Back to Chapter 67

Sonic loved his home of South Island. A natural spot of beauty, untarnished by rampant industrialisation. That’s why Robotnik’s Scrap Brain Zone had been such a shock to the system. A mechanical nightmare, it had stood out like a sore thumb, blighting the landscape of South Island. But the Scrap Brain Zone, for its many horrifying aspects, was at least a well-oiled machine. Structured, even. There was precision to its design. It didn’t compare to the travesty the Freedom Fighters now found themselves in.

“I… I don’t understand… how could this happen?” Sally was devastated, “Where did this place come from? N.I.C.O.L.E., I’m patching you into a computer system. I need to know what this monstrosity is”

Sally extended a small electrical cord from the bottom of N.I.C.O.L.E.’s handheld and plugged it in. The soothing voice of N.I.C.O.L.E. responded, “Understood, Sally”. There was a pause of a few seconds then, N.I.C.O.L.E. continued, her astonishing processor having already completed its task, “This used to be a medical research facility, Sally. It was used to prepare treatments for rare diseases. It seems this was one of the first places Robotnik targeted in attempt to take over West Side Island. I see bank deposits made to the owners of the facility… then their sudden departure. The owners were kicked out, it seems. Or perhaps bought out. There’s no way of knowing for certain. Either way, research immediately pivoted to something called Mega Mack. There’s a ‘registered trademark’ symbol next to its name. It’s registered to… Robotnik Industries. Predictably. There’s little information available on exactly what Mega Mack is, only that Robotnik has stressed how vital it is to his conquest of the planet. It seems the facility was expanded by Robotnik’s Badniks in just… no, that seems impossible… and yet…”

“How long, N.I.C.O.L.E.?” Sally pushed.

“Three days”

Johnny’s eyes widened, “This place was built in three days?!”

“It would appear Robotnik now refers to the facility as the Chemical Plant Zone. For lack of a better name, I suggest we do the same”

“Well whatever we’re calling it, it’s got to go,” Sonic stated clearly.

“It may not be as simple as that, Sonic,” N.I.C.O.L.E. replied, “Dismantling a facility of this size without proper care for the chemicals produced here could prove disastrous for the surrounding area. There may be little we can do in the short-term”

Sonic was defiant, however, “Then I’ll settle for finding Robotnik and giving him a piece of my mind”

The group walked on in silence. Most of them were stunned or shocked by what they saw, but Sonic was furious. The thought somewhere he loved like the Green Hill Zone could be turned into a place like this sickened him. He knew it had to be making Sally feel the same way, though she was doing her best to hold herself together.

Suddenly, from nowhere, a huge mechanical spider dropped from the ceiling on a cable and Sonic let out a panicked yelp as he was caught up in its legs. Another robot spider. Of course. Sonic bet Robotnik was laughing when he came up with this one.

The spidery Badnik taunted Sonic, “Sorry, hedgehog, but the Spiny Badniks won’t get a chance to blast you away- not now Grabber’s got his hands on you!”

“Put him down!” Sally shouted.

“Fat chance! I’m programmed for two things only! Thing one: grab Sonic the Hedgehog. Thing two…” the Grabber’s yellow strips began to flash red, “Well, they say you have to go out with a bang!”

A horrified look spread over the group’s faces. Before anyone could react, however, Tails leapt through the air and slammed into the Grabber’s face with a Spin Attack, shattering it and freeing Sonic.

“Thanks, Tails. I owe you one,” Sonic said, accepting Tails’ hand as he pulled Sonic up, “Nice Spin Attack, by the way”

“I’ve been paying attention,” Tails smiled.

A short distance away, Rotor noticed a glass tube built into the floor, “Guys, I think we may have to take a little detour to traverse this place”

Sonic walked up to inspect the tube, “Yeah, Robotnik used this same transport system in the Scrambled Egg Zone. We’re gonna have to go for a little ride! You okay to fit in there big guy?”

“Come one, Sonic,” Rotor raised an amused eyebrow, “I know I’ve got broad shoulders but I’m not some lumbering fat guy”

“Fair enough,” Sonic laughed as he leapt into the tube.

