-Chapter 195-

Factory Findings

Babylon Rogues' Blimp

Jet's team was in their hangar, the titular leader keeping a wary eye on Wave as she worked to rebuild her board. Storm was readying his own Extreme Gear, preparing for the next race.

"Gonna need a big win to make up for Wave's loss," he remarked.

"I would've won if that redhaired psycho hadn't planted that bomb," Wave muttered.

"The bomb you planted on them in the first place," Jet shot back. "You don't really have a leg to stand on here, Wave."

"Can't believe a kid beat you up," Storm mused.

"Oh, be quiet," Wave snapped. "You wouldn't have done any better. Trust me."

"No one can beat me," Storm bragged. "Especially not a little girl."

"That 'little girl' is the Power type of Team Thorndyke for a reason," Jet pointed out. "Don't get too cocky, Storm."

"I'm not racing her," Storm pointed out. "I'm racing the other girl. The blonde one."

"Hope Kintobor," Jet recalled. "The Speed type. Apparently, she's how the Freedom Fighters got access to Extreme Gear. Heard talk of her using the armada's boards against them on Cocoa Island."

Wave perked at that. "Seriously?"

"Now that's a little girl I can respect," Storm confessed.

Pit Stop

At their own pit stop, Teams Sonic and Thorndyke were making sure their gear was up to snuff. Off to the side, Mina was vocalizing, apparently warming up her voice.

"Okay, I did a little research on the next track," Hope told them. "The Egg Factory. One of Eggman's old bases that MeteorTech bought out."

"He bought out an Eggman base?" Sonic questioned.

Hope shrugged. "It was left to rust after we freed the Robian workforce."

"Makes sense," Kat remarked. "He literally lost all his workers."

"Hope Koiti won't mind it getting a bit more banged up during the race," said Knuckles.

Mina's vocalizing stopped. She nodded, smiling.

"Alright, up to pitch," she mused. "Won't be long now."

Tails turned to her. "That's right. Didn't you manage to get a singing gig for halftime?"

"I did, yeah," Mina confirmed. "Omochao arranged it for me and my band."

Keith blinked. "You have a band."

"Well, I do have a life outside of Knothole, y'know," Mina said matter-of-factly. "Until now, it was just out of Ash's garage."

"Who's in the band?" Sonic asked. "What's your name?"

"We call ourselves the Forget-Me-Knots. A reminder of all those who've fallen in fighting Robotnik. I'm the lead singer. We have Max the Monkey on guitar, Sharps the Chicken on bass, Mach the Rabbit on drums, and Sonia Rose on keyboard and backup."

Sonic perked. "Did you say Sonia? You know Sonia?!"

Mina nodded. "We bumped into each other at a karaoke bar one day."

"No way! Sonia and I are old friends!"

"And she's Amy's sister," Tails added.

"Huh," Mina mused. "Small world."

She tapped her chin in thought. "Sonia did mention being in a band when she was little. It's how she got so good at keyboarding."

"Oh yeah," Sonic nodded. "Sonic Underground. Me, Sonia, and Manic. Those were the days…"

"Well then, I'll make sure to bring the band around after the show so you can get caught up."

Sonic smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Some time later…

In the midst of the Egg Factory track, a mobile stage was set up, curtains drawn over it as Omochao hovered overhead.

"Here we are, the half-time show!" the robo-Chao announced cheerily. "MeteorTech has a special treat for you here. A new band in town with ties to the world renowned Freedom Fighters, give it up for the Forget Me Knots!"

The crowd exploded into applause as the curtains parted, revealing Mina before the microphone and her band. On guitar was a brown-furred monkey with green eyes, dressed in a black hoodie vest over a white T-shirt, ripped jeans and combat boots. On bass was a white chicken, also with green eyes, with black sunglasses donned in a black shirt with ripped off sleeves, chain necklace, black pants, and similar boots. On drums was a magenta rabbit, one wearing a pair of aviator goggles on his head, fingerless gloves, a black tee shirt with two stacked arrows on the front, camo pants, and black sneakers. Last but not least, on keyboard was a female fuchsia hedgehog with green eyes and pink hair in a style of straight spikes and a full fringe, wearing a dress with a short purple skirt and a red sleeveless top, a gold belt that forms a pointed shape at the front with a small circle in the center, a purple skirt with matching elbow-length gloves, and purple boots with red stockings.

