Sonic the Hedgehog and all characters and locations used in this story are trademarks and properties of Sega of America and Sega Enterprises. Used without permission. Because originality is the tool of the insane. So I have no idea why I'm not using it... HEAVY METAL Chapter 8: Break it Out Early morning on the outskirts of Robotropolis. The Mobiun sun hasn't quite begun peeking over the mountainous horizon yet, but the sky is clearly brightening from deep blue to a hazy purple. Sonic stands reclining on a tree outside of the grove that the Freedom Fighters built their night base in. Knuckles currently walks out and joins him. KNUCKLES: "What's up?" SONIC: "Nothing, I'm just gathering my thoughts." KNUCKLES: "Well this shouldn't take long, I'll wait." SONIC: "Not now, Knux." Sonic walks over to the edge of the cliff. Knuckles follows him. KNUCKLES: "Hey, sorry pal! I didn't know you were so upset." SONIC: "Not upset, confused." KNUCKLES: "Well, we're ALL confused." SONIC: "No, you don't understand..." Knuckles looks down at the layer of smog hovering above Robotropolis. The lights of the city are all that shine through the dense overhang. He then looks back up at Sonic. KNUCKLES: "You know something that the rest of us don't, don't you?" SONIC: "You might say that." KNUCKLES: "Care to share it with a friend?" SONIC: "Not really, but it's now or never...you see, for a while now I've--" Sonic is interrupted by a call from Princess Sally. SALLY: "Wake up call, Freedom Fighters! This is it!" Knuckles turns to Sonic. KNUCKLES: "Her majesty calls. I guess this is it." Sonic gazes blanky into space. SONIC: "Yeah..." Knuckles begins walking back toward the grove, when he turns to see that Sonic is still stuck in a glazed-over stare. Knuckles walks back and waves his right hand in front of Sonic's face. KNUCKLES: "Rad Red to True Blue! Come in, True Blue!" SONIC: "Huh? I was coming." KNUCKLES: "Well then come on! The Princess awaits." The duo join the other Freedom Fighters in the grove. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile in Robotropolis central HQ, Metal Sonic is currently assuming his standard pose of gazing out one of the full-wall windows, while a Boing-o-Bot monitors some controls and Snively walks in with a tray holding two cups of oil and one cup of coffee. SNIVELY: "Oil?" METAL SONIC: "I'll pass." BOING-O-BOT: "Sure, thanks!" The Boing-o-Bot takes a cup of oil and Snively takes the cup of coffee while Metal Sonic floats over to the exit. METAL SONIC: "I think I'll take a short walk...I'd like some time alone to gather my thoughts." SNIVELY: "Well don't go far...operation 'Heavy Metal' begins in exactly one hour, and Dr. Robotnik will want you here." METAL SONIC: "I'll be here." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The large group of Freedom Fighters enter through their standard spy base, the Robotropolis junk yard. Sally, Sonic, & Knuckles discuss the entry plan, while the rest of the crew patiently wait. HAMLIN: "Take a good look around, folks...this could be the last time we see it in the same light." ANTOINE: "You mean eet weel be darkair?" HAMLIN: "No..." ANTOINE: "Oh! So eet weel be lightair, n'est pas?" HAMLIN: "No, I mean we'll never see it in the same WAY again, okay?" ANTOINE: "Oh, so we weel be coming from a different directions?" HAMLIN: "Forget it..." ANTOINE: "Forget what?" HAMLIN: "Good boy." ANTOINE: "My head is being confused..." DULCY: "Well THAT'S old news." ANTIONE: "Mon dieu! I have been insulted!" STRANGE VOICE: "Hey, who's picking on Antoine and didn't invite me?" Sonic and Sally turn their heads toward the direction of the voice. It's coming from the top of a pile of old badnik parts. SALLY: "I know that voice..." SONIC: "Oh, no...just when I thought we'd get by without him." Geoffrey St. John jumps down from the pile of rubble and walks up to Sonic. GEOFFREY: "Hiya, mate! Did ya miss me?" SONIC: "What is it with you and these fancy enterances? Where were you when we called you?" GEOFFREY: "Conducting an all-out sabotage mission in the southeast wing of the very city you're standing in." SALLY: "The southeast wing? That's exactly where we are." GEOFFREY: "Right. Looks like you got the jump on me this time!" SONIC: "Well, while you and your friends have been playing hide & seek in the junkyard, we've stumbled upon Robotnik's master plan to-" Geoffrey interrupts Sonic and continues his sentence. GEOFFREY: "...harness the power of a Chaos Emerald into a program and download it into every computer and robot in Robotropolis, creating an invincible fortress of destruction." SONIC: "Uh...yeah...how'd you-" GEOFFREY: "Our little game of 'hide & seek' had more to it than you thought." Sonic kicks the dirt and mumbles. SONIC: "Showoff..." SALLY: "Excellent! Now that the gang's all here, I guess we can-" ANOTHER STRANGE VOICE: "Don't start without me." KNUCKLES: "Father?!" Locke the Echidna joins the group from the direction they just came in. KNUCKLES: "How did you--why did you--..." LOCKE: "I've been following you since you left the Floating Island." KNUCKLES: "Father, I have so many questions I don't know where to start." LOCKE: "There is much to talk about, Knuckles, but there is a much more urgent task at hand." KNUCKLES: "Right. But after this whole thing is over, we need to have a major father-son talk, and I'm not talking about the birds and the bees!" In the commotion, Sonic parts from the group and walks over to a small niche in the rubble, where he heaves a large sigh. Tails notices him and walks over. TAILS: "Hey, Sonic...what's wrong? You've been acting really weird lately." SONIC: "Things have BEEN really weird lately, li'l bro." TAILS: "What's