Back to Chapter 74

The Metropolis Zone was the largest city on West Side Island. A bustling, modern settlement, countless skyscrapers loomed high into the skyline. Factories rumbled away day and night, cars filled the streets. It wasn’t the kind of city you’d choose to live in if you preferred the quiet life but, to its citizens at least, it was home.

A new building had joined the skyline of the Metropolis Zone, an ugly blemish against the starry night sky. The land had been bought fair and square and, despite protests, there was nothing that could be done to stop construction of the gargantuan building in the shape of Doctor Robotnik’s bald, moustachioed head. Citadel Robotnik loomed frighteningly over the Zone, almost a threat to those who would defy the doctor.

“Never was a fan of modern architecture,” Sonic commented to his friends.

“Alright, guys, huddle up, because things are going to get tricky,” Sally instructed everyone.

“You have a plan?”

“Of sorts”

“Great! So do I!”

Sally folded her arms, “You’re not usually the planning type”

“Nope. But I’ve got a great one now”

Sally gritted her teeth, “Let’s hear it”

“You guys stick to the shadows, Tails and I go inside that thing and find Robotnik”

There was a pause. Sally tilted her head, “And the rest?”

“There isn’t a rest. I’m sorry, Sal, I know you won’t like it but we don’t know what’s inside that huge head. It’s probably going to be swarming with danger. If we all go rushing in, we all run the risk of capture. Better just the two of us try it and you guys stay safe out here. The way I see it, if Robotnik’s going to build something like that right in the middle of the Zone, he’s obviously not afraid of creating a scene, so chances are he’s got eyes and ears everywhere. It’s too risky to bring everyone inside”

There was another pause. Everyone looked at Sally. The princess breathed.

“F-for what it’s worth,” Porker broke the silence, “I think Sonic might be right. No offence to the rest of you but so far as I can see, there’s only one of us with super powers here. Until we know exactly what we’re walking in on… w-well, I just don’t know if it’s worth the risk”

Sally sighed, “You know something, Sonic, you’re right. I don’t like it. But you aren’t wrong”

Sonic shrugged, “Trust me, if I thought it was worth the risk, I’d have us all going in there. But Tails is the only one who can come close to matching my speed over a short distance. If we need to escape fast, he’s the only one who I feel has a chance”

“Alright,” Sally nodded, “Here’s what we’ll do. The two of you go in there, find Robotnik and kick him off my island, got it?”

“You’re the boss!”

“As for the rest of us, we need to act as reconnaissance. Sonic’s right, if Robotnik is going to this sort of length, he’s evidently intent on setting up home here. We need to figure out his network and what the weak links might be. We stick to the shadows where possible. And we look after one another. And Sonic?”

“Yes?”

“If you find him, give him one for me”

Sonic grinned, “You got it”

Deciding the front door was an unwise option, Sonic and Tails snuck in through a back entrance to the mighty citadel. This entrance, as it turned out, led directly to a Badnik factory. There were no captives here, this seemed to be merely where the empty Badniks were being created. No doubt they’d search for their “organic batteries” later. Sonic was all too happy there were no hostages. Aside from anything else, it meant if he got into a fight with the Badniks, he wouldn’t have to hold back.

“No telling what leads to where, kiddo,” Sonic noted, pressing the call button for a service lift, “Might as well take a ride in this thing and see where it takes us”

The lift doors slid open and Sonic and Tails stepped inside. The control panel didn’t offer much in the way of choice- an up arrow and a down arrow. The down arrow wasn’t lit up, so Sonic pressed the only remaining option. The doors slid closed. Irritating elevator music played as the lift whirred into motion. A friendly female voice with a somewhat metallic sound to it spoke over the music, “Welcome to Citadel Robotnik! The heart of Robotnik Industries, this is where the magic happens! Badniks don’t construct themselves, you know! Our chairman, Doctor Robotnik, believes a happy worker… is a liability and shall be punished most severely. Please direct any questions to reception. Enjoy your visit to Citadel Robotnik- it might just be the last place you see!”

