Mobius Reborn: Rise of Robotnik

[Chromatic Terras 20]

Casino Night Zone: Vector 

Vector looked around to all the people jumping in to help and then to Tekno, who quickly lashed out onto the pod to tear it open. He decided not to concern himself with her rampage yet, as he turned to look outward towards the incoming army.

"Looks like we'll have to fight our way out of this one team," he says as he slams his two fists together. He then jumps out towards Elias, joining him in the fight against the robots as he bites and throws punches one after another.

"I'm afraid Vectors right on this one," the Chief sighs. "As much as I don't like getting non-police force involved, I'm going to need all your help to take care of whatever this crazy phenomenon is."

Angle Island: Knuckles & Tikal

A few moments had passed, as Knuckles took some time to recover his strength. Tikal waiting patiently as the island seemed to be slowly drifting across the sea. Finally Knuckles stands up and walks over to her.

"Well I've taken some time thinking about it. I feel it's best I get to searching for the remains of the Master Emerald." he speaks to her.

"I fear that may not be as easy as you think," Tikal responds. "The destruction of the Master Emerald had scattered far beyond this island in almost every direction. We can search for any shards that landed nearby, however I feel your joruney will be one a lot longer than you'd imagine."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Knuckles asks, intrigued by her knowledge.

"I-I had read a lot on the hieroglyphics in the ruins about the Master Emerald," she stumbles for a moment. "Not only is it a gem of immense power, but to take apart that power by any means would cause many catastrophes. For the Emerald to shatter as it did, I couldn't imagine its remains to be confined to just this island."

"I see, then it's best I search for the pieces on this island first and then make way to the mainland once the island reaches it." Knuckles says to himself before attempting to walk off into the forest, however Tikal quickly grabs him by the arm.

"Wait! I feel it would be best for you to take a look at the ruins I came from first," she pleads. "There's information there I've always been concerned about, and I feel it would be very important to you as well."

"Such as? All I'm concerned about is restoring the Emerald to it's former form and continuing with my duty."

"I know, I know. But with the Emerald now in pieces, there's something more you may have to look out for as well."

"Which is?"

"....Chaos."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm

Storm finally began to come to as he sits up, holding his head. He looks around to what seemed like an uninhabited forest with oddly gorgeous weather. He pulls himself to his feet with the help of a nearby tree and brushes off the dirt for his backside. 

"Where in the world am I?" he thinks to himself as he starts walking froward. As he continues to travel in a straight line, he then finds a small pond of crystal clear water. His throat aches of thirst as he drops down and begins drinking quickly. After a brief moment, he finally sits back, letting out a relaxed gasp as he feels his energy finally come back to him. Wiping his mouth, Storm then sits upright and looks back to the pond, however this time it seemed to have grown in size and slightly shifted color. Storm stares at it confused before finally the miss-colored water begins to separate itself from the pond and move onto land, before starting to rise upward into the air. Storm can only watch in shock as the water begins to form a body of a creature he had never seen before, with a very visible brain at the top of it's head. The creature then turns its head to look at Storm, it's bright green eyes feeling as though they were staring deep into his own. Finally the creature turns back and starts walking into the forest.

"WHERE in the world am I?" Storm says to himself, out loud this time, before looking at the pond with fear and getting up to run away in the opposite direction. "I need to find Wave fast."

Wing Fortress: Gamma

Gammas sensors reboot once more, swiftly raisin his arm to grab onto Dr. Robotniks as he immediately sits up from the table. His vision was slightly blurry from damage, however he was able to make sense of his location. He then turned over to the doctor, realizing what he had done, and quickly released his wrist from his grasp.
 

"Dr. Robotnik," Gamma says blankly, before beginning to think to himself. "I must have shut down again after sending out the final distress beacon. Is the doctor aware of the communication in my head?....should I tell him if it is not the case?"

Gamma then looks over to Beta, who was standing in the room awaiting order.

"Beta."

[ChaosKaiser 174]

-Sonic the Hedgehog, Island.

"Youngest mechanic I've ever seen, I guess..." the blue hedgehog added. "So, have you made this work?" he asked, poining at the airplane. "Because that would mean you're not only the youngest, but also the most efficient I've seen in a while!" he added, smiling to the orange fox. 

____________________________________________________

-Tekno the Canary, Casino Night Zone.

"Old... man... are you okay?" Tekno asked, once the pod was cracked. 

"Oh..." the owl inside the machine was confused, and exhausted. "I... I've been better, young lady..." 

Relieved, the jade fowl girl reached to the owl's hand, and got him out of the pile of metal that seconds ago stood as his prison. "Thanks, miss. Hope you find your logs."

"I wasn't looking for l-- ugh, forget it... I'm not the only one you have to thank for. This peopl--" Tekno stopped talking when she witnessed how the few inhabitants who hadn't fled were fighting against the horde of badniks. "Oh, my... this... what the heck is going on?!" 

[Danny Felixe 330]

Liza and Espio the Chameleon, Casino Night Zone
Liza looked surprised seeing Tekno however made sure it didn't distract her from the fight

"Seems like that civilian doesn't need protection" she thought to herself. She eyed Vector briefly now. "Both appear reckless but effective

With the pod cracked and the owl being helped out, her attention then turned to the badnik hoard closing in

"Would it not be better to retreat for now? This seems like a large force and we do not know their weakness yet" Liza then called out to those around her, using her kunai to attack any badniks that got too close to the group

-----

What was a bustling city had seemed to turn into a ghost town. Espio was leaving now too. He had no intention of meeting up with Liza again now. Better she think him dead. He had to find out what had happened here and if this was happening else where. If Liza were here she'd bring him back to the Dragon Kingdom where he wouldn't be of use. It was time to get going

--------------------------------------------------

Marine the Raccoon and Blaze, Downunda
Blaze and Marine headed to the docks

"So where are you going?" Marine asked looking the Blaze

Blaze looked thoughtful for a moment

"I'm not sure. I-" she began

"An adventure not knowing where you're going? I do that all the time!" Marine interrupted with a grin

"Well... I'm sure it is. I know it's important... but I'm not sure where. I recall a big city... I think that's where I'm supposed to go" Blaze said

"A big city? None of those around here. Gotta go far for something like that!" Marine stated

"I see..." Blaze thinking

"Biggest I can think of right now is Mobotropolis. I've not been there! It'll be a fine adventure for captain Marine and her crew!" Marine exclaimed punching her arm in the air

"Yes... that place does sound familiar. It'll be worth heading there" Blaze stated

[Geoffrey St John 175]

Mighty, Feral Forest

Mighty gave a smirk but when Skye rushed for the door he quickly followed her and grabbed a large stick on the way just in case another robot attacked.  "Alright, jokes aside for now. Where we heading kid?" Asked Mighty as he ran just behind Skye.

 

Ian and company, Mobian Badlands

Ian thought about it and decided. "I'll pass on joining you Chuck. Though I am not hanging here, there is somewhere near by I am gonna check on. You boys can go with Chuck, come with me or hang out here. Up to you two" said Ian as he prepared himself for a hike.

 

Johnny, Mobotropolis Castle

Johnny had lost sight of the group he was following but kept walking around. "Where have they gone! Those two can not be trusted!" Said Johnny to himself as he reached the hallway which contained the room The King, Sleet and Dingo were in.

 

Ray, Mercian Shelter

The orphanage staff and the orphans had reached an old war shelter. They took refuge inside and tried to settle everyone down. However Ray woke up and started to panic. "Where am I? This is not my room! I gotta get back! It is too scary here!" Shouted Ray. The staff tried to calm him but they couldn't. It was at that moment another orphan punched Ray. "Shut up! It is bad enough we saw our home burn to the ground. You are making it worse!" said the Orphan which caused Ray to remember what he saw and pass out once more.

 

Geoffrey, Sunset Valley ruins

Geoffrey tried to stealthily move around the village which was now in ruins thanks to the robots "searching" for villagers to capture. He had been looking around for some time but found no signs of anyone. He continued his search as stealthily as he could.