"Thank you all for coming," Mina said politely. "This song is dedicated to all our great racers! From Team Sonic to Team Thorndyke, and last but not least, Team Babylon!"

Fans of all three groups cheered.

"One… two…" the hedgehog began, "one-two-three-four!"

They began playing their instruments, Amy, Cream, and Cosmo waving glow sticks in the background of the stage as Mina began to sing.

"Can you see? / The sun is shinin' on me. / It makes me feel so free, so alive! / It makes me want to survive! / And the sky, it makes me feel so high, /The bad times pass me by / 'cause today is gonna be a brighter day!"

People began clapping in tune with the lyrics as she went on.

"Can you feel the sunshine? / Does it brighten up your day? / Don't you feel that sometimes / You just need to run away? /Reach out for the sunshine / Forget about the rain / Just think about the good times / And they will come back again!"

Everyone was dancing along, enjoying themselves. Keith bobbed his head to the music, while Sonic was full on jamming, his hands over his head making the rock-and-roll sign (1).

"Without you, there's nothing for me to do / Can you feel the sunshine, too? /It's comin' through, it makes me feel brand new / When you're here, I wish you were always near / 'cause everything's so clear / And today is gonna be a brighter day!"

Off to the side, Chris was dancing with Helen, her feet on top of his and her arms around his neck as he took simple steps holding her up.

"Can you feel the sunshine? / Does it brighten up your day?"

"Brighten up your day... " Sonia chimed in.

"Don't you feel that sometimes / You just need to run away? /Reach out for the sunshine / Forget about the rain / Just think about the good times / And they will come back again!"

In the pit, Eggatha was dancing happily, twirling around and spinning with the Tails doll in her hand. Robotnik found his toe tapping, much to his chagrin. From the Team Thorndyke pit, Kat, with her noise canceling headphones on, was nodding along as she tinkered with her skates.

"When the sun goes down / I feel like I am waiting / For another day / When the clouds go away / Can you feel it? / Ooh-hoo... / Can you feel it? / Oh…"

The song went on for a while, the chorus repeating, before the band stopped and posed happily. The crowd immediately exploded into cheers and applause, several whistling loudly.

"Thank you, everybody!" Mina declared.

-X-

Later, at the Team Sonic pit, Sonia headed down, greeting Sonic with a smile.

"Sonic Hedgehog," she remarked. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

Sonic grinned, grasping hands with her before they shared an embrace.

"Five to six years. But who's counting?"

"How've you been?" Sonia asked as they pulled away.

"Running, as usual," Sonic answered.

"I've heard. You certainly did enjoy being the center of attention."

Sonic shrugged. "Eh, what can I say?"

He looked her up and down. "You're definitely Amy's sister. I never put it together until she mentioned it."

"Yeah, she's definitely a mini me."

"Hey, I'm not little anymore!" Amy objected.

"Keep telling yourself that, squirt!" Sonia shot back.

They shared a laugh before Tails looked around.

"Hey, where's Knuckles? The next race is gonna start soon."

"On his way to the starting line, I think," Sally replied. "Wanted to get set up."

Egg Factory

Indeed, Knuckles was on his way to the track, board in hand. As he turned a corner, he and Storm bumped into each other (literally), resulting in Knuckles lying on the floor. After a moment to take in what just happened, they scowled, pointing at one another.

"You?!" They exclaimed in unison.

Knuckles then got up, grabbing his board and tucking it under his arm.

"Watch where you're goin, bird-breath."

"Why don't you watch where you're goin'?" Storm shot back with a scowl. "I ain't forgotten that sucker punch you gave me that night!"

Knuckles scoffed. "I let you get away last time, but definitely not today!"

"Why wait 'til later, you little punk? I'll pay you back tenfold, NOW!"

Knuckles began to wind up a punch, but hit a worker, an orange Mobian cat, passing behind him instead. He gasped, helping him up.

"Sorry about that."

