Apocolypse: Prelude by -- Joseph de laCroix This story is based on characters created by Service and Games (SEGA), and on characters created by Archie Comic Publications, Inc. Any resemblance to actual characters are not coincidental. ;) Joseph, Bahb, and all other independent creations of Joseph de laCroix are the copyrighted property of JoCo Inc. and are also protected by the firm of Louis, E. Ville, and Slugger. Commander Packbell, Bookshire Draftwood, and Sandra Nightweaver are the copyrighted property of David Pistone. All other fanfic characters that may or may not be used in this or future works are protected under their respective copyrights. All other rights reserved, etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7:33 am, Mobian Standard Time. One day before Solstice Eve. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The first winds of winter blew through the mostly-bare trees of the Great Forest, bringing with them the occasional snowflake. Fewer walked the paths between Knothole and the other parts of the forest, and those who had left Knothole during the summer had settled in nicely in the various secret places that had been selected for them. Gradually, people began to adjust to their new surroundings, despite knowing that they would soon move again; this time, to rebuild and renew the city of Robotropolis after the last battle had been won. Knothole was relatively at peace, however. Most people were only around for a few days, taking a few days off from the continual pounding they gave Packbell's last few forces. The rest of Knothole spent its time communicating with the other villages or quietly preparing for the impending invasion of Robotropolis. It was a rather comfortable arrangement at the time, but the final push into the Death Egg would probably be a very long, tiring ordeal. Joseph continued to train himself in the magickal arts, working quietly on the various projects that consumed him...the deroboticizer, his secret plan on dealing with the _Apocolypse_, and minor concerns about the Dome itself. Bahb, on the other hand, fine-tuned its own project while continuing to seem completely ordinary in its day-to-day operation... All the while, the bloody battle in the heart of Robotropolis raged nonstop; SWATBots and Mobians clashing in a horrible duel for the control of the world. Packbell continued to try to slow the flow of bodies by throwing more and more SWATBots of lesser quality at the raging sea of flesh, but a steady loss of ground was continually noted. It would not be long until the city finally fell, most surmised, and then there would be justice given to the last remaining scapegoat for the empire of Robotnik, Commander Packbell. But beyond the view of all but two on the world of Mobius, there was the looming mass of the _Apocolypse_...armed with enough weaponry to combat any conventional host, it slid silently toward a high Mobian orbit, preparing itself to strike. However, completely unknown to the megomanicial, genocidal Soulless John, a betrayal was afoot even on his insanely loyal ship... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Doctor Ivo Robotnik, overlord of Mobius, paced the winding corridors of the _Apocolypse_ as it drew closer and closer to the world that he had rightfully conquered. It was dark inside the ship, moreso than usual due to the need for stealth that had been explained to him by John, so Robotnik was forced to rely on his infrared vision for most of his travels around the craft. All that could be seen of Robotnik most of the time were the two glowing red dots that acted as his irises, in fact, and that suited him. The Ur'thaens could see perfectly in this low light either due to genetic alteration or cybernetic enhancement, but they had never adopted the menacing red glow that radiated from Robotnik's eyes due to strictly tactical reasons; it lowered the possibility of an element of surprise to give any hint of your location to an enemy, John had also noted, even if it inspired fear. Robotnik didn't care either way, though. His escape pod was loaded, the data translated, and soon they would be close enough to the planet for him to leave the accursed ship so that the other Mobians could destroy it for him. All that remained was to `run out the clock', as a native colloqualism went. Solstice was coming, after all...it was only days away. He continued to pace into the night, darkly humming an ancient Solstice hymn... "And the sun crests...the sun sets...it's a time for celebration...and soon...winter will end...and life begins..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The icy wind whistled through the treetops for most of the night, only becoming quieter with the sleepy rise of the sun. While the skies were still clear, the lack of insulating cloud cover made the Great Forest crisper than the norm. The familiar scent of winter became stronger as the days continued, and those with the wisdom of many winters knew that the Solstice Day would soon be nigh just by the creaking of their bones. Knothole prepared Solstice preparations as usual, perhaps even slightly more upbeat than usual. Almost all of the Mobians had been deroboticized, Packbell was soon to fall, and the Keld'yrians stated they would state the Mobian situation at the annual Union of Allied Worlds conference that most of them had already left to attend. Vision himself, they had heard, would personally speak of their trials. So it went as the days passed. Solstice trees were erected, gifts were purchased and wrapped, ceremonies of most religions took place, and the feelings of peace and love ran rampant through the streets and huts of the main village of the resistance. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Explosions and fire rained from the sky of the sweltering hot city of Robotropolis, as had been the norm for most of the year. The barracades were being rallied against, fewer and fewer SWATBots being present to try to stop them. The whole of the SWATBot forces were, in fact, packed tightly around the square surrounding the Death Egg, picking off as many Freedom Fighters as they could. However, they too would soon fall, as the sheer determination of the whole of the resistance could have torn holes in any defense at that point. Packbell sealed the Death Egg entire with thick diamondium plates, often with his bare hands, in order to buy himself some extra time. There was no way into the fortress at all anymore, and no way out except for the remains of Robotnik's Eggomatic hangar on the highest level where he currently resided. The Egg was truely now without a single crack... and it was slowly running out of auxillary power. He had made all the SWATBots he could and put them all around the perimeter of the square in order to seal the Egg off from the rest of the city. It was surely lost by now, Packbell assumed...he had lost his sensors outside of the square a week ago. The raging fires that were a source of daylight 24 hours a day gave him a hint as well, as the deafening sounds of entire blocks exploding from berzerker resistance assaults. Packbell had approximately one day left. The Buyers arrived in 23 hours, one minute. He sat back in his command chair, looking out over the fires, knowing it would be his last day on Mobius...and that it would be the Freedom Fighters' last stand. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10:34 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Blazing orange waves of energy rocketed through the Great Unknown, decimating rocks and stones for miles around. Thunder rolled through the endless wasteland, lightning searing the dry earth into cinders. Gusting winds, tornadoes, and blasting mixtures of rain and snow shot against parts of the Unknown, as lava shot from the depths of the world itself to combat some unseen foe. But yet, in one small spot in the center of the barren waste, grass grew around a solitary figure, who levitated in full lotus above the pastural grasses that existed unnaturally in the otherwise red and yellow sands of the endless Great Unknown. He wore a brightly-glowing orange medallion around his neck, which flared with light as the lightning crashed against the earth. He was covered in a black robe, all but his paws covered by the masking garment, and was otherwise motionless as the maelstorm raged just inches away in every direction... Then, in a single thought from the figure, the Great Unknown fell silent...the storms, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions abruptly ceasing. The grass disappeared below him, and soon the sands of the Great Unknown covered the damages caused by the odd occurance as if it had never occurred. The figure emerged from the meditation position in mid-air, landing silently on the warm sands of the Unknown. His medallion returned to a soft glow, and he slowly began to walk away from the spot he had been flying above. >> "Your training is complete, Joseph." << The figure was silent, still walking across the scorching earth. >> "You know all you need to know. Your control and creativity serve you well. Soon, Joseph, you will fight your first battle for this world, and thus insure the safety of this world for generations to come." << Still no words were spoken by the robed figure, who continued to slowly stride through the empty, silent wastes of the Great Unknown. The wind whistled softly for a moment, then again all was silent. >> "I hear your thoughts, Joseph. And no, this battle will not be your last. There are many things left for you to do before you may be finally at peace; but know that by accomplishing these things, you make the world a better place." << The figure kept walking in silence. >> "You sense the evil in the sky...it is yet another sign that you are the one chosen. The one on that ship that you call John, despite having the same destructive powers that you possess, cannot sense you." << Silence. >> "You wonder why, do you not? Why could one of equal power not feel something that is, to you, as bright as the sun and louder than a death-scream?" << He continued to walk, climbing over a rock formation. The sounds of claw scratching rock was the only sound heard for miles. >> "He, unlike you, has great power without the Knowing. He believes magick to be nothing more than a new science to be conquered, seeing it all in terms of...to seek the words in your own mind, telekinetic rearrangement of matter and energy. He does not hear the rhythms of the forest, the whispers of the wind, and the ancient songs of the bird; it is all noise to his dark mind. You, however, have been shown these things, and you now understand the greatness of the smallest things, the silence in the noise, and what is wise in the ravings of madmen and fools." << Ascending the top of the rocks, he peered into the distance, vaguely detecting the very edge of the Great Forest several thousand miles away. The winds cleaned the rock from his garment as he stood, peering over the lifeless region in utter, perfect silence. >> "Let us return to your domain, Joseph. Prepare yourself as you will for the battle. Mobius will help you, if you remember it is what you fight for." << The figure disappeared in a blur of light, leaving nothing behind over than two footprints; which were soon removed by the winds. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tails jogged through the village, as had became his custom in the afternoons. While he ran, he took advantage of his quick jaunt in order to observe the pretty Solstice decorations, which hung from every house cheerfully. The chill wind encouraged him not to linger, however, and kept his pulse as a quick rate. He had a considerable musculature now, having been training almost since the summertime, and felt strong enough to throw a badger around. His age also helped him feel larger and more confident, having reached his adolescent state. He felt taller and wider in shoulder every morning, it seemed, and several in the village commented positively on this. Yet, his driving goal still remained tantalizingly out of his grasp; flight. He'd worked this long at the problem, and yet he still couldn't even manage a hover. His entire body was bigger and stronger than before, he had managed to bench-press twice his weight with his tails alone, yet he still couldn't get them to flap in the correct way to make him enter an airborne state. It was endlessly frustrating to him...yet, he stubbornly believed that he would one day fly again. However, his hard work was not without some benefits. He'd been declared the Grand Champion of the annual Knothole Arm-Wrestling competition that had taken place a month ago, and more people were treating him like an adult rather than a large kit. More and more responsibilities had been given to him, which he gladly took on and honored, and the opposite sex, which he had also begun to notice, were beginning to see him as an attractive individual. So, Tails never really had the opportunity to really get down on himself; there was simply too much to do. Tails did not, however, neglect his exercise regimen. No matter how early he had to get up to do it, Bookshire's useful list of exercises were always completed. He had gotten so used to it, in fact, that thinking about -not- doing it felt alien to him. This, and his usual scholastic talent, made Tails one of the most actively admired residents of Knothole by the youth, Sonic naturally being first. As he finished the last few laps around Knothole, he took the time to ponder what the next year would bring. Perhaps then, after he'd done just a few more tail-curls, with just that much more weight, Tails would finally be able to hover above the ground. And maybe after he'd done that many more tail-push ups, and done just one or two more tail-presses with a heavier press bar, he'd be able to fly... He finished his run and walked into his hut, relaxing after his hard regimen. Tails had done a few more laps than he had been able to handle just last week...he was making progress! Perhaps he'd challenge Sonic to that race soon...or not. He needed to do a lot more to be able to match his raw speed...but he knew he had the endurance to pull it off. One day, he would. One day. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Snively sat in his cell inside the Dome, boredly flicking through the channels that focused mainly on `human interest' programming. He felt like he'd been imprisoned for years now, the three walls and the forcefield beginning to feel almost like home. He didn't even know what season it was anymore...only that at certain intervals, Joseph would come in, check on him, maybe play a game of chess or two, then leave to do something or other. He did get the news when Joseph stopped in, however. He heard all about how Packbell was being utterly beaten by the now mostly deroboticized population of Mobius, which made Snively gleefully pleased about no longer being nearby his Uncle's creation, nor his city. At last, Snively cackled, Packbell was getting what he deserved. All of the cruelty and inhumane treatment he had piled on the rest of the world, specifically him, was now being repaid upon him in full...with interest. If the truth were to be told, Snively didn't care for either Robotnik's or Packbell's methods. Robotnik had roboticized the populace; while, for the first 15 years, it had simplified matters, a year or two of only talking to Robotnik with no other people to interact with got fairly boring. Sure, things got done, but Snively never understood why Robotnik kept polluting the world by creating SWATBots and acquiring more and more of the resources of the planet when there was only one or two real areas of difficulty in the entire world. If Robotnik had been concerned less with making his enemies `pay', by giving them all of those chances to escape when he was about to defeat them, the world would have been under his control without any organized resistance in a year or less. Of course, that wouldn't have made it more exciting or given Snively anyone else to talk to, but it would have been a start. Packbell was simply evil. Julian had some sort of purpose to his sadistic tedencies and cruelty, but Packbell simply reveled in perversity and darkness. Snively had had the unfortunate displeasure of observing Packbell's personal torture, humiliation, and general abuse of several female children and women; suffice it to say, the nightmares plagued him to this day. It was one thing to simply force yourself on a female, he believed, it was another thing to totally break them, let them writhe in agony for a while, then kill them. While Snively's morals weren't the purest, he did have his limits. He'd kill a Freedom Fighter or roboticize them, but his upbringing kept him within the limits of `fair play'. He laid back on his bunk and stared up at the banal sitcoms and movies that the computer, `Bob', could dredge up for him. Snively had this nagging belief that Bob did this on purpose sometimes merely to annoy him. Thankfully, it went no further than that. "Is there -nothing- else available on?" Snively whined to the ceiling, rubbing his left temple with a hand. >> "No." << "Are you -sure-, Bob? Isn't there anything besides this awful love story on?" >> "No." << Snively sat back on the bed, folding his arms behind his head. "No action movies?" >> "No." << "No science-fiction?" >> "No." << "No space operas?" >> "No." << "No horror films?" >> "No." << "No comedies?" >> "No." << Snively rolled his eyes. "Not even something pornographic?" >> "No." << It paused for a moment. >> "However, there is plenty of vulpine-based entertainment available that would fit your basic needs." >> Snively groaned annoyedly. He was very biased towards humans. It was probably the cause of his downfall; humans were a rare species on Mobius, having been destroyed by most of the other races in the earlier times during the Black Times. The idea of associating with a `lesser' species, such as those of foxes and hedgehogs, sickened him...never mind the thought of mating with one. Yet, Bob had been programmed by a fox, and strictly Joseph, Sandra and himself lived in the Dome at the moment. Majority rule. Bah! Yet, he was hungry for some sort of visual stimuli. He decided to admit defeat yet again, and say those dreaded words: "Very well. Bob, select an action movie...*vulpine* based." And thus yet another `Natasha and Seline' marathon began... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The _Apocolypse_ invisibly entered high Mobian orbit. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7:34 am, Mobian Standard Time. Solstice Eve. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The dawn broke over the Great Forest on Solstice Eve like it did on any day during the winter; weakly and through heavy cloud cover. Several inches of snow covered the ground from a recent storm yet, blanketing the forest in a sheer white surface. The last of the Keld'yrians had left Mobius in the night, leaving only a skeleton crew active on Haven to maintain its operation while the majority of the Keld'yrians on Mobius had departed with Vision to the annual conference that the Union of Allied Worlds held. Robotropolis had been predicted to fall within the next three days, so morale (and tensions!) were high. Sonic, who had been in Knothole for the past few weeks assisting Sally organize the final villages being erected as temporary housing for the deroboticized citizens, had gone off to the front lines to lead the final charge against Packbell. This worried Sally to no end, of course, yet she tried to avoid lingering on the thought by engrossing herself in the last-minute preparations for Solstice Day. It would be a beautifully executed celebration, thanks to the help of Rotor, Bookshire, David Prower, and basically all the Freedom Fighters' special gifts and talents. All the villages would link together using the subspace transponder units placed in all the active villages, and they would all join in song to sing of their victories over Robotnik, Snively, and now Packbell, and to pray together for the speedy renewal of the world and the return of the King. It would be Sally's crowning achievement in the resistance, in her eyes, if she could pull off this totally peaceful operation without a hitch. She was confident it could be accomplished, yet there was still some final bugs to work out. For example, a very quiet hiss of static had begun to interfere with the transmissions due to some sort of atmospheric freak occurrance, which David had been working around the clock to cancel out of the transmissions...she was sure he'd pull it off, though. Other than that, it was merely a matter of making sure everyone knew what to do, when... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Platoon after platoon of SWATBots fell before the combined strength of the militant Freedom Fighters and Sonic, who were now driven by pure rightous anger as the despotic Packbell. The thoughts of each Mobian were focused on taking down Packbell, hard, personally...especially in Sonic's mind, who was the complete ruler of the forces at this point. The losses of life fell dramatically when he entered the field of battle, everyone wanting to fight twice as hard just so they could see Sonic go all the way to the top of the Death Egg and annhilate Packbell with one mighty spin-dash. The final barricade fell, and the SWATBots were swept against the face of the Egg, and thus to their doom. Hundreds of thousands of Freedom Fighters filled the heart of the city that had once been their home, rallying together to destroy every last SWATBot in sight. There were no more casualties at this point, one might observe, because everything that might have held up a weapon and shot at the Freedom Fighters laid in pieces at their feet. Only the sealed Death Egg remained before them, the shell alone protecting Packbell from his destruction. Sonic stood in front of the main entrance of the Death Egg, which was sealed tightly with un-spin-dashable diamondium. For a moment, the massive crowd surrounding the Death Egg fell silent; then, a single voice, unburdened by any background noise, spoke. "PACKBELL!" cried Sonic to the heavens, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" A moment, that lasted an eternity, passed. "*BIG* *TIME*!" That triggered the tens of thousands of Freedom Fighters to simotaneously attack the very walls of the Death Egg, taking out tools and cutting into the thick walls, blasting at it with stolen energy weapons, even tearing at it with their bare hands to crack the black Egg that laid in the middle of their city. Their joined voices made a sound like a hundred thousand freight trains roaring at full speed into the night, the shaking and quaking of the very supports of the Egg to enter it almost that of the world itself bucking at the seams... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The _Apocolypse_ moved to a geo-stationary orbit over the geographical center of Mobius, still invisible to all. Several cloaked devices, however, left its hull and took positions over points all over Mobius. Yet, it remained unseen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Knuckles stood on the edge of the northern cliff of the Floating Island, looking out over the placid tropical waters. Down to his bones, he felt the battle raging deep within the cursed city for the political domination of the world, while his heart chilled when he looked to the sky; for That Which Was There But Not There was close enough now to see in his mind's eye without the use of the magickal seeing-pool. He felt the death that surrounded it, sensed the rage and hate that stewed aboard the ship...and something else, something familiar, also was there. What it was he did not know, only that the Solaris would soon rise up to fight it. He took one of his quills from the back of his head with a quick, smooth movement, and dragged it through his bare palm... the blood seeped out and dribbled into the water, as the old ways told him to do before entering battle...his blood in the water would tell the old spirits of his intent, and they would protect him in the great battle that may come to his protectorate. In a moment, his wound sealed, and the calloused surface of his palm went again inside the glove protecting it. Thunder rolled in the distance, some dark clouds on the horizon spontaneously forming over the water. The time grew near for the final battles to begin...for the life of a people, and the life of a world. He knelt down and chanted to the old gods for guidance; mind, body, and spirit joining in worship. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3:26 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Solstice Eve came to Knothole, the final battle raging all the while in Robotropolis. Reports came back to Sally, stating that the Egg would be breached and Packbell destroyed in exactly one hour; just in time for the Solstice Prayer at midnight over the subspace transponders. Sally smiled at this news, and was tempted to go herself to Robotropolis to watch Packbell's destruction; but, her subjects needed her with them to lead them in prayer and celebration, so she merely hoped someone would record it all for later observation. Those who prayed early, did so, while the various other subreligions and cults did their various Solstice celebrations peaceably, and without any protests of the others. Children recieved gifts, lovers renewed their vows under the three moons, and the old looked on wistfully as this, a long chapter in the history of Mobius, would finally come to an end; bringing with it, they hoped, a new golden age. However, David hadn't been able to clear out all the static yet, which was troubling to Sally slightly. He did have another hour left, however, which was a good thing, and it wasn't too annoying anyway. She just wanted this celebration to be as historically perfect as Packbell's final defeat, and the reclaimation of all of Mobius in the name of rightousness. It was so important that this moment be recorded with perfect clarity...Solstice Day would have a new meaning, on top of the other official events it signified, as the day Robotnik was utterly erased from Mobius. The soft sounds of singing were heard from the other parts of the village, and took the Princess for a few moments from her thoughts. Her eyes watering, Sally decided to join them with her own beautiful song of hope...praying deep within her heart that soon Sonic would return and sing beside her. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bunnie was already singing with the rest of the village, her heart and soul joining with the other Knothole denziens in one perfect harmony. She too ached to be in Robotropolis, but she knew on a instinctive level that this was to be Sonic's fight alone. He had to be the one to slay the final foe, win the day for the rest of the world...it was simply his role. She sang her heart out, her eyes streaming with tears from joy...soon, she would know where her family was. There would be no more nightmares, no more fear...there would truely be peace on Mobius. How could any dare war against each other after the hard lesson that had been taught? How could anyone hurt anyone else after all the pain the world had been through? Who could be so callous as to harm Mobius after the long struggle, that had cost them all so much? The stars never shone so clearly to her, nor did the air ever smell so clean and crisp. In her heart, and in her eyes, the world was at peace. She couldn't have been more wrong. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The _Apocolypse_ went through its final diagnostic sequence. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A sailboat laid on the shores of the Southern Continent, pulled safely onto land by a force greater than that of any normal living thing. A few miles from it, a cloaked grey wolf strode along a path untraveled for over 20 years, his lightning gun holstered on his side. All around him, he sensed no life as he walked...yet, there was once something here, he knew it. In the heavens, his unnatural second sight saw the dreadnought of hell looming o'er the northern sky, and merely hoped the old wizard's statements about it were mostly prevarications. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Death Egg had been breached after someone had finally gotten some explosives to the front line, and the forces of the Freedom Fighters charged inside. They found nothing but an abandoned ground floor, the elevator shaft having been welded shut in a thousand different ways, and yet another barracade between them and the first floor of many they had to break through. However, Sonic was undaunted by this task, and rallied the forces of good to begin assaulting this new challenge. However, Packbell also knew that they had entered the fortress, and stood in the hangar anxiously awaiting the Buyer envoy to pick him up. Each of the 9 levels below the one he stood on had been sealed with enough blockades to keep them from him for enough time, he hoped, to allow a speedy escape. He wanted off of the planet, and he wanted off of it now... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sandra and Joe laid together in their bed, silently holding each other close. Joe had given her this one last Solstice gift before he prepared to go to battle against the forces of evil, and Sandra thought that what he had given her was truely the best thing he had done to date. Yet, it wasn't so much the act of lovemaking as it was the fact that he and her had met on the last Solstice Eve, and that his love for her (and her love for him) had only grown stronger since then. He stroked her headfur gently, his eyes telling her that her time with him was slowly dwindling to nil. She didn't need to say a word to him then; all she did was hold her body tighter to his own, closing her eyes and praying for just a few more moments of intimacy with her mate before he went off to fight against the might of the last Ur'thaen battleship, aptly named _Apocolypse_. Sandra kept telling herself that she wouldn't lose him, that he would march off to battle and return with not so much as a scratch on his body...but her mind told her otherwise, no matter how hard she believed in Joe's mystical powers, mental talents, or his physical skills. It was simply too much for him to do alone! Maybe if she pleaded... She opened her eyes and gazed into his, eyes watering. All she saw was iron-hard resolve and a sort of muted confidence that made her fur nearly stand on end. She'd seen this look before when he spoke of the deroboticizer or the renewal of Mobius; there was no changing his mind at this point. He would follow through to his goals to the end, no matter what it cost him. Sandra finally cried as this sunk in, her fear showing at last. Joseph held her as she gripped to him, not wanting to let go of the one true love she had ever known...who would, in a moment, leave her grasp to fight a battle against a ship that entire worlds had been vanquished by. He offered no words, no platitudes, no prewritten speeches about his impending victory; he only held her, allowing his body to do what his words could not. >> "Joseph, it is time." << He allowed her to calm herself, kissed her passionately once more, and released himself from her embrace. Sandra sat up on the bed, wiping her eyes, and watched her mate prepare himself for battle... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7:12 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The _Apocolypse_ silently scanned the surface of the world, still invisible to all but a few. It picked out the proper points on the sphere for its vile purposes, and searched for the highest concentrations of life in case it needed to be put down. The ship also fruitlessly searched for any advanced technology or sources of high power, but found none other than Robotropolis and a few pitiful, tactically useless outposts. The dread Ur'thaen captain slammed his fist on the console at the impossible news. You cannot hide from me, Chaos Emeralds, John swore to himself, I will find where you are if I have to take this world apart, piece by piece... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10:54 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Freedom Fighters raged through the Death Egg, meeting with no resistance aside from the constant barriers and blockades. Deafening sonic booms mingled with the scent of gunpowder and plastique as they charged higher into the fortress, looting and laying waste to all those things which had sought to oppress them. However, Sonic and a team of crack commandos stopped the looting at the foot of the roboticizer. For a moment, an eerie silence reigned as Sonic himself walked before the device, which had somehow survived the onslaught of Doomsday and the decimation of the rest of the city. He caressed the glass with a hand, peering into it. The hedgehog told no one, to the day when he finally died, what he was thinking as he looked into the device, one which had oppressed the lives of countless millions over the nearly two decades when Robotnik ruled over all of the world of Mobius. It was powerless and still then, the Egg now dark and quiet aside from the sounds of explosions both inside and outside the Egg. Only the sound of his breathing could be heard in that room, while the crowds outside the chamber looked on in awed silence. He stepped away, truely looking at the entire device for the first time in his life. He'd taken hundreds of people from its grasp personally, and had spared thousands due to his actions. Yet, for all of the people he had saved, millions had succumbed to it. Millions of people, all reduced