A cute jingle played. Sonic and Tails shared a glance. Sonic raised his eyebrows, “Well, at least she sounds happy in her work”

The lift stopped moving. The doors slid open once more and then closed again once the two friends walked out. Sonic looked back over his shoulder at Tails, who was glancing down at the ground “Be careful, pal, there might be a—whurmfff!”

“A whurmfff? What’s one of those, Sonic?” Tails asked.

“It’s one of me!” a crab Badnik with an oversized claw announced, “Though between friends you can call me Shellcracker!”

Tails was thoroughly confused, “So where did whurmfff come from?”

Sonic rubbed his cheek, “I got hit in the mouth, do I have to spell it out?!”

The Shellcracker launched its huge claw towards Tails this time. The young fox barely managed to get airborne in time. Sonic watched as the crab retracted its claw.

“You can’t hit me if you can’t get close!” the Badnik taunted.

“Yah boo,” Sonic sneered sarcastically like a child, “Bet you can’t hit me again anyway!” He pressed the call button for the elevator.

“Even you’re not so fast I can’t hit you, blue boy!” the Shellcracker snarled, firing its claw forwards.

The lift doors slid open and Sonic rolled to the side, with the Shellcracker’s claw firing into the lift. In a blue blur, Sonic whizzed into the lift, pressed the “close doors” button and back out again. With a horrible crunch, the lift doors shut and snipped off the Shellcracker’s claw.

“Ah,” the Shellcracker noted, “Don’t suppose you fancy calling it a draw?”

“Not a chance,” Sonic leapt through the air and delivered a Spin Attack, shattering the Badnik into pieces, “And that’s for what you did to my mouth!”

Taking a moment to take in their surroundings, Sonic and Tails eyed up the building. Machines whirred, cogs spun, molten metal poured, presses pressed, metal cooled, lasers cut, parts assembled, pistons pumped, steam vented, grinders ground, gears clicked, lights flashed, klaxons blared and computers calculated the entire sordid operation. This was ground zero- Robotnik’s base of operations on West Side Island, pumping out Badniks off a factory production line, ready to storm the nation.

“We’ve got to stop him, Tails. There’s no telling what’ll happen if he’s allowed to dig his roots in deep”. Sonic was deadly serious. Tails nodded in agreement.

The two came to a mechanical swivel lift heading upwards in a vertical tunnel. It acted like a giant nut and bolt, to the amusement of the pair. Figuring Robotnik would want to be at a high vantage point to oversee his factory, the two decided to ride the lift to the top. As the platform spun around and lifted up into the tunnel, Sonic spotted something on the walls. A blinking red light. Nothing too unusual. Except most lights don’t move of their own accord. This one was almost crawling. Sonic glanced around. There was another one. And another. He realised the lights were attached to a moving part- a starfish Badnik. The blinking was getting faster.

“Tails, I need you to crouch down and hold on tight. This might give you a bit of a headache. You should probably shut your eyes too”

Before Tails could ask what Sonic meant, Sonic ran on the spot at super speed. The nut-like platform spun faster and faster as he did, with the hedgehog forcing it up the spiral column it was attached to. Suddenly, the starfish Badniks detonated. There were dozens of them, all crawling towards the pair- evidently security Badniks, which meant Robotnik probably knew he and Tails were in his citadel. Explosions rattled and shards of Badnik flew all around, forcing Sonic to duck and weave on the limited space he had at his disposal. He glanced up and saw something else alarming. Two openings facing one another up above would provide an exit but the ceiling was fast approaching. Sonic had little choice- if he turned around or stopped, he’d be flung off and the momentum would carry the platform to the ceiling and crush Tails. He had to gradually reduce his speed and hope for the best. The ceiling drew closer. And closer. But the platform was slowing. But the ceiling still came! Eventually, Sonic was confident enough to risk turning around and trying to stop the platform as if putting on the brake. With a loud squeak, the platform came mere feet from the ceiling. Sonic bumped his head as the nut stopped moving. A few revolutions in the opposite direction brought the base of the platform level with the exits. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief.