on your mind?" Sonic hesitates. TAILS: "C'mon, Sonic. You're never going to feel better until you tell someone." Sonic hesitates again, then sighs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, mere yards away, Metal Sonic hovers among the piles of rubble, thinking. He then hears voices...Sonic and Tails talking. He heads over and peeks in on the duo from behind a towering pile of junk. METAL SONIC: "Hmm...time to strike..." TAILS: "Voices?" SONIC: "That's right...voices. For atleast a month now, I've been hearing voices that keep telling me 'heart runs deeper'." Metal Sonic jolts back, still hidden from Sonic and Tails. He shakes his head, then moves back up to the pile, in a semi state of shock. TAILS: "What do you think they mean?" SONIC: "If only I knew..." Metal Sonic backs away again, as thoughts run rampant in his head. METAL SONIC: "He...he's heard them too! Sonic's heard the voices that I've been hearing! What should I do? What should I do? I want to attack him while he's unprepared, but...but...something is driving me to fly right over and tell him that I've heard the same voices. I...I... Man, I came out here to put pieces together and now I'm more confused than ever. Where are those voices now? What am I supposed to do? Please, answer me!" All is silent. Metal Sonic's head drops, and he stands motionless for some time. Then something in his head beeps...it's the signal from central HQ. Metal Sonic picks his head up and opens the radio line. METAL SONIC: "Come in, I read you." SNIVELY: "Metal, where are you? Dr. Robotnik will be here any split second! Get over here NOW!" METAL SONIC: "Alright, I'm on my way." Metal closes the connection, takes one last glance in the direction Sonic and Tails are in, and flies back at full speed to Robotnik's central HQ. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, in Robotropolis central HQ; Snively, Boing-o-Bot, Crabmeat, and Coconuts monitor controls. COCONUTS: "Ooh, look at all the buttons!" SNIVELY: "Don't touch anything..." COCONUTS: "They're so big and shiny!" SNIVELY: "Don't touch anything, Coconuts..." COCONUTS: "Ooh! I gotta push one, I gotta push one, I gotta push one!" SNIVELY: "Grab him!" Crabmeat and Boing-o-Bot jump from their positions and hold Coconuts back. COCONUTS: "Hey, lemme go! Lemme go! I gotta push the buttons!" CRABMEAT: "Down, boy..." BOING-O-BOT: "If you're a good little Badnik, I'll let you push the buttons on my cell-phone when it's not on." COCONUTS: "You don't understand! I have GOT to push those BUTTONS!!!" Coconuts struggles free, and rushes over to the control pad. Just as his hand is about to push a large red button, his wrist is grabbed and he is tossed across the room...by Robotnik. COCONUTS: "Yaahaaowch!" Robotnik walks over to one of the windows and takes a look at the landscape. The sun is halfway over the horizon, and the lights around Robotropolis are shutting off, one by one. The Eggman inhales deeply, then turns around. ROBOTNIK: "Snively, the time has come." SNIVELY: "Everything is ready, sir." ROBOTNIK: "Excellent...let's go." Snively and Robotnik leave the room and head down to the chamber where Chaos Emerald energy is being harnessed from Nack the Weasel. Nack hangs motionless in the forcefield tube, while Snively walks over to the controls at the other end of the room. He pushes a few buttons, and the mechanical headpiece is slowly lifted off of the weasel. He then pushes a few more buttons and the forcefield around Nack evaporates. One more button, and the arm and ankle cuffs around Nack release. The weasel falls motionless onto the floor...he is no longer Mega Nack. Robotnik walks over to the control board Snively is pecking away at. ROBOTNIK: "Well?" SNIVELY: "It's coming, sir...the computer is compressing the data. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes." ROBOTNIK: "What of the weasel?" SNIVELY: "He's not going anywhere." ROBOTNIK: "You mean..." SNIVELY: "Nothing could have survived such a massive loss of energy in such a short period of time." Robotnik smiles evilly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back over at the junkyard, Sally shuts off an elaborate holographic display of Robotropolis via Nicole. SALLY: "So you all know what you're each supposed to do?" A round of "got it"s, "right"s, and "you betcha"s erupts from the congregation, when one small voice says: "What about me?" SALLY: "Who said that?" "I did!" Amy pushes her way to the front of the group. SALLY: "Amy? What are you doing here? Wasn't Sonic supposed to have taken you back to Knothole?" AMY: "Yeah, but he didn't!" Sally flashes Sonic a stern look, while Amy flashes a toothy grin. SONIC: "Hey, she didn't want to go!" SALLY: "Now what am I supposed to do with her?" SONIC: "Chill, she can come with me. I'll be responsible." SALLY: "That, Sonic Hedgehog, would certainly be a first." SONIC: "Ooooh! Hey, don't get touchy now, we're about to head into the battle of our lives." SALLY: "You mean FOR our lives." SONIC: "That too..." VECTOR: "So let's go already! I'm itchin' for some action!" Sally looks over the group. SALLY: "I know none of us like to think about this, but...it's highly unlikely that this battle will go without casualties. Any one, or perhaps all of us may not converge in the wake of the war." GEOFFREY: "Say no more, luv." CHARMY: "Now is the last chance for goodbye's to anyone who might not be here the next time we meet." Hugs, kisses, and high-fives run rampant through the congregation. Sonic walks over to Tails. SONIC: "You got your instructions, li'l bro?" TAILS: "Yeah. I follow the sewage pipe along with Hamlin, Charmy Bee, and Wess Weasely and we disarm the central southeast defenses