to metal and glass, all due to the whims of one man, his nephew, and an android. And it was only the size of a small videocomm booth...a wave of terror swept through him for a moment, invisible to those around him, but soon passed. A clarity of vision filled him that he had never had before; in an instant, he knew what he had to do. A large bear lumbered in, covered in soot from a recent explosion. Noting where Sonic stood, and what he stood in front of, he handed him one of the rare paw-held energy cannons that the resistance was able to acquire from one of the more recent raids on a SWATBot production facility. "Sonic...do it." The hedgehog held the unfamiliar, cold weapon in his hand. He looked at it for a moment, learning its operation by sheer instinct, then looked back to the unknown bear. He aimed the device at the heart of the chamber, arming it...the sound of the weapon powering up was all that could be heard. No one dared speak during that moment, the moment when the victory of the resistance would be sealed; Sonic's finishing blow to Robotnik's tyranny, the roboticizer. A few moments passed, and the hedgehog still did not fire. His eyes looked deeper into the device than there was machine, feeling what he had seen there all during his childhood. This machine had defined him, made him what he was...and now, he would destroy it... Sonic disarmed the weapon with a flick of his thumb, handing it back to the bear. "No." "But..." "No." Murmurs from the crowd. "Why?" Sonic turned to face the confused crowd of warriors. He spoke in a style and tone similar to his uncle's, for the first time in his life, and he suddenly felt filled with the great responcibility a leader has to his men. "The machine behind me is the roboticizer. It has been the main badnik since the first day Robuttnik took control of the world years ago. But it can't be destroyed." He looked into the eyes of those who followed him. "No, the roboticizer gotta survive. From it, we see the true evils of tyranny, what we truely fought against. Robuttnik was just a man; what he _did_ is what we took down this day." He looked back to it, eyes fearless. "Let it stand in the museum that will one day be rebuilt in this city. Let the roboticizer be seen and known by all until the day the mountains crumble into the sea, so that none may ever again do that sort of flat-out badness! Let what we have kicked butt for never be forgotten!" Roaring cheers filled the fortress for another moment, puntuated by yet another explosion. Access to the next level had been cleared, so the crack troops charged in, preparing to retake the next few levels above it. As the next onslaught began, Sonic called aside a few of the men, and spoke to them over the din: "Disassemble it and drag it to Knothole, so that no one will be able to destroy the thing." He smiled. "Oh yeah, tell Sal that I'm cool, too." The techs nodded to Sonic, and he rushed off to lead the rallied troops to yet another level. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11:32 pm, Mobian Standard Time. Solstice Eve. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sonic charged into the computer rooms of the Death Egg, ordering troops about to get Robotnik's records. With some difficulty, they wired up the computers to generators, and began the hard process of data retrieval. Meanwhile, other factions charged through the rest of the level as the blockades were against raged against, charges continually pounding against them. Technology and wisdom hidden from them by Robotnik were gleefully removed from Packbell's possession; at times, the lines heading out to remove items of value was longer than that of those wishing to enter with explosives. He walked the halls impatiently, the final few blockades standing before him. Time was of the essence; had Packbell flown off? No, impossible, the air was being patrolled by stolen Freedom Fighter hover units, so that not even a fly could get out of Robotropolis in one piece. Through the vents? No, they too had been sealed by the numerous explosions. Did he climb down the side of the building? Was he even there at _all_?! These thoughts nagged Sonic, supreme commander of the resistance forces at that exact second, as the pollution-stained clouds parted slightly outside the window he was walking by, showing three bloody red moons through the toxins that covered the city like a burial shroud. He paused again, looking at the sight, then continued to walk...waiting for the large explosion on the far side of the level to clear their way yet again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11:50 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A single fighter left the _Apocolypse_, heading under cloak towards the smoggy, fire-filled realm of Robotropolis. Onboard the _Apocolypse_, John did one final systems check, and addressed his fellow foxen appropriately over the ship's intercom. << "Fellow foxen, we engage now in the first test of this ship's mettle since the destruction of our world over 300 megacycles ago. We are what remains of the Ur'thaen Empire now...let our claws again scrape over this galaxy again and rule with rightous glory. Praise the Goddess!" >> A quiet cheering occurred onboard the ship for a moment, then the crew locked in position...waiting... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11:56 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The top of the Death Egg was breached, the level where Robotnik and his foul assistants usually resided. It was cleaner than the other levels, Sonic immediately noticed, but it was just as abandoned as every other level. No SWATBots greeted them, not even a Spy-Eye peered at them as they charged in...it was obvious that they had fought the very last of Robotnik's army at the gates of his fortress. A chill crept through Sonic again as he walked through the level, assigning people to plant various explosives at pressure points so to check the final level...the rooftop hangar. However, that didn't take as long as expected, so he took the time to explore the other rooms present on the level as the more experienced explosives experts took over. He entered Robotnik's own room, a layer of dust covering it for more than a year due to his supposed demise. He paused for a moment, taking it all in; it was a spartan room, clean and organized despite the layers of dust that covered things. A large, triple-reenforced bed sat in the back of the room, recognizably that of the old King...the crest of arms on the front of it told Sonic that much, since he had seen it on Sally's formal dress once or twice. Yet, Robotnik had to go and ruin it by putting steel bars all around it, he thought. Of course, since he weighed a ton and a -half-... A cord stuck