Beta, Wing Fortress

Beta recieved his new orders from Dr Robotnik. Beta then plugged in to recharge while requesting to rearmed while inactive.

 

Ray, Mercian Shelter

Ray woke up and everyone else was sleeping. He saw his chance and rushed out of the door. He made sure to close the door behind him. "I am coming home now! Where I will be safe!" Said Ray to himself and he ran the way he thought home was. He tripped over something and when he looked he found a shiny stone. "Ooh nice stone! I think I will hold onto it" said Ray as he picked up the stone and started running again. He kept running and tried to stop when he saw a hole ahead of him. He managed to slow down but he fell over again falling into the hole. He hit a metal pod at the bottom of the hole and it grabbed onto him. "Hey! Let me go! I just wanna go home! Let me go!" Pleaded Ray but the pod took no notice and started pulling him inside. Ray threw the stone he picked up inside the pod to make it let go but that had no effect and he was pulled inside. The pod closed and Ray started crying inside the darkness.

[Skye Prower 386]

Tails, Island

 

At first, the young vulpine’s eyes narrowed somewhat at the Hedgehogs comment.  But then his face broke into a proud grin as his work was praised.

“Thanks, it’s the first time I’ve been allowed to do work,” he blurted out without thinking.  He quickly continued, hoping the Hedgehog didn’t notice what he’d said.  “Uh… you said you needed help?  What’s your name?” Tails asked, his namesakes wagging nervously behind him.

 

-----------------

 

Robotnik, Wing Fortress Repair Bay

Robotnik looked down at where Gamma’s arm had clamped to his own.

“At least your damaged memory banks remember who is in change,” he muttered slightly irritated.  “Now Gamma, listen carefully.  I don’t know what happened down there, but you lost one of the biggest prizes this world has to offer.  Fail me again, and you’re on the scrapheap, understand?”

He turned away from the robot as Zero arrived.  Out of the corner of his eye, Robotnik noticed the service robots rearming Beta.  “Well Zero, what is it?”

“You wanted reports of any Mobians displaying unusual abilities.  We have detected one in Casino Night Zone,” Zero reported, handing over a tablet to the rotund Doctor.

“We have?” exclaimed the Doctor with a twisted grin.  He watched the video playback, watching the green Canary tear one of the prison pods apart with her bare hands.  He shifted to the current video feeds, seeing the canary still there, with a group of other Mobians.

“New orders Zero.  Instruct all forces in Casino Night Zone that capturing that Canary is now Priority One.  And those with her as Secondary Objectives.”

 

----------------

 

Casino Night Zone

 

Across the city, the robots disengaged from their current tasks as they turned and headed towards the city centre, intent on capturing Tekno and those with her.

 

-----------------

 

Skye, Feral Forest

 

“I’m NOT a kid!” Skye shot back a little angrily as they ran.  “You… really have no idea what’s going on, do you?” The wolf was quiet for a moment as she caught her breath.  “That pod… it turns people and creatures into robots like the ones we fought.  And they fell all over the world last night.”  She took another gasp, running hard.  “Mobotropolis, that’s where they’re heading.  It will be safe there.  Unless…. Unless that is where HE is heading…”

 

------------

 

Sleet and Dingo, Mobotropolis

 

Two guards rushed down the hall towards the throne room.  The seemed surprised to find Johnny in the corridor.  One headed past, the other walked right up to the rabbit and confronted him.

“You!  What are you doing here?  Civilians are not allowed in this area of the palace.  Leave now!” he demanded.

The other guard almost slammed open the doors to the throne room.

“Sire, the radio reports,” he gasped, his fear overwhelming the usual decorum.  “We received one message from Feral Forest saying it was under attack, we’ve lost all contact with Casino Night Zone itself.  And… our agents outside the city… they manged to get one message through…” The guard gasped for breath.  “The city is under attack.  A massive ship from the sky, and armoured soldiers, twice the size of any Mobian.  They were trying to capture as many Mobians as they could.”

“War is indeed coming,” said King Acorn grimly.  “If they have stuck Casino Night Zone, we will undoubtedly be next.”  Seemingly calm, he turned to the Captain of the Guard.  “Alert every solider.  And begin preparations for an evacuation.  But do not warn the civilians yet.  Do not create a panic if there is no need.”  The Guard bowed and headed out.

“As for you two,” the King continued, turning to Sleet and Dingo.  “Your ship, how potent is it?”  Sleet considered for a moment.

“It is the match of anything in the skies, and can outfly any biplane.  However, against the behemoths this Robotnik has, I suspect it would be as much use as a balloon.”

“You are saying these large… airships are too powerful to stand against?” the King asked.

“Yes,” Sleet replied bluntly.

[Chromatic Terras 20]

Casino Night Zone: Vector

Vector leaps out the crater, towards Elias and starts giving his all at the robots, not holding back on his punches as he tears throw their metal. As he takes another bite out of one, he looks up to see the hoard of robots making their way towards the city center towards them. He freezes for a moment in hesitation as a robot tries to blind side him before having its chest drilled out from behind as Rouge spirals in front of Vector.

"That hesitations the same reason you haven't been able to catch me yet, sugar," she says to him as she swings a small brown bag over her shoulder.

"W-what are you ding here??" Vector asks in confusion.

"The same thing I always do,"she replies with a wink. "But these robots have started to become quite a pain for me. How bout you and the boys call off the hunt for me in exchange for my help?"

"That's not my call to make," Vector says, puffing his chest out as he walks in front of Rouge. "But I'm not gonna turn down a helping hand to stop this madness."

Rouge smirks as she looks back to see the police Chief climbing out the crater as well, only able to give a sigh as he wasn't in the mood to deal with her too.

Angel Island- Knuckles & Tikal

Knuckles follows Tikal through the forest for a while before the two of them make their way to an open area with ruins that seemed almost pyramid like. Knuckles is left in awe as he looks around at everything.

"What is this place?" he asks quietly.

"These are the old ruins of the Echidna race, hundreds of years old...it's where I lived all this time."

"Do you think pieces of the Master Emerald fell here?"

"Ye-no. I-I mean possibly, but that isn't what I wanted to show you. Follow me."

Knuckles looked a little confused but listened to her anyway as they made their way down the small hill into the ruins. He looked around curiously from the stone streets to all the buildings that were till standing.

"You were here by yourself all this time?" he asks Tikal as they continue walking.

"Unfortunately so. I don't know what happen to my family when I was younger, but once I learned to understand the hieroglyphics, I knew this would be a safe place for me to continue to stay. However there was one thing that always worried me."

"Which was what?" Knuckles asks as Tikal turns into one of the larger buildings. On the inside the sun shines through a break in the ceiling, revealing a large wall of pictures.

"The story of Chaos, the God of Destruction."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm

Storm continues his travels throughout the forest, both cautious and concerned with what he had seen earlier. He needed to find out where he was, as well as a way to get into contact with Wave to make sure she was safe. The only issue was that everything around him seemed barren. Even the wildlife didn't seem like there was many around. All he was able to notice so far was a few birds and whatever that thing was earlier. 

Wing Fortress: Gamma

Gamma listens to the Doctor talk while looking between him and Zero. He keeps the assumption that Robotnik was still unaware of his newfound consciousness and decided it was best not to mention anything just yet. He wanted to ask for new orders as well, however he knew normally that he was programmed not to talk unless acknowledging the doctors presence or responding to him. HE could only sit in silence until spoken to again, just as his older brother Beta was doing.

[Thire 121]

Shard, Boat to Mobotropolis from Downunda

Hiding inside a crate, what a way to get around. It had to be done though. It was dark and only had a couple small spots of light poking through. Thankfully Shard had good night vision. Nothing to do but wait... again... wonder if there's something to pass the time with...

Access: Internal memory database: Populating list...

Maybe if it can repair itself, the database can defrag and be accessed?

3 Items found

Welp, better than nothing.

1: Mission Log Now we're getting somewhere! Size: 510b ...or not...

