SonicANIME2010 returning, I bring the finale to the West Side Island arc for Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky. I will leave a note at the end explaining my long absence, I will try to make sure this story doesnt take nearly as long to return to. After this arc wraps up, I will have at least one filler chapter before the Angel Island arc. Reasons I will go into in due time.
"Say"
'Thought'
"Telepathy"
"Device"
[Non-Administrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[Uminari City, Japan]
[TSAB Branch Headquarters]
[Time: 1250]
[No BGM]
Admiral Lindy Harlaown, leader of the Time-Space Administration's Project 97, the covert task force that was currently deployed to West Side Island with the mission of apprehending Doctor Eggman, seated herself in her office chair. To her left was a mug of brewed green tea that was losing warmth while several magitek display screens were in front of her. The main screen displayed a live feed of the Death Egg and its rocket launching from the island.
The woman let out a sigh, briefly wondering how the doctor was able to pull off so much even while his operation was being undermined by her team. She required more information, and for that reason a video call was set for the Arthra. Specifically, she called Amy Limietta, her second-in-command and information specialist.
"Admiral?" the brunette teen questioned upon answer.
"Doctor Eggman has made his move, he just launched a rocket from West Side Island with a satellite attached to it." Lindy replied quickly, "Are you able to track it from the Arthra?"
"We can," Amy replied, "Our scanners picked up the rocket's launch shortly before you called. Currently, we're trying to track it, but we can at least provide a live feed for you."
"Good."
The woman watched as a new screen pulled up to her right, showing the rocket quickly accelerating from the island it launched from. Shortly, it reached the orbit of space where it then slowed down and disengaged the machinery keeping the satellite in place.
Once the Death Egg was in Earth's orbit, the rocket descended into the planetary surface, where it would eventually harmlessly land in the water and fall apart. It was only designed to ferry the satellite into orbit, nothing more.
"We have confirmed that the unknown satellite has a stable orbit with the planet." The teen declared, "But we don't have anything else, it hasn't made any more movements beyond activation."
"Keep an eye on it, keep your distance from it." Lindy ordered, "I don't think it can detect the ship with our cloaking, but I don't want to risk any chances."
"Roger," The girl saluted, "We'll keep you informed of any updates."
"Thank you." the woman nodded as she closed the connection.
Letting out another sigh, the admiral turned in her chair and rose to stare out the window of her office. Her hands closed into a soft fist as she stared out into the midday sun; determination filled her expression.
'Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Reinforce, Signum, Vita, Alicia, Sonic, Tails, Rose.' the woman intoned in her mind, 'We're counting on you.'
[OP: "Bright Stream" Nana Mizuki, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha THE MOVIE 2nd A's]
Sonic the Hedgehog: Wind of the Night Sky
Chapter 15
West Side Island Final Phase: The Egg Strikes Back
[South Island Archipelago: West Side Island]
[Metropolis: Clearing]
[Time:1252]
[VS Boss: Egg-Tycoon]
[BGM: "Locus" The Primals, Final Fantasy XIV]
The monstrosity of metal opened up with a frontal barrage of energy beams in a conal pattern, forcing the team to partially split and evade with the exception of Vita. It followed up with a powerful melee attack on the short knight of the hammer, obviously identifying her as a prime threat to focus on. This was a fortunate boon as it allowed Nanoha and the others a moment to strategize their approach.
'He just had to base his latest creation off a primal god.'Nanoha thought to herself, frowning, 'I hope he only drew the design from it.'
"Takamachi?" Signum queried.
"I'm fine." The girl shook her head, "I'll handle callouts, I apologize in advance if I start using different terms. I'm getting flashbacks to a game from this robot."
Amy and Vita took to attacking the arms with their hammers. While the damage was minimal due to the heavy armour plating, there were signs that the attacks connected. The boss had a counter answer by dropping a marker on the ground at the two hammer-wielders' feet that resembled a circle. This action immediately alarmed Nanoha.
"Area-of-Effect marker!" The girl in white called out, "Vita-chan, Amy-chan, get away fast!"
Amy registered the command later than Vita and soon found out why the other girl vacated the area. It was only her reflexes that allowed her to avoid a powerful beam blast and explosion in time. Though it was not without cost, some of her flared skirt was grazed by the blast.
"What the?!" The pink hedgehog yelped in reasonable shock.
"If you see those markers, run away as fast as you can." Nanoha advised, "The enemy will drop a powerful blast in that area, and it will hurt."
Signum and Fate took their turn next and attacked at the mecha with their respective fire and lightning elemental attacks. The combined assault hit the upper body for considerable damage and forced the robot to recoil and release steam. Dents could be visible in the armor as the robot reacted with a volley of straight-shot laser beams that was fortunately avoided with the duo's flight speed
"Damage to hull detected." The robot declared with its gaze focused on Fate, "Initiating Rail Cannon protocol."
"That's a tankbuster, heavy damage incoming." Nervousness hinted in Nanoha's tone, "Fate-chan, use a barrier spell."
"Got it," The blonde nodded as she saw energy gather in the mech's midsection, "Bardiche!"
"Defenser!" intoned the Device in return.
A lightning-yellow barrier engulfed Fate's form just as the tycoon unleashed a powerful tower of light at her position. Wincing from the impact, the blonde tried to hold her ground underneath the overwhelming pressure. She was fortunate that the robot's attack was cut off before her shield could break as Nanoha made a fly-by raid strike on the mecha's head.
"Axel Shooter." The girl in white called out as a volley of pink bolts appeared before her, "Shoot!"
The bolts surrounded and impacted the mecha at high velocity. Cracks and dents turned into cuts and gashes as it recoiled in pain once more. Steam exhausted from its joints as it tried to stand firm on its stocky legs. A harsh white glow emitted from the core of the tycoon's main body.
"Systems critical!" The tycoon declared, "Initiating High-Tension Discharger."
"Uh-oh…" Nanoha found herself gulping in fear, "That sounds like enrage."
"Enrage?" Vita questioned, "The hell does that mean?"
"Massive party-wide damage, unavoidable." came the reply and subsequent translation, "Basically, destroy it before it destroys us."
Signum immediately dropped back into the mid-range and generated a purple belkan glyph at her feet. A cartridge loaded itself into Laevatein as she inserted the hilt into the sheath. Her device converted itself into its bow form with a purple string generated by magic.
"Bowgenform!" the device declared.
"What's she doing?" Amy Rose questioned in curiosity
"Full drive." Fate answered, "She's trying to finish the robot in one shot."
The swordswoman inhaled a deep breath as two flaming steel arrows appeared in her hand. Threading the bow with the arrows, she pulled the string back. Lavatein loaded two more cartridges to amplify the power output. Her gaze narrowed as her sight locked on the robot's head and midsection area.
"Fly, my falcon." The woman incanted.
"SturmFalken!" chimed Laevatein in return.
Flames ignited, the arrows fell upon the Tycoon with great velocity, cutting straight through its head and body akin to a knife through butter. The massive mecha let out a frantic whirr as the gears were ground to dust, a screaming of metal came within. The fiery bolts set off a series of cataclysmic explosions from within. With one final reverberating hum, the robot exploded. All that was left were the capsule of critters used as the power supply.