out of the wall near the bed, with an odd-looking plug at the end that was meant to plug into something else. He picked the thick cord up, looked it over, and pondered. It had three prongs on it like the one Uncle Chuck used to use when he was still a robot...yet, it looked like it could carry a lot more current than what Robotnik's arm could need. Probably more waste for Robotnik's sick quest to mess up the entire world, Sonic cursed, and let it drop to the ground. A few feet away, a desk sat, facing out a window that overlooked Robotropolis (what remained of it), the Great Meadow, the Forest, and even (when the clouds parted a bit) a hint of the Grey Mountains. Sonic found it odd that Robotnik would want to look at nature, but then realized it probably kept him on-task...after all, he was trying to control the entire world, not only the city. He pushed the chair over and with some difficulty took a seat. Like everything else in Robotnik's domain, the chair was thick with steel and twice as cold. Yet, Sonic had a strange desire to sit in this chair where his enemy had sat, plotting against him; it gave Sonic a bit of a thrill. Looking over the desk further, Sonic found several mundane things; a pen or two, some paper, a few paper clips, and the usual assortment of Put-It Notes. Things like `Check Monitor #58179' or `Destroy Village #956-B' were written on them in Robotnik's nearly mechanical handwriting, which fired Sonic's imagination with the scenes of carnage and bloodshed that took place early in Robotnik's rule. He shivered again, but looked out of the window at the damage they had done back to Robotnik. He was taken down, thought the hedgehog to himself, big time. Robuttnik couldn't hurt anyone anymore. Sonic rifled through the desk, the first explosions being heard from the opposite side of the level. Sally had given him explicit instructions before leaving to get all of Robotnik's papers and such for posterity. (Infamy? thought the hedgehog.) He popped open his backpack and started to toss in all the folders and such he found lying around in the desk, as well as anything that seemed to have writing on it. Fortunately for Sonic, there were only the bare necessities on paper; things left over from the Royal Archives, his diplomas (Robotnik went to school? Just goes to show that reading books don't make you smart.), some commendations from the King (This'll be a collectors item.), and a few dusty, but dog-eared books Sonic didn't immediately recognize. Closing his backpack, and placing it on his lap, he sat back for a moment in the chair and listened to the sounds of detonations. They were growing softer, which meant that the barricade was nearly broken through. He'd better hurry up and finish getting Robuttnik's stuff, he thought, or else he'd miss Packbell's capture. He went to the safe, and began the tedious process of cracking it...Sonic suddenly wished he'd paid more attention when Sally had demonstrated technique. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11:58 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A small saucer-shaped craft cruised downward towards the Death Egg, decloaking as it entered the smog cloud around it. It was a reddish ship, about the size of an above-average hoverunit, and had very large and mean-looking weaponry all over its surface. Two indentations on both sides of it curved out like wings, where the craft's thrusters and warp nacelles were located. A slim, but wide window in a slight alcove in the `front' of the vessel served as a viewer when the computer wasn't being utilized for navigation. There was strange lettering on the side and top of the craft, obviously identifying marks. The fighter flew invisibly down to the landing pad, decloaking as its engines shut off for landing. A Ur'thaen fox, clad in full combat regalia, hopped out of the cockpit. He saw Packbell, with box of `toys' in tow, walk over. "Is this all of it, then?" The fox took off his helmet, handing it to Packbell. "Yes, sir." Packbell smiled. "Excellent. Is everything I'll need in there?" The fox nodded. "A replicator unit and recharging assembly are on board, sir." He glanced to the crate. "And there should be just enough room for that too, sir." A puff of smoke and an explosion rose from the stairwell leading back down into the Egg, with the sounds of voices beginning to close in. The pilot looked over to the incoming riot, and turned to Packbell. "See you in the sky, sir." The fox then promptly hit a toggle on his wrist, and beamed out in a reddish haze. Meanwhile, Packbell had wasted no time scrambling into the craft, closing the hatch and tossing the box in back. He laughed, pulling back on the flight yoke, and lifting away from the ground. "Good -bye-, hedgehog! So long, Mobius! See you all in HELL!" He kicked the ship into maximum atmospheric speed, and rocketed off into the heavens. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11:58.30 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sonic raced up to the top just in time to see something shoot through the smog and towards the stars. He slammed his fist into the side of the stairwell. "Damn! He got away!" He took a communicator quickly from a nearby wolf, speaking quickly into it. "Does anyone have that thing that took off located?" A reply came back, filled with static. "...gone, sir...headed towards space...before...lost it...over." Sonic sneered, tossing the device back and walking towards the center of the pad. He stared up into space. "I'll get you, Packbell," he whispered to himself. "You won't go unpunished." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The saucer-shaped craft zoomed past the _Apocolypse_, wasting no time escaping from Mobian orbit. It roared past the moons without being noticed by Haven, concerned only with making tracks from the world as fast as it could. It raced past the other planets in the Mobian system, heading to deep space. After it had gotten far from the Mobius system, it slowed down, its pilot consulting the flight computer. "So far, so good," he muttered, looking through the listings for a place to take stock of the situation where he wouldn't be disturbed. He might have found one, too, if he hadn't been interrupted by a very loud transmission: "Hey, dumbass." the communicator spoke in clear Mobian, "Prepare to get trashed by the Boys!" Packbell looked up at the main screen, watching the pirate fleet decloak in front of him; the fighters racing out towards his ship, blasters firing... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11:59 pm, Mobian Standard Time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sally did one final check of the subspace transponder. As she was about to activate it, David ran over from behind it. "All clear, Sally," said David, "I cleared out the last of that static for you." She took a sigh of relief. "That's great, David! Now nothing can ruin our celebration!" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12:00 am, Mobian Standard Time. Solstice Day. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The _Apocolypse_ decloaked. This, in itself, was extremely disconcerting, but what happened due to this was far more alarming. Just as Sally had said "Let us all sing our Solstice praises!" over the transponder, all subspace communications suddenly jammed under a loud burst of static. All of the villages were suddenly cut off from each other, which immediately caused a minor panic. Then, a massive EM pulse that struck the Northern Continent was so severe as to immediately shut down David Prower, who fell like a rock from a few feet in the air into the center of Knothole. Cloaked SpyGlobes which were stationed out of Knothole suddenly came into plain sight, and also plummetted to the ground. Various others fell into parts of the Forest, as well as the rest of Mobius. The `lightning incident' had fortunately caused the Dome itself to be immune to the pulse, though it did scramble all external surveillance. It was basically blind, deaf, and sensationless to the outside world, but it was yet secure. Another blast was directed at Robotropolis, which throughly put out of commission any operating technology. However, this did have the side effect of finally clearing out the smog over the city, for whatever reason... Of course, with the smog gone, Sonic could plainly see the huge, triangular shape of the Apocolypse cutting directly between all three of the visible, full moons of Mobius. He could only gape at it, having no idea what was in store... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - John sat back in his command chair, watching the bridge fill with his normal crew. << "Is there carnage?" >> His tactical officer, a tall fox named Nh'ich, replied. << "Certainly." >> He sat back. << "Excellent. For now, let them merely witness our presence, and fear..." >> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In a flash, Sonic returned to Knothole, leaving the rest of the men to get what they could and then retreat to their villages. Sally and the rest of Knothole were witnessing the same thing. "You guys lose juice and the comm, too?" Sally nodded gravely, looking worriedly at the ship. "Yes, we did. I think that large craft had something to do with it." The Princess looked at Sonic with worried eyes. "But what does it want? Who could want to do this to us?" Sonic looked up again as well. "I don't know, Sally. Maybe it comes in peace." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A fox sitting at the helm controls turned to face John. << "Sir, the commander of the Alpha wing is requesting permission to raze the city and the surrounding areas." >> John sighed. << "Can't she wait until we hit Keld'yr?" >> << "She said that the new pilots need practice with the modifications to the fighters before we hit a hard target. She noted as well that the foxes are restless, sir. They -need- to blow -something- up." >> John groaned. << "Oh, very well. She _has_ been waiting almost three megacycles now. But tell her to keep in mind that I want something left to watch scream as the planet drowns in its own water." >> The ensign nodded, typing in a message. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A swarm of fighters were disgorged from the ship, appearing from the ground to be merely dust flying off the massive shape in the sky. They roared down towards Robotropolis, all of them appearing to be standard-issue fighters akin to the one Packbell escaped in, except that they all flew in perfectly arranged formations all the way down to the city. They took steady positions over the city, waiting for their wing commanders to give the word to strike. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sonic, with Sally in tow, rushed back towards the city to see what was going on. "Perhaps they want to find our leader," she had said, "so they can properly introduce themselves." The fighters had not yet all been assembled by the time Sonic had arrived, so they had assumed that the last ships to arrive would be that of the leaders, or at least the ambassadors, of the visitors. Sure enough, the last few ships arrived, noticed the group and the two leading it, and examined them. Nicole detected some sort of probe, but allowed it to access its records in order to ensure that no hostile attempt was meant. For a few moments, the ships did nothing. However, the wing commanders were cackling madly over the Ur'thaen communications system, the only way of communication left unjammed, pondering the best way to truely make them feel stupid for lining up nice and even below them, and giving them access to all of their records. Finally, the head commander of the ships hushed the other ones, activated a translator, and yelled down via a loudspeaker mounted in front of her ship; A rough female voice spoke. She tried to sound serious. "Umm, hello, Mobians." Sally looked up to the ship with a smile, where numerous lewd and distasteful comments were made about it throughout the fleet. She yelled back, "Who are you? Do you come in peace?" Hysterical laughter over the comm, but dead seriousness over the the loudspeaker. "Why....yes, we come in peace." "Who are you?" she shouted in reply. General screaming of suggestions over the comm. "Uhh...we're..." A pause, while the commander calmed herself down. "We're the Imperial Space Navy." Sally smiled, being extraordinarily patient. The comments about her at this point from the rest of the fleet are unprintable. "From where?" "Err..." She grinned sadistically in her craft. "We come from Planet France." The suggestion had come from a transmission they had intercepted several thousand light-years away during transit while the Ur'thaen Empire still existed. Cackling resounded over the comm. "France? Are you with the Union of Allied Worlds?" Insane laughter. "This is too rich," she said over the comm. "Watch this." She spoke into the loudspeaker again. "Umm...yeah." "Did the Keld'yrians send you?" The laughter became so loud that it was nearly audible outside the ships themselves. Sonic got a little twitchy. "Oh yeah, they sent us. We, in fact, are going to give you first what we'll give them next..." Sally smiled. "What's that?" All the ships simultaneously, and visibly, armed their weapons. Sally's eyes widened to almost plate-size. "Oblivion." The rain of phasers and photon torpedoes was visible for miles. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To be continued... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -