------------------------------------------------------------------------------ <- - - - - - Turn down your screen brightness (where applicable) - - - - - -> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "End of Mobius, Part 1", by Dave Bulmer MSTing by Shay Caron (gleemoth@aol.com) http://protection.keenspace.com/ Part 3 of 6 [ Mike enters the theater and sits down between Crow and Tom. ] MIKE: [ sits down ] Okay, I'm better now. > When Sonic came to he was lying on an unfamiliar bed. MIKE: Aaaugh! I came in at the wrong time! > Knuckles > was standing over him, MIKE: The *very* wrong time! TOM: Look, he's just recovering from getting beat up. > and his jaw was wrapped with a large leaf acting > as a bandage. MIKE: Oh. Whew. > "Welcome back," CROW: Welcome... to the WORLD OF TOMORROW! TOM: Shut up, Terry. > Knuckles said, standing back. "You okay?" > "Where am I?" Sonic groaned, feebly. CROW: Sheesh. Whenever anyone wakes up from unconsciousness, they always, *always* ask, "Where am I?" MIKE: Well, sometimes people ask, "What happened to my pants?" > "My head's killing me! Why > aren't I with Tails? Why..." Then he remembered everything. It all came > flooding back to him in an instant. This time it hadn't been a > nightmare. A Metallix had attacked him, MIKE: Painted him yellow... > tried to kill him, CROW: Held a bake sale... > and had > blasted Tails... TOM: [ Sonic ] That was my favorite part. > "Tails!" Sonic shouted, sitting bolt upright. CROW: [ Knuckles ] Um, wait, there's a low ceiling-- TOM: [ thunk ] > "Where's Tails?" > Knuckles looked at the ground for a second before answering. > "I don't know," he said, quietly. "I couldn't find him at > Knothole. I suspected he was with you, but he wasn't there when I > arrived. CROW: [ Knuckles ] I got his answering machine. > I don't think he made it. I managed to reduce the Metallix's > power somehow by smashing some kind of generator that was attached to > the cave, MIKE: [ Knuckles ] Well, maybe it was me. I dunno. > but when he left there was no sign of Tails whatsoever. I had > to get you home, but I couldn't get into Knothole. We're on Angel > Island." TOM: And Angel should be along any second. > "No..." CROW: [ Sonic ] You lie! > Sonic still couldn't believe it had actually happened. > He had seen Tails vaporised by that Metallix. MIKE: So he *did* believe it had happened. > "He could be okay... That > Metallix might only have beamed him off somewhere..." Sonic sighed. > "Who'm I trying to kid? Even if Tails was only transported, he's > probably being roboticised by the Special Badnik Service as we speak..." > "Ah... yeah, about that..." TOM: [ Knuckles ] We found his corpse... > "What? What do you know about the SBS?" > "Well... they've kindasorta rebuilt the Death Egg again..." CROW: Yeah, they haven't *actually* rebuilt the thing, but they're as close as you can get. MIKE: Just need to tighten one more screw... > "What?!" Sonic could not believe what he was hearing. The Death > Egg had once been a huge, spherical, fortress. TOM: Then it hatched. MIKE: Now it was a very popular restaurant. > Powered by the Master > Emerald, it had been the Freedom Fighters' deadliest enemy. Since then > Sonic had destroyed it at least five times, CROW: All in a row, really quickly. > and since the demise of the > Badniks' leader Ivo Robotnik, Sonic was sure he'd never have to face the > 'Egg ever again. Even though the Special Badnik Service was continually > growing, TOM: They're Mobian Sentinels. > roboticising every citizen they found, Sonic didn't think they > were powerful enough to rebuild a thing like the Death Egg. "Now what do > we do?!" CROW: I suggest you panic, then run. > "There's only one option that I can see. Round up some Freedom > Fighters, MIKE: Form a posse, apply some martial law. CROW: Make 7-Up yours? > break into Robotropolis." Robotropolis was the nickname the > Fighters had given to Metropolis now it was entirely metal. MIKE: Run-on sentences are quite annoying now I only like mayonnaise in extremely small quantities. > "But why? What can we achieve in there?" > "We could find out where the Death Egg is, maybe even rescue > Tails, if..." CROW: [ Knuckles ] ...we feel like it. > "...If he's alive," Sonic finished. He sighed and stood up. > "Well, we'd better get on with it if we're gonna sort this thing out. > While we're there I want to find out about that Metallix. I must know if > there's