[Boss Clear]
[Jingle: "Victory" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)]
Signum relaxed her posture as steam exhausted from Laevatein. The device converted back into its sword form as she sheathed it. Looking onwards, she could see the rest of her party celebrating in a subdued but quick fashion, which was fine for her. She was far from the type to partake in extravagant festivities, despite her mistress and hedgehog's attempts of convincing her otherwise.
Amy paused in the middle of her victory celebration to ponder the boss mech that was fought. The terminology that Nanoha had used, design of the robot and attack markers were very familiar. Almost as if they were from a game she had casually played.
"Hold on…" realization came to the pink hedgehog, "That robot was definitely from…"
"Yup." Nanoha nodded
"You play that game too? Awesome!" Amy grinned, "What job do you main? I'm a Warrior main."
"Uh... " the girl in white paused, "Black Mage."
"You're a black mage main who follows mechanics?!" shock now replaced the hedgehog's face, "And doesn't complain about leylines?"
"No comment." The human replied quite simply, tone implying to end the conversation there.
With nothing further to be done, Signum and her squad withdrew to join their squadmates. Little was able to be discussed about the Egg-Tycoon fight due to a transmission from Lindy Harlaown. She had called to inform them that the Arthra had tracked Eggman's movements to his aerial ship hovering above West Side Island.
"I'll fill in the details with a full debriefing shortly," The woman informed the group, "First you must pick up the Tornado. It should be waiting for you outside of the base. I took the liberty of dispatching some of our engineering team over to give it some upgrades."
"You modified my plane?!" Sonic's eyes twitched nervously, "Better not be anything broken."
"You need not worry." Lindy replied calmly, "Just some minor additions that we felt would be necessary to pursue Eggman in the skies."
"Saying that really doesn't inspire confidence." the hedgehog shook his head, "But how did you guys get the time to locate my plane, repair it and upgrade it just in time for us to need it?"
"Expect the unexpected, Sonic-san." came the retort as Lindy began to cut the communication line, "Always be prepared, you'll learn that very quickly in your tenure with the Bureau."
Sighing, Sonic just simply shook his head and watched as the feed cut. He had to admit that the woman was at least partially correct. His only hope was that the Bureau's technicians kept the plane that he spent months of hard work restoring in one piece.
[Chemical Plant: Research Facility]
[Time: 1300]
[BGM: "Lively Journey (Babylonia Ver)" Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia]
Quint and the Chaotix could feel the rumbling from the Death Egg's launch all the way from the chemical plant. They were in the middle of transferring research data over to discs and flash drives when the quakes occurred and the rocket was launched. Only Charmy was affected most as everyone else kept a cooler head.
"What's going on? What's going on?!" Charmy buzzed around frantically, "Why is everything shaking, why is something shooting towards the sky?"!
"Pipe down Charmy!" Vector tried to grab the bee with his hand, "Panicking isn't helping."
"Vector is correct." Espio added, "Calm yourself, you will only make things worse."
While the Chaotix were trying to cool off the hyperactive bee, Quint was in the middle of a video conversation with Lindy Harlaown. The woman had initiated the call for two reasons; the first was to report on the progress with the Chemical Plant while the second was to find out what happened with the rocket that had launched for space.
"I see…" The investigator nodded her head as she listened to Lindy's status update for the Death Egg, "Doctor Eggman's showed his hand."
"Correct." Lindy confirmed, "I've already dispatched my forward team to pursuit."
"Will my assistance be required?" queried Nakajima neutrally, her gaze shifting between the Chaotix and her video call.
"Not at this time." the admiral replied, "Remain where you are, you'll be kept on standby in case of emergency."
"Understood." Quint saluted, "There is one last thing I feel I should inform you of."
"Go on."
Nakajima proceeded to inform Harlaown regarding the Chaotix and how, despite their quirky appearance, had been aware of the presence of magic. They had found out after witnessing one of Nanoha and Fate's battles, likely during the Jewel Seed incident. If Lindy was surprised by the revelation; she kept it hidden behind a calculating expression on her face. Once the woman finished her report, the admiral took her turn to speak and respond.
"We are underestimating the resourcefulness and awareness of South Islanders." the woman hummed to herself in thought, "Normally, those battles were done with barriers in place to keep non-magicals and civilians safe by keeping them out."
"You don't appear to be overly concerned." Quint observed, reading the admiral's expression through the video call.
"Far from it, this may work to our advantage." Harlaown replied and explained her reasoning, "These detectives are resourceful and intelligent. Not to mention they performed admirably against you if your reports were correct."
"What's your recommended course of action here?" questioned the investigator, "I don't believe we should disclose any more information about the Bureau yet."
"I'm inclined to agree, they haven't given any justification for instilling trust yet." Harlaown replied, "Try to see if you can get more information out of them before you leave."
The connection cut soon after that, and not a moment too soon, for the Chaotix had regained their focus on the job at hand.
[West-Side Island]
[Time: 1305]
[No BGM]
High in the skies above West-Side Island flew seven mages and one vintage biplane. Visibility was poor due in part to the three layers of fluffy clouds covering the aerial channel. What little could be seen of the sky was nice and blue from the early-afternoon sun. The weather was frigid with the mid-winter weather, which failed to deter anyone.
In pursuit of Eggman's flying fortress, the Tornado soared with Tails as the pilot, Amy Rose as co-pilot and Sonic on the wings. The mages flanked the biplane on both sides in a V-shaped formation with Signum, Vita, Nanoha and Fate on one side and Reinforce, Hayate and Alicia on the other.
Much to Sonic's carried over comical frustration, the Bureau added a few upgrades and tweaks to the Tornado while keeping its overall design, shape and color scheme. The biggest additions were the forward firing machine gun turrets on the nose, packed with magical energy, with the propeller coated with shielding to keep it from melting from the lasers, a detachable rocket booster between the wheels and a rotating cannon turret on the tail controlled by the co-pilot's seat.
The other major addition to the Tornado was a communication device integrated with the frequencies for the Bureau's Project 97 squad. With a push of a button, the Tornado's pilot and crew can communicate with mages and the Arthra. It was this very same communication relay that Mariel Atenza used to relay an overview of the upgrades to Sonic, Tails and Amy.
"I know this sounds like a lot, but once you get used to the controls, you should be fine." Mariel spoke over the video screen, "Any questions?"
"Yeah, just one." Sonic replied, "Why didn't you ask me before you started doing all of this? This was a project I put months of effort into completing and you guys go in and modify it without even so much as asking."
"I understand and I apologize." The engineer wore a sheepish smile on her face, "I thought we could help out and-."
"It was under my directive." Lindy cut in, conferencing the other mages as she was also about to make her report to them, "I felt that you'll need more than just a simple transport plane for this pursuit. If you have any issues with it, you may take it up with me after this mission is done."
"And don't think I wouldn't, but I can see your point." the hedgehog grumbled, but soon started to calm himself, "Just ask next time."
"Understood," the admiral complied, "Now for an update on your mission."
As the Admiral explained, the Death Egg had currently stabilized itself in orbit over Earth. The Artha and her staff had kept the satellite under constant monitoring, but had very little to report on it as there had been little activity since it reached orbit.
"Unfortunately, this is all I have." Harlaown sighed, "But whatever Eggman has in store with this satellite, it can't be good."
"We'll need to ascertain what he plans to do with it." Signum nodded, "Eggman fled to his ship, but we have lost visual due to the clouds."