The rest of the Freedom Fighters followed one by one, not realising they were being watched by a Badnik up above. The sea anemone-like Spiny Badnik made the shrewd choice to hang back on attacking as it watched the Freedom Fighters hop into the transport tube, before firing a well-timed shot at the directional control switch.

On the other side of the tube, Sonic popped out, followed by Rotor, Sally, Johnny, Porker, Antoine and Bunnie. They had arrived in a large, well-lit area of the factory with Badniks milling about- and several hostages, being forced to work.

On the other other side of the tube, Tails was shot out into a dark, dingy area. He was alone and a little frightened.

“Get away from him, you tin-plated freak!” Sonic yelled as he charged towards a Badnik about to attack a worker the robot had deemed working too slow for the glory of Doctor Robotnik. In seconds, the whole Badnik workforce in the area was alerted. Sonic and Bunnie took to work, smashing the various Grabber and Spiny Badniks to pieces, dodging laser fire from the latter. Johnny threw a well-aimed kick at one of the Spinies, narrowly saving Sonic from attack. Rotor decided to hold back as he wasn’t confident he should be shooting fireballs in a chemical plant. Before too long, the robots lay in pieces on the ground.

“Listen up, everyone,” Sonic announced to the now freed hostages, “we’re gonna get you out of here” He spoke into his watch, “Kintobor, I need you to check the schematics of the building. Find us a way out”

Within seconds, Kintobor responded, “There’s a pipe three feet to your left, Sonic. It’s wide enough for you to walk everyone through and should lead to an exit. Just be careful, I can’t tell what’s being pumped through it”

“Oh dear…” Tails murmured to himself, concerned that he was all alone, “Is anyone there?”

“Hold it right there”

Tails turned to find himself staring down the barrel of a gun, “Crikey”

The gun’s owner stood much taller than Tails. She was a sheep with a serious look on her face and a long trenchcoat. After a pause, she raised her gun away from Tails’ face, “Apologies, Zonerunner, I didn’t recognise you in this gloom”

“Zonerunner?” Tails asked, “You must have the wrong person. My name’s Tails”

“I know your name. Do you run the Zones of Mobius battling Robotnik?” the sheep asked.

“Well… yes, I suppose I do”

“Then you’re a Zonerunner,” she smiled.

Tails was none the wiser, “Who are you?”

“The name’s Sab. I’m the leader of the Flock. Not all that long ago, we lived here, a proud tribe living in harmony with the Zone. Then Robotnik arrived with his machines and destroyed our land. We were forced to move underground to fight him. One of his operatives, Tess Tube- names that are too perfect a pun, huh?- recently got put jointly in charge of operations here. She oversees the plant itself, her robotic counterpart, Nutzan Bolt, he’s in charge of the Badniks in the Zone. They convinced my… my friend, Sol Furic, to leave the Flock and join their number. He thinks we can work with Robotnik, compromise. I know the truth of the matter- where Robotnik’s concerned, there is no compromise- he'll always want more. I was supposed to be meeting one of our operatives here. Seems Bolt’s forces heard of him and he’s been detained. So now you’re here, seems you may as well have what I was gonna give him”

Sab handed Tails a long trenchcoat of his own. Far too long, in fact, positively swamping Tails with its size. She handed him a device not dissimilar to N.I.C.O.L.E.’s handheld, but much more rudimentary. Rather than a realistic AI hologram like N.I.C.O.L.E., the dull green screen bore a simple pixel smiley face. The device had a handy neckstrap, which she put over Tails’ head.

Sab explained “That’s a microputer. Simple operation. You just plug it into an outlet, like so—" she grabbed the cord extending from the microputer and plugged it into a wall outlet next to a large, closed metal door, not realising she was choking Tails with the neck strap, “And give it an instruction- open door”

“Opening door!” the microputer responded in a pleasant voice. The door dutifully slid open.

And a huge explosion rocked the room.

As the Freedom Fighters led the hostages along the inside of the pipe, Sonic rubbed his head.

“Are you okay?” Sally asked him confidentially.

“Yeah. Bit of a headache. It’ll be fine”

“I wonder what this pink goop we’re walking in is”

“I’m going to guess it’s not bubble bath,” Sonic smiled at her.

The two were stopped in their tracks by the sound of a grate sliding open. Without any warning, Sonic was pulled under the pink liquid and down another long pipe. He was spat out into a small chamber. Sonic forced himself to his feet but found himself unsteady as the rest of the pink liquid from up above followed him into the chamber.

Up above Sally called out to him but he couldn’t hear her.

This chamber was full to waist-height of the pink liquid. Sonic shook droplets off his gloves, “What the heck is this stuff anyway?”

“Mega Mack,” a gurgling voice responded.

“This is Mega Mack? Wait, hang on, who said that?”

“I did!” the voice shouted disgustingly. The voice sounded as if it came from beneath the liquid, but at the same time it filled the room, ringing out as clearly as if the one speaking was next to Sonic.

Sonic’s heart almost leapt out of his chest as the pink liquid burst up into a pillar and took the shape of a face.

“What the heck are you?!” Sonic demanded.

The face responded, “I used to be a scientist working with Doctor Robotnik on a chemical called Mega Mack. A chemical designed specifically to destroy you! That was before a compartment I was working in was accidentally flooded with the Mega Mack! I should have been killed… instead, the chemical bonded with me, became a part of me. I was reborn in this new and deadly form, a living body of Mega Mack itself… you may call me the malignant Megatox!”

“Great stuff, pal, what’s your deadly power? Boring me to death?”

Sonic leapt at Megatox with force but simply splashed through him.

“Fool!” Megatox laughed, “The chemical I am composed of was designed to kill you! Let’s see what happens when you try to breathe it!”

An arm formed itself from the Mega Mack and sprayed Sonic in the face. Sonic coughed and choked as the liquid filled his nostrils and splashed around his mouth as he desperately tried to keep it shut. Now he understood why he’d felt so strange since getting in the pipe. The Mega Mack was weakening him. And if he didn’t act soon, he’d be a goner.

Tails sat up. Sab was out cold from the force of the explosion. The microputer neck strap had snapped as Tails had been hurled away from it. He was aware of a loud clanking noise, like footsteps only metal. What made metallic footsteps?, Tails wondered. Oh, right, yeah… robots.

He looked through the door and saw the source of the footsteps. A hulking brute of a robot that resembled a human, only- well, not. It stood around Sab’s height, perhaps a little taller, and looked very, very angry.

Around the robot’s neck were tiny robot heads almost like a necklace. One of them spoke, “Ooh, you got him good there, Nutzan! Didn’t expect the door opening with a boom, eh?”

Nutzan Bolt ignored the tiny head and stomped towards Tails.

Tails gulped hard, “I wish Sonic were here…”

Nutzan stopped. His mechanical eyes widened.

Now, the thing with computers is they’re very logical. When you take something like a Badnik- even a Prime Badnik as clever as Nutzan Bolt- and you give it a linguistics chip in order to communicate with you, you have to be very clear on meaning. You see, Doctor Robotnik hated Sonic. But if someone mentioned Sonic’s name to him, he’d probably growl and curse Sonic’s name but he was still able to basically function (as well as a mad engineer with designs on world conquest ever could, that is). Nutzan Bolt had been programmed to hate Sonic too. But Robotnik hadn’t considered this meant he had to use the dictionary definition of hatred ascribed to the word in the linguistics chip. Nutzan hated Sonic with every fibre of his being. He was bound by his programming! And that meant giving in completely to the anger of hatred.

“Who said… the S word?” Nutzan demanded.

“D… do you mean ‘Sonic’?” Tails stammered.

“Oh dear,” one of the tiny heads said.

“He said… THE S WORD!!” Nutzan fumed. Literally- smoke fumes poured from the exhausts on his head as fires of anger burst forth. He stomped towards Tails again, with angry purpose, “NOBODY says the S word near me! Ooooooh, I’m so angry I’m going to have to use…”

“Nutzan, no!” one of the heads protested, “It’s much to gruesome!”

Nutzan’s mouth turned into a grim smile, “…the neck saws…”

Another of the heads tutted, “Always such a mess when he uses the neck saws”

Tails’ heart was in his mouth. Suddenly, he had an idea. Nutzan wasn’t quite up to the door frame just yet. Tails looked over towards the microputer, dangling from the outlet, “Microputer!”

“Awaiting instruction!” the microputer replied cheerfully.

“Close the door!”

“Cannot comply”

“What?! Why not?!”

“Door is locked open”

“Unlock it then!!” Tails was getting frantic.

“Decoding lock… door unlocked”

Nutzan raised his arms. From his forearms, out extended a pair of circular saws. Tails eyes almost popped out of his head.

“Awaiting instruction!” the microputer noted.

“CLOSE THE DOOR! CLOSE THE DOOR! JOLLY WELL CLOSE THE DOOR!” Tails screamed fearfully.

“‘Jolly well’ does not compute,” the microputer noted with a sad sound effect, “Working… closing door for the first time!”

The door slid down between Tails and Nutzan and Tails breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness”. The door slid up once more, “What?! Why’s it done that?!”

The microputer responded politely, “Three instructions to close door given. Cannot close door unless it is open”

“EH?!”

“I’ve got you now!” Nutzan snarled, his lower jaw unhinging insanely.

“Closing door for the second time,” the microputer announced as Nutzan lunged at Tails. The door slid down and pinned Nutzan to the floor.

“Oh, heck,” Tails responded, “I think I confused the microputer”

The door slid open once more. Nutzan looked up at Tails with white-hot anger in his eyes.

“Jolly well closing the door for the third time!” the microputer announced.

The door slid down with force and sliced clean through Nutzan’s neck joint, sending his head flying off. He didn’t look too thrilled, “Drat that Zonerunner! Head wheels out!” Nutzan’s jaw having been smashed in the assault, four rubber wheels popped out from the base of his skull-like head. He looked rather like a remote-controlled toy car. “You may have won this time, Zonerunner, but I will return! You haven’t heard the last of Nutzan Bolt!”

Tails watched as Nutzan’s head sped off, “No rush, really, it’s fine…”

Sab roused groggily, “Mm… Zonerunner?”

Tails stood next to her, “Sab, are you okay? The explosion knocked you out”

“I’m fine”. She spotted parts of Nutzan’s deactivated body lying nearby, “Zonerunner… did you defeat Nutzan Bolt?!”

“Well… not really, I mean, the microputer…”

“So modest! So brave! Everything a Zonerunner should be!” She pulled herself to her feet.

The walkie talkie on Sab’s belt crackled, “Sab, total mission success- Tess Tube has been captured. No sign of Sol. Sorry. How are things on your end? We saw Nutzan Bolt heading your way”

Sab pressed the button on the side of the walkie talkie, “We won’t need to worry about Nutzan for a while, I shouldn’t think. A remarkable hero took care of him!”

Tails didn’t really know what to say. It was then he spotted a glass tube like the one he’d entered the room in in the first place on the opposite wall, “Sorry to cut it short, Sab, but I’ve got to meet up with my friends and stop Robotnik. If you don’t mind, I’ll leave the coat, it gets in the way of my Tails”

“The Flock will look after them for you, Zonerunner, in case you ever find yourself in the Chemical Plant Zone again. This is the first step towards freeing our Zone from Robotnik’s influence! We can’t think you enough! The Flock salutes you!” Sab gave Tails a firm salute.

“Um, thanks!” Tails felt humbled, “Sorry, really must go! Bye!”

He leapt into the transport tube as Sab watched him leave, “What an impressive figure of a hero!”

Tails thought to himself that he could have done without having the life scared out of him by Nutzan Bolt… but he could get used to this hero business.

Sonic wasn’t having much luck against Megatox’s sustained assault. As a last-ditch effort, he span his body around in a tornado motion to whirl up the Mega Mack, flinging Megatox off him and causing the spray of Mega Mack on his face to come to an end.

