War for Mobius

Chapter 19

The tree branch breaks away from the large tree as the blue hedgehog slams into it. He falls and crashes into the ground by the roots, the air knocked from his body.

Sonic hurts all over. His gloves are torn and one of his knuckles is turning an ugly purple color. Speaking of Knuckles, the red echidna is thrown overhead smashing into another nearby tree, leaving a large crack on it. As he falls to the ground, Sonic manages to push himself to his feet.

His head spins with dizziness. He tries to shake it out of his head, but to no avail. Turning, he looks back towards the guardian who lays motionless on the forest floor.

This isn't going to work. Neither Sonic nor Knuckles are still up for this fight. And the blasted copycat of a Robot just seems to keep coming. Sonic wipes a trickle of blood from his cracked lip.

Mecha slowly marches over to the organic hedgehog, as if he was savoring his pain, "Can you not see the futility in your actions? Is your primitive brain too weak to process your own defeat at my hands? Is it too hard for you to grasp your inferiority? Why do you continue to resist the inevitable?"

"Please," Sonic coughs, "Anyone can win when they're powered by a giant magical emerald. You couldn't possibly take me without your handicap."

"You can't bait me hedgehog," the machine replies, "My ego is far superior then yours. I can't be reduced by such childish antics."

"Says the 'bot who can't say two words without remind us how 'superior' he is," the blue blur spits, "The only one who you're really trying to convince is yourself."

Mecha pauses to consider Sonic's words, "You shall suffer for your ignorance."

The robot hedgehog charges, only to be knocked aside when a mobian tackles it out of the way. At first Sonic assumes Knuckles finally recovered, but when the mobian hops back to his feet the hedgehog knows differently.

"What'cha do that for John?" he smiles, "I had him on the ropes."

"Sure you did," Johnny replies before his kicked back by Mecha.

The hare rolls with the blow right back to his feet, "Who's this fake?"

"Me only 'perfected' I guess," Sonic shrugs, "He at least perfected being annoying. Even I can't stand myself right now."

"That bad huh?" Johnny chuckles, "Well leave the bozo to me for a bit."

"You sure?" the hedgehog looks at him, "He took me and Knux both."

"Knux"

Sonic points over to the unconscious echidna, "Red guy, guardian of this island."

"More reason to you should leave your evil twin to me," the hare replies, "He looks in bad shape."

"I'm not kidding dude," Sonic argues, "Two of us couldn't beat this guy…"

"I don't have to beat him," Johnny counters, "Just have to stall till you get back."

The hedgehog shakes his head in defeat, "Fine. I'll be right back."

The hare points to a pathway in the trees, "That path should lead you to the com tower Fiona is hold up in."

Sonic nods, "Don't do anything stupid till I get back."

"Hey, you know me." Johnny smiles.

Ignoring his pain, Sonic races over to the guardian and lifts him up over his shoulders. Mecha dashes over to intercept but Johnny uses his staff to trips the robot up.

With Knuckles in tow, Sonic speeds off into the woods.

"You'll regret interfering with my mission Mobian," Mecha threatens.

The hare just shrugs it off, "Yeah and your mother was a toaster oven."

Before he can react, Mecha punches Johnny in the jaw, launching him up into the air.

Sally smacks the computer console with her hand, "Come on you useless piece of junk!"

Tails slips back into the radio room from outside, "Looks like the coast is clear. The base really does seem to be evacuated."

"At least one of us is having luck," the princess sighs rubbing the hand she hit the machine with, "All I can do from here is contact people. This blasted computer won't access anything else."

"Well you got ahold of the others didn't you?"

"I did, but without the six emeralds that Robotnik already found, any emerald they find on the beach will be pointless," she explains.

Tails is silent for a moment, "Does it seem too convenient to you?"

"What does?"

"That Robotnik would just up and leave the Chaos Emeralds behind," he answers.

"…I guess…" the princess considers this possibility.

"And that Snively just happened to be talking about it when we passed by," the fox boy continues.

"You think it might be a trap?" Sally ponders aloud.

Tails shakes his head, "No, feels more like someone is guiding us. Like they want a specific outcome between us and Ro-butt-nik."

An awkward silence fills the room. Could someone be controlling, nay, manipulating the Freedom Fighters? It wasn't the first time information just fell into their laps…

The silence is broken by the arrival of Johnny, "Someone order a pocket computer?"

Sally quickly snaps back to the present situation at hand, "Give me NICOLE!"

"Nice to see you too," the hare shrugs handing the computer over to the princess. Sally quickly connects NICOLE to the computer terminal.

"Alright NICOLE, find us those Emeralds."

