Chaos Within

[Mammoth Mogul]

Despite the obvious sounds of reinforcements just on the other side of the door, Mammoth did not appear to be concerned as he looked around the room with an almost passable sense of appreciation.

"I am hardly anything so trivial. I assure you, Doctor. Nor would I ever ally myself with such... lower evolutionary filth." Mogul said, taking a few lazy steps more into the lab while looking around the room with a bemused grin. "As to why I am here, well... I think it should be obvious to someone with such a keen intellect, should it not, Doctor" Mammoth said, his voice thick with sarcasm as he spoke the the last word.

"But since you seem to be struggling at the moment, I shall be benevolent this once. Despite all these impressive toys and... gadgets you surround yourself with, Doctor, I am here for the one thing that makes them all pale by comparison. The one thing you are so desperately attempting to draw my attention away from; and failing so utterly miserably." To emphasis his point, Mogul pointed his cane directly at the non-nondescript box containing the Chaos Emerald shards.

[Dr. Robotnik]

The doctor visibly winced as he took yet another shot to the ego. He still didn't know what this intruder planned to do once he got those shards, considering he still had no way out. A hissing sound could be heard from the other side as a blowtorch went into action.

"So you've gotten all the way into my lab," the doctor said, as he put on a smile. He gestured around to their surroundings. "So what? That door is the only way in or out. And by the time it's open there will be a horde of my Combots out there, ready to spring into action. You don't have anywhere to go. Enjoy being smug now, because it's not going to last."

As he said this, droplets of red hot liquid metal could be seen dripping from a place in the door where the blowtorch was already getting through. Meanwhile, out of view behind a table, the doctor pressed some buttons on a small handheld tablet he had in his pocket.

[Mammoth Mogul]

Mammoth once more shook his head in disappointment. "Once more Doctor, your bravado is rivaled only in your unbridled ignorance. I am a being so far beyond your comprehension it is pathetic. Where you see only a battery capable of fueling your meager ambitions of global conquest, I see the power to reshape the very cosmos with a single thought. And once I possess them all, that is precisely what I intend to do. Elevating myself to supreme ruler of all, while simultaneously removing any unsightly blemishes that might mar my new world order from existence. Blemishes such as yourself."

[Dr. Robotnik]

The doctor merely smiled and chuckled at Mammoth's words.

"It's too bad there can only be one supreme ruler of all. Otherwise I think we would be great friends, since we think so much alike. Sounds like you pretty much want the same thing I do, but there's not enough room for two of us. Anyway..."

As the doctor got a confirmation beep from his handheld device, he suddenly dived behind a lab table. In the ceiling, several panels opened and some familiar, adorable looking sentry guns popped out of the ceiling.

"Target acquired..."

"Dispensing product..."

Mammoth would get a couple seconds before lasers began flying towards him.

[Mammoth Mogul]

[Hah Ha! Little do you know I already have the cake, therefore I am immune to your outdated Portal jokes!]

Mammoth raised an eyebrow at the bizarrely benign looking robots popping out of the wood work, or metal work as it were. But the little robots tipped their hand before they even brought their guns to bear. As the tiny machines unleashed their barrage, Mammoth simply raised his hand and from that hand appeared a translucent green shield, protecting him from the laser onslaught.

"How... amusing. You still believe you are in control of this situation, Doctor? I suppose you always were a slow learner if you have been so repeatedly defeated by weaker opponents." Despite the incessant hail of fire, Mammoth's shield did not appear to be weakening.

If and when the bots stopped firing, Mammoth would lash out at the offending bots with his chaos slash attack.

[Dr. Robotnik]

[Aha! But you are misled in thinking it is cake I am trying to withhold from you! ]

A chaos slash quickly disconnected two sentry turrets from the ceiling, and as they clattered to the floor they uttered musical phrases just as they had when they were firing.

"I don't hate you..."

"No hard feelings..."

The remaining turrets ceased firing and retreated back into their little ceiling cubbyholes. For a moment, things were quiet as Robotnik appeared to have vanished during the gunfight. However, Mammoth might notice a very large, heavy set of doors off to the side. Before the shooting, it was closed. But now one of the doors hung slightly ajar. The reason why would become evident quickly, as he would hear a very large machine starting up behind them.

Something on the other side slammed straight into one of the doors, sending it smashing into the concrete on the side of the frame so hard it made spiderweb cracks. The other door got punched out of the way just as quickly. Now that the doors were out of the way, Mammoth would see Robo sitting in one of his egg pod contraptions.

This time it was some kind of mini-mecha. It definitely wasn't as big as the Egg Atlas he'd used in the Soleanna attack so long ago. This one appeared to be made smaller so it would be easier to maneuver indoors. Rather than a sword and a shield, it had two very large punching arms with heavy armor on the back of the wrists. Heavyset, vaguely triangular-shaped legs stuck out of the bottom of the pod, leaving big treads on the ground.

Looking rather like an oversize child, Robotnik gleefully punched his robo fists together, making sparks. Then he finished it off with a fist pump that would make any power ranger proud.

"I have not been defeated a thousand times. I have simply learned a thousand ways that didn't work for taking over the world! All I need is one to work! And I'm going to show you I'm in control by beating you before the Combots get in!"