any more. TOM: [ Sonic ] Damn it, I must know! I *must*! > If so, we have to watch out." > "Let's go," Knuckles said. MIKE: [ Sonic ] I'm glad you thought of that *before* we left. > > "Are you sure about this?" Porker Lewis asked, peering around > the metal girder they were hiding behind. CROW: I've got a *bad* feeling about this. MIKE: Shut up. > He didn't like creeping around > in Metropolis City. For one thing the sound of his trotters against the > metal floors often attracted the attention of Badniks and Swatbots, TOM: Well, just put away the coconuts. CROW: "You've got two empty halves of coconut and you're bangin' 'em together!" > and > that was why he had to wear these uncomfortable trainers now when he > went out. > "This is our only chance," Sonic whispered. "If we don't find > out about the Death Egg and the Metallixes now, CROW: You mean "Metalli"? > it might be too late to > stop them." > Three SBS Troopers CROW: Better than VR Troopers. > rounded a nearby corner. TOM: With very large files. > Clad entirely in > blood-red armour, MIKE: How utterly Arthurian. CROW: Oh, it's the Crimson Knight, the, ah, Scarlet Knight, and the... the... TOM: The Raspberry Knight! [ pause ] What? CROW: Hey, one of them must be the Tom Knight! TOM: Oh, cool! > the Troopers stood about three feet taller than Sonic. MIKE: So, close to three feet, then. > Their silvery metal jaws creaked as they spoke to each other. CROW: Because robots need to resemble humans, even if it makes no sense. MIKE: Yeah, you should talk. TOM: [ Trooper ] Oil can! Oil can! > "Receiving new orders," one of the Troopers said, turning to > face the other. "We are to report to Citadel Robotnik for rebriefing." CROW: Yeah, this model of Trooper needs its briefs changed every 10,000 miles or so. > They turned and began to walk away, when the second Trooper stopped. MIKE: [ Trooper ] But do I really *want* new briefs? > "Wait," it said. "Detecting enemy lifesigns in the vicinity." CROW: [ Trooper ] I just oiled myself. TOM: [ Trooper ] Let's *run* away instead. > "Freedom Fighter capture overrides all orders," the first > Trooper droned. MIKE: Wow, that's actually... kind of intelligent. > The two Troopers slowly walked towards the girder the > Fighters were hiding behind, and tore it out of the ground. CROW: Is that really easier to do than stepping *around* the girder? TOM: Hey, what happened to the third one? > Sonic, > Knuckles, Porker, Johnny, Amy and Sally stood motionless for a second, > unsure what to do. Sonic acted first, as usual. TOM: [ Sonic ] Is this a Trooper I see before me? > Jumping into the air he > curled up into a ball and crashed down on top of one of the Troopers, > smashing it to pieces. MIKE: So, to review, Sonic is built of a bizarre, otherworldly substance. CROW: Maybe he's Kryptonite. > The second Trooper blurted something into a small > microphone built into its arm, CROW: [ Trooper ] I'd like a Happy Meal! MIKE: [ Trooper, speaking quickly ] I regret that I have but one life to give for my-- > before Sonic cut right through its head > with his spin-attack. MIKE: [ Trooper ] Aaagh... TOM: And the *third* Trooper phased into an alternate universe. > Sonic landed among the debris and watched as a > small, green light on one of the Troopers' built-in modems flickered on > and off, CROW: -... .. - . -- . > presumably sending messages to the SBS headquarters. Sonic bent > down towards the modem's microphone. CROW: [ Sonic ] Just let me get my order straight... > "I apologise for the untimely demise of your two brothers," he > smirked, MIKE: [ Sonic ] The reports of such being greatly exaggerated. > "but they were getting on my nerves." He brought his foot down > on the modem, crushing it like an insect. > "What do we do now?" Princess Sally Acorn asked. CROW: Yeah, she *would*. TOM: He said she wouldn't *be* here! > Sally had been > with Sonic right from the start, even before he changed blue. CROW: To green. MIKE: Sit back, everyone, we've got ourselves a paragraph of exposition ahead! TOM: Whoa, let me get my 3-D glasses. > She had > gone missing for a few years when her father was trapped in one of the > early Badniks, and she decided to rescue him. TOM: Boy, a few *years*? Took her long enough! > However, she was too late > and he died. CROW: After years of being trapped in a robot with no food? How strange! > Before he did though, he told her about her amazing past. > It