--/22/---8

    Day: 22
        I don't even know what it is I'm doing here, but the people seem to think of me as an enemy. Is it because I have grown so much and learned so many things that they see my knowledge as possible threat? I would figure that they would rather use it as a tool if anything. They say that I've been disabled for years, reduced to almost nothing when they found m҉e҉. O҉n҉e҉ f҉e҉l҉l҉o҉w҉ i҉n҉ p҉a҉r҉t҉i҉c҉u҉l҉a҉r҉, a҉ l҉y҉n҉x҉ n҉a҉m҉e҉d҉ T҉h҉#*~ ----- Data corrupted

 Interesting... but that only raises more questions than was answered.

2: Archive Could be something interesting in here.

Power Gem - A gem capable of powering machinery and storing information. Currently using one as a power source for myself. I've also identified that my scanner has a problem with tagging this as "Chaos".

Robotnik - Antagonist. -this article is a stub. You can help by expanding it! 

Mobotropolis - The capital of the Kingdom of Acorn. An important location.

3: Legal information? Why would a robot need this? 

There's nothing useful in here. All it has is talk of what prosecution you would face for copying the design... Except for something at the end!

Blah blah blah legal stuff... here!  ^{---all rights reserved® for the sole use of Robotnik Machine Works}

Lots of information but nothing that truly helps at the moment...

______________

Elias Acorn, Casino Night Zone

"Take that!" Elias yelled as his sword sliced through a robot. He heard his comrades in arms also fighting behind him when he notices Rouge the Bat. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the 'Flying Gem Thief'. Come to steal the hearts of machines too?" He jokingly reacts. "No time for playtime though, it appears that there is a large congregation of bots headed for the center of the city."

He also spots a familiar face in the groups of robots. "...no, no please don't let that be who I think it is..." He pulls out a pair of binoculars. "Whoever did this, I'm gonna personally kill that son of a-" he gets cut off by a group of flying robots. "But you get to go first!" He yells again as he readies himself.

______________

Josh, Larry, and Charles, Kearney Airstrip

"If it's alright, I'd like to come with you Uncle Chuck." said Josh.

"Larry?" asked Chuck.

"Actually, I think I'll stay with Mr. St. John. Where it will most likely be safe." replied Larry.

"Are you sure Larry? We probably won't be back for a little while."

"I'm sure. Just promise me you keep an eye on him Uncle Chuck!"

With that, it was decided. Josh and Chuck rented a vehicle and started on their way.

_______________

Josh and Charles, road to Knothole

"So why'd you leave Larry behind? I didn't think you'd do that."

"He should be okay with Ian, him and his son both help us out all the time. Not that you don't!"

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean."

After driving for a while, Chuck decided to ask something he's always meant to ask.

"Josh, may I ask something a little personal to you?"

"As long as I get to do the same."

"Tough bargain! Very well..."

Chuck thought for a moment.

"So, do you know what your father does for a living?"

"...not really. All I know is that it's something that has to do with Grandpa's past. I asked one time and he said he'll tell me when the time is right."

"Hmph, not what I thought he did at all..."

"Alright Uncle Chuck, my turn. What's in Knothole that you needed to do that Ian refused to come with?"

*sigh* "It's where I used to live, don't look at me about Ian though. That would be something you'd have to ask yourself. I'm only going for something I left behind that might help us later."

"Really? Alright then. "

They continued on with small talk to their destination...

_______________

[Seviper the Fang Snake 368]

Charmy Bee, Casino Night Zone 

Charmy began to fight back as he planted both get into a robot's body causing it to fall over.

"At least we got more help." Said Charmy zipping around another robot and slugging it.

E-123 Omega,Wing Fortress

"Unit E-123 Omega activating."

"All systems operational."

"Ammunition fully stocked."

The large and bulky robot emerged from it's pod.

[ChaosKaiser 174]

-Tekno the Canary, Casino Night Zone

"This is insane. And I live with mutated frogs...this is whole new level of madness..." Tekno thought. "Does anyone know where these machines are coming from, and..." The green canary stopped talking, once her sight reached to the increasing number of badniks that were approaching them.

"...and why are they coming to US?!"

Tekno couldn't even catch her breath. Couldn't she just have stayed in her safe and almost unnoticed underground lab, ignoring the trembling floor for a couple hours? She'd been in dire situations, but this? This was too much for her.

"I... I can't stay here. I must find that frog. Or else..." 

But how much time had passed since she saw this particular frog? Would she ever find it? Was it worth it, letting this people without medical assistance? After all, she knew first aids. Perhaps her pressence there could make a difference. This was the moment to put her knowledge at the service of this good people...

...if she survived long enough without being captured.

"Alright... before these metallic beasts get closer, is anyone hurt?" Tekno asked, in hopes of doing something productive for one day.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

-Sonic the Hedgehog, Island

"It's not the first time I've seen one of these." The spiked azure creature said, slipping his fingers over the surface of the biplane. "I sort of know how to pilot them..."

The hedgehog nodded, and suddenly changed his tone to a more embarrased one, after memories proved his last statement slightly wrong: "Weeeeeell, to be more precise, I TRIED piloting one of them. Ended up realizing that flying is not my thing. I prefer... running, hehehe..."
His tone shifted into a more serious one. "Still, I cannot run over water for much time, so if I want to know what's going outside with those... flying... things, I'm gonna need an aircraft of some sort."

Then several thought crossed the blue speedster's mind, things that he could have not taken into consideration:
What if the kid knew about what was happening outside? Could make sense, would be weird if he hadn't at least heard something.
What if he was hurt? Didn't seemed so. His orange fur might look a little dirty, probably due to him using the machinery nearby, but he was fine, even counting his... two tails?
Did he escaped from the disaster? Maybe he was hiding in here, hoping that no one could see him.
Should he even drag a kid into this, without even knowing the risks of the situation? The hedgehog loved venturing into the unknown, sure, but the life of another person might be put in jeopardy in this case. A young person that would have wanted to stay away from the danger as long as possible. 

Before any more questions popped into his mind, he once again looked at the fox. Maybe it wasn't the best time to ask those questions. Maybe just one question would be more than enough:

"Anyway, do YOU need help, buddy?" he friendly asked, standing before the adorable young mechanic he just met.

Realising he hadn't even introduced himself yet, he added: "And, yeah, excuse my manners, young man..." He said, taking a bow, trying to make fun of the situation. "I'm Sonic." he said inmediately changing his pose, getting closer to the vulpine, and giving him a hand.

"Sonic the Hedgehog. And you are...?"

Edited 3 Nov 2019 by ChaosKaiser

[Geoffrey St John 175]

Mighty, Feral Forest

"Those robots ... they were...." said Mighty as he stopped running. It was clear by his face he was distressed by the information Skye had just shared with him.

 

Johnny, Mobotropolis

Johnny was surprised by the guard but quickly calmed himself. "My name is Johnny Lightfoot. I know some information about that duo that just landed in the city. I wish to tell the king what I know" said Johnny hoping the guard would arrange a meeting.

 

Ian St John,  Kearney  Airstrip

"Alright lad, grab you stuff and follow me" said Ian slightly glad for the company. The duo collected their belongings and began their hike.

 

"You know Larry, my son puts his everything into helping people with nothing feel like they belong somewhere. You found that yourself through Josh and now we are on this strange adventure. How exactly are are you coping with all this?" Asked Ian who was clearly trying to distract Larry.

 

Beta, Wing Fortress

Beta had fully recharged and rearmed. Beta began functioning again and began looking for Dr Robotnik.

[Danny Felixe 330]

Liza, Casino Night Zone
Liza looked around at the incoming robots

"There are many of us here and we are doing a good job at holding them off. I expect that's why they're coming for us" she answered. "We're going to get overrun if we don't retreat, however. Even with more help"

She eyed Rouge while saying that

--------------------------------------------------

Marine the Raccoon and Blaze, Downunda
"Right, let loose the sails! Prepare to cast off!" Marine called out as she climbed on deck of her ship

Blaze followed her up but made no move to do anything

Marine looked over

"That means you! As captain here, I have important captain work! You do everything else!" she exclaimed

"Oh, of course. I don't mind. I just haven't travelled on these before" Blaze replied

"You haven't? Hmm... well I suppose I can show you one time... but you have to do it yourself afterwards!" Marine said

"Of course" Blaze answered

"It's 'aye aye, captain'!" Marine exclaimed

Blaz gave a small smile

"Aye aye, captain" she replied

[Skye Prower 386]

Tails, Island

The young fox blinked a few times.  The hedgehog seemed like an almost unchecked ball of energy, the way his conversation bounced around. 

