make any sense!"

"It's not as unbelievable as you think." Helmut turned to a picture of himself and a younger Kage, taken on the day of his son's induction into the army. "Kage was raised on a soldier mentality, and I spent his most formative years filling his head with stories of the Echidnas' abuse of our people." He picked up the photo and looked at it sorrowfully. "I taught him that they were little more than monsters, incapable and undeserving of compassion or mercy. I'd hoped he would become a soldier loyal to the cause." He hung his head in shame as he put the photo down flat on his desk. "It would appear I succeeded."

"No." All eyes in the room turned to Locke, who had remained quiet the entire time. "Do not go making excuses for him, Helmut. Regardless of your actions or his upbringing, Kage is a grown man. He's responsible for himself, like everyone else."

"Locke, I-"

"'A fool punishes the blacksmith for forging a killer's knife'." Locke interrupted. "You may have made it possible for Kage to have these thoughts, but he was the one who chose to act on them. Besides…"

Locke stopped for a moment to look out the window, watching a joint training exercise between several dingo soldiers and his own echidna warriors. Though some were keeping their distance from each other, the majority of the two groups were getting along surprisingly well.

"He was not the only dingo who grew up hearing these 'stories', and as far as I've seen, none of them turned out anywhere near as bad as he did. If he jumped on the Eggman bandwagon that quickly and resorts to such brutality at the drop of a hat, then he has always had a head full of bad wiring." The elder echidna returned his attention to Helmut, looking him dead in the eye. "You are not responsible for what he's done."

"Dad…" Knuckles said in disbelief. Kat was completely speechless, as was Helmut. But after a moment of processing, the dingo general shook his head and with it, his doubts.

"Yes, you're right. I gave Kage a chance to let go of his hatred, and he refused. He has made his decision and must live it; as have I." He rubbed his chin in thought. "That being said, I doubt we've seen the last of him. The boy is stubborn, he'll be back."

"If he does, I don't think we'll be able to hold back." Kat said, her hair briefly flashing.

"Nor should you," Helmut said, a statement that stunned the three Guardians. "Whatever you need to do to stop Kage, do it. As of now, he is no longer my son." He took a moment to massage his temples before facing the trio again, his eyes tired and heavy. "Thank you for bringing to my attention, Guardians. Now, if you'll excuse me…I need to think."

Locke simply nodded and motioned for Knuckles and Kat to follow him. Once they'd left, Helmut turned to the photograph he'd turned down and gave it one last look.

"'A fool punishes the blacksmith for forging a killer's knife.'" Helmut repeated with a mirthless chuckle. "I do believe the world has gone mad."

-X-

"'A fool punishes that blacksmith for forging a killer's knife?'" Knuckles asked his father as he and Kat followed him back to Echidnaopolis. "What the heck was that?"

"Oh, it's just an old Chun-ese proverb I read in a book a while back." The elder echidna replied.

Knuckles stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait, a Chun-ese proverb?"

"It seemed appropriate, given the situation."

"Hold on," Kat cut in. "Since when did you start learning Chun-ese proverbs?"

Locke simply turned to her and smiled. "Since I adopted a Chun-ese girl as my daughter."

Knuckles and Kat stood there, looking at Locke like he'd just grown a second head…or gave away the Master Emerald.

"I…wh-what?" Kat said.

"Who are you and what have you done with my father?"

Locke glared at his children. "Seriously, you two?"

"Come on Dad, after everything that's happened, can you blame us?" Knuckles defended.

"I can when you bring up my mistakes every time I try to be a better parent!" Locke shook his head in frustration. "Seriously, and your mother says I know how to ruin a moment!"

"Because every time you do, it feels like the Apocalypse is coming!"

"See! That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

They heard a snort, and the echidnas turned to find Kat laughing. It started off as quiet snickering, but quickly turned into gut busting laughter. Then Knuckles started laughing with her, then Locke. And soon all three of them were laughing in the middle of the base's halls.

"Ohhhh…man," Kat said as she started winding down. "I really needed that."

"Same," Knuckles added. "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime." Locke's expression then turned serious. "That being said, we'd best get back to Echidnaopolis to determine our next course of action."

"Yeah…" Knuckles said as he clenched his fists. "If Station Square is anything to go by, we're gonna have our work cut out for us."