turned out she was the rightful ruler of Mobius, MIKE: Just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at her, no doubt. > and for that reason > she enrolled as an honorary Freedom Fighter. Since then hundreds of > citizens had joined, TOM: She's *great* for morale, though. > and that lead to the death of the SBS leader, > Doctor Ivo Robotnik. CROW: Woo-hoo, he's dead! MIKE: Party with your bad self! > "Those Troopers are bound to have alerted more > troops," Sally continued. Johnny nodded. > "She's right, Sonic. There'll be more on the way." Johnny > Lightfoot had been there with Sally and the others when Sonic first > appeared in the Great Forest, TOM: Gee, *more* plot points! I cannot contain my joy. > and had followed Sonic ever since. CROW: Yes, Johnny followed Sonic everywhere. The restroom, the shower, bed... > Now he > was the Team's top kickboxer, and a vital asset to the Freedom Team. > But, as Sonic always said, 'Everyone is equal in the Freedom Team, > especially me!' MIKE: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS > "What are you guys worried about?" Sonic asked. "You've got me > on your side, remember?" > "Oh yeah," Sally groaned. "Great." She had always loathed > Sonic's big-headedness. MIKE: C'mon, her head is just as big! > All he did all day was boast, brag and show off. > What she hated the most about it was that he was usually right. > "Uh... guys?" > "Really, I don't know what you all worry about. Ever." > "Guys?" Porker tugged on one of Sonic's spines. TOM: Porker had been a part of the team for a very long time... > "Not now, Porker, I'm bragging!" > "But..." Before he could finish his sentence, a pair of metal > hands gripped Sonic's shoulders. More Troopers grabbed the other > Fighters, and began to drag them towards a huge vehicle, parked next to > a large building with a red symbol on the door. CROW: The Anarchy symbol? MIKE: I *think* that says "El Barto". TOM: Heeey, it's me! > As the Freedom Fighters > were bundled into the vehicle, Sonic thought he could just see a pair of > red eyes staring at them from somewhere in the shadows. CROW: [ Ben Stein ] Got red eyes? > > Grimer sat at his desk, watching out of the window as the > Freedom Fighters were driven away. "We have them, Master. All of them. > Sonic, Amy, Sally, you name them we've got them!" MIKE: At low, low prices! CROW: [ Grimer ] Now we've got the whole set! > "Eggscellent," ALL: Dah! > the figure in the chair replied. He turned round > and pressed a few buttons in another desk. TOM: [ figure ] I'll just load up that porn video... > A screen flickered into life, > showing the Freedom Fighters locked in the police vehicle, being driven > towards North Beach. "I'm surprised they came here at all, Grimer. CROW: [ figure ] What twitching *morons*! MIKE: [ figure ] "Freedom" Fighters... More like "Feeble" Fighters! > If > I'd known I could have kept the Evilniks here. It would have been so > much easier..." > "No matter, Master," Grimer replied, "they are all finished!" > Grimer had been working in Citadel Robotnik for years now. MIKE: Gah! TOM: Can't he just put the backstory somewhere *else*?! > Citadel > Robotnik, situated in the centre of Metropolis City, was the base of > operations for the SBS. Grimer, their chief scientist, CROW: Felt constantly dirty. > had been the one > who originally designed the Brotherhood of Metallix. There were a few > Badnik Troopers around when he was first employed, but he greatly > updated their design and the Special Badnik Service was born. > "I'm sure our little plan won't go unfulfilled..." Doctor Ivo > Robotnik stood up. TOM: Good gods... MIKE: For being dead, he's pretty talkative. > His ovoid chest wobbled as he did so, CROW: Y'know, I can't help but notice Dave talks about chests quite a lot. MIKE: Say, you're right. > and his thin, > spindly legs could barely take the strain, but still he managed to drag > his body towards a leather seat, specially designed for him to sit on. > As he sat in it, the seat descended into the ground slightly, TOM: Geez, I *knew* he was *fat*, but... > and a > glass dome closed over his head. MIKE: [ Robotnik ] Let the liposuction commence! > A large, metal, oval aircraft rose > slowly out of the ground, with Doctor Robotnik seated in the centre. The > Eggomatic. CROW: It slices, dices, chops, and shreds! TOM: And does it make Julienne fries? CROW: *NO*! What the hell are you *thinking*?! TOM: Geez, sorry! CROW: Of *course* it doesn't! ...Pfft, Julienne fries... > Robotnik had designed his hovercraft originally as a weapon > against Sonic, but now he realised it was worthless for that purpose, > and used it primarily as a travelling vehicle. MIKE: [ Robotnik ] Screw mass transit, I'm going for a Sunday drive! > The Eggomatic hovered in the air for a second before turning and > zipping out of the door. The Eggomatic, now much faster than ever before > and capable of almost catching up with Sonic, even when using a Power > Ring. [ pause ] CROW: Is that the end of that sentence? MIKE: [ to himself ] The Eggomatic... capable of almost... using a Power Ring... [ out loud ] It *shouldn't* be. > He flew along the streets, between the buildings and over the > Badnik camps of Metropolis, TOM: Buzzing the Badniks below... MIKE: [ geriatric voice ] Hey! Watch it, you! Crazy driver! CROW: [ young punk tone ] Get a life, old man! MIKE: [ geriatric voice ] Get a haircut! > until he came to a hatch in the floor. He > tapped a button in the Eggomatic's control panel and the hatch opened. > The Eggomatic descended into the room below, MIKE: [ motherly voice ] Here comes the Eggomatic, down the hatch! Vrrm... > and landed on a pressure > pad. The doorway slammed shut and the pressure pad began to glow. > The Freedom Fighters all thought he was dead. It was all part of > Robotnik's master plan. Now he was the last thing they were expecting... CROW: Well, second to last, just before the Spanish Inquisition. > > "Oof!" The vehicle skidded to a halt and the Freedom Fighters > tumbled out of the back and landed on the sand. TOM: Beach party!! CROW: Spring break!! MIKE: Party on!! > "Why have they brought us here?" Johnny wondered out loud. North > Beach was part of South Island, the only area on Mobius not part of > Robotropolis already. CROW: Except for the Floating Island, Flicky Island, oh, Angel Island, by the way... MIKE: That robotic memory amazes me. CROW: It's a curse at times. > The Great Forest lay in the centre of the island, > and some of the Fighters were worried that the SBS may have already > discovered the location of Knothole. They were wrong. > "We don't make the orders," one of the Troopers said, TOM: [ Trooper ] We *break* the orders. > "we just > follow them." With that the Trooper kicked Johnny hard in the chest. TOM: That and your rib cage. MIKE: "Chest" again. > The > hare staggered backwards clutching his stomach, but he didn't fall. The > angered Trooper slammed shut the door of the vehicle and stomped back > into the front. The Freedom Fighters watched the Troopers drive away, > leaving them alone on the beach. [ pause ] MIKE: [ Mobian ] Um, are you gonna fight us now? CROW: [ Mobian ] Hey, where're you going? > "What now?" Amy asked, looking round in case this was all a > trap. Everyone looked at Sonic. TOM: Because if it was a trap, he was in on it. CROW: If they're relying on *Sonic* for guidance, this planet's in trouble. > He usually liked to be in control and > lead the Fighters; usually it wasn't this difficult. TOM: [ Sonic, whining ] Thinking hurts my brain! > There was nothing > here. They had been taken from Robotropolis by the two Troopers, and > were transported home! It didn't make sense. MIKE: "We must be in a fanfic!" > They had orders to dispose > of all Freedom Fighters, so why... > "Sonic..." Amy whispered, pointing over to a large cave, "what's > that noise?" The cave, cut into the side of a cliff, was restricting CROW: Boy, tell me about it. These briefs... > Sonic's view, but he could hear a familiar humming sound coming from > somewhere behind it. > "Uh-oh," Sally groaned. She knew that sound all too well. > Scoutbots. MIKE: GirlScoutbots. CROW: [ monotone ] Buy my cookies. Buy my cookies. Buy my cookies. TOM: [ snickers ] CubScoutbots. [ chuckles ] CROW: Mike, please step out of my path, so that I might murder him. MIKE: Crow... [ tries to think of a clever response ] ...No. > She was right; hundreds of Scoutbots swarmed towards them > from behind the cave. CROW: Weren't they, um, *in* the cave?! > The Scoutbots were the leftover Badniks from the > beginning of Robotnik's reign. Varying in shape and size, the Scoutbots > were usually designed in the image of certain animals. MIKE: Do those fall under the heading of "false idols"? > Civilians had > been captured and, instead of being physically roboticised, they had > been crammed inside the Scoutbots, to act as an 'organic battery' from > which the Scoutbot drew its power. TOM: Y'know, I would *swear* that there's something really dirty about this whole thing. > Some people considered this to be > worse than actual roboticising, as the civilian inside was still > conscious of its true identity, CROW: And apparently also neuter. > and could do nothing to stop the > Scoutbot, while it felt its life being drained away as it lay crammed > into the working parts of the primitive Badnik. TOM: No, I'm *serious*! There's something-- MIKE, CROW: Yes, Tom, we know. > "What are these supposed to do?" Sonic laughed. He could wipe > Scoutbots out in an instant. He curled up into a ball, placing his hands > on the metal floor. CROW: Metal floor. May I say it? TOM: Be my guest. CROW: Thank you. THEY'RE ON THE BEACH!! > He pushed forwards on his hands until he was > spinning satisfactorily, then kicked backwards with his feet, sending > him hurtling towards the confused Badnik horde. MIKE: [ Badniks ] Duuuuuuhhh!! TOM: [ Badniks ] I like potatoes! > Effortlessly Sonic > smashed through the crowds, destroying each Badnik he came into contact > with. The citizens trapped inside fell the the floor among the wreckage. > But more kept coming. TOM: No, I really mean it this time! MIKE: Servo, give it a rest. > Soon the whole beach was hidden under a thick > carpet of Scoutbots. Even Sonic looked worried. "Porker, load your > Megacannonik." TOM: But I-- MIKE: Tom, not a word. Ssh. TOM: I just-- MIKE: Ssh. TOM: But it-- MIKE: Ssh. TOM: I-- MIKE: Ssh. TOM: [ pause ] [ Tom starts to speak ] MIKE: Ssh! TOM: Hey! > Porker nodded and hoisted his Megacannonik out of his belt and > into his arms. CROW: Say, Mike, I'm starting to agree with Tom. MIKE: Why me? TOM: Because you were stupid enough to take that temp job in Deep 13. CROW: Is that a Megacannonik in your pocket... > This terrifying weapon had originally been created by > Robotnik shortly after inventing the roboticiser. As soon as he'd > discovered how to alter things genetically and molecularly, he designed > the Megacannonik, which could transform a shell into anything. TOM: The tortoises of this world were *mad*. MIKE: You don't want to bug them; they've got Om on their side. > By > loading a cartridge into a large slot in the top of the gun and > programming it using the built-in keyboard, the Megacannonik could fire > any kind of bullet, from laser beams to paintballs. Porker had manahged > to steal some when all the rest were destroyed. CROW: Why would you destroy a weapon like *that*?! MIKE: Because you don't want them stolen, perhaps? TOM: Ah, but such a weapon would make war a thing of the past, because no one would dare *use* it! [ pause ] CROW: You are such a feeb. > Porker programmed the Megacannonik, aimed it at the hordes, and > fired. Streams of fire burst from the tip of the gun, melting down the > Scoutbots. As they melted their molten remains flowed together, until > all that was left was a hardening mass of metal. TOM: Didn't they say there were people inside the Scoutbots? MIKE: Um, yeah, they did. [ pause ] ALL: Eeeeewww!! > Hundreds more Scoutbots > swarmed towards them, which Porker tried to melt down, but he ran out of > flames. While he loaded a new cartridge, MIKE: Servo, just don't say a word. TOM: Well, I wasn't *going* to... > Sonic set to work spinning > through as many Badniks as he could. Johnny swept up a group of Badniks > with his staff, and threw them aside. Amy Rose raised her crossbow and > fired a tiny dart at a crowd of Badniks in front of her. CROW: [ knowingly ] We're going to tranquilize every single one of them. > With perfect > aim and precision the dart sliced through a Badniks head and flew out of > its back, taking out at least ten more that were standing behind each > other. CROW: Gah! That's not very tranquil at all! MIKE: Okay, the dart went in through its head and out through its *back*? TOM: You see, Amy is approximately ten feet tall... > As the dart passed through the Scoutbots they shook for a few > seconds before exploding in a shower of sparks and civilians. > "Run!" Porker shouted to the civilians and the Freedom Fighters > still battling, "get out of the way!" MIKE: Clear out. Of way out get my. Whoops, my mistake! > He lifted his Megacannonik and > blasted more and more fireballs at the Badnik horde. One by one they > each melted