“You okay, pal?” Sonic asked.

Tails groaned, “What’s that thing when something spins? Centrifugal force, I think… well, I think it did a number on my dinner”

“You just lay there a second until the room stops spinning, okay? I’m going to check out the way ahead. Well, one of the ways. I guess we don’t know which way leads to Robotnik until we try”

Sonic hopped off the platform through one of the doors and was instantly met by a praying mantis Badnik, “So, made it past the Asterons did you? Well now it’s Slicer’s turn!”

Without any further warning, the Badnik flung its two scythe-like appendages at Sonic. The hedgehog tumbled backwards and the spinning blades hurtled past him the way he came, narrowly avoiding cutting him open.

Acting fast, Sonic scowled as he leapt at the Badnik, “Nice trick. Shame you can’t repeat it now you’re totally defenceless”. One swift leaping kick later cracked the Badnik wide open.

Sonic landed and wiped his brow. That had been far too close.

“SONIC! GET DOWN!!”

Sonic didn’t know what Tails was shouting for but he reacted fast- naturally- hitting the deck. Mere instants later, the two blades thrown by the Slicer flew back overhead, having returned like a horrendous pair of boomerangs, and embedded themselves in the nearby wall. Sonic breathed another sigh of relief, which was quickly proving to be a habit.

“Sonic, are you alright?!” Tails came rushing up to his friend, “Those blades came hurtling past above me and then curved back in the air! I had to warn you”

“I’m glad you did, pal. Thanks for having my back. Which, incidentally doesn’t have two huge blades embedded in it thanks to you”

The two friends rounded a corner and came upon something familiar, yet different.

Sonic titled his head, “Is that… a Star Post?” He walked over to the structure. It was about the right height and size for a Star Post, though different to the ones on South Island. It definitely had a star emblem on its bulb, however. Sonic waved Tails back, “Stand back, kiddo, I wanna try something”

Charging at the Star Post, Sonic ran around it, not unlike the cyclone which put out the fire at the Oil Ocean Zone. Suddenly, the mechanism in the Star Post whirled and clicked and the top of the post swung under and back up on itself in a circular motion. A glimmering portal of stars opened above the Star Post.

Sonic grinned as he landed, “Ready to see something really cool?”

“You mean…” Tails stammered, “We’re going through there?”

“Yep! Come on, let’s see what Feist has for us!”

Sonic leapt through the portal. Overcoming his reluctance, Tails followed.

Tails felt a sensation unlike anything he’d ever known. The world seemed to turn inside out and upside down and round and round all at once, then- just as suddenly- it was right again. Except it wasn’t. Bright colours filled the sky. Moons and stars and suns and planets and animals whooshed about high above and far away. Tails realised he was stood on a small planetoid. He looked over at Sonic, flabbergasted.

Sonic smiled, “Cool, huh?”

“WELCOME BACK TO THE SPECIAL ZONE, TINY ONE!” an enormous voice filled absolutely everything. Impossibly, a panda bigger than anything Tails had ever seen stood before the two friends. Surely mountain-sized pandas don’t just appear out of nowhere- do they?

“Hey, Feist, good to see you,” Sonic waved, “This is my buddy Tails”

“GREETINGS, FRIEND OF THE TINY ONE. FEAR NOT. FEIST IS NOT YOUR ENEMY. ENTERTAIN FEIST AND THE REWARD SHALL BE GREAT INDEED”

Sonic raised a finger, “Yeah, about that- something I wanted to ask you, actually. A while back, I encountered the Chaos Emeralds on Mobius but they were drained of their colour. And why do they explode away when they’re in contact with one another?”