Knothole

Back in his room, Sonic was lying on the bed, deep in thought and still shaken up by what he'd gone through. Muttski's head was in his lap, the hedgehog idly petting the Mobini dog with a shaking hand. He thought back to everything Akhlut told him, dread rising.

"Let's just say that the game is changing, hedgehog. New rules, higher stakes, and dozens of new players."

He was brought out of his thoughts by a soft knock on the door, the sound nearly causing him to shoot up in fright.

"Sonic?" came Sally's voice. "Can I come in?"

Forcing himself to breathe, Sonic laid back down. "It's open!"

She entered at that, taking in his expression. "You okay?"

Sonic sat up, trying to play it cool with his usual swagger.

"Oh, yeah, fit as a fiddle. I'm just perfect."

Sally raised an eyebrow at that. "Sonic, c'mon. You practically lost your mind at the coast. You are not fine."

At that, Sonic's smirk faded, and he sighed. "It's that obvious, huh?"

Sally nodded, sitting down beside him as he sighed.

"I… I'm not sure I can do this," he confessed. "Akhlut's strength was… insane. Terrifying. If Kage hadn't pulled those stunts, I'd be dead."

Sally rested a gentle hand on his back.

"It's okay," she assured. "We lost the battle, but the war still marches on. If Eggman's forces are getting stronger, then so can we."

That managed to raise Sonic's spirits, if only slightly. He sighed again, looking at the ceiling.

"Eggatha and Bokkun filmed the whole beatdown. Eggman's probably watching it and laughing his ass off right now."


Robotropolis

Back in Citadel Robotnik, Robotnik was doing just that; laughing his ass off as he watched Bokkun's footage of Sonic getting beaten by Akhlut and trembling in fear.

"Ohhh….Ohhhh, this is too good!" he said as he grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl on his lap. "This is just. Too. GOOD!"

Eventually, the clip ended, finally allowing the doctor to settle down. He adjusted his glasses, straightened his coat, took a swig of Chao Cola, then took a deep breath…

"Alright, let's watch it again!" And proceeded to rewind it, bouncing in his seat the whole time. All the while, the 6-S looked on…nervously.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this," Decoe confessed.

"I'm not sure I want to know how I feel about this," Bocoe remarked.

"Yeah... " Grounder perked. "Uhhh, feel about what?"

"This!" Scratch replied, gesturing wildly. "This…everything!"

"What are you talkin' about?" Coconuts demanded. "We won! For once, we faced off against Sonic and whipped him like a dog, not the other way around!"

"I know!" Scratch shouted. He then lowered his arms. "And it feels…weird!"

"Maybe it's because we're not used to it," Decoe mused, tapping his lower faceplate in contemplation. "I can't even remember the last time we had a clear victory over Sonic."

"I don't think we ever did," said Bocoe.

"Shhh!" Robotnik hissed. "Quiet, you nimcombots! We're about to get to the best part!"

He watched the monitor excitedly as it got to the part of Sonic throwing the rock and Akhlut effortlessly catching it. Orbot and Cubot were manning the remote and snacks, respectively.

"Here it comes!" he grinned eagerly. "Pause it! PAUSE IT!"

Orbot paused the video, Sonic's expression of sheer terror on full display. Robotnik immediately exploded into more laughter.

"Oh! Oh, that face! That FACE! We- We gotta get that printed on a T-shirt! They'd sell like hotcakes!"

As he laughed, Orbot turned to Cubot. "He's been watching the same footage over and over again for days!"

"Yeah, it's freakin' annoying!" Cubot added. "I haven't even seen him go to the bathroom! Especially with all the Chao Cola he's drinking." That got them both a slap from the "good" doctor.

"I said shut up! The other good part's coming up." Robotnik watched with sadistic glee as the video resumed, showing Kage getting fried by Akhlut. "Ha! I warned you what would happen, Kagey, but you didn't listen! And look where you are now!"

"The top of your favorites list?" Orbot offered, getting another slap.

"Shut up and get more popcorn!" Robotnik ordered.

Orbot grumbled as he floated off. Grimer came in with some more drinks.

"Doctor, as satisfying as this is, wouldn't it be wise to use this opportunity to try and strike while the Freedom Fighters are beaten and demoralized?" he suggested.