"You're on the right track," Mariel noted, "We're detecting a massive amount of aerial activity right above you. I believe he's likely mobilizing an aerial armada to stop you."
"Then we'll take the fight to him." Sonic grinned, "This should be a good test of the Tornado's new goodies."
"I would appreciate it if you could give a report on how things work." requested the engineer, "You're working with prototype equipment here."
The Tornado's crew of three acknowledged the request as they soared into chase.
[Sky Chase: Action Stage]
[BGM: "Sky Chase" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
A massive airship soon came into view in between the ominous gathering of clouds. It had a beige body and an emblem of Eggman's insignia on the side. Their target set, the squad made for the airship, though they were not resisted in doing so.
Eggman sortied three types of aerial robots, Balkiry, Nebula and Turtloids, to stop the interlopers from reaching his fortress in the sky. Balkiry were falcon-shaped robots designed for high-speed ramming, their beaks were sharp enough to likely put a dent in any shields. Nebula were pot-shaped mechs built with spike-bomb deployment, meant to bombard any unsuspecting interlopers. Finally, the Turtloids were a combination of small turtle-shaped mechs riding on the backs of bigger ones with forward-firing energy blasters..
"First squad of robots are rapidly approaching firing range," Nanoha called out, "Here they come!"
"Be ready to engage." Signum ordered.
"All right, time for some fun." Sonic grinned, turning to face Tails and Amy, "You two ready?"
"As I'll ever be." The fox boy adjusted the cute pair of pilot goggles on his face, "Amy?"
"Yup, the Tornado's turret is coming online now." The pink hedgehog did the same with her pair, "All I need to do is get a target in my sight and shoot?"
"That's what the girl said." Tails nodded, "We're ready."
The falcon mechs boosted their engines once they had a lock on the mages. A wave of five split up and began to swoop and attack at Nanoha, Fate, Alicia and the Tornado. Spells made short work of the ones targeting the mages while Tails was able to take out the falcons with the airplane's new turrets.
Another wave of falcon robots soon emerged from the clouds, only this time they had managed to use the cloud coverage to sneak up from behind for a surprise flank. One nearly buzzed the Tornado but Tails was able to maneuver it into a roll. Sonic took action there and leaped off the plane to take out two of the falcons with his spin attack while Amy picked off the others with the turret.
Though Sonic's attack was risky, it paid off and Tails was able to maneuver the plane to re-collect him prior to falling too far out of the sky while not breaking from the target flightpath. The hedgehog had to bear a glare from both pilot and co-pilot, but he merely shrugged it off and chuckled.
"Warn me before you do that, please." the fox requested in a blunt tone.
"Sorry~" Sonic replied in a tone that said he was anything but.
Theatrics from the hedgehog aside, the team was able to press on through the skies in pursuit of the flying fortress. There was a significant distance to cover, so even at their high-speeds, catching up to Eggman would prove to be tough. Exacerbating this was the fact that the doctor had deployed wave after wave of aerial mechs to stop them.
"Man, does this guy ever let up?" Sonic asked, rhetorically, as another wave of bird-shaped mechs closed in on their position, "Anyone know how close we're getting?"
"By my estimate, and judging from the amount of enemies…" Nanoha replied, calculating from her eyesight and the group's momentum, "We are about halfway there."
"Increasing enemies based on progression, is this some kind of video game?!" Alicia snarked.
"Minus the checkpoints." Hayate replied, "Or save states."
"Not all games have those luxuries." Nanoha, the experienced gamer of the group, noted.
"Says she who plays fighting games on purpose." The blue hedgehog said out of humor.
If Nanoha had a retort, she was unable to voice it as the last wave of robots suddenly shifted formation. The robots began to move in a pattern that made way for a new figure. Soon a larger robot emerged from the clouds. This new robot appeared to be an oversized version of the falcon robots that were previously sent out.
"Incoming!" Signum called out.
"He really doesn't want us on that ship.," Sonic sighed, "Oh well, time to take out the scraps."
[VS Boss: Egg-Hawk]
[BGM: "Eggman Battle" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)]
Nanoha and Fate immediately took to an aerial formation that flanked the hawk robot on both sides They readied and fired off a volley of shooting spells aimed at clipping the wings. The robot whirred under the pressure from the magic bullets. Vita and Reinforce followed up with a dual-flank physical attack on the wings, causing the mechanized bird to whirr and whiz further in distress.
"Alright!" Nanoha cheered, "So far so good."
"I wouldn't be too sure." Sonic cautioned, "That was a little too easy."
"Eh, who cares?" Vita asked as she took a position to ready herself for the next attack, "We're winning."
"Don't get too comfortable." Signum added, "Overconfidence breeds carelessness."
The robot took initiative from the pause in the attacks to begin its own offensive. Rocket launchers appeared from a compartment on the wings and immediately fired a salvo of missiles. Shield spells flared to life from Nanoha and Vita, providing the mage and knight a good opportunity to move in for a combined counter-offensive. However, their decision put the Tornado's group at a disadvantage as they were unable to get the same amount of protection; the rest of the party was too spread out to provide any quick assistance.
"That doesn't look good. I'll have to outmaneuver them." Tails said nervously, before glancing at Sonic and Amy, "This might get bumpy, so hold onto something!"
With missiles in pursuit, Tails piloted the Tornado to fly in an evasive pattern with spirals and flips to try and get the missiles to destroy each other. His efforts were not in vain, as his ploy managed to take out nearly all of the projectiles on their tail. There were still two left, and they seemed less inclined to be swayed from their course and target.
"Dangit!" Tails's hands shaked at the controls, 'They're getting closer."
"Looks like it's my turn." Sonic grinned, "I'll handle this."
"Wha?" The fox queried
The hedgehog allowed no further words as he immediately curled up into his ball form and launched from the wing at the a surprising amount of precision, Sonic was able to take out both missiles by bouncing from one to another, and he was able to return to the Tornado using the velocity from the last missile's detonation.
"That was a little reckless." the fox shook his head.
"A little, but it's not like there was any other alternative." Amy retorted, "I couldn't get a shot off on them."
Signum and Reinforce teamed up for the next counter-offensive. The blazing swordswoman and the unison device soared into a flanking position on both wings of the hawk. Upon Signum's silent command, a cartridge was loaded into Laevateinn and the blade became engulfed by flames. Reinforce settled herself into a casting position, a Belkan triangular glyph at her feet and her right arm extended.
"Shiden…" Signum intoned, "Issen!"
"Gae…" Reinforce equally called as the spearhead on her gauntlet glowed red, "Bolg!"
With trained synchronicity, Signum struck hard at one wing while Reinforce shot the spear at the other wing. Both of their strikes hit hard and at the same time, crippling both wings and effectively immobilizing the mechanical hawk. Unable to move and suspended in mid-air, the robot was defenseless for the next attack,
Hayate and Alicia moved in front of the hawk and took to a triangular flanking position on each side. Glyphs of Ancient Belka and Mid-Childa appeared at their feet as they readied spells. Their eyes locked on the head and mid-section of the hawk. A large amount of magical bolts appeared and surrounded both girls, ready to fire.
"Photon Lancer: Phalanx Shift!" Lucky Star chimed out as the blonde master's bolts took on a lightning-like aura and spark.
"Brionac Assault!" Hayate intoned the pages in her book turned, the bolts on her side took the shape of swords.
