-Chapter 65-

Snively Strikes Back

E.G.G. Station

Snively's escape pod landed on the E.G.G. Station. He got out just in time to see the Lunar Fox coming in.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?!" he shouted.

"You're surprised?" Brutus asked. "They're as stubborn as a bad rash."

"Get the rest of the Seven," Snively ordered. "Keep them occupied. It's time for me to break out the heavy artillery."

He and Brutus headed deeper into the station as the Lunar Fox docked. Sonic and Tails hopped out, looking around.

"It's no Death Egg," Sonic mused. "But it's definitely up there."

"I wouldn't know," said Tails. "Never been on it."

"Consider yourself lucky," Sonic deadpanned, rubbing his side. "Let's see what's on this thing."

They headed deeper into the station, soon coming into a wide open room... and finding themselves surrounded by Brutus and the remaining six members of the Seven.

"With how stubborn and persistent you are, I get the feeling you must be at least part mule, Sonic," Brutus mused.

"And you're clearly missing your processor if you think these beefed up Badniks can stop me," Sonic replied.

"We'll see. But one thing is for certain, Sonic," Brutus swore. "By this time tomorrow, Mobius will be mourning your loss!"

Two of the Seven, modified Motobugs with blue bodies and red faces, charged at Sonic and Tails to the sound of a motorcycle engine.

"These things got some serious upgrades!" Tails exclaimed.

"I sense Eggatha's handiwork here," Sonic mused. "Why did she have to become a Robotnik?"

"She sided with the winning team, that is all," Brutus shot back. "You'll find Metamoto and Motobotnik are more than capable of keeping up with you!"

Sonic and Tails were forced on the defensive as the Motobugs jetted after them. The two rolled out of the way, looking at one another before nodding. They stood back to back, facing the two Badniks. The Motobugs revved their tires menacingly before charging. At the very last second, Sonic and Tails jumped to the side. Unable to stop in time, Metamoto and Motobotnik slammed face first into one another. The two landed, sharing a high five before Sonic crossed his arms and grinned.

"Next!" he declared.

Brutus scowled. "Buzzorgsky! Show these two furballs who's boss!"

The next Badnik approached, this one a humanoid bot with a red and grey triangular-shaped body, cannons for hands and wheels for feet.

"Alright, now we're talking," Sonic noted.

"I'll hit it high?" Tails offered.

"And I'll hit it low," Sonic replied.

They took off running as Buzzorgsky fired on them, machine gun-style laser bullets pelting the area. The duo zigzagged, avoiding the fire and aiming to attack. Sonic rammed it with a spin dash as Tails did a flip kick in the air. Buzzorgsky hoisted the white flag and collapsed. Brutus let out a growl.

"Crabaton!" he yelled. "Crabinator!"

Two more approached, these ones a grey humanoid with red crab-like claws, a single wheel for legs and a red helmet with antennas, and a humanoid that was primarily red, black, and grey in color with lazy-looking eyes and missile launchers for hands.

"You want the ton or the ator?" Tails asked.

"Ator," Sonic answered.

Crabinator began launching missiles at Sonic. He went on the run, the missiles following him. Sonic yawned. "Seriously? Missiles? You never learn."

He ran back towards Crabinator, hopping onto his head. He whistled casually for a few minutes before hopping off, the missiles hitting Crabinator and exploding on impact. As this went on, Tails went after Crabaton, dodging blasts from its shoulder cannon before getting up close and spinning in place to whip the bot with his twin tails. He landed, shaking his tails free of debris before approaching Sonic.

"You sure these are Eggatha's?" he asked.

"Maybe Snively tinkered with them," Sonic suggested.

"I improved on my sister's designs!" Snively's voice came from a loudspeaker.

"Wow," Sonic mused. "No wonder they went down so easy. The first one was so much harder to take down."

"Man, Eggman's gonna be pissed," Tails remarked.

Snively grumbled indignantly at that.

"If you want something done right…" Brutus muttered. "Buzznik, take care of the fox boy! Sonic is mine!"

The final member of the Seven, a humanoid colored red, black, and grey with crab-like claws, a single blue eye, two antennae, and a single wheel for a leg, charged after Tails as Brutus faced off with Sonic.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold, hedgehog," the commander declared. "And it's very cold in space."

"Brutus, Brutus, Brutus," Sonic shook his head. "Haven't you learned by now? You can't beat me. And your little pal is gonna be Tails' new scrap bin."