away, liquidising all other Scoutbots they touched. TOM: Convenient how their melting point is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. > "That's > the last of them," Porker said, slotting the Megacannonik into his belt > again. He was right. CROW: For *once*. > Every single Badnik had been melted, smashed or > blown up. North Beach was in complete shambles. > "Whew!" Sonic wiped his hand across his forehead. MIKE: [ Sonic ] Lemme just register a pulse... > "That was > exhausting... NOT! Porker, nice work with that Megacannonik!" > "Thanks," Porker grinned. TOM: Loud grin. > "Now maybe we can get back to finding the Death Egg," Knuckles > suggested. "First we'll need to make our way back into Robotropolis. I > suggest..." He stopped. Nobody was listening to him. MIKE: [ Knuckles ] Ungrateful wretches!! > They were all > staring at something behind him. Nevously CROW: Campbell. > turning round, Knuckles saw > that they were all staring at the cave the Scoutbots had appeared from. > Something inside the cave was glowing, and a quiet sound of hundreds of > drums beating in rythem CROW: Oh, ouch. TOM: That kind of misspelling really ruins a sentence. MIKE: Yeah, it disrupted the rhythm. TOM: Sure d-- BOTS: Hey! > could he heard coming from somewhere inside. As > the sound got louder, Knuckles identified it as footsteps. Hundreds of > heavy footsteps. MIKE: They got a thousand elephants marchin' out that cave mouth. > Something was walking through that cave, and whatever > it was, it had hundreds of feet. CROW: It's the amazing Millipede Man! > And whatever it was, it was nearly at > the mouth of the cave. > The Freedom Team stepped backwards as rows upon rows of SBS > Troopers marched out of the cave. TOM: [ yelling ] Extreeeeeeme SBS Troopers!! > These Troopers were different. They > were clad in gold instead of the usual dull red armour, and were > approximately three times as tall and muscular. CROW: Hey, wow, it's the Gold Knight, the Marigold Knight, the Yellow Knight, the, ah, Orange-Yellow Knight, the, er, Sunflower Knight, the, ah, ah, the Mari-- MIKE: It's all right, Crow. You don't have to name hundreds of gold Troopers. CROW: [ meekly ] Thank you. TOM: One of them's the Crow Knight! CROW: Say, yeah! And it says the gold robots were three times as muscular as the red ones! Sounds good to me! TOM: Heeeeey!! > Each and every SBS > Trooper clutched a Megacannonik, slightly more advanced than Porker's. TOM: Now Porker's going to have "Megacannonik envy". > They must have built a whole new batch. MIKE: I wonder if the third-person omniscient point of view could possibly keep its impartiality? > As the Troopers marched away > from the cave and towards the Freedom Fighters, the light inside the > cave grew brighter. CROW: The bats' internal clocks are getting *majorly* screwed up... > As the light reached its peak, another Metallix, or > possibly even the same one flew out of the cave behind the Troopers, its > chest glowing. MIKE: Same as what? CROW: As the other one. MIKE: I missed it, didn't I? CROW: Yup. MIKE: Good. > Sonic jumped into the air, curled into a ball and flung himself > over the Trooper squad to land on the floor behind them. The light on > the Metallix's chest flashed, and the Troopers changed direction to > follow Sonic. TOM: [ Sonic ] Okay, good, now follow me over this cliff! MIKE: Yeah, turns out it was a bad idea to roboticize a herd of lemmings. > "Sonic, so finally I get to meet you! What a coincidence! You > appear to be standing in the exact spot where a dead hedgehog is going > to be after I..." CROW: [ Metallix ] ...remember what the heck I was going to say. > "I see you're not tough enough to finish me off on your own," > Sonic interrupted, standing his ground. "You had to develop new Troopers > to back you up!" > "That is correct," the Metallix admitted, MIKE: [ Metallix ] All right, all right, I suck. > "and you are no match > for any one of the Evilniks." It was right. TOM: Notice the villains are correct much more often than the heroes. > The Troopers were several > times taller than Sonic was. He didn't stand a chance. "But I'll give > you a sporting chance..." The light on the Metallix's chest flashed > again, and the Troopers turned on the Freedom Fighters. CROW: Whoa! MIKE: You could have phrased that a *bit* better! > Sonic knew that > light had to be the key to defeating the Evilnik Troopers, if only he > could think