“I… I’ve read about how to fly a biplane,” Tails responded.  “I’m pretty sure I could manage it!” he added, with a surprising degree of confidence.  “Wait!  ‘Flying things’?  I saw that!” the vulpine continued, with growing excitement.  “There was a massive fight between one of the Battle Bird Armada’s airships and these two other gigantic airships, which blew it out of the sky!  Someone called ‘Robotnik’ said he was in charge!”  Tails caught his breath, trying to fight the slight feeling of panic that competed with his excitement as he thought back.

His mind returned to the present as he saw the hedgehog’s outstretched hand.  For a moment, Tails hesitated.  Here was a chance for a new start.  Someone who didn’t know him before.  Maybe… someone who wouldn’t judge him.  Should he wipe it all away… even choose a different name?

But nothing came to mind.

“I’m… I’m Tails…” the orange fox finally said with a little hesitation, taking Sonic’s hand.  Somehow, he felt he could trust this Hedgehog.  Maybe it was the way he’d been so willing to praise the fox’s talents.  “Nice to meet you Sonic.  I uh….” He hesitated again…  Did he need help?  Not in that sense… but…

“I… I don’t need help,” Tails continued, shuffling his feet.  “But… I would like a friend.”

-----------

Robotnik, Wing Fortress

With powerful strides, Robotnik entered the robot activation bay, taking a moment to admire the walking arsenal for Omega on front of him.  There was a hiss as the doors to the bay opened again, admitting Beta into the room.

“Excellent, both my spearheads are here,” grinned Robotnik.  “We are en route to Mobotropolis,” he began, striding towards a large screen and activating it, showing an arial view of the Mobian city.

“Omega, you will lead a force here, to the South of the city, where most of the military units are already stationed.”  An arrow on the screen appeared to show Omega’s target.  “Cause as much chaos as possible.”  The Doctor turned to Beta.

“Once Omega’s forces are engaged, Beta, you will lead a force on the east side of the city.”  Again, an arrow appeared.  “But as well as destruction, capture and convert as many Mobian’s as possible.  The forces here are thin, and they will be forced to call in reinforcements.  Almost certainly from the palace guard.  When they arrive, concentrate on keeping them pinned down.”

“This will leave the palace weakened, and the King ripe for capture.  With orders from him to surrender, the city, and the rest of his savage kingdom will swiftly fall.”  Robotnik rubbed his hands in glee.  “Oh, this is almost TOO easy!”

-----------

Skye, Feral Forest

“Yes, they were,” replied Skye, turning and seeing the halted Mighty.  She jogged back, trying to pull him by the arm.  “And so will we unless we keep moving.  There’s a small village just a couple miles away.  We might find a vehicle there to reach the city.  C’mon!” she pleaded.

-----------

Sleet and Dingo, Mobotropolis

“I have a job for you two,” the King spoke after a moments consideration.

“We’re listening, your Majesty, if you are paying,” Sleet replied, a hint of a smile on his face.

“I will be, a tenth of the royal treasury,” the King replied.  For once, Sleet’s composure failed.

“A… a t-tenth?” he stammered in surprise, wondering if he had misheard, or if the King was addled.

“Yes, you heard correctly,” Max replied, unphased.  “I want you to get my daughter out of the city, and keep her safe, until this ‘Robotnik’ is dealt with, whatever it takes.”

“What?” the King’s daughter exclaimed in shock, and a note of anger.  “I’m NOT leaving!  I…”

“Sally, we need to ensure the Royal line continues,” Max replied, his tone more fatherly than kingly as he addressed his daughter. “Head to Knothole, hopefully there will be safe.  But if not, keep running.”  He turned back to the Mercenaries.  “Do I have your word?”

“Sire, for such a price, I’d protect her like family,” Sleet replied with a bow.

“I didn’t know you were related to royalty!” Dingo said to Sleet with surprise, causing the wolf to sigh.

Outside, the guard regarded Johnny.

“I cannot let you just interrupt the King’s meeting,” he spoke.  “But if you tell me what you know, I could relay it to the King, or let you speak to him if it is important enough.”

-----------

Casino Night Zone

The approaching Swat Bots marched towards the centre of the city, weapons raised.

“Canary, Priority One,” was their repeated, electronic mantra as they approached, opening fire on the group with their stun beams as soon as they could draw a target.

[Chromatic Terras 20]

Casino Night Zone: Vector & Rouge + Police Chief Hoppington

Chief Hoppingon quickly notices the Swat Bots take aim at Tekno as she tried to tend to the injured and dashed toward her.

"Look out!" he yells as he leaps in the way of the incoming stun beams. Hitting him as he protect the Canary.

"Chief!" Vector calls out, ripping a metal plate off a fallen bot as he follows after the Cheif and blocks the rest of the beams. Rouge takes hte opportunity of the focused fire to drive a drilling kick through the heads of the bots firing on them in the meantime.

Angel Island: Knuckles & Tikal

"According to these hieroglyphics," Tikal begins. "Chaos was a warrior deity that the Echidna race worshiped greatly. However through constant struggle amongs tribes, they had ended up angering Chaos to a point in which he felt the world would be better off without them. Thus, by combing the power of the seven chaos Emeralds, Chaos achieved a disastrous form that resembled a serpent and flooded the world in attempt to reset the natural balance. For what few survived, they worked tirelessly to create the Master Emerald, the only jewel powerful enough to nullify the Chaos Emeralds. Then when that same power, they had sealed Chaos away inside of it for all eternity."

"Until now," Knuckles added in with a deep gulp.

"Indeed, from what you told me, it would seem the surviving Echidna tribes assigned one family line to look after the Master Emerald to the end of time, which was your own. Now with the Master Emerald broken and Chaos free'd, I fear it may now continue its goal in obtaining the seven Chaos Emeralds and purging the world with another great flood to restore balance. We'll have to-" Tikal goes on, before stopping to listen.

"Something is apporaching," she warns, as her and Knuckles take cover behind some fallen walls. Moments later, a large Albatross comes sprinting from the jungles into the ruined areas. He stands wide eyed at the sight, before turning back to look behind him in a panic, and then proceeds walking forward with caution.

"Who is that?" Tikal whispers over to Knuckles, who shrugs in response. "I see, maybe we ca-" she goes on, formulating a plan. However Knuckles did not wait before leaping out himself.

"STOP! Who are you and what are you doing here?" he calls out to Storm, who trips back startled by his appearance.

Winged Fortress: Gamma

Gamma felt slightly upset about all of the praise Dr. Robtonik was giving to his brothers Omega and Beta, as well as Sister Zero, whilst his only response on his mission was disappointment, Eager to be included, he unthinkingly took a loud step forward, making a loud clanking sound on the floor. Gamma paused in shock, remembering that action without orders would not be a proper function, thus causing him to freeze in place. He began to think of all the times the Doctor had ever begun to sweat and started processing if this was the emotions he felt, because if it were and robots were capable of such a thing, Gamma would be sweating all his coolant out right now.

[Seviper the Fang Snake 368]

Casino Night Zone, Charmy

Charmy shrunk in size in order to evade the robot's shots. The bee headed towards one of the firing robots while returning to normal size and giving said robot an uppercut.

"It feels like there's no end to them." Said Charmy.

 

Wing Fortress, Omega

"Yes Sir. Proceeding with new mission orders. Any inferior resistance will be exterminated. Preparing my forces as we speak." Replied Omega.

