Back to Chapter 99

The Green Hill Zone was peaceful. The dark skies had passed and the winds had calmed. All was pleasant.

A white, crackling flash filled the air. The Omni-Viewer had returned to the Green Hill Zone.

Sonic and his friends leapt to the ground with a smile on their face.

“Okay, Sonic, this is where you get off,” Omni-Viewer announced.

“That was incredible, Big Om,” Sonic complimented his friend, “You were so convincing you had me believing you really had gone bad for a moment!”

“I have to return to the Special Zone before Robotnik realises what I’m up to. I need to head to Planet Meridian and help formulate a plan!”

Sonic looked at his friends, “That wasn’t the answer I was looking for, buddy. I don’t get it- what’s Robotnik got to do with it?”

“Robotnik has found a way to control the Special Zone itself by manipulating the very Chaos Energy that it is made up of! That includes being such as Feist and myself!”

Bunnie looked nervously at her friends, “That ain’t good”

Sally stepped forwards, “Omni-Viewer, if you’re being controlled by Robotnik how were you able to disobey him and let us go?”

“Robotnik’s orders were sloppy,” Omni-Viewer explained, “and not very specific. He told me to send you into the future so you couldn’t interfere with his plans for world conquest. And, the truth is… I didn’t actually disobey him”

Sonic put his hands on his hips, “What are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry, Sonic. I have to go. We will meet again, I promise you that much”

With another crackle, Omni-Viewer blipped away.

“Anyone get any of that?” Joe asked the group.

“Well, I sure didn’t!” Chirps admitted.

“There’s a surprise,” Flicky sighed.

“It’s all quite perturbing,” Tux mused.

“It’s worrying too”, Chirps concurred.

“Uh, S-Sonic… not to interrupt, but…” Porker tried to get Sonic’s attention, “I think there’s something you ought to see…”

A pair of enormous Badniks roared down on Sonic. Clearly modified tanks, the bright green monstrosities looked like a humanoid upper body mounted on tread wheels. They were outfitted with at least nine laser blasters each which even your most demented nutter would likely concede was a bit like overkill.

“This area is off limits!” one of the Badniks blared, “The penalty for transgression is death!”

Sonic’s friends dove out of the way of laser fire as the hedgehog speeded at them, “I’ll handle this one, guys!”

Antoine shook behind a rock, “Zat sounds agreeable!”

Sonic hurled himself at one of the Badniks’ chests with all his might with a Spin Attack, but bounced off as if he was nothing, “Yowch- you guys are made of tough stuff, I’ll give you that!”

Sonic began leading the Badniks away from his friends. Got to think of something fast, he thought to himself, I wonder if these Badniks are as stupid as the rest…

“You two are pathetic, you know that?” Sonic taunted the robots as he ran up a vertical stone pillar, “I’ve never met a single one of you rust buckets that could shoot straight!” Sonic managed to outrun the laser fire of the mighty machines. They were powerful but they could never hope to be as fast as he was. Sonic kicked off the top of the pillar into a flip, “Useless, the pair of you. Tell you what, why don’t I make it easy? I’ll come down there and give you a better shot at me!”

The two Badniks maintained their focus on Sonic as he fell down to the ground and landed perfectly between the two of them, crouching to the ground as he landed. Their arm cannons, still firing ceaseless laser fire, followed him down as best as they could- before they blasted one another open in the crossfire.

“Yep,” Sonic stood up and dusted himself off, “Same old stupid Badniks…” He walked over to the dazed Mobians crawling out of the Badniks, “You guys can come on out, you’re free. You okay?”

“J-just a little shaken,” the first freed Mobian, a dog, responded.

The other Mobian looked with wide-eyes at his rescuer, “Sonic? Is that you?”

“Come on, pal,” Sonic smirked, “How many super-fast blue hedgehogs do you know?”

“But, Sonic,” the dog answered, “when you suddenly vanished six months ago, we all thought Robotnik had killed you!”

Sonic’s pupils shrank to dots, “When I what?! What are you--?! Is this a joke?!”

Johnny Lightfoot had it figured out, “Sonic, I think I understand what happened. The Omni-Viewer said Robotnik told him to get rid of you in the future where you couldn’t interfere with his plans. Well, he did as Robotnik told him, but he tricked him- he only sent you forward six months. He followed Robotnik’s orders, but he made sure you’d be back to put things right!”

“Six months…” the situation began to dawn on Sonic.

“Hold up, Sonic,” Rotor said, “If the Omni-Viewer followed Robotnik’s orders to the letter… then that must mean his plans—”

Sonic’s heart dropped. Before Rotor could even get the next word out, Sonic was a blur. His legs smacked against the ground of the Green Hill Zone with fierce purpose. Sonic prepared himself for the worst- yet, in truth, nothing could prepare himself for what he was about to see.