Storm laughed. "What're you doin', you clumsy fool? Was that supposed to be some kind of punch?"

He wound up one of his own, but Knuckles ducked, causing Storm to slug the worker instead. He gaped before pulling him to his feet and dusting him off.

"Sorry there! It wasn't my fault! If he hadn't jumped out of the way just now, I would've clobbered-"

At that moment, a chime sounded.

"The race is about to start!" Omochao announced. "All participants, please get to your positions now."

"We'll settle this on the track." Knuckles decided.

"Lookin' forward to it!" Storm smirked.

They took off, leaving the unlucky worker to let out a sigh, picking up his nametag that had fallen, which identified him as Garfield.

"I hate Mondays…" he grumbled.

-X-

Sometime later, all four racers were lined up on the tracks, including Hope and Eggatha. Hope was on Tails' board, while Eggatha had a Wheel-type.

"Hey Hope, may the best racer win," Eggatha said.

Hope gave a thumbs-up. "Back atcha."

Knuckles glared at Storm. "You are going to eat my dust, pigeon-nose."

"And here it is, folks!" Omochao announced. "Round three of the EX World Grand Prix! Can our daring racers make it through the treacherous Egg Factory in one piece?"

More cheers exploded.

"That's what I like to hear! Now, let's introduce our racers! We have the muscle of Team Sonic, the Guardian of the Master Emerald, a living Chaos Emerald himself! Give it up for Knuckles the Echidna!"

Cheers and applause sounded, Lara-Le's voice ringing out loud and clear. Next to her, Julie-Su jumped up, also cheering loudly.

"That's my soul mate!" she declared.

"Next on the list, yet another of Team Thorndyke's brainiacs. A master of Extreme Gear in her own right, and the creator of yours truly! Make some noise for Hope Kintobor!"

More cheers rang out. From the stands Hope could see Shadow up in the seats, smiling in his own way as he settled in to watch. Next to him, Omega let out a single shot, causing everyone around them to jump, including Shadow. The black hedgehog turned to his robotic companion slowly.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a serious impulse control problem?!"

"It was a blank," Omega declared bluntly. "My logic circuits are not damaged."

Omochao vented as if clearing his throat.

"And up next, we have the moral compass of the Robotnik Empire, the Tamer of the Metal Series, and the sole hope of anything good coming from Eggman, it's Eggatha Robotnik!"

She actually did get some cheers as well, much to Robotnik's chagrin.

"Now why doesn't anyone ever applaud for me?" he pondered.

"Maybe because they met you, sir?" Orbot offered.

That got him punted across the pit.

"Last but not least, we have the muscle of the Babylon Rogues. Living proof that you don't need to think to bring the pain, Storm the Albatross!"

That got more laughs than cheers, which caused Storm to growl. Eggatha snickered.

"So, he's the one getting the negative intro."

"You makin' fun of me, you wind-up toy?" Storm demanded. "I'll flatten you like a pop can!"

"Save it for the race, Storm," Omochao retorted. "Also, destroying me will only incite the wrath of Hope Kintobor, all her friends, and Miss Eggatha. So I don't recommend it, for your sake."

"He's right," Hope tacked on. "That's my buddy you're threatening, pal."

Storm muttered to himself indignantly.

"Now then, racers, are you ready?! Three! Two! One! Go!"

They all shot off across the tracks. Knuckles and Storm grappled all the way before Storm shoved him back.

"You're pretty damn popular, eh?" Storm demanded. "Well, let me give you a big round of applause!"

He brought his hands together in a loud thunderclap that sent Knuckles spinning off to the side. Knuckles managed to level out, glaring daggers at Storm.

"How about I give you a knuckle sandwich!"

He punched him in the gut, knocking him into a spiral. As this went on, Hope and Eggatha were neck in neck. Eggatha popped open a compartment on her gear.

"Hey, Hope?" she asked. "Have you met my good friend Larry?"

"Who's Larry?"

A gun cock sounded, and Hope's jaw dropped as she found herself staring down the business end of a large orange bazooka.

"Aggie..."

"All's fair, cuz."