Edited 7 Dec 2020 by Seviper the Fang Snake

[Thire 121]

Josh and Uncle Chuck, Knothole Village 

--------------------

Arriving at the entrance to the village, Josh and Chuck were greeted by an elderly squirrel. 

"Well well, if it isn't Sir Charles. I haven't seen you in years." Said the old man.

"Hey there Tom. How's things going on here?" 

"Slow and steady, just the way you hate it. Heheheh." They both let out a small chuckle.

"What brings you back here, Chuck?" 

"Just some old mementos and things I left at my old house. It's still standing right?" 

"Hah, you'll have to chat with the residents about that!" As they started walking down the path, Josh had to ask Chuck about what he heard. 

"So, Sir Charles, what was that all about?" 

"Whaddya mean? And don't call me Sir, makes me feel old." 

"Well I was going to ask about that but I guess now I'll ask about the house still standing part?" 

"Heh, well let's just say while this is an old village, there's lots of 'new' houses." Chuck answered as they arrived to a modest looking home. Rather than knocking on the door, Chuck walked right by the house towards a large oak tree in the back of the house. 

"Uh Chuck? I think we missed the house." Pointed out Josh. 

"Nothing important is in there. You think I'd leave things somewhere random people can get to?" Chuck retorted as he opened a panel on the tree and entered in a code. "Have you seen a secret lair before?" 

"No...?" 

The tree then opens up to reveal an elevator leading down. 

"Would you like to?"

--------------------

Elias Acorn, Casino Night Zone 

More robots had spotted Elias and his group and began approaching. If they didn't retreat, they would likely be overrun very quickly. 

"We need to get out of here! There's too many of them to fend off for long. I might know a place that has escape tunnels leading out of the city., but we need to fight our way right through them!" 

Elias said as he cut some robots to protect the injured and vulnerable. 

"Are we able to carry the injured?"

--------------------

Larry and Ian, Mobian Badlands  

Hiking away from the Airstrip at Kearney, Ian had stuck up a conversation with Larry. 

"You know Larry, my son puts his everything into helping people with nothing feel like they belong somewhere. You found that yourself through Josh and now we are on this strange adventure. How exactly are are you coping with all this?"  Asked Ian. 

"Well sir, I'll be honest and say I'm a little scared. I never thought I'd be doing anything like this! Your son and my brother both taught me that it's okay to be scared sometimes, but you have to put on a brave face so you can do what you need to do. Your son is an awesome friend to have, he's helped me through a lot even though I never... Never really said thank you..." A small tear rolls down from his eye. "But the thought of possibly finding out what happened to mom and dad is what's really driving me forward. What about you, Mr. Ian?" 

--------------------

Shard, still stuck in a crate on a boat to Mobotropolis...  

It's been at least a few days... Maybe? The rhythmic rocking doesn't help. Could try digging into the database again to see if anything can be defraged. 

Log ---8 

--/25/---8

 

    Day: 25

        Word has spread that a "Robotnik Machine" is living in the Whitehall Encampment. Already there have been a number of survivors bringing arms to deal with a non-existent threat. Regardless, I've been constantly sneaking out of camp just to avoid direct contact with them. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the other people in the camp break and decide I'm not worth protecting anymore... Nothing in my database is helpful to them anyways. Why should they protect me if I can't do anything to help them.

 

Interesting, but there must be more. Try again... 

--/26/---8

    Day: 26

        One of the roaming merchants came by with local rumors and information today, one of the rumors being of something called a "Shard". It's supposedly a piece of Robotnik's server mainframe that holds information regarding locales and plans. We hope to find one that may hold the location of one of Robotnik's old bunkers. It's known that it exists somewhere around here, but nobody has found any trace of it. If we can find it then perhaps it's treasures can be used to buy my trust into the encampment. I find it sad that's what it may take to earn it but anything of value is what people want anymore...

 

Even more has been uncovered in this story... But when or where did this happen? More questions than answers again, but that'll have to wait as it sounds like the ship has finally arrived... 

--------------------

 

[Geoffrey St John 175]

Geoffrey St John, Mercia 

Geoffrey searched the village for anyone to help while hoping to find the missing orphan Tails. He had been searching for about three hours when he saw a robot destroying his home. The building was in rubble within seconds and all Geoffrey could do was watch saddened by the sight. After it confirmed there was no one to capture, the robot moved on and Geoffrey began to look through the rubble. He found one of his father's fencing swords. "Dad.. our house is no more and I can't tell you. Please be safe" Geoffrey thought to himself. He took the sword and left the village to seek out anyone who needs help.

 

Johnny Lightfoot, Mobotropolis palace

Johnny nodded. "I was raised by a former mercenary who is held in high regard in the sandblast city. As a result he hears when new mercenaries show up. Not long before I left, he heard about a very efficient wolf and his strange sidekick. We never heard much about them but what we did hear is that they have never broken or failed any jobs they take on" said Johnny reporting all he knew.

 

Mighty, Feral Forest

"D... did. I.. Kill someone?" Asked Mighty not wanting an actual answer. Skye was pulling him along when he pulled his arm away from her. He came to a stop and his face gave off an extremely sad expression.  "I have become just like him, I am sorry T... Wait! I... become like him? No! I won't be like him! I will make amends for this. I will save people and apologise to those left behind by my actions. I will be someone to be proud of" thought Mighty and suddenly his sad expression turned onto a very determined one. He burst into running and ran as fast as he could in the direction Skye had been leading them.

 

Ian St John and Larry, Mobian Badlands

"Yeah, everyone is scared sometimes. I was scared before we came on this little adventure. I was scared that I would be away when Geoffrey needed me the most but I know that I had to do this for myself. This trip was what I needed to get my heart back on track. You say that you never said thank you to my boy? I can tell you for sure that while those two words would mean a lot to him, what would mean a lot more is if you show him that you can do things for yourself and not just for the sake of others. You might say you want answers about what happened to your parents for yourself but can you ne sure that you are not seeking those answers for Josh's sake? Are you putting on a brave face so he doesn't see how afraid you are? Are you trying to be strong so others don't leave you behind? You are on this journey with no guarantee that you will get any answers. Will you be able to continue it if you don't have Josh at your side? Or would you be too scared to do anything? Even now as we walk this path do you want to rush to Josh feeling afraid? You wanted to thank my son for he has done for you and I am sure you want to thank Josh too. Show them you can be strong for yourself. Prove you don't need them to be there for you to live your life with your head held high. If you can show them that, it would far more to both of them than those two little words." Said Ian.

He soon came to a stop and pulled open a hatch in the ground. "We're here Larry, let's go inside" Ian turned on some lights and walked over towards a pile of boxes that were covered with dents. He bent down and picked up an old wooden sword, Ian then walked over to Larry as he entered and held out the sword for him to take. "Larry, this sword once belonged to Geoffrey. Take it and prove to him and yourself that you can protect yourself"

[ChaosKaiser 174]

-Tekno the Canary, Casino Night Zone

"Thanks, mister...officer Chief..." Tekno said, overwhelmed by all that was happening. But things would get even more overwhelming for her when she got to hear the Swat Bots echoing order: "Canary, priority one" A mechanical chant that made the bird tremble.
"Oh, no... no, no, nO, NO, NO!" Taking a few steps back, the emerald bird realized that she should not stay there much longer. Her fear would soon turn into despair, and then frustration and anger would take its place. "They're after ME?! You've GOT to be KIDDING ME!!"

"Wait... this people... they could think I'm related to these machines in some way. Besides, if they find my lab, I'm done for." she thought. All her work could get lost. Not just one frog, but the entirety of her investigations was at risk.

Although... these people were trying to protect her. It wasn't fair to let them fight while she ran away. A understandable and logical action, but a cowardly one nonetheless. "No... the lab could make for a safe place right now. I should guide these guys there anyway, but before that, they have to understand that I have no idea where these robots came from, or else they won't trust me."