Coming over a ridge, Sonic laid eyes on Hedgehog Village and stopped dead in his tracks, mouth agape, “I don’t believe it…”

Every available surface of Hedgehog Village bore Robotnik’s image. Posters declaring Robotnik was “Your Glorious Leader” or noted that he was “Always Watching YOU!” hung everywhere in sight. Flying Egg camera whizzed about, surveying the area. Red Badniks which looked like soldiers marched through the Zone.

Sonic, angrier than he had ever been, roared with all his might, “I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS, ROBOTNIK!”

A horrible cold feeling washed over Sonic. He ran down into the village. Every house he walked past had had its doors kicked in.

“Kintobor,” Sonic spoke into his watch, “please tell me the lab isn’t compromised”

“Laboratory security reports no breaches, Sonic,” Kintobor’s voice replied.

Good. That was something, at least. If Robotnik found that place, they really would be done for.

Sonic turned the next corner. The Star Post was gone. That wasn’t good.

Just a little further down the road, Sonic skidded to a halt as he took in the appalling sight.

Uncle Chuck’s diner had been trashed. There was no sign of Chuck.

“Kintobor, check Uncle Chuck’s logs- when did he and Ben last report in?”

The glasses of the Kintobor hologram displayed a clock with spinning hands as the computer made all the necessary calculations, “One moment, Sonic, just interfacing with the physical computer system now. I’m just synchronising to make up for the missing six months. Sir Charles and Ben both last reported into their lab… five months ago”

Sonic stood stock still, “They’re gone. We didn’t bring them because they were busy. And now they’re g—”

Sonic found himself breathing heavily as a horrible sensation hit him in his gut. It could get worse yet, he knew it.

Sprinting with fear in his heart and tears in his eyes, Sonic raced home as if his life depended on it. The door, like all the others, had been smashed in. Sonic ran through the door, checking every room. On the whole, the house had been left untouched. The Badniks clearly didn’t care about the belongings of the inhabitants. Even his guitar was still standing upright in the corner, exactly where he’d placed it six months prior.

But something more important even than that was gone. Or, rather, someone.

Sonic walked out of his house, feeling dull and numb. He shook with nerves, anger, confusion and even a little bit of fear.

“There he is!” Tails shouted out, “I knew he’d head home!” The Freedom Fighters ran up to Sonic. “Are you okay, Sonic?” Tails asked. Sonic didn’t answer. He merely stood there, staring into space. Tails repeated himself, “Sonic? Are you okay?”

Finally, Sonic spoke, “Robotnik has my mom, Tails”

***

On the outskirts of Hedgehog Village, in the wider Green Hill Zone itself, a Mobian bear was walking through a heavily guarded area. One of the red, helmeted soldier Badniks raised an arm to chest height to block the bear’s progress, “You! My database informs me you should have reported to work detail yesterday!”

“I’m sorry,” the downtrodden citizen protested, “But it’s my wife. You see, she’s been ill…!”

The soldier pulled out a gun and pointed it between the bear’s eyes, “The penalty for non-compliance with the work enterprise scheme is death”

“The penalty for doing anything around here is death!”

“Doctor Robotnik’s rules are harsh but fair,” the Badnik stated coldly, a smile seeming to spread over its cruel, skull-like face, before adding, “Well, okay, maybe they’re not fair… but we like them!”

Suddenly, an angry blue hedgehog hit the soldier in the chest with the force of a cannon ball. Drawing the attention of the Badniks nearby, Sonic dived and ducked laser fire, “Pity I can’t open up on you creeps. Because believe me, I have a lot of anger to work through today! But I’m not going to risk hurting the people trapped inside you!”

“Sonic!” the elated bear cried to his hero, “It’s okay! These Trooper Badniks are just machine! There’s nobody inside them!”

A huge grin spread across Sonic’s face, “Well! Now you’re talking my language!” Moving at super speed, Sonic smashed through all the Troopers present, only leaving one standing- the one who had started the confrontation in the first place. Sonic rounded on this final Trooper Badnik, “Oh, hey, now, don’t you worry, ugly- I haven’t forgotten about you!”

As if balling all his rage from the day’s events up into a fist, Sonic punched clean through the Trooper, leaving it a pile of smouldering scrap metal on the grass and nothing more. An egg camera swooped down and hovered in front of Sonic and his assembled friends. Sonic stepped forward and pointed directly at the camera, “Listen up, Robotnik, I know you can see me. You’ve gone too far this time, you maniac! We’re going to clean up the Green Hill Zone and liberate it of your stench. Don’t even think of trying to reclaim it. It is protected! And once we’ve taken this place back, I’m going to rid planet Mobius of you once and for all!”

Robotnik watched the broadcast via satellite. He rubbed his top lip as he mulled over the situation, “So, somehow you escaped my trap, did you, spikeball? No matter. You’re too late this time! While Mobius was without its nauseating blue hero, I took over. I control the planet now! You’re too late, Sonic! TOO LATE!”

Robotnik let out a laugh so long and so hard it could be heard throughout his base.

END OF ACT TWO

On to Act Two Epilogue