system." SONIC: "Think you can handle it?" TAILS: "Sure, no prob!" SONIC: "Pretty confident, aren't ya?" TAILS: "Of course...I learned from the best!" Sonic smiles, and hold up his hand which Tails instantly high-fives. SONIC: "Good luck, Tails. I know you can do it!" TAILS: "You too, Sonic!" Sonic walks over to Knuckles, who has just had a talk with his father. SONIC: "True Blue to Rad Red! Come in, Rad Red!" KNUCKLES: "I hear ya loud and clear, True Blue!" Sonic and Knuckles whack fists. KNUCKLES: "Hey, Sonic...I've been meaning to get around to something for a long time, and only just now do I have the incentive to get it over with." SONIC: "And what would that be?" KNUCKLES: "I want to apologize for that little 'misunderstanding' the first time we met..." SONIC: "Heh...yeah, talk about bad first impressions." KNUCKLES: "Yeah...it's a shame your impression is still just as bad as it was the day you flew into the Angel Island Zone." Knuckles smiles playfully. SONIC: "Well atleast you can SEE my face! Any trace of yer ugly puss is hidden behind that mammoth schnozz of yours!" Knuckles laughs out loud and gives Sonic a playful punch in the arm. KNUCKLES: "Good luck, Sonic. Here's hopin' we meet again." SONIC: "We will, Knuckles. We will!" Finally, Sonic walks over to Sally. SONIC: "Hey, Sal...I've been thinkin'..." SALLY: "Oh?" SONIC: "What? No smart comments?" Sally sighs. SALLY: "Not right now." SONIC: "You didn't see that weird aurora in the sky last night, did you?" SALLY: "No." SONIC: "Now, I'm not sure about this, but...I think it means that..." SALLY: "That either the half who saw it will die in battle, or vice-versa. I've had the same thought." SONIC: "Yeah...so, if that's true, which it probably isn't...it means that we'll..." SALLY: "I know..." SONIC: "But I'm probably just letting my imagination run away with myself, so forget that!" Sonic smiles, but Sally stares straight ahead. Sonic moves in a little closer, but Sally appears uncomfortable. SALLY: "Good luck, Sonic." Sonic backs away, a little surprised. SONIC: "...I catch your drift." Sally doesn't say a word, as Sonic walks away with his head down. SALLY: "Goodbye, Sonic...and good luck." SONIC: "Yeah..." As soon as the congregation quiets down, Sally takes one last look around. SALLY: "Okay...let's do it to it!" The congregation now splits into many smaller parties, and they scatter into the city. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in the Robotropolis central building, Metal Sonic flies into the main room. Boing-o-Bot and Crabmeat are monitoring controls, while Coconuts is upside down in a corner mumbling some gibberish to himself. CRABMEAT: "Oh, there you are. You're a little late." BOING-O-BOT: "I thought you could match Sonic's speed." METAL SONIC: "I can. I just had some stuff on my mind, that's all. Where's Dr. Robotnik?" CRABMEAT: "He went with Snively to--" The door bursts open, as Robotnik struts in with a rare ear-to-ear smile, followed by Snively, who is holding a glowing compact disc with a thick pair of gloves. Boing-o-Bot whispers to Crabmeat... BOING-O-BOT: "Is that..." CRABMEAT: "What else could it be? You don't see an illuminating CD every day..." Robotnik walks over to his main control board and types in some code, and then places his hand over a hand-identification lock. In the center of the room, the floor opens up and a large computer board rises from it. Crabmeat whispers to Boing-o-Bot... CRABMEAT: "Wow, it's the Robotropolis motherboard! I've never seen it before..." BOING-O-BOT: "You mean, all of us..." CRABMEAT: "Yup, that's the brains of the operation. Our programs are sent by radio waves to us through this baby. Not to mention the fact that it's the central power source for EVERYTHING in the city." Robotnik walks over to Snively and takes the Heavy Metal CD from him. He gazes at it, almost in awe for a few seconds, then walks over to the motherboard and places it in a CD tray. ROBOTNIK: "Begin the countdown..." Snively walks over to another computer and types in a few keys, then a stiff compter voice begins a precise countdown from ten. COMPUTER: "Ten...nine...eight..." METAL SONIC: "Dr. Robotnik, I ask you one last time to please reconsider." COMPUTER: "...seven...six...five..." METAL SONIC: "Dr. Robotnik?" COMPUTER: "...four...three...two..." Finally, Metal Sonic makes a desperate flying leap for Robotnik, the Heavy Metal CD, and the motherboard. COMPUTER: "...one...zero..." ROBOTNIK: "It's tiiiiime..." The Eggman shoves the CD into the motherboard. Metal Sonic misses and stops himself short before he hits a control panel. It's too late. The motherboard begins scanning the CD. Crabmeat, Boing-o-Bot, Coconuts, Snively, and Metal Sonic gaze speechless as the entire board begins glowing. Robotnik walks over to his main control panel again and types in a few more keys. The motherboard lowers back into the floor. Then, it begins. Starting at the hatch the motherboard was lowered into and going out around the entire length of the floor, a bright green glow spilled through the metal like water flowing downhill. Fluid and quick the glow covers the walls and ceiling, and begins covering every square inch of Robotnik's central building, inside and out. Coconuts jumps in Crabmeat's arms. COCONUTS: "Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!" Robotnik laughs. ROBOTNIK: "It doesn't matter where you are, you can't get away from it. But I assure you, it's not going to hurt..." Following the green glow comes bursts of electrical energy, flowing around the floors, walls, ceilings, and everything attached to them like miniature bolts of lightning. The "lightning" grows more dense, and all six sides of the room begin growing brighter. And brighter. And brighter. Until they are blindingly bright, and then it begins fading back down. When the floor, ceiling, and walls are once again visible, they are nothing like their previous forms. Sleek and futuristic, with lights that weren't there before adding dramatic effects. The control panels are covered with twice as many buttons as before. Crabmeat, Coconuts, Boing-o-Bot, and Metal Sonic gaze around in utter awe. Robotnik is laughing hysterically, and runs over to the window. The rest of Robotropolis is still the same. METAL SONIC: "What's happening?" ROBOTNIK: "It's going to cover the entire city! Starting from here, it's flowing down as we speak!" Robotnik begins laughing insanely. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In another area of Robotropolis, Sonic zooms around a tight corner with Amy in tow, and comes to a screeching halt in front of a computer on the side of a large factory. SONIC: "Wait here, Amy, and let me know if you see anything coming. I've got to set this bomb here that'll get us into this factory. From here, we can sneak into Robotnik's central HQ from the vent system." AMY: "Okay, Sonic." Sonic walks over to the computer and pulls a disc-shaped object out of his left sneaker. He then begins tinkering with the equipment, while Amy looks around with her hands behind her back. Suddenly the light morning breeze picks up into a gusty wind. AMY: "Weird..." The sky begins growing darker and darker, almost like night. AMY: "What's going on? The sky was clear just a minute ago!" Amy looks over toward the Robotropolis central building. The green glow is flowing down the outside, and is about halfway toward the bottom. The top of the building has already finished the transition, and is now a much sleeker "future" version of its former self, and quite a contrast from the bottom, which is still gritty and rough. Amy gasps at the sight. AMY: "Hey, Sonic! Look!" SONIC: "Huh? What is it, Amy? I'm tryin' to set this bomb." AMY: "Just come and see!" Sonic puts the bomb down and walks over. SONIC: "What?" Amy points to the glowing Robotropolis central building, which is halfway through the transition. SONIC: "What the-" AMY: "What's happening?" SONIC: "No...NO!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In another part of Robotropolis, Knuckles, Espio, and Locke are fighting an Unidasu. It slings one if its spiked spheres at Espio, who ducks under it and camouflages himself to match the color of the building he was standing in front of. UNIDASU: "Huh? Hey, no fair! Where'd he go?" Knuckles suddenly pops up from behind the Badnik and grabs it. UNIDASU: "Yikes! Put me down!" KNUCKLES: "Hey, dad! Catch!" Knuckles tosses the Unidasu to Locke like a ball, but Locke ignores the throw as he stares at the Robotropolis central building. KNUCKLES: "Hey, dad...what's up?" LOCKE: "Nothing good..." Espio becomes visible again. ESPIO: "Check out the central building..." KNUCKLES: "What's going on?" LOCKE: "It appears...that..." Espio, hearing an odd noise, glances back at the Unidasu. ESPIO: "Uh...g-guys...I think we are in BIG trouble..." Knuckles and Locke turn around to see the Unidasu glowing... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the same time, inside of Robotnik's central HQ, a certain weasel lying previously unconscious on the floor bats an eyelid. A deep breath of air, some coughing, and Nack pulls himself up on his knees. NACK: "Man, what a burn!" Suddenly the ceiling begins glowing, as the shine spills onto the floor. NACK: "Holy cow...Eggbutt must be getting started. Maybe I should get goin' while the going's good..." Nack looks at his hat, which is lying several feet away. NACK: "No...that ball of lard has harassed me for long enough." The weasel gets himself up completely, walks over to his hat, picks it up, and puts it on. NACK: "Payment's due, Robotnik. And I'm not accepting anymore IOU's..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In another sector of Robotropolis, Princess Sally is gazing at Robotropolis central HQ through a pair of binoculars. Rotor walks up. ROTOR: "Hey, Sally...we've just gotten calls from nearly every group that's out there, and--" Rotor notices the transforming central HQ. ROTOR: "It's...it's..." SALLY: "It's happening. We're too late." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back up in Robotnik's central HQ, Robotnik is watching the city's transformation from one of the full-wall windows, smiling contentedly. Snively is standing nearby. Crabmeat is still wobbling around trying to keep his balance with Coconuts in his arms, while Boing-o-Bot and Metal Sonic stand frozen, not certain what to make of the situation. Then Crabmeat begins glowing. CRABMEAT: "Whoah...I feel funny..." Electricity begins flowing around the Badnik, followed by a blinding flash. When the flash dims, Crabmeat is a streamlined super version of his former self. Coconuts leaps out of his arms. COCONUTS: "Yikes! Check him out, check him out!" BOING-O-BOT: "Don't look now Coconuts, but I think you're next!" Sure enough, Coconuts is glowing. COCONUTS: "AAAIIIEEE! Get it off me, get it off me, get it off me!" While running wildly in a circle, electricity surrounds him, and he disappears in a bright flash. When it fades, Coconuts emerges a futuristic and sleeker version of his former self. Robotnik and Snively turn their attention to the transforming Badniks, just as Boing-o-Bot begins glowing, shortly followed by Metal Sonic. BOING-O-BOT: "Whoah, man...I guess this is it..." Metal Sonic doesn't say a word, but his eyes flash violently. Next there is another blinding flash... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abandoning the bomb he was planting, Sonic throws down his backpack and tightens the straps on his sneakers. AMY: "Sonic, what are you going to do?" SONIC: "Whatever it takes." Before Amy can say another word, Sonic is off to Robotropolis central HQ. AMY: "Sonic! Sonic, wait!" Amy runs off as fast as her feet will carry her in Sonic's tracks. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile Tails, along with Charmy, Hamlin, and Wess Weasely, abandons his current activity of hacking into a computer defense system. HAMLIN: "Oh, man! It's happening! We're too late!" CHARMY: "What should we do, Tails?" TAILS: (thinking) "What would Sonic do?..." HAMLIN: "Well let's have it, fox!" TAILS: "There's only one direction to go, and that's forward!" CHARMY: "Meaning?" TAILS: "A head-on attack! Let's go!" Wess Weasely backs up. HAMLIN: "And just where do you think you're going, weasel?" WESS: "Going? I'm not going anywhere, palsies! Just staying here to keep an eye on things." TAILS: "Wess, you're coming with us." WESS: "B-b-b-but I can't!" HAMLIN: "So what's your excuse?" WESS: "Think about it, palsy! Does this world really need the Death of Another Salesman?" Hamlin grabs Wess and the foursome rush straight to the central HQ. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back with Knuckles, Espio, and Locke, the trio scram before finding out just what a Super Unidasu looks like. They duck into an alley and catch their breath. ESPIO: "So now what, oh fearless leader?" Knuckles looks at Locke, as though he was expecting an answer. LOCKE: "Don't look at me. I'm just tagging along for the ride!" Knuckles thinks for a second and scratches his head. KNUCKLES: "I say we nip this baby in the bud!" ESPIO: "If that means what I think it does..." KNUCKLES: "Face to fist! You got it!" ESPIO: "Leave the light on, Ma, 'cause we won't be home until late!" KNUCKLES: "Banzai!" The threesome run to the root of the problem, Robotnik's central HQ. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back with Rotor and Sally, the Princess drops the binoculars and packs up Nicole. Rotor paces around nervously. ROTOR: "So what now, Sally?" SALLY: "The time for strategy has passed. There's only one remaining option." ROTOR: "I don't suppose that's 'Save Game' or the 'Reset' button, huh?" SALLY: "I was thinking of a more direct approach..." Rotor inhales deeply. ROTOR: "Then let's not waste time. Do it to it!" Sally and Rotor head off for Robotropolis central HQ. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- At this moment, Sonic arrives at an entry hatch. It's locked shut. He attempts to tear it open with a Sonic Spin, but an overwhelming force knocks him back as soon as he's penetrated 1/5 of a millimeter into the metal. SONIC: "Man! This sucker packs a serious wallop!" He picks himself up and looks over the building. SONIC: "Geez, there's no way! There's just no way!" Amy runs up, panting for breath. AMY: "No way to what?" SONIC: "You'd better get going, Amy. This is the bad side of town." Amy shakes her head. AMY: "Mm-mm. I'm in this as deep as you are. Now, what was it there's no way to?" SONIC: "This building's now protected by the power of a Chaos Emerald. No way we're getting in without another Chaos Emerald to counter it." AMY: "So why don't you hop into a Special Stage and pick one up?" SONIC: "Sure, I'll just go down to the drug store and pick up a giant Ring to jump into." AMY: "Okay, okay, I see your point! So what are we going to do?" SONIC: "Ya got me..." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, back inside the control room, an alarm goes off. ALARM: "Intruder alert. Subject: Sonic the Hedgehog Location: the east entry to motherboard station 1" ROBOTNIK: "That's here! The hedgehog is right on our doorstep! Well, we musn't keep him waiting. Do go and greet him, Metal Sonic." Metal Sonic's size has doubled. (He now looks like the model found in Sonic & Knuckles.) He is glowing in a bright yellow color, very similar to Super Sonic. Without a word, Metal flies out the door and heads down a few floors. But while Metal Sonic is going down, someone else is coming up undetected. A certain purple weasel who was already inside. A certain weasel who can outwit any booby trap and slink through the tightest places without a sound. Nack the Weasel pops up from a vent in the floor to find himself just feet away from the doorway into the central control room, where Robotnik, Snively, Crabmeat, Coconuts, and Boing-o-Bot (the latter three now completely transformed) watch in silence as Robotropolis transforms. NACK: "Now, let's see...what would the hedgehog do? He'd run right in in plain view and cause a giant ruckus, that's what. Well, that ain't my style...I prefer the subtle approach." Nack drops back into the vent pipes and looks at the multiple paths. NACK: "I can feel the energy being given off by the Emerald...gotta follow it!" The weasel slinks quietly down a smaller pipe, skillfully avoiding the numerous laser sensors which scan the tunnels. The path leads to a smaller pipe, which leads to another smaller pipe. By this point, Nack is pulling himself along the claustrophobically tight passage lying on his back. He stops short just before he can't go any further and taps the top of the vent pipe above him. NACK: "Bingo!" He breaks out a pocket screwdriver and unscrews the plate above him. Just inches above lies the Robotropolis motherboard. Nack tears through several layers of insulation and unscrews another heavier plate. Just above this plate, a laser sensor covers the entire area like a sheet. There's going to be no way to get at the motherboard without setting it off. Nack hesitates and thinks to himself. NACK: "Well, Nack...it's now or never. Is it worth it?" The weasel smiles. NACK: "Heck yeah!" Nack grabs his screwdriver and plunges it into the motherboard. The beam surrounding it fries the screwdriver to a crisp, and sends a teriffic electric shock through the weasel and the entire vent pipe. Ignoring the charge, Nack shoves the screwdriver further into the computer and gives it a good shake. Finally the electricution is too much to bear. Nack drops the screwdriver and his hand falls back down to his side. The vent pipe he's squeezed in is still charged with a dangerous amount of volts, so he's still feeling the sting. The last thing he hears are countless thousands of alarms going off all over Robotropolis... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Outside, all the parties of Freedom Fighters scattered throughout Robotropolis watch as the glow from the center building fades. Sally and Rotor, who are still a good distance from the building, gaze in awe. ROTOR: "Now what's happening?" SALLY: "I-it's...it's turning back!" ROTOR: "Then that means..." SALLY: "Yes! Yes, someone's made it inside!" ROTOR: "Then we're safe!" SALLY: "Yes! Someone's gotten at the Chaos Emerald!" ROTOR: "But who?" SALLY: "I don't know, but let's go find our hero!" Sally and Rotor run off faster than ever for the central HQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, back at the main doorway into Robotropolis central HQ, Sonic and Super Metal Sonic gaze face to face. Amy watches nervously from behind a large pipe of some sort. The alarms make no difference to the two combatants. They are in a seperate world, where all that matters is emerging triumphant. It's a deadly game of staring...or is it? Both fighters want to murder the other, but neither can bring themselves to throw the first punch. Suddenly, a stream of electricity begins flowing around Metal Sonic. His color fades, and he can feel his strength drain. He has turned back to normal Metal Sonic, the Chaos Emerald power having left his body. The two combatants continue to stare, moving only to breathe. Then a voice breaks out of nowhere. To Sonic and Metal, it's loud and booming, yet is heard by no one else. It says one simple phrase: VOICE: "Heart runs deeper." Sonic and Metal lighten their gazes. Their hands drop to their sides. They continue to stare, but no longer with hatred in their eyes. It's a different type of stare. Not the stare of long-lost friends, nor of mortal enemies, but an indescribable mix of the two. Suddenly the silence is penetrated. Sonic and Metal Sonic turn to see Amy jumping and yelling! AMY: "Hello?! Sonic, are you still alive? The door's back to normal! Robotnik's plan must've failed!" Still a bit flummoxed from the encounter, Sonic, ignoring Metal's presence, breaks into a Sonic Spin and tears through the metal door leading into the building. Amy follows him. Metal receives an urgent call from Snively to return, and obliges through one of the windows up in the control room. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the central HQ, Robotnik runs excitedly in a fit of rage and confusion. The motherboard has been upraised and discovered trashed. ROBOTNIK: "How did it happen? I want the saboteur caught and dismantled on site! As if ruining my ultimate plot in the prime of fruitition wasn't bad enough, the traitor has also shut off all power to the city! We are completely vulnerable to attack until the motherboard has been restored, which will take hours!" Snively examines the damage to the motherboard. SNIVELY: "I'd say hours is putting it mildly, sir." ROBOTNIK: "Get to work immediately! We must restore full power before the hedgehog or any of the Freedom Fighters discover our defenseless state." SONIC: "Too late." Sonic stands in the main doorway, with Amy standing right behind. Robotnik pulls out a gun of some sort and aims it at Sonic. ROBOTNIK: "There's only enough room for one of us on this planet!" SONIC: "You wanna shoot me? Go ahead. You've got a clear shot." Robotnik instantly obliges by pulling the trigger, sending off a laser in Sonic's direction. Sonic grabs Amy and breaks into a Peel-Out, avoiding the laser shot and appearing on the other side of the room. The blast from the laser tears a gaping hole in the solid steel wall outside the doorway. SONIC: "Is your aim THAT bad? C'mon...try for between the eyes!" AMY: "Sonic, don't push him!" Robotnik spins around and once again blasts the gun at Sonic, who calmly sidesteps the laser shot by inches, whistling the Sonic theme in the meanwhile. SONIC: "Man, you sure are slow on the ol' draw, aren't you Eggsy?" Robotnik looks at the gun, then turns to Metal Sonic. He tosses the gun to him with these instructions: ROBOTNIK: "You know what to do." Metal aims the gun at Sonic, who puts Amy down and dashes to another side of the room. Metal Sonic matches his move and greets him with a gunpoint at his new location. Sonic stops smiling and Spin Dashes under Metal's feet, ending up in a walled corner, and knocking Snively over on the way. No sooner has Sonic opened his eyes than Metal is right above him with the laser. Trapped in a corner, Sonic desperately looks around for the escape route that isn't there. He then stares helplessly at Metal and the laser. ROBOTNIK: "Well, perhaps today won't be total loss after all!" Metal Sonic tightens his metallic finger around the trigger, but hesitates. The fear on Sonic's face and Amy's desperate cries from the other side of the room bring forth the sentiments that Metal isn't supposed to have. ROBOTNIK: "What are you waiting for? Kill him! Kill Sonic the Hedgehog!" Metal doesn't have a heart, but