-Chapter 64-

Gears of Madness

Lost Labyrinth Zone

As Sonic and Tails exited the Lost Labyrinth, they saw Snively and Brutus pick themselves up. They darted behind a pillar, watching as the two villains stormed off down a nearby path.

"C'mon, Tails," Sonic whispered. "Let's follow 'em back to their base."

"Right," Tails nodded. "Maybe there we can figure out exactly what Eggman wants with that sapphire."

Mad Gear Zone

They snuck after the two, eventually coming to a massive mechanical factory surrounded by steam-pouring pipes, cogs and gears.

"Yep," Sonic remarked. "Not even surprised."

"Seriously, how does Eggman keep building these so fast?" Tails questioned.

Sonic shrugged. "If I knew all the answers, you think I'd look like this?"

He made an exaggerated dopey face, and Tails snickered before pulling out the Miles Electric.

"Looks like there's a Chaos Emerald somewhere in here," he mused.

"Well, if that's the case, we need to snag it before Snively takes it as a consolation prize," Sonic noted.

Inside, Snively was typing away, flipping multiple switches.

"Knowing our luck, Sonic and his little sidekick are on their way here, if they haven't found us already," he said.

"Oh, they found us," Brutus pointed at security footage, showing the pair outside the gate. Snively sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm beginning to see why my uncle finds that miserable hedgehog such an eyesore," he muttered.

"What are your orders?" Brutus asked.

I've armed the security system and set it to maximum," Snively declared. "If Sonic wants to get to us, he's going to have one hell of a time getting through the traps."

"Right…" Brutus let out, causing Snively to look at him incredulously.

"What, you don't believe me?"

"Well... Sonic isn't that easy to trap."

"Maybe so, but his two-tailed friend on the other hand," Snively chuckled darkly for a moment before straightening up. "In the meantime, you ready the E.G.G. Station."

"And what about you?"

"If they do get past the security system, I have a surprise for them."

Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails entered the factory, looking around. A low rumble sounded from a nearby pipe, and Sonic grabbed Tails by the scruff of his neck, yanking him back as a jet of pressurized steam shot out.

"Yikes!" Tails cried out.

"Watch your step, pal," Sonic warned. "This entire place is a death trap, but if Snively thinks this'll be enough to stop us, he hasn't been thinking at all."

They continued forward, Tails checking his Miles Electric for the Chaos Emerald. He was paying so much attention to the Miles Electric that he failed to pay attention to where he was going. The floor suddenly gave in from under him, and he let out a yelp as he fell. Sonic darted forward, grabbing his arm. Tails let out a breath, then spun his tails, coming back up.

"Well, that was embarrassing," he remarked.

They looked down the pit, seeing the floor was covered in spikes.

"That's why I said, 'watch your step,'" Sonic said flatly. "You were almost a fox kabob."

"I can fly, rememb-" Tails cut himself off as he saw a light among the spikes. "What the-?"

Much to Sonic's surprise, he hopped back into the pit.

"Tails?!" Sonic shrieked.

The fox came flying back up, the yellow Chaos Emerald in hand.

"Found it!" he declared. "It was lodged between the spikes. How in the world did Snively-"

"Don't do that again!" Sonic snapped, grabbing Tails' arms. "Don't just jump into death traps, dude! Next time, at least tell me you see something before you hop willy-nilly into a pit of spikes!"

Tails blinked. "Sonic, I'm okay. And I can fly, remember? I was never in any danger."

"Right…" Sonic sighed, letting him go. "Sorry. Guess I overreacted a little bit."

Tails patted him on the arm, and Sonic jerked his head. "C'mon. Let's figure out where Snively is in this death trap."

-X-

They continued to go along, before coming into an open hallway with nothing of note. Sonic slowly placed one foot on the ground, and immediately ducked as a sawblade ripped through the ceiling.

"Sawblades?" Sonic demanded. "Really, Snively?! Is that the best you got?!"

He grabbed Tails, running down the hall as another sawblade burst from the ground behind them. Sonic sped up, making all the way across the hall without a single scratch.

"That's just sad," Sonic said, rolling his eyes. "The least he could do is give us a challenge."

Just then, some turrets came out of the walls, shooting at the pair.

"Like that!" Sonic declared.

He drew their fire as Tails flew up to the turrets, brandishing some wire cutters and a screwdriver.

"I got this!" he shouted.

"No hurry!" Sonic replied. "Take your time!"

Tails undid the panels on the turrets. then cut every wire he could find. They all sagged to the ground, useless.

"Nice work, buddy," Sonic said, giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks," Tails replied. "C'mon. I think I see a control room."