“Well…” Sonic breathed, “I guess that takes care of that big drip. Sometimes I’m so cool I even impress myself”

Suddenly, Sonic found himself surrounded by Megatox’s grimacing visage from every angle as duplicate Mega Mack heads splooshed out of the water all around him. “You can’t destroy me, Sonic! I am one with the Mega Mack! I am indestructible!”

“Insufferable, more like,” Sonic coughed. “Alright, slimy, you asked for it…!”

Sonic dove down into the Mega Mack. This would be his last-ditch chance. If this didn’t work, he was dead and no question. Every muscle in his body ached from contact with the Mega Mack. The longer he touched it, the weaker he would become until poisoning finished him off. Remembering the schematic Kintobor had shown him, Sonic used every ounce of might he had to perform a Triple Spin and cut through the floor, then through a wall to the outside. As he began to grow dizzy, Sonic ran back through the hole he’d just dug, kicking as much of the Mega Mack- and Megatox- through as he could. Emerging back in the chamber, he put his plan in motion, “You’re going to like this, Megatox! In fact, you might say it’s going to blow you away!”

Sonic began to run around in a circle, drawing the Mega Mack in a spin, “If I make like a propeller, you- and your chances- are gonna go down the drain!”

Screaming, Megatox realised Sonic was right as the mutated monster found his liquid body pulled through the hole and sprayed all over the exterior of the Chemical Plant Zone.

Now alone in the chamber, Sonic took a moment to get his breath back. Suddenly, a side panel in the room opened, “Sonic! Are you alright? We got the hostages to safety; N.I.C.O.L.E. was able to work out where you’d gone and lead us to you” It was Sally, with the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

“I’m okay, Sal,” Sonic panted, “Think that headache’s going too! Let’s get a move on, I just sprayed a mad bad liquid dude all over the place. I don’t know if he can pull himself together after that but I’m not waiting around to find out”

The Freedom Fighters pushed on. Sonic was feeling much better now, but the feeling would prove short lived as they reached the rear exit of the facility.

“Not so fast, hedgehog!” a whiny voice screeched out.

“Oh, no, not you!” Sonic groaned.

Sure enough, riding his Egg-O-Matic in the air above was Doctor Snively. He had a strange bucket and pump contraption attached to the hovercraft. The pump lowered into a vat of chemicals nearby, sucked the chemicals up and dumped them into the bucket above his head, filling it.

“These chemicals look rather nasty!” Snively taunted, “How about I use the controls to dump them on you all? Looks like I’m safe up here! It’s not like any of you can fly!”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Sonic realised, “Where’s—”

Shot with the force of a torpedo, Tails blasted out of the ceiling-level transport tube and collided with the apparatus holding the bucket above Snively’s head. Slowly enough for him to realise, but not slowly enough for him to move, Snively watched as the arm holding the bucket above him bent, snapped, and dumped the bucket on his head.

With a yell, Snively coughed and spluttered as he realised what he’d been about to dump on the heroes, “Argh! It’s the Intense Itching Goo (Registered Trademark, Robotnik Enterprises)! Aah! Hot! Eek! That—ahaa! That—ooooh!”

Careening out of control, Snively slammed his Egg-O-Matic into and through the wall of the Chemical Plant Zone.

“And where have you been?” Sonic crossed his arms as he looked at Tails.

“I was—”

“I had to fight a maniacal killer! Honestly, Tails, if you want to be my sidekick, you can’t just show up once all the work’s done!”

“But…” Tails groaned, “Oh, what’s the use?”

By the back door of the factory, on the loading dock, the Freedom Fighters found a Prison Egg Capsule. Antoine clambered up and opened it, releasing the hostages, who were led out of the metal loading bay shutter to the outside world and freedom.

As his strength began to feel more like normal, Sonic hoped the next Zone would have fewer nasty surprises. Of course, where Robotnik was concerned, Sonic knew he had just about no chance of that.

On to Chapter 69