"Phalanx…" Alicia thrust her pistol in the direction of the hawk and pulled the trigger, "Fire!"
Alicia's phalanx assault combined with Hayate's and bombarded the hawk with a rapid-fire burst of magic bolts. They could hear the robot whirring in pain as the onslaught of swords and lances pelted it. The smaller of the two readied one final blast when the brunette backed off, having exhausted her bullets.
"Spark…" Alicia called out as the final bolt sparked in her left hand and she let it fly, "End!"
[Boss Clear]
[No BGM]
The final bolt pierced the midsection and caused the robot to explode. A capsule was jettisoned, and the animals were released from it. Thankfully, they were all avians given that they were all in flight. There were no victory poses, given that their time was limited and the Winged Fortress was still a fair distance away.
"Oh, um.. Sonic?" Nanoha asked, "You know what you said about me playing fighting games?"
"Yes?" the hedgehog queried in return.
"I just have to ask, but.." The girl twiddled her fingers, "Didnt you lose a rhythm game despite having the fastest feet in the world?"
"Heh, not bad." Sonic chuckled a bit, "But it took you way too long to think of that comeback, so…"
"Mou…" pouted the girl in white.
"At least she tried." Hayate giggled.
With the big hawk bot out of the way, the skies seemed to clear and the robot's numbers noticeably dwindled. Though the break was concerning and a little confusing, the team was not about to let the opportunity pass by. Accelerating to top speed, the group made for the winged fortress proper, undeterred any further by robots.
[Eyecatch #1: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky bio card #16: Sonic]
Name: Sonic the Hedgehog
Katakana: ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ
Age: 10
Gender: Male
Height: 75 cm
Weight: 28 kg
Color: Light-Blue
System: None
Device: None
Rank: A (Ground)
[Eyecatch #2: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky bio card #17: Hayate]
Name: Hayate Yagami
Kanji: 八神はやて (Ya-ga-mi Ha-ya-te)
Age: 09
Gender: Female
Height: 123 cm
Weight: 26 kg
Color: White
System: Ancient Belka
Rank: S (Synthetic)
Devices: Tome of the Night Sky, Reinforce Eins
[Skies above West Side Island]
[Winged Fortress: Action Stage]
[BGM: "Wing Fortress" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
Dangerous laser cannon fire greeted the collective as they closed in on the aerial fortress. While the mages were able to protect themselves from the blasts for the most part, the same protection was not afforded for the Tornado so it could not properly dock. Because of this, the party split into two groups: Sonic, Vita, Signum, Fate, and Alicia would land on the surface and then blast their way inside, while Tails and Amy in the Tornado would lead Reinforce, Hayate, and Nanoha to attack the laser cannons and any remaining robots from the sky.
The hull of the airship did not provide any conventional pathways but there was enough red and silver machinery that allowed a footing for Sonic and his group to traverse. Circuits and engines adorned the walls of the ship, revealing how well Eggman had built his forces.
Eggman must have anticipated that a group would attack the fortress from the hull, but he was only able to deploy one type of badnik to intercept them. The Kokekko were a type of chicken-like robots that would man stationary turrets to fire metallic egg-shaped bullets at a rapid rate with little need to reload. Their design left a glaring vulnerability from above.
[POV: Sonic, Signum, Vita, Fate, Alicia]
While Sonic's group made their way across the surface of the hull, it became apparent that Eggman had left one more surprise for them, in the form of small turrets mounted to the hull's exterior, arranged to bombard anyone who came within their short range with small spheres of energy. To make matters worse, they were placed in hard to reach spots that were difficult to detect ahead of time. However, the turrets were barely a distraction as Vita used her impregnable shields to nullify their fire, while Fate and Alice demolished them with magic.
The main obstacle barring the group's path was more Kokekko robots, likely made using the last of Eggman's captive animals. Like the turrets, they were placed in unpredictable locations in large numbers. Why they were designed after chickens, however, seemed to be the group's biggest point of debate.
"Sonic, I have one request." Alicia asked, struggling to hide her own humor over their design, "Please do not make any bird puns."
"Oh-kay!" Chimed the blue hedgehog in response with a thumbs up, much to the shorter blonde's shock "I wasn't planning on it anyways."
"Huh?!" Fate echoed her sister's surprise and queried further, "Why not?"
"Because…" Sonic had started, but soon found himself cut off by an opportunistically smirking Vita.
"It would be too easy!" The red-headed short girl spoke for him, triumphant that she could finally get a win over him.
"Oi! Vita!" an annoyed blue hedgehog barked, "Damnit!"
"Serves ya right!" Vita grinned in satisfaction with her arms folded.
Alicia and Fate found themselves laughing over the back-and-forth between the blue hedgehog and the short red knight. Despite the serious nature of the mission and the gravity it held, it was nice to be able to cut loose every once in a while. Still, with this dynamic, there was always someone that could be counted on to bring them back to earth, and that was Signum.
"Need you be reminded that we still have a mission?" The tall swordswoman in purple asked rhetorically.
"Hai, hai.." Vita grumbled in defeat, "Let's continue on.
The group sallied forth, blasting their way through the hull until they found a weak point in the exterior. One blue hedgehog spin-dash later, they made their way inside to the Bridge and an encounter with Eggman.
[POV: Tails, Amy, Reinforce, Hayate, Nanoha]
With the Tornado unable to approach the Wing Fortress due to the laser cannons, Tails and Amy focused their firepower on the remaining aerial robots to keep pressure off the mages. Doing so would allow the girls to take out the cannons which would allow the plane to dock with the airship.
"I'm beginning my attack run on the turrets." Nanoha spoke through the communication channel as she started her approach with a Divine Buster primed, "Cover me please."
"Understood!" Acknowledged Reinforce as she flew behind the girl in white.
"Please hurry. We can't get any closer" requested Amy Rose through the same channel as she used the Tornado's gun to take out a falcon mech, "The turrets will blast right through us."
Hayate stood on a Belkan glyph in mid-air, her Tome of the Night Sky opened to the page with her Claiomh Solais spell. Several white spheres began to hover in place surrounding her as she prepped the spell to fire. One wordless command from the brunette triggered beams to lance from the this bombardment spell was effective in clearing out robots that were pressuring the Tornado, her inexperience with aiming caused her to almost strike the plane.
"Eep! Friendly fire! Friendly fire!" Tails exclaimed in comical panic as he spun the Tornado to avoid getting clipped by Hayate's bombardment, "Quit shooting us!"
"Sorry, Tails!" The brunette apologized immediately, "I'm still getting used to aiming!"
'That's the second time Mistress Hayate almost had an accident with her aim.' Reinforce noted internally to herself, 'I'll need to get Signum and Nakajima's assistance in training her further.'
Aside from Hayate's aiming mishap, the group was able to take out the laser turrets on the Wing Fortress with several Divine Busters courtesy of Nanoha. With the defenses taken out, the Tornado the opportunity to approach the ship. When Signum heard about this, she ordered their group to hold off docking with the fortress until her team was finished with Eggman.
[Wing Fortress: Bridge]
[Time: 1335]
[POV: Sonic, Signum, Vita, Fate, Alicia]
[BGM: "Eggman" Sonic X]
The interior of the Wing Fortress held an industrial color scheme of dull gray walls paired with a muddy-brown floor; giving focus to the exposed steely machinery, evidence that Eggman was a technological genius first and a designer second. After blasting their way through the hull, Sonic and his team made their way to the Bridge of the airship with surprisingly no resistance, allowing Signum, Vita and Fate to reload cartridges into their respective devices.