he could swear his was beating hard and fast. Not knowing what to do, he shuts his red eyes, and opens them back up with a flash. He has succumbed to his programming, and begins pulling the trigger, when the gun is knocked out of his hands by a blast from the side. Tails has leapt out from a vent pipe in the wall, followed by Charmy, Hamlin, and Wess Weasely. TAILS: "Hey, Robotnik! We're heeeeere!" Robotnik backs up to a window, when there's a knock on it. He turns around, to see Knuckles smiling and tapping on the glass. The echidna then throws a full-force punch, shattering it to pieces. KNUCKLES: "Oops, did I do that? Just send me the bill." Espio and Locke climb up beneath him. Next, Mighty, Hershey, Duck "Bill" and Sergeant Doberman run up in the doorway. Another group consisting of Bunnie, Antoine, and Dulcy follows, as all at once the entire army of Freedom Fighters congregates in the central control room. Robotnik, Snively, and Metal Sonic back up to the corner of the room. Coconuts, Crabmeat, and Boing-o-Bot lie motionless in their most recent positions...without the computer to power them, they are lifeless. While backed against the wall, Robotnik opens a secret compartment. Inside is another glowing CD...the backup disc for Heavy Metal. He then pushes a button under his cufflink and in seconds his Egg-o-Matic hovercraft is waiting outside the window. SONIC: "Well, Ivo...I guess it ends here." ROBOTNIK: "Think again, rodent!" In one quick movement, Dr. Robotnik smashes the glass window and hops into his Egg-o-Matic, laughing hysterically. He then flies out of view. Metal Sonic flies out the window after him, and Snively, confused out of his wits, makes a desperate leap, to who-knows-what below. Sonic runs up to the window. SONIC: "Run all you want, Robotnik! You'll NEVER get away with all you've done! There is no escape!" Sonic backs away from the window, and turns to the roomfull of Freedom Fighters behind him. Everyone stares at each other and looks around for a good few minutes, not sure what to make of things. Then, little Amy Rose begins giggling. The giggling grows into a joyous laughter, as Tails joins in. Sonic breaks in, followed by Espio and Rotor. Soon the whole room is laughing, crying, and just about every other emotion that displays extreme joy. In what seems like little more than flash, a once thought impossible dream has become reality. The war is over, and they have won. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- But beneath the joyous celebration, reality lurks. Robotnik has not flown any further than the bottom floor of the building, and the room where the Chaos Emerald power was harnessed from Nack the Weasel. Walking over to the control computer, Robotnik pulls out a seperate battery-powered device and attaches it to the system. The computer flares to life. Robotnik takes the backup Heavy Metal CD and places it into the tray. He types something into the keyboard, then runs over to the same helmet that was used to suck Emerald power out of Nack. He attaches the helmet to his own head and smiles... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- After what seemed like an eternity of hugging and laughing, the joyous reality began to set in, as Sonic gazes at the smoking motherboard. Sally walks up to him. SALLY: "Great job, Sonic. I knew you could do it!" Sonic points to the motherboard. SONIC: "You mean this?" SALLY: "Of course, what else?" SONIC: "I didn't trash the motherboard, I was just wondering who did!" SALLY: "Well, I think it's time our hero staked claim to his rightfully earned praise!" VOICE: "Here." The entire congregation is shocked to see Nack the Weasel standing in the doorway. Severely singed and fighting for breath, he stands on his own feet nonetheless. SONIC: "Not buyin' it, weasel." Penelope runs over to Nack and looks him over. PENELOPE: "My gosh, he's badly injured!" Nack shakes his head. NACK: "I'll be fine." PENELOPE: "What happened?" NACK: "The security lasers around the motherboard fried me. I blacked-out for awhile and it probably would've killed me if the electric energy in the vent pipe I was squeezed in hadn't kept my heart pumping." Sally walks over and shakes Nack's hand, as a large round of cheers fills the room. Few actually believed the story coming out of a convicted criminal and renegade bounty hunter, but the truth is that no one really cared. Then, when the rest of the room is buzzing with talk and laughter, Nack slinks over to the exit. Sally notices him, and runs up. SALLY: "Hey, where are you going?" NACK: "Back to my air bike, the Marvelous Queen." SALLY: "But why? You're a hero! Listen to them cheer!" Nack chuckles and straightens his burned hat. NACK: "Not a one of 'em believes my story. They're too happy to care right now one way or the other. And who can blame them? I've never told the truth before, why should anyone expect me to now?" SALLY: "Where will you go?" NACK: "Wherever there's treasure to be found." SALLY: "C'mon, you're one of us, now!" Nack shakes his head. NACK: "Society and I don't get along. I work alone." SALLY: "Well atleast wait until you can get some medical att-" She is now interrupted by a deep rumble, which has been gaining in volume for some time. The entire group falls to a hush as the rumble begins shaking the walls. ARCHIMEDES: "What's going on, an earthquake?" The rumble continues to grow louder, as panic strikes the entire congregation. After just a few moments, the screams of fear are drowned out by the rumble. Suddenly, the motherboard is shattered to bits as giant glowing ball bursts forth from under the floor. It's Robotnik...glowing with the power of a Chaos Emerald. He laughs