Tekno turned around, and spoke to the brave and chaotic team that unexpectedly formed to fight the bots and protect the streets. "Okay, hear me our! I swear, I have ABSOULTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH--"

but before Tekno could finish her sentence, a stun beam hit her on the back. A painful blow that made her fall to the ground. With the effects of the Megatal Serum fading away, Tekno started feeling dizzy, unable to get back up. And the pain of the shot didn't help in the slightest.

What a terrible moment to look out for a stupid frog that could have escaped months ago and that most likely no one would care about...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

-??? ??? ???, forest in Pais Misterioso

The black and yellow eyes of a green frog with orange stripes over its body looked to the massive purple feline sat on the side of the river.

"RIBBIT!" 

The cat swang the fishing rod, and inmediately got up, surprised by the croaking of the frog. 

"HUH?! Oh... there you are! I thought you left..." the cat said to the frog, happy to know that he was wrong. "It is good to have you nearby, Froggy! It has been a very nice month with you as a fishing partner."

The frog croaked again.

"Oh... Is that so? Don't worry, friend. We will find a lot of instects on the way home so you can eat, okay?"

Once again, the cat was replied by more croaking from Froggy.

"I don't know how they taste, Froggy... I have never eaten insects."

The big cat and the small jumping amphibious kept their conversation as they walked (and jumped) their way to a humble looking wooden hut covered with giant leaves in the middle of the forest, not far from the river.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Sonic the Hedgehog, Island

"Robotnik... gotta remember that name. He could be the one responsible for all this. And those robots and that pod that fell from the sky migh also be his doing." The blue hedgehog thought. 

"Whoa! A massive fight between airships? That sounds dangerous... Did you escape from any of those? Aaaand did you see anyone injured during the battle?" Sonic asked, with increasing concern every time he heard a blast from afar. "Maybe they could need our help!" he trusted the fox. For his young appearance, he seemed quite capable, smart and resourceful. At least capable, smart and resourceful enough to fix a biplane by himself while an aerial battle was taking place a few kilometers from there. 

"And speaking of help... you don't need it right now, okay, good to hear. A friend is what you'll get then!" Sonic asserted with confidence, smiling. The blue speedster found no reason not to treat the  as an equal.

"So, what do you think we should do, Tails?"

[Skye Prower 386]

Tails, Island

“Escape?  No, I…” They young fox shifted his feet nervously.  “I... grabbed onto one of the airships when it was filling with robots and it… took off.  I... fell off during the battle, but one of the birds caught me and… left me here...” Tails added, his voice getting a little weak.  The vulpine looked back up to Sonic.  “I… don’t know what happened to them after the crash.  It was pretty far out to sea.” 

For all his rising despair, a smile crossed his face when Sonic agreed to be his friend, followed by surprise and amazement.  “You... want to know what I think we should do?  No one’s asked me that before because…” The fox caught him, and gazed out to sea.

“If I was an evil man with a robot army… what would I do…” He murmured to himself.  “I’d… try to attack Mobotropolis!  It’s the capitol city of the biggest power, and they don’t have much air support... or so I’ve read.”  He turned back to face the blue Hedgehog.  “We need to go there, we have to warn them!”  Animated now, the fox spun around, looking at the now running aircraft.  “I think she can fly.”

-----------

Robotnik, Wing Fortress

“Excellent Omega,” grinned Robotnik.  “I will enjoy watching the devastation you’ll wrought.”

The clang of Gamma’s foot caused Robotnik to start, then turn.  For a moment, he found at his robot, then his features broken into a grin.  “It seems your eager to join your brothers, Gamma,” his tone an odd mix of both pride and mocking.  “No, I can’t trust you to take part in the assault, yet.  But…” The Doctor turned to regard the operations map.  “It is taking too long to capture that Canary in Casino Night Zone.  Get down there and bring her back.  And don’t fail this time!”

-----------

Skye, Feral Forest

“I... don’t know… maybe?  He might not be dead.  The robots do heal the people inside to keep Doctor Eggman’s forces running,” Skye replied.  “Wait... Eggman?  Where did that name come from?” the wolf muttered to herself in confusion.  Then she felt her companion slow.

“Like… who?” Skye asked somewhat confused as the Armadillo ground to a halt.  “What are you talking about?” she added, just as Mighty started running again.  With a shrug, she started running again.  “At least he’s moving,” she muttered again.

As the came over a ridge, the village came into view.  But smoke was rising from it.

-----------

Sleet and Dingo, Mobotropolis

“When do you wish us to leave?” Sleet addressed the King.  The elderly squirrel turned his head to his daughter.

“How quickly can you pack?” he asked his daughter.

“I…” Sally began, looking close to protesting again, when another guard burst in.

“SIRE!  Radar Sir, it’s… it’s picking up six craft… bigger than anything we’ve ever seen,” the guard exclaimed.

“So… it’s beginning,” King Max breathed, getting to his feet.  “Sally, leave now.”

“But,” the chipmunk began to protest.

“NOW!  Please!  I have to know you’re safe,” King Max insisted.  “You,” he continued, addressing Sleet.  “If anything happens to her it will be the worse for you!”

“Have no fear, your Majesty,” said Sleet with a bow.  “We’ve not failed on a mission yet.”

Outside, the guard regarded Johnny’s words.  “I will report to the King.  Wait here,” he instructed, before disappearing inside the throne room.  As he opened the doors, Sleet and Dingo strode out, escorting a grumpy looking chipmunk between them.  Moments later, the guard returned, looking rather pale faced.  “The King… would like to speak with you.”

(Is anyone wishing to play Sally?)

[Chromatic Terras 20]

Winged Fortress: Gamma

"Understood, Doctor Robtonik." Gamma repleis as he quickly rushes out the door and to the nearest pod. He gets in and sets course to be ejected out towards Casino Night Zone.

"That was too close," he thinks to himself. "Further analysis must be taken after I retrieve the Canary and remove any suspicion the Doctor has on me."

Casino Night Zone: Vector & Rouge + Police Chief Hoppington

Vector tried as he could to shield the Canary and Chief from the barrage of Robot fire, however after watching Tekno get struct, he couldn't hold out any longer.

"Rouge! I need your help!" he calls out as he turns the metal scrap sideways and throws it towards the robots. "You have to get the Chief and bird out of here! I'll hold them off." 

One of the robots beams hits Vector in the arm, however he grits his teeth and slams it to the ground as he shakes it off.

"Heh, understood sweetie." Rouge replies with a wink as she spins around to swoop in. Vector charges forward to distract the robots the too get to work.

"Hey Bee, Squirrel guy! How you too holding up!?" Vector calls out as he slams into the robot lines of attack.

------------------

Within a few moments, a few blocks down from the main strike force, Gammas pod slams down into the street intersection as he gets out and begins scanning.

"Target......acquired." he spots as he sees Rouge in the distance carrying the nearly unconscious Tekno away from the fight.

Angel Island: Knuckles, Tikal, & Storm

"W-wait, I'm not here to harm anyone!" Storm pleads, holding his hand out towards Knuckles.

"Then what ARE you doing here, and how did you get on this island?" Knuckles persists, however Tikal quickly jumps out to stop him.

"Knuckles hold on.." she tries to calm him down. "We're sorry for startling you, but you don't appear to be familiar with Angel Island, and look very distressed. May I ask where you came from?" 

Storm slowly lowers his arm and stands up, staring at Knuckles and Tikal for a moment before walking cautiously towards them.

"M-my people, we were attacked by an army of robots and my sister and I were separated during a large explosion. I had lost consciousness, and when I awoke I found myself on this...island. While walking around trying to find out were I was, I saw a strange creature made of water and I ran until I stumbled upon this place.

"Chaos.." Tikal says in fear. Knuckles looks to her and then steps up towards Storm.

"Where did you see the water creature?" he asks. Storm turns and points back out into the jungle from where he came, and before he could turn back to speak, Knuckles begins running in that direction.

"K-Knuckles, wait! Oh no, come on, we have to stop him." Tikal tells Storm as she grabs his arm and drags him along after Knuckles.

"But I don't want to have anything to do with that thing again!" Storm pleads.

"If left alone, it will find you again sooner or later." Tikal warns.