Eggman laid in wait for the group on the bridge, turning to face them from atop a high platform, his face a wide grin of exuberant pride as he stared down at the quintet below him.
"Ho~ Ho ho ho!" The mad doctor let out a guffaw with glee as he greeted them in a mocking faux polite manner, "Welcome to your destruction."
"Aren't we having fun?" Queried Sonic, the blue hedgehog with his arms folded, 'You sound like a little kid in a candy store."
"And why shouldn't I be? I've already won" Eggman countered, his tone confident, "My greatest creation is already in orbit; its weaponry dwarfs the power any military force has at their disposal."
"Don't sound so sure of yourself, Doctor." Signum warned the man, unfazed by his boast, her hand gripping the hilt of Laevatein, "Pride comes before the fall. You best surrender while you still can."
"Oh please, your fancy magic won't even light a candle compared to what I have in store." The doctor boasted as he pushed a series of buttons on his console, "In fact, I'll even give you a sample to play with."
From the ceiling a figure slowly dropped down. It was another robot that was modeled after Sonic, similar to Metal Sonic from Little Planet, only it was completely silver in color and did not have the propulsion system in the chest area. It had pointy ears, several saw-like blade quills on its back, and an orange, round eye on a black wide sclera. This robot had bulky armor on its arms and rocket boosters with tires attached on its feet. The fact that this robot was yet another built off of Sonic drew ire from the party.
"Really?! Another robot based on me?!" Sonic, unimpressed and annoyed, glared at the new foe.
"I knew you didn't have much taste, but this is ridiculous!" Vita added, mirroring the hedgehog's annoyance "It's even uglier than your last one."
"Behold, the Mecha Sonic Mk. I!" The doctor declared, uncaring of the peanut gallery's feedback, "I'll let you play with this one. I have work to do on the Death Egg."
Eggman pressed a few more buttons and his platform began to descend like an elevator. The team attempted to intercept them but found their path barred by the new robot and an electric barrier that sealed them within the newly made arena. Resigned to their fate of having to fight another robot, Sonic and his party readied for battle.
[VS Boss: Mecha Sonic MK i]
[BGM: "Boss" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear)]
The blade quills revved up as the robotic hedgehog curled into a ball and spun in place to charge up a familiar spin dash. Sonic, Signum, Fate and Alicia scattered their formation while Vita stood in place and called forth her panzerhindernis barrier. Steel blade met crystal as the robot crashed into her barrier head on. The small red knight was able to hold her ground for the most part, but a combination of the robot's speed and weight had soon started to push her and the blades were sharp enough to crack her crystalline barrier.
"Sheesh, those spikes are sharp! Be careful!" Vita growled as she was forced to dismiss her barrier and quickly smash the robot with her missile hammer, knocking it away and forcing it out of ball form.
"An opening!" Observed Signum as she made her approach, "Testarossa (Fate)! Provide support!"
"Right!" Fate acknowledged as she formed up behind Signum.
With a wordless command, Signum converted Laevateinn into its bladed whip form and burned a cartridge to set it ablaze. It only took one skillful swing for the knight to wrap the robot in place with her device. Fate soon followed up the attack by converting Bardiche into its Crescent scythe form and slashed at the robot's midsection with her device in a fly-over.
The robot recoiled in pain as the combination attack left a sizeable gash in the midsection through the heavy armor. It was able to recover its bearings in a short amount of time as it revved its rocket engine up and charged for Sonic in a full body tackle.
"Clever, but not good enough. I got this" Sonic began to charge a spin-dash to intercept it, "Oi, Alicia, cover me!"
"Roger! Roger!" Alicia replied mechanically.
"Leave that for the robots!" the hedgehog quickly shot before he blasted off.
Patiently, Alicia watched as Sonic met his robotic doppelganger in a clash. The robot's armored arms were strong enough to resist the cutting power and force from the blue hedgehog's quills, but it was left prone to a back-attack. Seizing on this opportunity, the smaller blonde charged in and slashed the robot's back with her paper fan to send it into the air, where it was then blasted by her Photon Lancer in a bullet multi-shot.
Whirring in pain, the metallic hedgehog hovered in air and re-centered itself. Its whirring sounds became erratic as the robot curled into a ball and fired off multiple volleys of spikes in all directions. While the mages were able to use their shields to protect themselves, Sonic had to rely on his speed and reflexes to dodge.
"Think we're getting close to finishing it off." Fate observed, "One or two more combination attacks might end it."
"I got an idea." Sonic grinned as he approached Vita with a ring in hand, courtesy of Reinforce, "Oi! Vita! Let's serve this one a Fastball Special, Gigant Style!"
"Read my mind." Acknowledged Vita, as she hoisted Graf Eisen up, "Eisen!"
"Jahowl!" the device acknowledged, loading a cartridge to shift to the desired form, "Gigant!"
The ring supercharging his power, Sonic curled into his ball and began to charge up one final spin-dash as Vita raised her mallet for one mighty swing. Once the hedgehog was charged, the iron knight slammed the full force of her gigantic hammer into him and sent him skywards at the silver mecha.
Their combination attack ripped straight through Mecha Sonic, piercing not only the robot's defensive ball form, but also its solid metal armor. Pitifully, the robot could only whirr and spark as it exploded into multiple pieces. Thankfully, there was no animal within the robot to be harmed.
[Victory]
[BGM: "Act Clear" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)"
With their time shortened, the team only opted for short basic poses to celebrate their victory. Eggman was on the move and it was only a matter of time before he could reach the Death Egg and begin his campaign proper. Their path no longer barred, the team followed Eggman's platform out of the bridge and onto a loading girder on the exterior.
They soon found their quarry, Eggman, laughing at them from the cockpit of a silver and red rocket. The mad doctor's laughter was soon justified as he was able to launch the ship before anyone could so much as launch a spell.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Vita snarled, "He used that robot to stall us for time so he could escape."
"We know of his destination." Signum cooly replied, "All we have to do is follow and confront him there."
"The Death Egg." Fate asked as she mentally began to track the retreating robot, "The Arthra tracked it into orbit."
"Which means we're going there too." Alicia jumped in excitement, "I haven't had many opportunities to be in space yet."
"Eggman, we're coming for you." Sonic declared cooly, snapping his fingers, "You're finished now."
As the Tornado moved to dock and Sonic readied to jump onto the wing, Signum ordered for the rest of the mages to begin an aerial bombardment on the flying fortress to cover their escape and eliminate any remaining robots within the area. The biplane was able to clear the fortress just as it exploded and fell to the ocean below.
After fully re-grouping, the party spared no time in following the trail left by Eggman's shuttle. Though he had a head start, the mages were nearly as fast in the air and were able to keep pace and follow the scientist into the boundary of space. Their destination, the Death Egg, lay in wait for its master to arrive.
[Space: Earth Orbit]
[Death Egg: Landing]
[Time: 1405]
[BGM: "Death Egg" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
With a clear view of the planet's surface from outer space serving as a backdrop, Sonic and company landed inside the Death Egg. The Tornado was docked in the landing bay just next to the shuttle that Eggman had arrived on several minutes prior. They had to take a few minutes to make sure the biplane would be safe where it was before pressing onward.
