Lava Reef Zone

[Rampage]

Rampage didn't care that he'd just taken down that bot and slowed down Robotnik's operations. He could care less. What he wanted was right in front of him. And if Sonic thought Rampage was stupid, he'd soon learn different.

"HAH!!! Ohhh, Sonic, you really need to work on new material!" Rampage laughed at Sonic's obvious ploy, as he feigned whipping a tear from his one real eye. "That old trick might work on a Swat-bot, but come on, Hedgehog. I'm clearly not one of those brainless tin-cans. "[/b]

"Besides, why would I want to kill you now on our first encounter, hm?" Rampage actually leaned on his elbows onto the dashboard. "Why, you don't even know who I am. But I know who you are; and I know how you think, and how you fight."

"For example. I know you'd never leave an innocent in harms way in exchange for taking a crack at your worst enemy. Because that's exactly the choice I'm going to give you right now, Hedgehog. Right now there's a group of namby-pamby do-gooder's on the beach. I'm going to go out there, and believe me, I'm going to kill them all. OR... you can go after Robotnik. Boss, is right down this tunnel in a big drilling tank; can't miss him.

The choice is yours 'HERO' what's it gonna be? Save the innocents? Or fight Robotnik and leave 'em to die." In an instant, Rampage, fired his cannon at the ground directly in front of Sonic. The blast would kick up a large cloud of dust, not to mention throw Sonic back against the wall if he didn't get clear of the blast radius. When the dust settled, Sonic would see Rampage's ship disappearing up the tunnel at full speed; and a clear path in either direction. Deeper, down into the tunnel, to where Robotnik was, or to the surface, and a group of innocent beings about to come under attack.

As Rampage floored the ship to maximum velocity, he called out into his radio. "I want two squad's of Swat-bots in drop-ships to converge on my position and follow after me. Also, bring up Com-bot Alpha. Rampage out."

[Sonic]

Sonic chuckled at Rampage mentioning he didn't know who he was.

"Like I'd wanna know you. You don't seem to be my type!"

In contrast to Rampage's intention, Sonic actually took his news about another crew of fighters arriving on the island as good. If they had managed to make it to the island, they were probably tough enough to help out in a fight. While he felt sad that he'd have to delay the inevitable confrontation with the fat man, the hedgehog knew how invaluable volunteer help was. He remembered what the fight at Soleanna was like. That would go double with his promise not to attack any machines if they weren't being driven by a flesh and blood being.

Of course, he didn't show this on his face. Instead, he put on a mock terrified look, as if this had really thrown him for a loop.

"No! D-d-don't hurt them!" he mimed a stuttering voice, brought on by unshakeable fear. The hedgehog actually thought he was doing pretty good so far...but then Rampage fired that cannon again.

Sonic leaped out of the way, but the shockwave still threw him for a loop and made him collapse on the ground in a heap. For a second, he couldn't see anything, as he hacked and coughed out the dust from the blast. However, he fought to stay aware of his surroundings, and saw Rampage flying merrily down the tunnel.

Sonic allowed a little smirk.

"Fatman, you'll have to wait. Your friend needs to introduce me to some new acquaintances."

The hedgehog eagerly followed after Rampage, as quickly as possible. Like Sonic had said before, with an enemy like this, who needed friends?

[Rampage]

In a matter of moments, Rampage cleared the tunnel entrance. Rampage gained altitude quickly, just to make sure Sonic didn't try some wild stunt to leap aboard his ship. As he came about, he saw two more ships come beside him. Good, his reinforcements were here. Better still, of the dozen or so Swat-Bots in these two ships, one of them was one of Rampage's prize Com-bots. Bigger, meaner and all around nastier bots that made Rampage almost envious of the firepower they wielded.

[Switching to Mushroom Hill Zone.]

[Rose Fox]

(( I’m posting this early to where I would have posted it, seeing as Rampage and Sonic are leaveing and while we wait for everyone to catch up I’d thought it be okay to post this little scene that happens inbetween it all. I wanted the reveal to be more or less Gerald’s fault, but considering the circumstances surrounding the Artificial Chaos it get’s to happen sooner. Let the FUN begin! ))

[“Doctor….”]