"Well, that's one thing we have in common, Sonic!" Brutus shot back. "No matter how many times you knock me down, I'll get right back up to try again!"

He formed his arm cannon, shooting at Sonic. Sonic zipped out of the way, examining his glove as if checking his nails.

"Missed," he said, bored.

Brutus took to the air before charging at Sonic, tackling him and yanking him off the floor. They traded punches in mid-air for a few minutes before Brutus clasped his hands and pounded Sonic over the head, sending him to the ground with enough force to bash a sizable dent in it. As this went on, Tails faced off with Buzznik, who snapped its claws at the fox, attempting to take his head off.

"Yikes!" Tails cried. "Watch it! I like having my head attached to my body!"

He pulled a Dummy Ring Bomb out of his pocket, throwing it at Buzznik's face. It exploded, showering Buzznik with shock rings that had power dancing across the bot. Taking advantage of his stunned condition, Tails tucked into a Spin Dash, blasting through him. At the same time, Sonic pried himself out of the floor, just in time to roll out of the way as Brutus came down fist first.

"Alright, Brutus," Sonic declared. "You've clearly beefed up since last time."

"You did a number on me with that black lightning of yours," Brutus replied. "Now, I'm returning the favor!"

He started firing again, forcing Sonic on the defensive.

"And for the record, I defeated you the first time we met in the Mystic Jungle!" the commander went on. "You were no match for me, and got tossed into the Special Zone! You've merely forgotten just how powerful I really am!"

"Or I've gotten stronger since then, and you finally bothered to do the same," Sonic shot back.

Brutus let out a howl of rage as he pressed his attack. He tackled Sonic, pinning him to the wall before forming his arm cannon, pressing the barrel right between Sonic's eyes.

"Don't bother with last words, you blue rat," he spat. "They won't be remembered anyway."

That's when he felt a tap on his head. He turned, just in time to get a Dummy Ring Bomb shoved in his face. The bomb exploded, and Brutus was showered with Dummy Rings that left him stunned and paralyzed. Seizing the opportunity, Sonic and Tails clasped hands, engaging the Rolling Combo before plowing the Trooper through a wall. Brutus was left sparking and dented in the wall as Tails and Sonic landed.

"Nice timing," Sonic complimented.

Tails smiled. "Now we're even."

-X-

They hurried deeper into the station, heading for the control room. There, Snively stomped into view, wearing an exoframe reminiscent of Robotnik's Eggs-O-Skeleton from the Westside Island incident, but green where the red was.

"It seems I will have to destroy you myself," Snively declared.

"Uh, is that Eggman's Eggs-O-Skeleton?" Sonic asked. "Painted green?"

"Of course not," Snively informed him. "I made my own."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Right…"

"Stole the original and 'improved' it?" Tails asked.

"That's my guess," Sonic nodded.

Snively growled before tapping the chest plate, revealing the gray Chaos Emerald powering it.

"The Eggs-O-Skeleton defeated you handily back on Westside Island," he declared. "Where Brutus and the Seven failed, I will succeed."

"That was then, Big Nose," Sonic shot back. "This is now."

He closed his eyes, concentrating as blue lightning danced across his body. Seeing this, Snively pressed a button on the chest plate. The Chaos Emerald within glowed, spreading throughout the exoframe, before the two clashed. This time, with his Chaos lightning powering him up, Sonic was able to match the overclocked Eggs-O-Skeleton blow for blow.

"What?!" Snively shrieked. "How is this possible?! What is this lightning?! How are you doing this?!"

"That, my long-nosed friend, is my own personal Chaos energy," Sonic replied. "I've been exposed to the Emeralds and Power Rings so much they gave me a boost. Here, let me give you a taste!"

He rolled up into a Spin Dash, electricity running off of him in waves. He slammed into Snively, knocking him back. Snively quickly raised his forearms, rapid-firing lasers that Sonic easily avoided before ramming his shoulder into him. Before Snively could react, Sonic unleashed a rapid flurry of Chaos lighting-enhanced punches on the diminutive lackey, his arms and fists moving so fast it briefly appeared as if he sprouted six extra pairs. Snively's suit exploded, unable to take the energy absorption, or the relentless attacks. Snively went flying, slamming into the controls as Sonic scooped up the Chaos Emerald.