It was quickly made relevant that Eggman's lack of any design taste had extended to the interior of the Death Egg, as like the Wing Fortress, the interior had an industrial theme and emphasized the exposed steel. The only difference was the walls were a grungy brown and the flooring was dull gray to match. There was fortunately little to look at as there was only one straight path forward to the end goal.
The team took a few moments to reflect upon their journey as they pressed onwards. For Hayate, as it was her first adventure of this magnitude, she could not deny the fun she had, even when things got serious. That sentiment was shared with the rest of the party, albeit in their own way. Reinforce and Signum both took mental notes of everything that the youth core would need to work on in their next training. Amy Rose felt pride over the bravery Tails showed and felt hope that the boy would only grow from here.
A feeling of foreboding began to settle as the group neared the room of the final confrontation with Eggman, and though most of everyone could feel it, Fate was the most affected and her reasoning became apparent. The blonde girl could not stop staring at Nanoha in worry; she was hyper aware that her first friend was pushing herself at an alarming rate. Not only during the training exercises, but also during the battles with the strongest robots they have fought. It was this concern that caused the girl to pause.
"Fate-chan?" Nanoha, sensing her friend's worry, paused to check on her, "Are you okay?"
"Nanoha? Y-yeah! I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." Fate replied, though hesitant, 'It's you I'm more worried about.'
"If you say so." The auburn girl in white picked up on the hesitation, but chose not to pry out of respect.
"Nanoha-san is still pushing herself, too hard." Reinforce immediately grew alert as she briefly analyzed the girl and shared her findings with Signum in a telepathic link, "You sense it too, do you not?"
"Aye. it's only a matter of time before something breaks down with her." Signum confirmed, her expression stoic and unreadable, "We can only hope that it doesn't happen in a time most dire."
'Nanoha…' Vita shared Fate's concern, though she chose to keep it to herself.
With no enemies to bar their way, the team allowed themselves to make their final preparations. Nanoha, Vita, Signum and Fate loaded all remaining cartridges into their respective devices, much to Alicia's curiosity, though she opted to refrain from asking until the adventure was over. Hayate and Reinforce took this moment to make sure the Tome of the Night Sky was ready to use any spell necessary at any time. The South Islanders, lacking any magic, only needed to stretch their bodies to limber up. Fully prepared as they could be, the team pressed on to the final room.
[Death Egg: Command Center]
[Time: 1415]
The team found themselves in a giant room with a massive window that overlooked the surface of Earth. More machinery and gizmos could be seen on the walls, though most of it was unidentifiable. Eggman could be found in the center of the room, operating his console from a standing desk. His face had a sinister grin plastered as he pushed a few random buttons before turning to face the heroes.
"Welcome to my Death Egg." greeted the doctor, his tone polite, "What do you think of my base?"
"I think a mouse is going to sue somebody…" Sonic replied with a flat tone.
"W-what?!" Eggman coughed, almost falling down in shock, "What are you talking about?!"
Suddenly, the phone on Eggman's console began to ring and an uncomfortable silence descended upon the room as all eyes fell upon it. After what felt like a few minutes, Sonic began to cough as if to hide a giggle. That opened the floodgates as soon the rest of the party joined in the humor, though Fate, Signum and Vita were more subdued about it.
It was at this moment that Eggman's rage had grown to the point where he was tired of the jokes. The universe would not toy with him any longer. He slammed his fist on the console, drawing all attention back to himself.
"That is it! I have had it!" Growled the scientist in unbridled fury, "I will not suffer any more humiliation!"
[BGM: "Death Egg Robot" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
An alarm sounded through the room as Eggman furiously typed a command into his console. From the viewing room, everyone could see one of the eyes open from the space station, revealing a large silo. The mad scientist pushed another button and loaded a massive ballistic missile into the launch bay, ready to fire on his command. To the shock of the group, the console showed a camera view of Uminari City with a target reticule over it.
"Originally, I was going to target a small beach or a mountain range as a show of force, now I think a city would be more fitting to show my might." Eggman declared with an unsettling laugh.
"No!" Nanoha cried in horror as her hometown was targeted, "D-do you have any idea how many people will die!?"
"At this point, I'm past the point of caring. I will accept small sacrifices to achieve my goals." The doctor retorted, a big red button appeared, ready to launch the missile at his command.
Before anyone could stop him, the doctor slammed his fist on the button, launching the missile from the silo. From the window, everyone watched in horror as it soared towards the surface of the planet.
Seconds felt like minutes after Eggman raised the stakes with his gambit. If the missile is not stopped, it could level the entire city, potentially killing tens of thousands. With no time to spare, Signum called for a conference with the party and looped in Lindy to discuss a plan.
"We can't shoot it down, the Arc-en-Ciel was removed from the Arthra after the Book of Darkness incident." Lindy advised immediately, "Even if it wasnt removed, the cannon would need time to charge and we wouldn't have enough time."
"Can't shoot it down with spells either. The blast could take us out too." Reinforce added, "Taking it head on is suicide…"
"Maybe we could have a few mages fly out and intercept it with multiple barriers?" Fate offered, "If we can create a multi-layered barrier, it might be able to stop the initial explosion and then mitigate the rest of them."
"I don't think that would work." Signum noted, "We would still need at least one person out there to start the first spell."
As the group discussed Nanoha fell silent, staring at the missile as it passed by. She thought about her hometown, about all the people that lived there. The thought of all those lives at risk created a heavy weight on her conscience.
'Mom, Dad, Kyoya, Miyuki…' she thought about her family, and then her friends at school, 'Alisa, Suzuka…
'All of them… My family, my friends, classmates.' Nanoha could feel the tears fall from her face, overwhelmed by the weight that seemingly fell upon her shoulder, 'No…'
"Master?" Raising Heart queried, sensing her master's heightened emotions, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Thank you, Raising Heart… I know what I can do now…" The girl clenched the staff tight in her grasp, "I don't know if I'll make it, and I think I'll make a few people worried.. but I can't just sit here."
"If you are sure." The red gem chimed.
Suddenly, the girl blasted a hole in a window, called forth her Axel Fin flight spell and soared out of the Death Egg on a crash course straight for the missile! Everyone, including Eggman was shocked silent by the girl's abrupt actions.
"Oi! Nanoha! What are you doing!" Vita called out after the girl, "You can't take that by yourself, it could kill you!"
"Well now… This is an interesting twist" Mused Eggman, seizing the moment to ready a command on his console, "I better ready my final robot."
[Outer Space: Earth Obit]
[No BGM]
Using a cartridge to boost her speed, Nanoha flew past the rocket and positioned herself right in front of it. The girl had a plan in mind: to intercept it with a barrier and cast as many barriers as she was able to stop the explosion and debris from reaching the planet.
"Raising Heart. Load two cartridges." The girl requested of her device, "We will need to boost our defenses as high as they can go"
"Understood, Master!" the gem acknowledged as it consumed the requested cartridges, "Protection Powered!"
With precise calculation, Nanoha was able to intercept the missile with her boosted spherical barrier. Her aura was intense and sparking from the cartridges she burned to amplify its power. The missile exploded after and the first barrier burst.
Unfortunately, when Nanoha tried to call a second spell to protect herself from the explosion, her magic faltered, the barrier did not come. Completely prone, the girl was caught in the explosion, her right hand and eye gone.