"Searching Sally…." The computer replies.

Johnny turns his attention to Tails, "How we doing, kid?"

"Well we think something is off about this whole situation. Everything seems to be too easy for us, like it's manipulated into our favor," the younger Freedom Fighter explains.

"Could just be a string of good luck," the hare suggests.

"Possibly," Tails admits, "But aren't you the slightest bit worried?"

The teenaged mobian sighs, "Truthfully, I've got a really bad feeling about…"

"Eureka!" the chipmunk unintentionally interrupts, much to Johnny's relief, "We have access."

"You're welcome," NICOLE replies.

"Great," Tails runs over to get a better look at the monitor.

"What do we have to work with?" Johnny asks joining them.

"It looks like a worker had been tasked to pack up the emeralds for transport," the princess explains, pointing at the screen, "However when the orders changed, it instead stored the container in bay…"

They pause as the read the bay number.

"Uh…whatever you would call that number," Johnny whistles.

"It's like thirty digits long!" Tails scratches an ear, "How does Robotnik remember any of them?!"

"Machines do the remembering mostly," Sally explains, "They download the information and don't really have to memorize it. A thirty digit number is no trouble for a digital brain."

"I guess…" the fox shrugs, "But still, it is overkill."

"Agreed," Johnny adds, "Why need such a large number if there aren't that many bays?"

"Not to Interrupt," NICOLE speaks up, "However it appears Sonic is having some trouble."

A window opens up on the screen revealing surveillance footage of the battle outside. Sonic and Knuckles are brawling with the robotic hedgehog Tails and Sally had seen earlier. Sonic jumps in attempting to land a kick to the bot's head, but he is grabbed at the ankle and just tossed to into a tree branch, busting through it.

Johnny watches the footage for a moment, "I'm going to back them up."

"Johnny…" the princess begins.

"Don't bother trying to stop me," he replies before she can finish, "As much as I hate to admit it, Sonic is probably the only one who can stop Robotnik. And he and that red guy aren't going to last much longer."

"Lemme help too!" Tails requests.

"You and Sally need to get those Emeralds," the hare shakes his head, "I can handle the bot for a little bit on my own."

"Be careful," Sally warns him.

"Yeah," Johnny replies, "Sure."

Sonic dodges between the trees as he speeds onward. What was he thinking? Not only he stopped following the path, and has no idea where he's going, he left Johnny to fight Mecha. And not to doubt the hare's capabilities, but if Sonic and Knuckles couldn't take Mecha together, Johnny had no hope alone.

The echidna groans causing the blue blur to slow down.

"Where are we?" Knuckles asks.

Sonic skids to a stop and heaves the guardian off his shoulders, "Not sure…I was aiming to find you help but…"

"Don't tell me we're lost," snarls the red mobian.

"No, I know exactly how to get back to where we were," the hedgehog defends, "I just don't know where I'm going."

Knuckles just stares at Sonic, "You really think that makes a difference?"

"It sorta kinda does," Sonic counters folding his arms.

The echidna sighs and attempts to stand. The attempt fails and Knuckles ends up falling to his knees.

"Easy," warns the Freedom Fighter, "You're lucky to be conscious."

"Really?"

"Well," Sonic rubs his hand through his quills, "As far as my poorly developed sense of medical knowledge can guess."

"I probably have a better understanding of health than you," Knuckles smirks, "But you're probably right."

"Thanks…I think."

The echidna crosses his legs and relaxes, "Give me a moment to rest and get my bearings."

"Sure…" the hedgehog shrugs.

As the guardian meditates, or at least what Sonic assumes is meditating, though it could be just sleeping, the blue blur looks around. The area they're in looks peaceful, untouched by Robotnik's influence. Then again, so had the place where Sonic had 'landed.'

Sonic bends down and adjusts his sneakers. They're pretty beaten up from all the running and fighting he's been doing. Tux will have a heck of a time piecing them back together, if that is even possible after all of this.

He looks back over to his compatriot who hasn't moved since the last time Sonic looked, "Anything yet?"

"Impatient much?" Knuckles replies opening his eyes. He stands up, this time without any trouble, "However the answer is yes. I know where we are."

"Great," the hedgehog stretches out his legs, "Where's that?"

"Lost."

The blue blur loses his balance and falls on his face, "Say what!?"

The Guardian grins, "I'm only kidding. Where were we headed?"

"Well that's a good question," Sonic rubs his chin, "We were heading for medical help, but if you're rearing to go again, perhaps we should look for Ro-butt-nik and your Emerald."

"This way," Knuckles turns and heads deeper into the trees.

"How can you know for sure?" the freedom fighter asks as he follows.