Eggatha took aim as Hope screamed. Larry fired... and Hope was suddenly hit in the face with a coconut cream pie.

"Gotcha!"

Eggatha jetted off, laughing as Hope wiped her face.

"Coconut cream? Really?" she muttered. "That is the worst pie in existence."

She wiped it off and sped away, soon getting back into pace with Eggatha.

"You seriously repurposed an Egg Bazooka to shoot coconut cream pies?"

"They come in more than one flavor, actually," Eggatha shrugged. "And hey, you can't beat the classics!"

"Guess not, but I dare you try it again."

"Oh?"

"Yeah! I triple-dog dare you!"

"You asked for it!" Eggatha cocked the gun. "Hope you like banana cream!"

She fired again, only for the pie to bounce off an electrical shield that materialized around Hope and hit her in her own face.

"What goes around comes around, Aggie!"

She then sped away, laughing.

The race went on, and soon, the finish line loomed. Knuckles manages one last punch to Storm before crossing the line, giving him first. Storm followed close second, with Hope in third and Eggatha in last.

"Dang," Eggatha snapped her fingers. "Oh well, I had fun."

"Same," Hope agreed. "Though seriously, coconut? You know I don't like coconut."

"Sorry, it was in the chamber."

-X-

Later, in the Babylon Rogues' pit, Storm lamented his loss.

"Man, you really are worthless," Wave muttered.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Storm objected. "He must've cheated. That's it. He must've used some special type of Gear!"

"What?!" Wave demanded, offended. "Are you implying that you lost because of my Gear?! No one can tune a Gear the way I can! Accept it, buddy. It's not the board, your skills just suck!"

"At least I didn't try to cheat with a freaking bomb!"

"Zip it!" Jet snapped. "Both of you!"

They calmed down, stepping away.

"Now, let's get down to business," Jet went on. "I believe our colleague Eggman is hiding something at MeteorTech. And you know I don't like secrets, so I've got a job for you, Storm."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Sneak into MeteorTech and find out what he's hiding. Make sure you look carefully."

Storm saluted. "You got it, boss!"

"And Storm?" Jet piped up just as he turned to go. "Come back with something we can use... or don't come back at all."

Storm swallowed hard. "Got it, boss."

Meanwhile...

As this was going on, Team Dark met up with Sally and the others, giving their findings.

"According to Wes Weasely, Von Koiti has been doing business deals with the doctor," Shadow explained. "Helping fund his operations. They're just rumors, but it's something worth looking into. Sadly, I don't see us getting in to talk to him. You're too well known, and my reputation isn't the best."

"Maybe we can," Keith offered. "We've got some time before the next race. Might as well do something productive."

"Plus, I need to step away from the crowd for a bit," Kat added. "It's getting to be a bit much."

Sally nodded. "Alright. What do you have in mind?"

"Keith and Kat'll talk to Von Koiti, keep him busy," Chris said. "While they do that, I'll hit the computer room and hack the database. If he has been dealing with Eggman, I'll find it."

"Just be careful," Sally cautioned. "No unnecessary risks."

Kat smiled. "It's me, remember?"

"Yeah," Sally deadpanned. "I know."

Author's Note:

(1): Aka the sign of the horns. A hand gesture formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb.

The song Mina sings is "Can You Feel the Sunshine?" from Sonic R. Also, the worker who gets beat up by Knuckles and Storm being named Garfield was Author of the Insane's idea. The Forget-Me-Knots come from Archie, its members aside from Sonia being from both that and the Sonic the Hedgehog Band used for the sound test in the early development of Sonic 1.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Sonia - Amber May (Whisk in Sunset Paradise, Camille in Pokémon Journeys, Xiza in War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius)

* Max - Michael Jones (Sun Wukong in RWBY, Sting Eucliffe in Fairy Tail, Hekkeran Termite in Overlord)

* Mach - Jeff Bergman (Bugs Bunny in several Looney Tunes productions, Zap in Skylanders, Mr. DNA in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous)

* Sharps - Jim Rash (Gyro Gearloose in DuckTales 2017, Cecil Turtle in The Looney Tunes Show, Riddler in Harley Quinn)

Please R&R. Until next time!