-X-

They entered the control room, and stopped short as Snively appeared from above, piloting an Egg Mobile with seven egg-like pods orbiting it.

"So, the tricks and traps didn't take you out," he muttered. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Huh," Sonic said. "I guess you do have a brain. Just give up now and make this easier on yourself."

"The sensible move here is to know when to fold 'em," Tails added.

Snively gritted his teeth. "Then I guess I don't have a lot of sense! You're going to die here, Sonic!"

"You know that probably sounded more intimidating in your head, right?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah," Tails agreed. "I mean, come on."

Snively charged at them, the pods spinning around at rapid speed. Sonic darted around, slamming into one of the pods. It detached from its orbit, popping open to reveal a miniature copy of Snively.

"Wow," Sonic deadpanned. "And I thought Eggman was a total narcissist."

The fake Snively flew at Sonic. As it flashed and emitted a beeping noise, Sonic and Tails realized what it was.

"It's a bomb!" Tails screamed.

It flew at Sonic, exploding on impact and throwing the hedgehog back.

"Ha!" Snively taunted. "Now that's going out with a bang!"

Sonic pulled himself up, shaking his head.

"Kamikaze copies, Sonic!" Snively declared. "Who's laughing now?!"

"Wow…" Sonic let out. "No wonder Eggman sent you to the Northern Isle. He probably was trying to get rid of you and your horrible ideas."

That struck a nerve with Snively. He slammed his fist on the button, deploying all the fake Snivelys.

"We'll see how horrible you find my ideas when you're blown into hamburger!" he ranted.

Sonic grinned, then ran along the walls before landing right on top of Snively's head. "Like I said. Horrible ideas."

The fake Snivelys converged around him as Sonic jumped off. Snively looked around, before sighing in resignation.

"I hate that hedgehog," he cursed.

They all exploded in Snively's face. Sonic landed on the ground, wiping his nose smugly.

"Give up yet?" he asked. "Have you had enough pain?"

Snively scowled, brushing soot off his face. "NEVER!"

He pressed a button on the Egg Mobile, popping out an escape pod and getting in.

"He's getting away!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Not for long," Tails pulled out the Miles Electric, typing away for a few moments. A jet sound reached their ears as a black and red rocket ship with Tails' twin tails painted on the sides came flying in. "Allow me to introduce the Lunar Fox."

"Whoa…" Sonic let out. "I didn't know it was deployable yet."

"I've been saving it for a rainy day," Tails said simply.

He got into the driver's seat, Sonic behind him.

"After that bad egg!" Sonic ordered.

The Lunar Fox took off after Snively's escape pod, following him into the stratosphere where a flying saucer-like space station was waiting.

"Of course there's a space station," Sonic deadpanned. "Gotta give Eggman credit. He can churn out gadgets and gizmos like this pretty damn fast."

"Luckily, we're just as fast," Tails replied. "Ready to bring down another Eggman death ship?"

"You know it!" Sonic declared, grinning.

Stardust Speedway

Meanwhile, Robotnik and Eggatha had landed in the Stardust Speedway.

"You think Metal will like me?" Eggatha asked.

"I don't see why not," Robotnik replied.

"I just really want to be his friend," Eggatha insisted. "I can upgrade him, teach him battle strategies with board games. It'll be so much fun."

Robotnik chuckled, ruffling her hair. They walked for a bit before seeing something hanging from a lamp post.

"Look!" Eggatha exclaimed.

Sure enough, Metal was hanging limply, dented and scorched, but intact. Robotnik carefully took him down, removing his left glove and pressing a few buttons on his cybernetic arm. It began sparking with electricity before projecting a beam of lightning, zapping Metal. After a few minutes, Metal's eyes blinked on, and he took in the sight of his creator.

"D-D-Doctor R-Robotnik?" he managed, his dialogue stilted. "Y-you c-c-came back for m-m-m-me?"

"Indeed I did," Robotnik confirmed.

"He's in really bad shape, Uncle," Eggatha noted. "The Phantom Ruby really did a number on him."

"N-no. S-S-Sonic did th-this…" Metal clenched his fists. "I w-will battle him as many times as is n-necessary."

"Just hang in there, Metal," Robotnik assured. "You'll be good as new in no time. Maybe even better."

Author's Note:

Well, Metal's like the Joker, ain't he? He just doesn't stay dead.

Next chapter, Sonic and Tails face Snively and Brutus on the E.G.G. Station, while Robotnik and Eggatha head back to Mobius to repair Metal.

Please R&R. Until next time!