“THE EMERALDS ARE NOT MEANT TO REMAIN OUTSIDE THE SPECIAL ZONE WITHOUT THE CONTROL EMERALD TO TEMPER THEM, OR THE SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES WHICH CALM THEM. THEY BECOME ERRATIC WITHOUT SUCH CALMING INFLUENCES. ALAS, THE GREY CONTROL EMERALD IS LOST, BEYOND EVEN MY MIGHTY SIGHT”

“You mean to tell me it exists?”

“THAT IT DOES”

“Then Doctor Kintobor was right! Tails, this is huge- if we can get hold of the grey emerald, we might be able to reverse the accident and turn Robotnik back into Kintobor!”

“BEWARE ABUSE OF THE CHAOS EMERALDS, TINY ONE. THEY ARE NO MERE TOYS OR TRINKETS”

“I know, I know,” Sonic waved a hand, “I’m just getting ahead of myself. So, tell me, big guy, what have you got for us today? I know you’ve got a juicy prize for us”

Feist smiled, amused, “HOW DOES A RACE SOUND, TINY ONE?”

A broad grin formed at Sonic’s mouth, “You know, I think I can probably manage that”

“KNOW, THEN, THAT THIS IS NO MERE RACE BUT A RING RACE. COLLECT AS MANY POWER RINGS ON THE COURSE AS YOU CAN AND, IF YOU PASS MUSTER, A CHAOS EMERALD SHALL BE YOUR PRIZE”

“What’s the catch?”

“FEIST SHOULD WARN YOU, IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS, OF THE BOMBS ON THE COURSE” Feist grinned a little too sinisterly for Sonic’s liking.

“Sonic,” Tails was nervous, “is now a good time to tell you I’m allergic to being blown up?”

“You and I have that in common, kiddo. But if we want that emerald- which we do- we have to play along. Alright, Feist, let’s go!”

“EXCELLENT! YOU ARE SUCH A MARVELLOUS ENTERTAINER, TINY ONE”

“I do my best…”

Suddenly, the floor beneath Sonic and Tails melted, before reforming into a huge half-pipe. A racing fanfare played and the duo realised that was their cue to run down the “track”. Of course, it was a racing track like no other. Most race tracks don’t curve so wildly to-and-fro, nor to they bound up and down like a rollercoaster. In truth, Sonic was enjoying himself. The opportunity to forget his worries for a moment and just do what he loved to do- run.

The two friends ran through clusters of golden Power Rings, which were absorbed on contact. Power Rings were a source of energy on Mobius but here in the Special Zone, it seemed they could be absorbed by the user in the same way Sonic could hold the Chaos Emeralds “within” himself without physically carrying them, calling on their power when needed. Though Sonic and Tails weren’t to know it, the energy boost from the rings would have wonderful, beneficial results for them later.

“Whoop!” Tails yelled, narrowly missing a bomb hurtling towards him. It looked almost like a weird black-and-red alien. That said, Tails never heard of aliens exploding on contact. Though, he had to admit, he’d never met an alien so he was hardly an expert.

Eventually, a glowing finish line crept up on the two. As they passed through the barrier and came to a halt, Feist seemed impressed, “A HUNDRED-AND-FORTY RINGS PRECISELY. FEIST IS GREATLY ENTERTAINED BY YOUR EFFORTS, TINY ONES! YOUR REWARD, AS PROMISED…”

From nowhere, the blue Chaos Emerald appeared before the two heroes. Sonic reached out and touched it- and the world went white.

Back inside Citadel Robotnik, Sonic and Tails landed, returned from the Star Post portal. Tails was gobsmacked, “That was amazing! Sonic, we travelled to another dimension!”

“Get used to it, buddy!” Sonic grinned, “All kinds of weird stuff in this superheroism business!”