"Up, over… and gone," he bragged, pocketing the gem before turning to Tails. "You good?"

"Yeah," Tails said with a nod.

Suddenly, a shudder shook the entire station as the control panel sparked and smoked.

"And that's our cue to get back to the Lunar Fox."

The duo took off running. Snively got up, cracking his back before heading for the escape pods himself.

"I… hate… that hedgehog," he growled.

-X-

Meanwhile, Brutus had recovered. Seeing the station's condition, he ran to the nearest window, smashing through it and activating his anti-gravity unit to fly away.

-X-

Sonic and Tails themselves boarded the Lunar Fox and took off not a moment too soon; the E.G.G. Station exploded behind them.

"Ahhh, music to my ears," Sonic sighed.

Mad Gear Zone

Around that time, Omni appeared in the Mad Gear Zone. He focused, transporting Robotnik and Eggatha through his monitor, Metal Sonic, still damaged, beside them.

"There," he said. "You have your robot, and you're back home. Here's hoping we never meet again, Doctor."

With that, he teleported away.

"How rude," Robotnik grumbled.

"Don't worry, Metal," Eggatha assured. "We're gonna have you fixed up in no time. I've even figured out a way to boost your speed and compensate for your weight in drag. Trust me, you'll love it."

"T-thank you…" Metal replied.

Robotnik guided Metal over to an odd contraption, directing him to step in. As he did, numerous mechanical arms got to work repairing him, the gears and pistons all over the factory whirring at an incredible speed. Eggatha grinned, watching the process. As this went on, Robotnik checked a monitor, seeing the Lunar Fox and Snively's escape pod escaping the exploding E.G.G. Station.

"What a surprise," he said, totally deadpan. "I left Snively in charge of our operations here, and I got another space station destroyed for it. Well, Ivo, what have we learned today?"

"To not send Snively out unsupervised?" Eggatha offered with a giggle.

"Yes, that sounds about right," Robotnik admitted before turning to her. "Well, we won't be needing the E.G.G. Station anyway. I've worked out a new idea while we were on the Little Planet."

"Really? But Omni kicked us out of the Special Zone." Eggatha then perked. "Oh, wait! I swiped this from Knothole."

She reached into her tool belt, pulling out a small golden ring.

"And that is?" Robotnik asked.

"The Freedom Fighters called them Warp Rings," Eggatha explained. "They kept a close eye on me, so I could only get one. It's how they got to Station Square fast enough to stop Kodos."

"Impressive," Robotnik noted. "And this will get us back to Little Planet?"

"Yep," Eggatha confirmed. "It'll be a one-way trip though. Before we go, I gotta ask. What exactly is your plan for the Little Planet?"

"It's simple, really," Robotnik replied. "It will serve as the core for the new model of the Death Egg."

Eggatha looked surprised. "Another Death Egg? Didn't the first one crash three times?"

"I've worked the bugs out," Robotnik said simply. "And this one will harness the power of the Little Planet itself."

"I get it," Eggatha realized. "Like a Dyson sphere (1), but with a planet instead of a star."

"That's my girl," Robotnik smiled, ruffling her hair.

At that very moment, the machines stopped, and Metal Sonic came flying out, fully repaired.

"Behold the new and improved Metal Sonic!" Robotnik declared triumphantly. "More powerful! More deadly! More rotten than ever!"

"How do you feel?" Eggatha asked. "Do you like my improvements?"

"Yes," Metal replied. "It feels… good."

"Well, now for your first mission on this island," Robotnik told him. "I sent Snively here to investigate an energy signature we detected in the Lost Labyrinth. I can only guess that he failed to retrieve it."

Metal nodded. "I will retrieve it, Doctor."

"Can I come?" Eggatha asked. "Please?"

"If that is your wish," Metal replied.

"Yay!" Eggatha cheered.

"Once you retrieve whatever this power source is, it's yours, Metal," Robotnik told him.

"Good." Metal clenched his fist. "I will use that power to put that loathsome Sonic in his place."

Author's Note:

(1): A hypothetical megastructure that completely encompasses a star and harnesses a large percentage of its power output.

Oh, no… Metal Sonic is back and bringing his A game, and Robotnik's building a new Death Egg. Could this spell doom for our dynamic duo?

Well, that's Episode I of Sonic 4 down. Next chapter will be Episode II.

Please R&R. Until next time!