After the explosion faded, Nanoha felt herself fall to earth. Her thoughts and mind clear as she had thought that with her sacrifice, her friends and family would be safe, and she could die with a clear conscience. As she descended toward the planet, a picture formed in her imagination.
The girl could see herself from three years ago, when her father was hospitalized with an accident. Her younger self asked her current self if she truly hated herself enough to feel at peace with dying. What about all that she had been through up til now? The hard effort she took to get stronger and protect those she loved. What about the friends she made? Her death would save them, but it would also make them sad.
Nanoha's younger self then reminded her of why she was able to live in happiness. It was because of her friends, family had cared about her. The light had approached, but the illusionary child blocked her from it, it was not her time yet. Her time had not come yet, she must live.
"NANOHA!" A familiar voice called out to her.
A flash of lightning filled Nanoha's vision as Fate appeared and caught her in mid-flight, her white cloak was dismissed so she could get enough speed to intercept her. Her consciousness slipping, the last thing she saw was the tears in the taller girl's eyes.
"Fate…" Nanoha uttered the girl's name as she passed out.
[Death Egg: Command Center]
[BGM: "Death Egg Robot" Sonic the Hedgehog 2"]
Meanwhile, Sonic and the rest of the party fell silent after Nanoha's sacrifice. Signum and Reinforce noticed that the girl's magic had failed to trigger due to overuse. They knew it was a possibility, but failed to anticipate that it would happen when the girl needed it the most.
"Nanoha!" Vita cried, falling to her knees and pounding the floor, "Damnit! Why?!"
"Thank goodness Fate caught her." Alicia noted.
Tails and Amy Rose kept quiet, they were too stunned to form any coherent sentences. It was one thing to be made aware of one's mortality, but to potentially witness it was too much, especially for the fox kit, who clung to the pink hedgehog.
"Heh heh heh.. well this is an interesting development, but now I don't have to worry about two of you" Eggman spoke out loud, seizing the opportunity to make his next move.
The floor opened on his command and an elevator raised a platform to the floor, revealing a huge humanoid robot that was modeled after Eggman himself, even down to his moustache, but with a metallic grey scalp and antennae on the sides of the head. The shoulders and arms were red and yellow with arrow marks, ending in a trio of spikes for hands. Its thighs were spherical, ending in red armored boots that capped the knees. The last notable feature was a jetpack on its back.
"Behold!" The mad scientist declared with glee, "My Death Egg Robot!"
Eggman entered the head of the robot and readied himself for battle. Angered by the loss of their friend and ally, Reinforce and the mages readied to clash with him but stopped when they felt a sudden spike of power in the air.
"Alert! Massive energy burst detected behind us!" Lucky Star cautioned its master, "Estimated ranking: SSS!"
"SSS?! Are you kidding me?!" Alicia gasped in complete shock..
At Lucky Star's declaration, the mages turned behind to see a silent Sonic. The blue hedgehog's eyes were closed. Floating around him were the seven Chaos Emeralds. Their combined power fluctuated, engulfing the small hedgehog in a flash of light.
[BGM: "Super Sonic" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
The light faded, revealing Sonic in a new form. His proportions were the same, but his blue fur changed into a golden-yellow, his green eyes turned crimson, and his peach skin gained a slightly golden hue. The quills on his head pointed upwards, defying gravity itself with authority. His form was engulfed in a golden-yellow flame-like aura that occasionally sparked in lightning.
"What in the world?!" Eggman gasped from his seat in the robot.
Silently, Sonic stared ahead at the Death Egg Robot with a flat, serious expression that was a stark contrast to the chill, cool attitude he had before. He took several steps forward, stopping when he reached his friends.
"Everyone, I need you to get out of here and help get Nanoha to safety." The hedgehog requested with an unnatural calmness that was unnerving, "Leave Eggman to me.".
"But, Sonic…" Alicia first tried to voice the growing dissent that the rest of the group shared regarding his request, "Are you sure?"
"Do as he requests!" Lindy interrupted through the communication channel, "Alicia, Hayate, I need you two to rendezvous with Fate, help stabilize Nanoha's condition and get her to the Arthra. Signum, Vita, Reinforce, cover their escape and then meet up in the ship.
"Tails-kun, Rose-san, I have a special request for you." The admiral spoke to the two, "Durandal is transmitting a set of coordinates to the Tornado where a package will be waiting. I need you to secure this payload and deliver it to the Arthra with all haste."
"Acknowledged" Signum spoke first, taking charge, "Everyone, you have your orders."
"But, what about Sonic?!" Vita asked
"From here on, this is his fight." Reinforce assured the small knight, "We must respect that."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Amy Rose said as she grabbed the fox kit by the arms, "Come on Tails!"
"R-Right!" Tails nodded.
Their orders acknowledged, the party split up and escaped from the Death Egg, leaving only the newly golden Sonic and Eggman alone. Before she left, Hayate, acting upon another request from Admiral Harloawn, left an Area Search sphere within the room so the fight can be recorded to document the power of the Chaos Emeralds.
"As if I'll let you get away-" Eggman tried to swing at the retreating mages with a metallic arm, only to be stopped dead by the hedgehog, "W-wha?"
"I'm your opponent." Sonic said with a deathly quiet tone.
[Battle: Super Sonic vs Death Egg Robot]
[BGM: "Super Sonic" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
Eggman grinned as he pressed a button on his mech and issued the command to begin a stomping protocol. While he could tell that the hedgehog's power was greater from before, he had confidence that his machinery was superior.
"I will flatten you!" The doctor exclaimed with a gleefully sinister grin.
With his arms folded and eyes narrowed, Super Sonic glared silently at the doctor in the massive robot. He watched as it activated the jetpacks and took a mighty leap and tried to stomp on the golden yellow hedgehog. He flew away at the last minute.
"..." Completely unfazed, the hedgehog stared at him with a flat-lined mouth.
"What's the matter?" queried the doctor as he issued a different command, "No quips? No jokes?"
The Egg Robo punched forward with its mechanical right fist. attempting to slam down on the hedgehog like a hammer. His attempt was stopped too early as the arm was unable to press the full way down. Deeply concerned, Eggman tried to will the robot to continue, but was greeted with a sickening crunch sound as the right fist was ripped completely off the metallic arm.
"Wha?!" Eggman screamed in shock as his concern grew.
"No." came Sonic's blunt reply, the golden yellow hedgehog followed up by ripping straight through the arm and severed it clean from the shoulder.
"H-how?!" The doctor's face conveyed his growing fear as he stared at the hedgehog, "What happened to you?"
"For a genius, you really are an idiot!" The hedgehog snarled, his anger causing the chaos energies within him to burst in an intense lightning and flaming aura, "I'm done!"
Sonic said no more as he began his assault, soaring through the air in a flash of light. He was unsure why the Chaos Emeralds had chosen now to activate, but he had the sense that his time was too limited to question it. Instead it was better to use their powers while they were available, and he also wanted this battle to end.
Relentless, the golden-yellow hedgehog raided the robot, ripping through and severing the remaining limbs. He started with the left shoulder, then the right leg, and finally the left leg. With no limbs remaining, he soared straight through the chest cavity and pierced a huge hole clean through. His actions caused the mech to whirr weakly and sound an alarm as its systems went into a critical state.
"N-no! All motor functions are gone." Eggman frantically pushed as many buttons on his console as he could, but it was futile and the robot collapsed and exploded.