[Mammoth Mogul]

[Not quite sure how big this thing is, sorry, so call me out if I'm making the wrong assumptions here]

[Also, WHY!? WHY IS THE CAKE ALWAYS A LIE!?!?!?!]

[And now, back to your regularly scheduled insanity...]

For a moment, Mammoth found himself reflecting on Robotnik's words. Sure, Mammoth himself had been beaten numerous times in the past. But unlike Robotnik, Mammoth had infinite time to ponder what went wrong and plan anew. He had indeed learnt from his mistakes of the past, only to discover a new stumbling block inconceivable at the time. But this minor introspection did little to dampen Mammoth's ego. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before he achieved his ultimate goal. Time was his greatest ally. At least, it will be once again after he acquires the emeralds.

"All your technology at your disposal and you purpose to 'beat me', as you put it, with a robot that relies of fisticuffs? Your lack of imagination is insulting." Mammoth scoffed in disgust. As if the very idea that he should be reduced to fighting hand to hand was a great indignity. Under normal circumstances, Robotnik's mecha would be a daunting size. But to Mammoth, who already stood easily over eight feet tall, the mecha was barely larger than himself, if that.

"I am an entity so far beyond your comprehension it is laughable. Mammoth's eyes once again began to glow a fiendish green. Robotnik would start to feel a strange sense of vertigo, despite being firmly planted in his seat. He would also start to notice an loose objects in the cockpit beginning to float, along with the rest of the mecha. The effort to do so was great for Mogul. If he had even a single shard in his hand it would take a tremendous ease off the strain. But as it stood, all he needed to do was levitate the mecha enough so that he could twist it and let it fall back to the ground prone.

[Dr. Robotnik]

[No, I think you may be about right. Like I said I picture it as a robot designed for indoor combat in tight areas. Anyway, how about this for some battle music?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlE-iT5An...ure=relmfu ]

"All your technology at your disposal and you purpose to 'beat me', as you put it, with a robot that relies of fisticuffs? Your lack of imagination is insulting."

The doctor merely smirked at being called out for bringing something rather dull to fight with.

"I do apologize, but this is all I can procure on such short notice for my guest. If you had called ahead I might have been able to get dressed up, set out a nice table with place mats for us to dine at. Perhaps it could have been peanut butter sandwiches since I know your kind likes peanuts."

Obviously the doctor was just joking around since his opponent was a mammoth rather than an elephant. However, he sure didn't expect to be levitated off the ground. Robotnik added that to the laundry list of powers he'd observed from this mammoth so far.

Invisibility, energy shields, beam attacks, and now telekinesis. Wonder what else he could do?

As much as the doctor wanted to beat him alone, it wasn't looking likely. But if the doctor appeared afraid, he sure wasn't showing it.

"I am an entity so far beyond your comprehension it is laughable."

The doctor merely burst out laughing at that, as he started pressing a few buttons on his control panel.

"Oh really, then how come I've never heard of you? Even you seem to know me!"

In fact, he did have something that might help counter the telekinesis. Two ducts on the robots back fired up, letting loose jets of flame. Smaller boosting ducts on the legs and arms also engaged. So despite being in midair, the robot began to start flying slowly through the air towards Mammoth.

The jets were originally intended to help with jumping and ground maneuverability, but the doctor thought they'd work well to get him out of this pinch.

[Mammoth Mogul]

He ignored Robotnik's childish sarcasm. Despite himself, he couldn't help thinking that Robotnik might have picked up that dullard sense of humor from Sonic. Ironic really.

"You mistake fame for puissance. Fame, does not equal power and influence. There are many realms of existence beyond your own limited understanding. You may not already know of me because I simply had not yet made my move in your world. Regardless of your familiarity or not, I assure you by the time I fulfill my grand designs, your very bones will chill at the mention of my name."

Mogul glowered behind his thick trunk at the sight of Robotnik's machine exploiting it's own built-in thrusters to counter his levitation. He would likely not be able to simply drop the large mechanical construct onto it's back and leave it flailing impotently like a turtle as he first imagined. Still, even if he could not dispose of this annoyance with such ease, he could certainly make life more difficult. He manipulated his invisible hold on Robotnik's mecha, fighting whatever thruster maneuvers Robotnik might attempt to counter his attempt to rotate it into an awkward angle before releasing his hold and simply allowing the machine fall to the ground.

[Dr. Robotnik]

[Man...I was kind of hoping the good guys would be busting in by now...]

The doctor grit his teeth as he tried to regain control of the thrusters. But it was impossible to keep the thing going in a straight line with Mammoth screwing around with the controls. Once he got Robotnik hovering sideways, Mammoth simply let Robotnik crash to the ground. The impact was hard enough to get the good doctor to rattle his teeth, but fortunately his harness helped keep him from banging his head on the side of the cockpit.

Growling, the doctor yanked the joystick, causing the fists to expand out into large hands. With one quick push off of the floor, the mecha was back on its feet. Briefly, the doctor stood there considering his next move.

Clearly, just charging him wouldn't work. However, the doctor got an idea.

Let's see how well he can handle multiple objects...

The doctor picked up a nearby table. Glass vials fell off of the table and smashed to the ground, while an electronic microscope slipped off and broke in two, making some sparks. The doctor did not care though. Those could be replaced. The shards could not. With a big throw, the table went flying through the air straight at Mammoth.