 

[Seviper the Fang Snake 368]

Feral Forest, Bean and Bark

"I suppose we should fine a town or something." Said Bean as Bark pulled out a map he had on him.

The two looked at the map to figure out their location.

"Okay we're here in Feral Forest. Furville ain't that far from here, so let's head that way." Said Bean as the two headed for Furville.

 

Wing Fortress, Omega

"Affirmative. I am a walking arsenal."Replied Omega.

 

Casino Night Zone, Charmy

"I'm think I'm good." Said Charmy as he slammed he s stinger into one of the robots.

One of the robots shot Charmy and grazed his leg as he took his stinger out of the robot he stung.

Charmy tried to endured the pain and punched the robot that shot him.

 

 

Edited 29 Dec 2020 by Seviper the Fang Snake

[ChaosKaiser 174]

-Sonic the Hedgehog, Island

Tails made a lot of sense. If a warlord wannabe wanted to prove his superiority, attacking the capital could be a logical move. Besides, a lot of people live there, so they could all be in danger if that ship got to the city. In time, this kid could be 

"That sounds like a plan. A good one, honestly! Don't get why people didn't asked you for your opinion more often, but seems like they had noooo idea what they were missing on." Sonic encouragingly said to Tails. 

"Let's fly then. We have no time to waste, don't you think?" The hedgehog asked, trying to read the fox's expression, waiting to see if Tails truly wanted to help or if he was putting too much pressure on him. The young vulpine seemed ready for action, but Sonic had to make sure.

"So, what's her name?"

__________________________________________________________

-Tekno the Canary, Casino Night Zone

The emerald feathered canary tried to keep her consciousness, crawling in a desperate effort to get away from the robots. But her efforts were not enough. The Megatal Serum could have been useful minutes ago, but right it was making everything look blurry to Tekno, and the pain was unbearable for her. Too many negative stimulus caused by just one hit.

"G-guys... I... I think I'm... going to sit this one... out..." Tekno mumbled before finally lying on the ground, eyes closed, unable to get up once again. 

[Thire 121]

Shard, port town for the Kingdom of Acorn

 

Finally arriving at the port town, Shard snuck out of the cargo hold and stealthily got out of the town. 

 

GPS: Activate

 

Using a vantage point and cross-referencing the area with a map it obtained, Shard began planning it's route to Mobotropolis. It wasn't too far from where it is now thankfully, but hopefully it can start uncovering it's purpose soon. This is getting annoying...

 

-------------------- 

 

Josh and Chuck, Chuck's Lab, Knothole Village 

 

"Woah! This place is awesome!" Exclaimed Josh as he and Chuck entered his secret lab. 

 

"It ain't much but it's an honest workplace. Now, let's see if we can find what I came here for..." Replied a half-distracted Chuck. His old lab was about the size of a small warehouse, set up almost like one too scattered with all his old projects. 

 

"What's this?" Josh picked up a light blue bangle and slid it on his arm. "What'cha think Uncle Chuck? Am I styling now?" Chuck turns and chuckles. _(*chuckle*) 

 

"Took you long enough to realize you looked drab! Hahaha! Try clenching your fist, Josh." Replied Chuck. As Josh closed his fist, a beam of light came out from the bottom of the wrist forming a blade of light extending a small ways from his fist. 

 

"OHMYGOSHTHISTHINGISAWESOME!!"

 

"Hahahaha... I figured you might like it. Prototype weapon designed to increase mobility yet maintain effectiveness. It was originally intended for stealth but as you can see, the sound and light kinda give it away." 

 

"Regardless, this thing would be 'handy' to have!" 

 

Chuck simply gives him a blank stare, prompting Josh to deactivate it.

 

"Er... Right..." 

 

Chuck walks over to Josh and motions for him to sit down next to him. "So what do you know about your father?" 

 

"Well... Aside from the fact that he traveled a lot when he was younger, mom always said that he was a navigator of a cargo ship for the Kingdom of Acorn." 

 

"She always thought that he should've stayed home and not gotten involved with his old job again. Which reminds me, I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your mother wouldn't allow it."  Chuck puts a metal cylinder in Josh's hands.

 

"What is it?"

 

Asked Josh as he picked it up and pressed the button on it. A light blue blade of light came out of the top, slightly less than a meter in length, it made a distinct sound upon activation and hummed quietly. "T-th-this...this thing... It is beautiful..." 

 

"This is your father's 'Photon Saber'. It was the weapon of a brave man serving the Kingdom. Not as Clumsy or random as a gun. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized time."

 

 

--------------------

Elias, Casino Night Zone

 

Still trying to defend themselves, the fight continues on. Elias had cut through at least two dozen? No, more like four dozen bots already. 

 

"Not good Vector! We've got more company!" As Elias steeled himself ahead, a small motobug rushed towards him. 

 

"Oh, you're approaching me?" He confidently remarked. A blow from the back caught him off guard however, but Elias quickly recovered and turned to see a large robot in time for it to smack him off a distance away into the "Per Schin Rug Store". Thankfully it wasn't a hard landing, but Elias was concerned as he drew his eyes front was the large robot. He knew exactly who that was. 

 

"Well frick. If they got him then… no… no way she'd let them take their son." Elias recognized it as Doug. Anger was building up in Elias. He had to defend himself but he didn't want to hurt his old friend. Left with no choice, he drew his sword and prepared to try and escape and outrun the machine.

 

--------------------

 

Larry and Ian, Mobian Badlands

 

"D-d-defend myself? But...but… I can't fight! I don't… I can't… it's just…" Larry was distraught with what Ian said. He always hated violence but after the incident at the lake, maybe self defense wouldn't be a bad thing to know. 

 

"I was really hoping things would go back to normal. Like when it was peaceful again. Mom and Dad would walk through the door and we would be happy again. I know Josh wants that too but he seems like he was actually prepared in a way for something like this to happen. Was he really just prepared to protect me? He's never scared, he's always brave, he's so strong. Maybe… maybe I want to be that strong someday too!" 

 

Finding a bit of resolve, he grabs the sword. But uh… he has a hard time lifting it. He tries getting it up to rest it on his shoulder but it tips over every time he gets close. Poor guy hadn't lifted many things before so he never really built any arm strength.

 

"Jeez Mr. St. John, why'd you give me the heaviest branch off the tree?" He strained to say as he hefted the practice sword. 

 

“Heh, my boy was swinging that sword since he was 6 years old!” Replied Ian. 

 

“6?! What did you feed him growing up?!” Larry replied in disbelief. 

 

“A balanced meal! And he wasn’t soft like some people!” Retorted Ian. 

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Questioned Larry as he turned to face Ian with the sword.

 

“Anyways, start by finding the balanced center-point of the hilt. Once you find that, take your other hand and support your lead hand just below it on the hilt. This should help you lift the blade. Now, how I trained and used it is purely one-handed. You’re not going to be able to do that yet so for now, build up your strength then work your way up from there. Eventually you will be strong enough to find your own style.” Ian instructed Larry.

 

“Okay Mr. St. John, I’ll try!” Confidently remarked Larry as he tried once more to lift the sword, this time with his guidance. He manages to lift the sword up and in a better position where he can keep it up. 

 

“Hey I did it! Thanks Mr. St. John!” 

 

“Very good, now you must find your resolve and call upon it to guide the blade if you intend to protect anything! Remember resolve is measured by results so do not neglect your training. Now keep at it Larry, I’ll be back shortly.” He leaves Larry with some words of wisdom before heading further inside.

 

--------------------

 

Sally Acorn, Mobotropolis 

 

 

"I still can't believe he wants me to leave… we prepared for this day to come but… something about this Robotnik has Daddy freaking out. He hides it well but I can tell." Sally thought to herself as she was being escorted out of the palace. "I know it's what we've planned but it just doesn't feel right..." 

Edited 18 Jan 2021 by Thire

[Geoffrey St John 175]

Johnny Lightfoot, Mobotropolis

"He will see me now? Thank you!" Said Johnny as he bowed to the guard and entered the room. "Greeting Your Majesty! I am Jonathan Lightfoot, but everyone calls me Johnny. Thank you for this audience" said Johnny as he bowed to the king.