The two friends followed the corridor until they entered a large open room. Tails looked around with some curiosity, “I wonder what this room is for”

“It’s for destroying pesky animals!!” Robotnik screeched, descending from a hatch in the roof in his Egg-O-Matic, a ring of metallic eggs orbiting the vehicle.

“Was this the weird stuff you were on about before, Sonic?” Tails asked with a wry smile.

Sonic snickered, “Very good”

Robotnik growled, “I’ll teach you to laugh at me!”

“No need,” Sonic interjected, “We’re already well educated on the subject”

Roaring, Robotnik swooped down low, the eggs providing cause for concern as they swung wildly about his hovercraft, threatening to bludgeon Sonic and Tails if they should be unlucky enough to get close. Robotnik jabbed at a button on his control panel, “Playtime is over, hedgehog!”

Suddenly, the eggs began to crack open and from inside each hatched an inflatable Robotnik, which bounced towards Sonic and Tails.

Sonic raised an eyebrow, “Playtime is over and that’s when you bring out the balloons? I mean, you’ve used some pathetic tricks before, Robotnik, but this is next level embarrassing for you”

Sonic leapt onto the balloons, bouncing from them in turn as they popped loudly before he was face to face with Robotnik. Panicking, Robotnik activated a laser beam from the front headlamp of the Egg-O-Matic in a last-ditch attempt to zap Sonic but it was no use. Sonic landed in the cockpit of the Egg-O-Matic.

Sonic shoved Robotnik’s face away and leaned over the control panel, “Hey, cool buttons, egg-breath! What do they all do?”

“Gragh! You wretched brat! Don’t touch a single button!”

“Fair enough,” Sonic gave a wicked look before rapidly pressing every button in sight repeatedly.

“No! You fool!” Robotnik gasped, “What have you done?!”

Sonic gracefully dove from the Egg-O-Matic, “You told me not to press a single button. So I pressed all sixty-two of them. At once. Repeatedly. At Sonic speed. I don’t think the on-board computer liked it though…”

As the Egg-O-Matic lurched wildly, out of control, Robotnik barked an order, “INITIATE PROTOCOL 24-11-92!”

Robotnik shot out of sight but Sonic and Tails were distracted by a loud groaning noise from above as the roof opened, revealing the night sky of the Metropolis Zone. Wall panels slid away, revealing scores of Badniks hidden behind them. At once, the Badniks activated, leapt from the walls and propelled themselves skyward, with some riding the backs of others.

“Sonic! What’s going on in there?!” Sally’s voice came from Sonic’s watch.

Sonic replied with panic in his voice, “It’s Robotnik- he’s activated all the Badniks in the citadel!”

A deafening rumbling filled the sky. Sonic couldn’t be sure what the source was- until it was all too evident. In taking their eyes off Robotnik, they’d given him opportunity to escape. From beneath the Metropolis Zone, an enormous plane rose high into the sky. Sonic’s jaw dropped and Tails’ eyes widened in disbelief.

Sally yelled, “Tails! Can you call the Tornado remotely?!”

“With the thrusters at max, it can be here almost right away”

“Then do it!! You two need to pursue Robotnik! You can’t let him get away! We’ll handle the Badniks! We have to stop them from attacking the citizens!”

Sonic tried to protest, “Sally—”

“NO, Sonic. I’m putting my foot down. Go! Get him! The Tornado is the only way you can reach him in the sky- he won’t be expecting you to be able to follow him!”

Sonic felt guilty at leaving his friends to fight an armada of Badniks, “Please… be safe”

“You too. Celebratory chilli dogs at Uncle Chuck’s when this is all done, right?”

“It’s a date”

“Oh, it’s a date now, is it?”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Gotta go- they’re attacking!”

And then she was gone.

Suddenly, the Tornado roared into view.

“Those thrusters must be something else, kiddo!” Sonic commented, “Come on, let’s roll. I’ll hop on the wing. We’ve got to catch him, Tails, there’s no telling what he’s got planned, but I know it’s nothing good”

On to Chapter 76