hysterically, floating in the air as the congregation of Freedom Fighters panics and scatters. Only a select few in the group manage to keep their wits, among them Sonic, Knuckles, Espio, and Nack. SONIC: "Robotnik, the price will be the same for you as it will for everyone else!" KNUCKLES: "You have no idea of the uncontrollable power you're dealing with!" Robotnik talks in an almost triple voice, which echoes as his flaming moustache casts ominous shadows along the walls of the room. ROBOTNIK: "Oh, but I do! I do! And I am now in control of that power!" ESPIO: "Why do you think they earned the name 'Chaos' Emeralds? There IS no controlling their power!" ROBOTNIK: "I AM the power." Robotnik snaps his fingers, which sends a small spark that reaches the ceiling and blasts it off, revealing the strong thunderstorm brewing above. NACK: "Chaos Emeralds fueling power-crazed insanity. Not such a hot combo, is it?" ROBOTNIK: "I guess it does end here after all, hedgehog. And, heh, heh, heh...the winner is obvious." Faster than Sonic himself, Robotnik zooms straight up into the air, where he instantly attracts countless dozens of bolts of lightning from the storm clouds. He raises his hand in the air. A ball of pure energy collects in his palm. Looking back down, he takes a deep breath. ROBOTNIK: "And thus ends my beloved city of Robotropolis. It was fun, but when the rocket's launched the station is torn down!" All the while the energy is collecting and growing in his hand, he looks straight down to Sonic and the Freedom Fighters below. In a louder voice, he calls down: ROBOTNIK: "Goodbye, hedgehog!" The ball of energy in Robotnik's hand grows. And grows. And grows. Soon the entire sky is lit up with the blinding light. The congregation of Freedom Fighters can do nothing but watch helplessly as the light grows into a blinding flash, covering everything. Now nothing is visible but pure white, and nothing can be heard outside of the roaring wind, booming thunder, pelting rain, and shrill whistle of the energy blast. Sonic falls to his knees and covers his eyes. The sheer force begins to weaken him. Soon he falls helpless onto the ground, and can no longer breathe. All is lost. Or is it?... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Epilogue --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sonic slowly opens his eyes. His vision's still too blurry to see, but he can feel he is in a hammock, and he knows he's near the beach by the sound of the waves. He takes this moment to silently gather his thoughts. All memories of the recent battle, Robotropolis, Knothole, and the Mobius monarchy have been wiped from his memory. But he does remember. He remembers a different reality. A reality as it is supposed to be. A reality as fate read it, but was previously thrown off-course by balance of power and a Great War that wasn't supposed to be. What Sonic and the others just witnessed was Chaos Emerald power, under control of an even greater force, changing reality to match fate's prophecies and commands. Now, for the first time in over twenty years, things are as they should be. Sonic retains no memory of the recent battle for fate, or the events that lead to it, and neither does anyone else. Infact, not only has reality changed, but lives and people that existed in the false universe are no longer, as they were never meant to be in the first place. By changing a simple event in the past that no one is ever to realize, the past twenty-year warp has been completely erased from history. It is indeed a whole new world, and one that is as it should be. Sonic the Hedgehog's vision begins to come into focus, as he slowly sits up in the hammock. It's tied between two palm trees, and the area around him is a tropical-type environment, with waterfalls, odd native totem poles, and hillsides literally checkered with brown and orange squares. He instantly recognizes that he's in the Green Hill Zone. The sun appears to be setting, casting an orange glow over the horizon. Rubbing a large bump on his head, he looks around for other signs of life. There are multi-colored Flicky birds flying and singing in the air, and gray rabbits scurrying along the ground. He hops out of the hammock, just realizing that he's got a major headache. Suddenly a light helicopter-like noise can be heard in the distance, as Miles "Tails" Prower flies into view. TAILS: "Hey, Sonic!" He flies closer and lands next to Sonic. TAILS: "So you're finally up! Are you hurt?" Sonic rubs his head. SONIC: "I dunno...what hit me?!" TAILS: "Don't you remember?" SONIC: "All I can think of right now is this killer headache! Run the poop by me once to refresh the hedgehog memory." TAILS: "We were just lookin' for some fun giving Robotnik's Badniks in the Electric Egg Zone a bad day, when this huge swarm of Buzz Bombers came out of nowhere. We high-tailed it back to the Tornado, and during our escape you were knocked off of the wing by a blast from one of the BB's. Luckily I was flying lower than usual to avoid the the Badniks as much as possible, and I found you KO'd in a clump of tall grass in the Azure Lake Zone. You've been out cold for three hours, but thank goodness it's nothing serious." SONIC: "You don't call a concussion serious?!" TAILS: "You're okay, aren't you?" SONIC: "I'm not sure...it seems like something alot bigger than that just happened..." TAILS: "What do you mean?" Sonic turns his back on Tails and faces the ocean, where the sun is setting over the horizon. SONIC: "To tell you the truth, I'm not too sure." TAILS: "Sonic...is everything alright?" Still facing the sunset, Sonic cracks a smile and takes a deep breath. SONIC: "It is now." ***The End***