The Death Egg Robot's explosion caused a chain reaction within the space station itself. Sirens and alarms were screeching as the Death Egg began to explode. His time limited, Super Sonic quickly made his escape from the station, soaring outside in a flash of yellow light.
[In the Sky]
[BGM: "Ending" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
Unfortunately, once the hedgehog escaped from the Death Egg, he could feel the Chaos Emeralds weaken and his super form drop rendering him helpless. The emeralds, now without their color, fell to parts unknown in the world. With his means of flight now cut off, the hedgehog followed suit
'Oh, not good!' Sonic gulped in fear as he fell.
Gravity took hold of the hedgehog as his falling speed increased, he was confident in his ability to land, but his fears grew when he saw the blue of the ocean below him. Closing his eyes, he braced for the inevitable impact, only for it to never come.
"Sonic Move!" declared a robotic voice as a green flash enveloped Sonic's vision.
The green flash faded, revealing Lindy Harloawn in her usual uniform, a green set of butterfly wings sprouting from her back. She had caught the hedgehog just minutes before he landed in the ocean.
"That was a close call." The admiral said, holding the hedgehog carefully, "Are you doing okay?"
"Lindy-san" Sonic stared at her in surprise, though thankful for the assist, "Thanks for the assist, but what are you doing here?"
"I was about to meet with the others in the Arthra, but when I saw you fall, I figured you could use some help." Lindy answered with a calm smile, turning her attention to the sky, "Everyone else is on the ship and I believe our time is short. Shall we join them?"
"Okay!" the blue hedgehog nodded in agreement.
Before taking Sonic onboard the Arthra, Lindy sent an order to Quint to remain on the planet for the time being. Her tasks were to track the fall of the Death Egg and, hopefully, also to track and locate the Chaos Emeralds after their descent to the planet. Once she confirmed the investigator's acknowledgement of her orders, the admiral contacted the Arthra's crew for a Dimensional Transfer onboard.
[Dimensional Space]
[Arthra]
[BGM: "The Red Wings" Final Fantasy IV]
Using as much speed as was available, the Arthra soared through the sea of dimensions on a course for TSAB Headquarters. The crew was briefed on the situation but the worst of it was mitigated due to the careful planning of its admiral. Sonic and the others were curious as to what Lindy needed Tails and Amy to pick up, but it quickly became apparent when they all met up in the medical bay.
Nanoha's unconscious form was placed in the Life-Pod that once held Alicia. Shamal was able to analyze the full extent of the girl's injuries and compile a report. The girl's right hand was burned off below the forearm and the explosion had also taken out her right eye. Fortunately, Fate's actions, along with Hayate and Alicia's healing support had saved the girl from death's door.
Tails and Amy averted their gaze after they saw the extent of the human's condition, understandably uncomfortable. The rest of the group gathered around Lindy and Shamal as the admiral had finished reading the medic's report.
"I did not think we would have to use mama's life-pod again." Alicia was the first to voice her thoughts, "It's a bit surreal, if I can be honest."
"I'm just glad it still works." Shamal agreed, glancing at her unconscious patient, "It should leave her in a state of medical stasis until we make it to headquarters."
"What's going to happen to her then?" Fate asked in concern.
"She'll be taken into the Bureau's medical facility, where treatment will be addressed to her wounds." Lindy answered, "She's missing a hand and an eye, I believe our surgeons should be able to get those replaced."
"Given Nanoha-chan's age, I think the Bureau will use cloning to make the replacements." The squad's medic noted, "Her body should be able to accept them easier and the parts will grow with her,"
Fate and Alicia paused at the mention of cloning, reminded of the actions of their mother. The idea of cloning can make anyone uncomfortable, but it was especially so given the backstory of the Testarossa siblings. Fate was created from her mother's research as a clone of Alicia, though the latter girl refuses to see her as anything other than a sibling.
"There is one thing that's bothering me, and that's how she got hurt so bad in the first place." Hayate spoke up for the first time, voicing from her memory, "It looked like her magic didn't trigger after the first barrier."
"It's because she overused her Linker Core and Cartridge system," explained Shamal with regret. "This can put a strain on the user's body if they fail to take the proper time to recover, and it was simply a matter of time until the strain became too much to bear. It's sad that it had to happen now of all times."
"We will address this in our training with her next." Signum nodded towards Reinforce, "This will not happen again."
"Agreed." The silver-haired Unison device agreed
If Sonic, Tails or Amy Rose had any questions, they chose not to ask. All three remained silent, their minds plagued with other thoughts. None of them felt that it was the proper time to ask for an explanation of the Bureau's methods and magic.
The aftermath of the Death Egg's destruction raised more questions regarding the Chaos Emeralds and Doctor Eggman. Sonic held his silence regarding the emeralds as even he was unsure if he could answer and he had his own questions. However, Lindy was able to provide information regarding the satellite.
"We can confirm that the Death Egg exited Earth's orbit shortly after Sonic's escape." The admiral summarized from the report she read from her bridge techs, "But we don't know where it landed yet.."
"Can we track him?" Reinforce inquired.
"I have asked Quint Nakajima to remain on the planet as the Bureau's liaison. She will track Doctor Eggman down" Lindy replied, "In addition, she will also investigate the disappearance of the Chaos Emeralds. I will stress that this will take time and patience.
"For now, all we can do is to get Nanoha-san healed at Headquarters." The Admiral spoke with finality in her tone, "It's a long flight, and I can see everyone is tired. Therefore, I'm dismissing you all for today to do as you wish, but have your reports written up by the end of day tomorrow."
Saluting in acknowledgment of Lindy's orders, the squad dispersed and went about their business. The admiral retired to her office, in desperate need for a cup of tea. Hayate offered to take Tails and Amy Rose on a tour of the ship with Reinforce in tow. Sonic and Vita went off together to a quiet area for reflection and Signum opted to join them. Fate decided to remain in the medical ward, never wanting to leave Nanoha's side, and Alicia, in support of her sister, stayed by her side as well. Shamal allowed them to remain, but had also strongly emphasized that they needed to take care of themselves as well.
The four day trip passed slowly and with a somber mood, but fortunately, the Arthra encountered no delays and arrived at the colossal space station floating in the sea of dimensions. Shamal and Linda had called ahead and arranged for Nanoha to be taken into the hospital ward for her operations.
As Lindy looked over the reports from her team on the newly coined "West Side Island Incident", she was left with many unanswered questions. She was sure of one thing: Eggman had established himself as a competent threat and must be brought to justice at all costs. She had nearly lost one of her own; a kind girl that she had grown fond of, and she would not let that happen again.
'Eggman, you will be stopped,' The Admiral declared in her thoughts.
[Ending: "Hikaru Michi (The Shining Road)" Aya Hiroshige]
[End of Chapter 15]
Author's notes: Alright, so it's been a while.. and I am really sorry for that. I have been so busy, between jobs, other things.. My time management sucked and i just scuffed. I was honestly unsure if i could continue, but i wanted to cause this was in the back of my mind and i kicked my self in the butt to continue it. I hope my next update isnt nearly as long..
At any rate, I took queues from the Detonation movie to cover Nanoha's injury this time, figure this would add a bit more weight to it. and dang it went hard. Next up is some recovery filler before the next arc is setup. Those familiar with Sonic can tell whats next.