"Ordinarily, I'd agree with you, Grimer, but Kage's little temper tantrum means we're short a commander, and all the ones that could cover for him are either too far away or locked in storage."

Grimer nodded at that.

"Plus, I'd like to hold off until Agatha gets the battle data together for the next software update. Save us the trips, give us time to get things together."

"Excellent idea, sir. Very good." He held out the cans. "Grape or strawberry?"

Robotnik took the grape can, popping it open and sighing in satisfaction.

"This was a good week. The new cybernetics systems are a success, the Egg Army has more soldiers than ever before, and Sonic's probably crying in his room, hiding from big, bad Akhlut!"

"Not to mention all the money you made from selling those pictures and merchandise of Akhlut on the Internet," Grimer added.

"Oooh yes!" Robotnik grinned. "Who knew all those witless, teenage girls were such goldmines!"

"Although…" Grimer twiddled his thumbs nervously. "He's going to be furious when he finds out."

"You mean if he finds out."

At that moment, an explosion sounded, followed by a bellow of outrage and embarrassment from Akhlut himself. A moment of silence passed before Grimer broke it.

"You were saying?"

Robotnik shrugged. "Eh, I'll send him a check. That'll shut him up."

Before he could continue, a tone went off. The doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He examined the screen for a moment, his eyes going wide.

"Ahh, I completely forgot!" he said as he hastily put his phone away. "The show will have to wait, I've important business to attend to." He straightened out his coat and headed for the door. "Grimer, clean this up, while I'm gone."

"Of course, sir." Grimer turned to where Robotnik had been sitting and flinched. The area was covered in bits of popcorn, candy wrappers, and Chao Cola cans, as well as a small stack of pizza boxes off to the side.

"I miss Snively." he sighed.

-X-

Back in the kitchen, Eggatha was eating a bowl of cereal when Akhlut walked in, a look of barely contained fury on his face.

"Morning, Akhlut," Eggatha greeted.

"Mornin', Aggie," Akhlut greeted, not even looking her way.

He made his way to the fridge and rummaged through it until he found a cardboard six-pack of bottles labeled "Akhlut's Ale: You Drink, You Die!" in the corner. He took it out and took a seat at the table.

"It's a bit early for drinking, isn't it?" Eggatha asked.

"Not right now, it's not." He pulled one out of the box, cracked it open, and started guzzling it down.

"You do know your cybernetics keep you from getting drunk, right?"

"Don't remind me," Akhlut said once he finished, then slammed the bottle onto the table. "Worst. Week. Of my life."

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

Akhlut scowled, turning to glare at Eggatha. "I spent the last several months swimming all over the Central and Frozen North Seas, undergoing grueling, harrowing training, while avoiding the authorities so that I could better serve your mad uncle and his mad schemes of world domination and restore my lost honor by killing Sonic the Hedgehog." Akhlut's gem started to glow as he began fuming with rage. "And when I return, I'm not only robbed of my rightful kill, but I suddenly find I've become the latest eye candy of every teenage girl in Mobius!"

"Would you rather them think you're ugly?" Eggatha asked.

"I'd rather they be terrified!"

"And completely breaking Sonic's body and spirit wasn't terrifying?"

"Oh, it was terrifying alright…" Akhlut pulled out a life-sized body pillow with an image of him on the case. "For me."

Eggatha cracked up laughing, much to Akhlut's outrage.

"STOP LAUGHING!" he roared, throwing the pillow aside. "It's your fault I'm in this mess!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Eggatha removed her glasses to wipe her eyes. "It's just them…and you… and they…Oh Aurora, what have I done?!"

"I hate you so much right now…" Akhlut snarled, his eyes narrowed.

Eggatha took a moment to calm down, nodding as she did. "But… But seriously, I'm really sorry about this, Akhlut. And I swear, I'll make it up to you."

"How?"

"Well…" Eggatha pulled out her smartphone and pressed a button, causing it to project a hologram of several complex schematics. "I've been working on some new upgrades for the training room. More space, better energy usage, more realism, new environments. Something to better emulate 'nature in all its savage glory'. That way, you can train in peace and quiet."

"That's a start." Akhlut cracked open another bottle of ale as Eggatha looked at him hopefully.

"Plus, I got some new updates for your combat software, I can cut you a new psystone, all kinds of stuff!"