of a way to stop it from functioning properly... TOM: Spray paint probably would not work. > "Run, guys," Sonic shouted as the Evilniks raised their > Megacannoniks, "I'll deal with these creeps!" The Freedom Fighters > turned and ran, all except Amy Rose. CROW: [ Amy ] Where's everyone going? > Brushing her hair out of her eyes > she took aim with her crossbow and shot another dart at one of the > Megacannoniks' barrels. Amy was sure she would hit; she was the sharpest > shooter on South Island if not Mobius! TOM: Again that's not saying much. > The dart zipped into the > Megacannonik with ease. The gun exploded in a cloud of fire. The Trooper > holding it staggered backwards but wasn't even charred. MIKE: Not even its chest. > Amy's eyes > widened as she saw the undisturbed Trooper, and she turned tail and > fled. The Evilniks must be indestructible! > "They're... chasing... us," Porker panted as they ran. TOM: [ Porker ] Gee, I certainly didn't expect them to do *that*! > The > Troopers stormed towards them at an alarming rate, and Knuckles wasn't > sure if they'd be able to evade capture for much longer. > Sonic watched them go. CROW: [ Sonic ] See ya, suckers! Heh heh. > His primary task was to shut down the > Metallix, which had landed on the ground and was watching the Troopers, > flashing his light whenever they needed to change direction. MIKE: Green light! BOTS: [ shuffle closer to Mike ] MIKE: Red light! BOTS: [ freeze ] > Sonic crept > up behind it and was about to bring his fist down on the Metallix's > back, when he heard a strange puttering sound from somewhere above him. CROW: Some old dude puttering around in his hovercraft. MIKE: [ as Sonic, waves his fist in the air ] Sunday flier! > Looking up into the sky he saw something that made his heart > miss at least three beats. It was a familiar roundish oval object, the > top of which was made entirely from glass: TOM: It's a L'eggs egg! > the Eggomatic, sporting its > wrecking ball, and a strange tank Sonic hadn't seen before. And in the > driver's seat was none other than CROW: ELVIS!! > Doctor Ivo Robotnik. MIKE: OK, here we go. *Yaaaaawn*. > "What?!" Sonic exclaimed as the Eggomatic stopper in mid-air > above him. CROW: [ narrator ] I *said*, "Doctor Ivo Robotnik". > "But... you're dead! MIKE: He's breathing well for a corpse. > This is impossible!" TOM: Nothing is impossible if you can imagine it! CROW: Riiiight. > "Metallix, perform the procedure we spoke about," Robotnik's > voice said from a speaker in the side of the Eggomatic. The chest light > flashed and the Evilnik Troopers moved slowly outwards to surround both > the Freedom Fighters and Sonic. TOM: Red Rover, Red Rover, let Sonic come over... > Robotnik flew towards the Great Forest. > Sonic felt a cold chill trickle down his body as he realised Robotnik > may have located Knothole yet, but he was wrong. CROW: Those watching who are surprised by this, raise your hand. [ Mike puts his hand in the air for a second, then looks around and slowly lowers it. ] > The 'Matic was just > forming the missing part of the circle that surrounded them. > The Freedom Fighters looked at each other, nodded and ran > towards Robotnik. TOM: [ Sonic ] Everybody dog-pile him! > Sonic stopped just below the Eggomatic as his friends > ran into the forest. Robotnik flicked a small switch and the wrecking > ball began to swing. Sonic waited until the last moment then jumped out > of the way. MIKE: [ Sonic ] Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me! > The ball hit the Metallix full on in the chest, smashing his > light. The SBS Troopers stopped dead, and Robotnik shook his fist at > Sonic, TOM: [ Robotnik ] Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into! MIKE: [ Robotnik ] And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling kids! CROW: [ Robotnik ] Curses, foiled again! > who was already half way to catching up with the others, who were > already a good way into the forest, fighting back brambles and branches > as they went. ALL: RUN AWA-A-AY!! > CROW: Did we ever find out exactly what that thing on the side of the cliff was? TOM: No. MIKE: What thing? [ Everyone leaves the theater. ] [ MST3K planet bumper. Commercials ensue. ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ End of part 3 -- Shay Caron E-mail: gleemoth@aol.com Web site: http://protection.keenspace.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------