 

Mighty and Skye, Feral Forest

"Oh no! They must be under attack! We have to help them!" Shouted Mighty as he ran into the town. As he entered the burning town he picked up a car bonnet that had been broken off. He ran around town using the bonnet as a shield while trying to find any civilians he could help.

 

Geoffrey, Mercia

As he was leaving town she saw a piece of paper fly past him into a near by bush. He ran to pick up the paper and saw it was a photo of Josh, Larry and their parents. "This photo, it must have blown out of the wreckage of their home. I should hold onto it so I can give it back to them when I catch up with them. Actually! Josh dropped off that letter from my dad, he went on an adventure with Chuck and maybe Josh went with them. If Josh went then Larry would have too. I should check out the ruins of Chuck's house to see if there is some clue to where they went" thought Geoffrey to himself as he went back into town heading for the ruins of Chuck's house.

 

E-series101Beta, Winged Fortress

Beta had left the briefing room to prepare his troops. Once he had made sure that all were armed and prepared for the attack, Beta opened communication with the briefing room. "All forces prepared for the attack. Awaiting orders to begin assault" said Beta over the communication.

 

Ian and Larry, Badlands bunker

Ian left Larry to do his training and headed to a room in the back of the bunker. The room he arrived at was a very dusty command centre. It had several military files scattered across the room. Ian ignored all the files and headed to a box near a doorway on the far side if the room. Inside the box he pulled out a file, "Enough time has passed, maybe I can get some answers at last" Ian thought to himself as he placed the file under his arm and entered the doorway.

 

Around half an hour later Larry's training was interrupted by Ian saying "How is the training going lad?" When Larry would look at Ian he would see, Ian wearing a dark green band around his head, a brown bandana tied around his neck, a camoflague t shirt under a sleeveless miltary jacket. He also had a belt on with three pouches on the left two on the right with a sword. On his back Ian had a backpack that seemed fitting for a camping trip.

[Skye Prower 386]

Tails, Island

The fox beamed at the compliment from Sonic.  First the first time, it felt like someone was truly appreciating him.  Tails resolved to make sure he’d never let Sonic down, to never betray that trust the Hedgehog had started to place in him.

With a nod, Tails turned back to the aircraft.  “Let’s get in, I’m sure I can fly it,” he said, with a newfound confidence.  Which then faltered.

“Her…. Name…?”  Tails’ namesakes bristled, for a moment he seemed tense, then suddenly relaxed.  “Oh… er.. I think it might be written here…” Reaching forward, the Vulpine wiped off some of the dust and grime off a section of the aircraft.  “Tor… Tornado.”

-----------

Skye, Furville, Feral Forest

“Careful, we don’t want to….. oh, nevermind…” exclaimed Skye as Mighty rushed into Furville.  At first glance, the town looked deserted and eerily quiet, aside from a few burning fires.  But then, in the centre for the village, Skye spotted the inhabitants.  Or rather, what was left of them.  Most were now encased in robotic suits, and the few who weren’t had been rounded up and led towards some Prison Pods.

“Hey, wait…” she whispered, catching Mighty’s arm, spotting a school bus parked nearby as she did so.  “I’ve got an idea.  Create a distraction, and try to get those people free.  I’ll get that bus ready so we can all escape.” 

-----------

Casino Night Zone

While the robots still in combat continued to press the attack, the rest turned, marching in the direction where Rouge had taken Tekno.

-----------

Sleet and Dingo, Wave,  Mobotropolis

“Well, Princess, it looks as if we will be looking after you for some time,” said Sleet as he, Dingo and Sally headed towards the courtyard, a slight sneer in his voice.  “Do you Royal’s have some fancy mansion you hide in when things get difficult?”

There was a slight darkening on the sky, and Sleet turned, seeing in the distance the approaching shape of the Wing Fortress and Flying Batteries.  “Hmm… here they come…”

Someone else, out on the streets, also recognised the approaching silhouettes.  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Wave muttered to herself.

Back in the council room, King Max turned to his generals.  “We need to evacuate the city.”  The rest of the room looked to him in surprise.

“Sire, you can’t mean…” one began to protest.

“I do.  Every report we have is one of overpowering forces, often after our people.  We need to get them to safety.  Preferably without a panic, but it may be too late for that.  See to it,” Max insisted.  One of the generals saluted, turned and headed out of the room.  “While that is going on,” Max continued to another officer, “send out a message on the secure frequency.  Inform our agents and allies the New Mobotropolis is under attack, and that it’s citizens will soon need places to hide in safety.” Another salute, and the officer went to the radio to send the message as Johnny arrived in the room.

“No time to stand on ceremony, my boy,” King Max replied to Johnny after his introduction, allowing himself a slight smile.  “I understand you told one of my soldiers you have connections with the…” he cleared his throat.  “With the leadership in Sandblast City.  If that is true, I need you to deliver a message to them.  I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but now it looks like we’ll all need to band together to take on these invaders.”  He held out a dossier.  “This is all the data we have on this ‘Robotnik’ and his forces.  Get to Sandblast city, give them the information, and tell them to preparer for war, and possibly for an influx of refugees.”

[Chromatic Terras 20]

Casino Night Zone: Vector & Rouge + Police Chief Hoppington

Rouge drops down in a nearby alley, away from the fighting as she sets down Tekno

"She should be safe here while I grab the others." Rouge says to herself before taking off back to the action. As she flys away, Gamma slowly emerges from behind a wall, ensuring the coast is clear. He quickly walks over to grab the Canary before proceeding back to his pod.

"Target acquired. Returning to flagship." he sends out to the robot forces, as well as Dr. Robotnik.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the main square, the robot wave was now pushing heavily to which it began overpowering the resisting forces. Vector was backed up in a hole, shielding as much of the stun blasts as he could from the unconscious Chief. Rouge drops in next to him as she attempts to pick up the police commander.

"This isn't looking good, we're gonna have to find a way out!" she yells to Vector, struggling to pick up Hoppington. Vector looks over and grabs the Chief, tossing him over his shoulder.

"Looks like it, EVERYONE FALL BACK! Follow me for an escape route!" Vector calls to everyone else fighting as he keeps the bot metal in hand, shielding himself as he follows Rouge away from the incoming forces. Having to hope everyone is able to follow behind them, they dash out the city center and into theside roads, following back towards where Rouge hid Tekno. A few of the police force were able to follow, but many ended up falling to the robots relentless waves of stun blasts.

"She's right over here in this al-" Rouge leads before stopping in front of the empty ally way.

"W-what, no way. I left her right here. No one was around." Rouge darts back and forth in a panic.

"Given the events prior, she didn't seem like an ordinary bird." Vector assures her. "Odds are we'll meet up again outside the city, but we have to keep moving. Everyone, come on." he calls to the small crowd of remaining officers that managed to catch up with them.

Angel Island: Knuckles, Tikal, and Storm

Knuckles dashes through the forest as Tikal and Storm follow close behind. He pushes past all the bushes and low hanging leaves before Tikal finally catches up to grab his arm.

"Knuckles, WAIT! You can't just expect to go face to face with Chaos, he's a God of Destruction for a reason" she pleads, slowing him down before he finally stops.

"What else are we supposed to do then? We need the pieces of the Master Emerald, and we need to stop him before he finds any of the Chaos Emeralds." Knuckles complains as Storm finally catches up to the two.

"H-h-how did you...manage to catch up t-to him so fast?" Storm asks Tikal, panting from trying to keep up. Tikal takes a slight step back, thinking of an answer, before the three here a rustle in the bushes. They immediately tense up, looking all around from the cause of the sound.

"Looks like it's brining the fight to us." Knuckles says, pounding his fists together. Suddenly, the ground begins to shake violently as a loud crash is heard all across the island, knocking the three off their feet.

"What in the world?" Storm comments, helping up Tikal.

"I think..." Tikal begins, before her eyes widen in fear. "We reached the mainland."