Rose’s transmission would come back in, having completed her task. She didn’t sound happy about it though, when she called Robotnik by just his title. Instead she sounded concerned, and quiet (which was unusual as she usually sounded very loud). Her research had shaken her a bit, as she didn’t know what to make of it. Finding the information was easy as she was where Station Square once stood, and all information of the government and even G.U.N. was in the database. And hacking to get into the files was no big deal for her either. And then there was nothing unordinary about what she found out. So what had made her so concerned?

It was a connection that seemed incredible unlikely.


[“-I’ve got the information you want. It is an Artificial Chaos, Type P-1. They were made over fifty years ago on the Space Colony Ark by Professor Gerald Robotnik in conjunction with Project Shadow. They were produced for only a few months and only five thousand models were made of the Type P-1; before the Ark Incident happened. They weren’t produced since then and G.U.N. kept them up there to protect the place from intruders; which I think you would know about…”]


She stated the whole thing calmly, but soon let out a sigh and began to sound somewhat anxious.

[“Now for how they got one. Wwweelll….here’s the….thing. You see Doctor, as I said before only five thousand models were made before the Ark Incident. And apparently, the semantics for it where…destroyed. They ‘claim’ in reports that they just got lost or the machine got damaged during the raid, but non-the-less the blue-prints to make them were completely lost. And mind you, Gerald made it himself, with no help from anyone else. So only he would know how to make them….”]

Rose would stop being quite and raise her voice back to the normal level, now sounding as though she didn’t even believe the words she was saying, as she spoke somewhat slowly.

[“-And to top it off, the particular one they have with them right now doesn’t look right. What I mean by this is that while the Artificial Chaos looks clean, sleek, and has the Project Shadow emblem planted on there forehead, the one the hero’s have is crude, unpolished and lacks said emblem; Which insinuates that someone made it without having the proper materials to make it. ….But, this is impossible.”]

She paused, over where she was she breathed in deeply and crossed her arms. She paused in a way that she was hesitating rather than dramatic effect.


[“…..Unless……UNLESS they got Professor Gerald Robotnik to make it….Which….-should- be impossible…………but remember how I said there was a human guy? On the –beach-? Well, wouldn’t you know it, but he has the same exact glasses as –you-. I don’t know how exact, but they surely look like the same size and color! And he stands about ohhhhh, I’d sayyyyyyyy……five foot seven? Eight? Maybe, Nine at least? …..Blonde hair…No mustache or anything, but then again he only –looks- to be in his –twenties-. I think his eyes were blue or something. Either way I’m sure there’s abs-ult-e-ly no way there’s –any- connection. …That’d be impossible….totally. …..eeeexxxxcceeppptttt the whole dimensional merge thing that messed up all of space and time. But, I’m sure it has nothing to do with it…..nope….nothing at all….”]


She didn’t sound sarcastic, more like she couldn’t believe what she was theorizing. But it all made sense, when put into context. Gerald Robtonik was alive and with the band of hero’s. This was not good in Rose’s perspective. In fact, it made her actually think they had the upper hand. Why? Because as much as she believed Robtonik to be a great scientific mind, he didn’t have much of a way to steal the title of ‘Greatest Scientific Mind of All time’ from his Grandfather. Not until he made a life form on his own, at least.

[Sonic]

[Assume Sonic has left for the Mushroom Hill Zone with Rampage]

[Dr. Robotnik]

"....."

Robotnik shut off the drill of his tank, and just sat there for a while after listening to Rose's investigation notes. He honestly wasn't sure what he should do or say. His grandfather helping out the heroes? But why? He looked up to the man so much. The doctor just had to know more.

"I want him brought to me unharmed and alive, do you understand? All of the others can be killed or captured, I don't really care. Just bring me the lone human alive."

As he said this, the doctor reversed out of his manmade tunnel and started to go back to the surface. Surely his bots could handle this. The only real reason the doctor was down here was because he loved being hands on in his plots. But now he'd found something much more interesting to get his hands on. He needed to get to his Egg Pod immediately.

What a crazy, crazy day he'd had today. He wondered what might happen next. Dinosaurs flying out of the sky and shooting laser beams at his operation?

[Robotnik too will exit.]