"I can sense the location of the Master Emerald," the guardian explains, "I can find Robotnik with that ability."

"And you didn't mention this before?"

"We weren't looking before, we were fighting a robot," the echidna sighs.

Sonic follows for a few more steps and then pauses, "When you find him, don't do anything I would do."

"Easy enough," Knuckles stops to look back, "I'm sure you'd go in kicking, I plan to go in punching."

The Hedgehog smiles, "When I clean up our last mess, I'll join you."

He turns to head back the way he came, "Just one last thing. Sally. I saw her first."

"No promises," the echidna chuckles.

The nod at each other, acknowledging each other with respect for perhaps the first time, before heading off on their own, unsure if they'd ever see the other again.

Johnny tumbles end over end as he ricochets off a large rock into the air. He lands in a heap a few meters away. His left eye is swollen shut, and one of his front teeth has been broken in half. Blood drips down from his mouth and nose, staining his torn jacket and fur red.

The grey hare use his staff to pick himself out of the mud. With his good he stares down the mechanical hedgehog that strolls his way, casually.

He knows he isn't going to buy Sonic enough time at this rate.

Using what little time he's got left, Johnny glances around for something, anything that could assist him.

There…

Not wasting any time, he charges towards Mecha, swinging his staff upward in an attempt to mash the machine where the jaw would be. Surprisingly the attack hits its target, but all it accomplishes is breaking the end of the weapon off. The robot counters by easily slapping the freedom fighter to the side. The mobian stumbles before falling, dropping his weapon as he rolls.

Not giving up, Johnny pushes himself back to his feet, ignoring the pain in his sides, and limps towards his goal. He's nearly there when a bolt of energy blasts him in the back. The hare collapses to his knees, but he keeps crawling towards his last chance.

On the ground before him lays a large orange mobian. There's a small handgun attached to an ammo belt wrapped around the mobian's waistline. Johnny grasps the handle of the weapon and pulls it from its holster. He rolls over onto his back and fires at Mecha.

Only three shots are discharged towards the robot before something pierces through Johnny's lower abdomen. The Freedom Fighter looks down at his own staff. Mecha had impaled him with his own weapon using the jagged broken end from the previous failed attack.

The robot laughs as the energy bolts harmlessly bounce off his chest. Again he casually strolls up to the wounded mobian.

"You're a fool for thinking you could best me fleshling. I am Perfection."

Gritting his teeth, Johnny reaches behind himself grabbing ahold of the belt once more.

Mecha grabs the mobian by the throat, hoisting him up into the air, staff still punctured through his body.

"Princess Sally!" NICOLE nearly shouts, breaking her usual monotonous voice, "Johnny is in peril!"

Tails and Sally halt as NICOLE projects a holographic display of the scene.

"Oh no…" the princess can only whisper, deep down knowing there is nothing she or Tails can do.

"You're truly pathetic," Mecha gloats, "You aren't even as powerful as the hedgehog, what hope did you truly have for stopping me?"

"Maybe I ain't as tough as Sonic," Johnny chokes. He swings arm upward, wrapping the ammunition belt around the robot's arm, "But I'm still better than you."

"What!?" the machine grips tighter.

"You know what happens when these pistols overload?" Johnny asks, holding the weapon next to the explosives attached to Dingo's belt.

Sonic whips around the last tree before skidding to a stop. Johnny and Mecha had moved from where he left them.

Swearing to himself, he looks around quickly for where the fight had gone. Finally he spots a gruesome sight just a little ways off. Johnny impaled by his own staff being choked by Mecha.

The hedgehog races towards them, his feet barely even touching the ground. He's mere feet away when suddenly Mecha and Johnny explode. The force throws Sonic end over end, spiraling through the air.

It only takes a few seconds, but the image of Johnny vanishing in the fiery light stays burned in Sonic's mind.

He lands one his rump back where he had skidded to a halt only moments before. Not even taking a second to ponder what had just transpired, he hops back to his feet, ignoring the pain, and madly dashes for where Johnny had just been.

The hare is gone. Nothing remains of Sonic's teammate.

His friend.

All that remains is the charred husk of Mecha minus the arm that had been the center of the blast.

Suddenly the robot starts to move. It vainly tries to crawl out of the blast crater.

"No…" Sonic hisses through clenched teeth, "NO!"

Fueled by rage he kicks the machine's head as hard as he can. The neck joints shatter and the head soars off into the distance. Mecha's body sputters and collapses lifelessly and slides back down into the crater.

The hedgehog stares down at his feet. He was too slow…

Just seconds too slow.

Seconds, minutes, lifetimes.

It didn't matter…he was too slow to rescue his friend.