Ahklut nodded slightly. "Yes, Wormtongue mentioned that."

Eggatha took a bit of a breath, as if bracing herself for something. "And then…when we're done with that maybe you could…" she trailed off. "Umm…"

"What?" Akhlut snapped.

"Well… maybe you could… teach me… how… to fight?"

Akhlut stared at Eggatha, confused. "You want me to teach you how to fight?"

"Self-defense lessons!" Eggatha clarified. "I can't keep relying on Badniks and bodyguards to bail me out when I'm in trouble, especially if we're stepping up our game!" She massaged her temples. "Inventing things and cleverness have gotten me far, but I need to be able to do more so we don't have to rely on lunatics like Kage."

"And you want me to do it?"

Eggatha shrugged. "You're the best warrior we have."

"Why don't you ask one of your pet echidnas, or your uncle? Didn't he fight in the Great War?"

"Uncle Ivo would never agree to that and you know it, and I don't trust Lien-Da or the other Legionnaires at all."

"So, you ask the literal killer whale with a hell of a grudge against you?"

"Oh, get over yourself! They're just photos!" Eggatha snapped before composing herself. "But no, I'm asking the literal killer whale with the closest thing the Empire has to a sense of honor and who can keep a secret. Besides," Eggatha reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace made of fangs, bits of bone, knots of fur, and other baubles, "you promised you'd protect me, remember?"

Akhlut stared at the necklace, a wistful look in his eyes. "Yes, I did."

"So, is that a yes?" Eggatha asked hopefully.

Akhlut sighed in resignation. "Alright, you win. I'll train you."

"Yes!" Eggatha grinned. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But!" Akhlut proclaimed, slamming his hand on the table and giving Eggatha a deathly serious glare, "I'm not going to go easy on you just because of your age or your relation to the doctor. You will go through the same grueling, hellish gauntlet my own mother put me through when I was a calf, and like her, I expect you to give me nothing less than your absolute best. Are we clear?"

Eggatha nodded, getting a grin from the orca.

"Good," he prepared to get another ale, but stopped himself. "Actually, there's one last thing."

"What's that?"

Akhlut activated his jewel, causing the milk in Eggatha's cereal bowl to splash in her face. She cried out, spitting it out as Akhlut laughed happily. Eggatha wiped her face off with a napkin before scowling.

"Oh, real mature, Akhlut!"

"Oh, get over yourself, it's just milk." Akhlut quipped. "Besides, you're hardly the picture of adult behavior yourself."

"I'm thirteen! What's your excuse?!"

"Well, let's see," Akhlut began counting on his fingers, "I'm almost fifty and have been enslaved by a fat, gangly-limbed, bald man with a ridiculous mustache, and his pint-sized runt of a niece; who spends half her time dragging me into her schemes to keep her mad uncle's dreams of forming a global empire in check, or turning me into said Empire's cover man!"

"Well maybe if you actually kept in touch, I wouldn't have to do stupid things like that to get your attention!" Eggatha snapped.

"Well, maybe you'd get it if you weren't such a damned pest!" Akhlut barked.

"Sardine-sucking geezer!"

"Ankle-biting twerp!"

"Whale-fart!"

"Frizz-head!"

"Your mother was a porpoise!"

"Your uncle dates a chicken!"

The two got right into each others' faces, growling and snarling. Then suddenly, Eggatha threw her arms around Akhlut's neck and gave him a hug, much to the orca's confusion.

"I missed you, you big lug," she said as she buried her face in his shoulder.

Akhlut blushed as he processed what was going on for a moment, then sighed and hugged her back.

"Yeah, I missed you too, you little snot," he confessed.

"Ummmm…"

The two stiffened as they turned toward the kitchen door, where they found Orbot floating in the doorway with an empty bowl in his hands and a look of confusion on his face.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" His answer was a blast of psychic energy and a laser beam.

"Orbot, get out!" Eggatha ordered. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something!?"

"B-But Miss Eggatha," Orbot pleaded, "your uncle ordered me to fetch more popcorn! I…"

"She said leave, automaton!" Akhlut shouted, blowing the hapless Badnik backward and into the wall."

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" he cried. "Ugh…do this Orbot! Do that Orbot…!"

A few awkward moments passed before Akhlut decided to break the silence.

"Should we be worried?" he asked.

"No, Orbot's not an idiot like the rest of the S-6." Eggatha explained. "He'll keep his mouth shut."

"Good."

Before they could continue, the intercom flickered on, Robotnik's voice over it.

"Attention all Empire personnel!" the doctor called out. "The monthly Boss Meeting will be starting in ten minutes! All executive level personnel are to report to the meeting room immediately!"

"Oh! I completely forgot about the meeting!" Eggatha shouted as she hopped off the table. "Come on, Akhlut! We gotta get there before the others arrive!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Akhlut griped. "Keep your skirt on."

-X-

Outside the Citadel, a pair of airships landed at the docks. One was the Battle Fortress, flagship of the Battle Bird Armada. The other, a standard issue Empire transport plane. Soldiers and Badniks alike ran about, working to clear a path and get in position; for the arrivals were special guests.

"Come on, people! Move your butts!" one of the higher ranked soldiers shouted as his men scrambled about the plane. "If we don't get this right, who knows what he'll do to us!"

The soldiers redoubled their efforts, forming lines alongside the plane's entrances. A few minutes later, the doors opened and out stepped their long-awaited – and very annoyed – guest.

"All hail, Boss Mordred Hood!" the soldiers greeted as they saluted.

"Silence, peasants!" Hood shouted. His Vertigo Inducers flashed, causing the soldiers to stumble to the ground, nauseous and disoriented. "And you were supposed to kneel!"

Hood made his way to the Citadel muttering under his breath. As he left, he noticed the second arrival exiting his aircraft: Battle Kukku XV, himself.

"Welcome sir," a soldier said as she took the old bird's luggage. "Please, allow me to take that for you."

"Thank you, my dear," The old bird replied with a respectful nod. He then turned to the side and saw the serpent.

"Mordred," He said, doing his best to maintain a neutral expression.

"Kukku," Mordred responded the same as he approached his fellow general.

"Judging from your expression, I take it your trip here was less than satisfactory?"

"Try utterly abysmal!" the serpent shouted. "I was in the middle of…Ahem! Establishing an important political alliance." Kukku rolled his eyes as Mordred chuckled nervously, knowing full well the serpent was interested in more than just political power. "Next thing I know, I'm being forced to fly all the way out to Robotropolis from Eurish on that pile of junk!" He pointed to his aircraft. "Someone like me, flying coach? I deserve at least first-class!"

"Oh for Garuda's sake, do you ever stop whining?" Kukku asked as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket.

"Excuse me?" the cobra said menacingly.

"You heard me." Kukku removed his glasses and began polishing them, his red eyes not even dignifying the irate cobra with a glance. "I swear, every time you open your mouth, it's nothing but bitching and moaning about how the world should worship you just for being born!" He gave his glasses a final look before putting them back on. "It's quite irritating."

Mordred hissed, making to bite the Battle Bird commander. But before they could come to blows, the intercom came to life with a loud whine.

"Here's an idea, stop bickering and get moving!" Robotnik's voice shouted. "We have important business to discuss! So, hurry up and head to the meeting room before I have the two of you cracked!"

Mordred and Kukku froze in fear, the former especially. They were quickly snapped out of it by the arrival of Orbot and Cubot.

"Greetings, esteemed Bosses," Orbot said.

"Allow us to escort you to your destination, sirs," Cubot added, his voice now that of a classic Eurish butler.

Mordred and Kukku turned to each other, eyebrows raised.

"Well, it is bad form to keep the host waiting," Mordred said nervously.

"Agreed," Kukku nodded.

After a brief walk through the Citadel, the two Badniks eventually led the generals to the entrance of the meeting room, where they found Akhlut waiting outside.

"Well, look who's here." The orca said.

"Akhlut?" Mordred remarked. "When did you get back?"

"This is a surprise," Kukku mused. "You practically vanished off the face of Mobius."

"What can I say?" the orca grinned menacingly. "They don't call me 'Black Ice' for nothing."

"Clearly," Kukku said as he adjusted his coat.

"Ahem!"

The generals turned to see Orbot and Cubot at the doors.

"Doctor Robotnik is right through these doors," Orbot said.

"We hope you enjoy your stay," Cubot added.

The Badniks opened the doors, allowing the trio to enter. Once they were in, they closed the doors behind them. The room was large, but barely lit, making it impossible to see what was inside. The only sources of light were from a set of fish tanks lined about the walls, aquatic Badniks swimming about. Though, they did little to illuminate the place.

Suddenly, a set of spotlights turned on, revealing Dr. Robotnik sitting at what appeared to be a large table, Eggatha by his side.

"Gentlemen, it's good to see you," Robotnik greeted. He snapped his fingers, causing three more spotlights to appear, revealing two more chairs. "Take a seat, if you please."

Mordred and Kukku turned to each other, confused at what was going on, but not wanting to risk incurring their master's wrath, did as they were told. Akhlut took a seat next to Eggatha, with Mordred and Kukku sitting across from each other a few chairs down.

"So, what is this all about, Doctor?" Mordred asked in annoyance. "I'll have you know I had to cancel a very important meeting to be here."

"Yes, if you consider trying to get under a noblewoman's cape a 'very important meeting'," Kukku deadpanned, much to Mordred's embarrassment.

"Oh, don't worry, Hood," Akhlut remarked with a smirk. "Only an intelligent woman would turn you down."

Mordred scowled. "Well, at least I'm not the fantasy of every hormone-driven teenage girl on Mobius thanks to a social media campaign!"

He immediately had to duck under a flying chair.

"Ooh, looks like we missed a Boom," Akhlut remarked, his gem glow fading. "Better be careful, we might get possessed."

"You over-puffed pool dolphin!" Mordred roared. "Do you have any idea who I am!? I'm-!"

"Going back in the closet with the rest of the snakeskin if you don't shut your oversized mouth, Hood!" Robotnik cut in.

"Yes sir!" Mordred immediately declared, shutting up.

"Good," Robotnik nodded. "Now, where were we?"

"Where are the others, doctor?" Kukku asked.

"I'm afraid this is everyone who could make it, Kukku," Eggatha said as she adjusted her glasses. "Kage is in the burn ward undergoing treatment. T.B. is in the middle of tracking down a 'filthy rabble-rouser' in Rocky Jungle Zone. And Tundra is incommunicado," The young Robotnik scowled. "Again."

CRUNCH!

"What the!?" Eggatha yelped.

Eggatha and the others turned toward Akhlut. The orca appeared calm, but the fading glow of his gem and the mangled chair next to him suggested otherwise.

"Sorry," he said. "Please, continue."

Eggatha raised an eyebrow at Akhlut's reaction, she'd need to ask him about that later.

"What about the dragon?" Kukku asked.

"Currently in surgery," Eggman explained.

"Still!?" Mordred asked incredulously. "It's been over a year!"

"His modifications are extremely precise and complicated!" Robotnik pointed out. "Not to mention, he's freaking huge!" He took a moment to calm himself. "But that's beside the point."

Robotnik stood up to address the group. "The point, my friends… err, comrades? Allies? Loyal, top subordinates?" He shook his head. "The point is, I've gathered you all here to talk about some…changes, going on in the Empire's power structure."

"Changes?" Mordred questioned. "What kind of changes?"

Robotnik grinned at that.

"BIG changes."

Robotnik snapped his fingers, causing the lights to come on, one by one, allowing everyone to get a better look at the table they were re sitting at. The table was massive, with twelve seats, not including Eggman and Eggatha's. Akhlut, Mordred, and Kukku could only look on in shock.

"No…" Akhlut let out in disbelief. "It can't be."

"Doctor, is this what I think it is?" Mordred asked.

"Oh yes, my dear Mordred," Robotnik grinned. "It's EXACTLY what you think it is."

Mordred hissed nervously.

"By the Rukh…" Kukku gasped. "The project, you've actually completed it?"

"Ehhh…not quite," The doctor clarified. "We're missing a few key players and we still have some prep work to take care of, but after months of planning, researching, and prodding from my niece, we're finally ready to get things off the ground."

Akhlut, Mordred, and Kukku all grinned in malicious satisfaction.

"Gentlemen, you've been waiting," Robotnik declared, "you've been patient, and you've been wanting this for a long, long time. And now, your wait is over. Project: Eggman's Dozen is a GO!"


Author's Note:

The Egg Army is adding powerful customers to its ranks. Can the Freedom Fighters step up their game, or will they be stepped on?

Please R&R. Until next time.