Eggmanland - Robotropolis Lite

[Jammerlee]

Decided to port this thread over from the old board since it's still considered active.

---

((Description of Eggmanland written by Doc))

Soaring high above through the clear afternoon sky was a small airship, its side baring the unmistakable mustachioed symbol of Eggman. The checkered landscape raced below them, and ahead the beginnings of civilization began to spill into view.

It was Eggmanland, the capital city of Dr. Eggman's ever-expanding empire. The mechanized metropolis was a technological wonderland of robots and machinery, evidenced by Eggman's robots patrolling the busy streets and skies. Though Grand Metropolis was already ahead of the curve in terms of scientific progress, Eggman's occupation quickly made the city the most unambiguously advanced place on the planet. With robot security, Eggmobile public transit, and an increasingly automated workforce, the city was positively futuristic in its design.

Its technological advancement was matched only by Eggman's inflated ego, as the city was decorated in the doctor's mustached likeness. Statues, logos, billboards, and nearly all the decor of the city featured Dr. Eggman's smiling face. It was all too clear who ran this town. There was a childish whimsy about its design, however. Much of the city became a large entertainment district consisting of an amusement park, casinos, arcades, theaters, and more- All featuring products and services themed after the city's narcissistic dictator.

It could, however, be described as both clean and orderly. The city was calm, pristine, and even sort of beautiful if one were to forget the circumstances under which it was established. One thing was certain though; This was Eggman's territory, and he had secured it well.

The small ship began its slow descent toward the heart of the city. Located here was Eggman's egg-shaped citadel, the nervous system of the city. From the building a series of large cables stretched over much of the city, each one covered in lights that glowed with Eggman's visage brightly toward the sky at night.

As the ship touched itself down in a hangar beside the citadel, a pair of gloved hand released the controls and ordered for the ship's engine to cease. As he did, the owner of the hand's body liquefied into a silver color, before reshaping into a form his passengers were probably more familiar with - with one notable difference.

Metal Sonic stood up from the cockpit, turning back to face his Mobian guests. His metallic armor gleamed brightly, reflecting the surroundings in the mirror-like surface of his tinted chrome finish. It stood in stark contrast to the filthy and dull appearance of his Mobian counterpart, and was proof of the meticulous care he took to keep himself polished and presentable. Taking in the sight of his guests, he ordered the ship's door to whisk open.

"Welcome to Eggmanland," the metallix said. "You will find it a far different place from your Robotropolis."

---

((Originally played by Lans))
"No kidding," Sonic said, losing the battle to keep from outright laughing. "And here I thought the biggest part of a Robuttnik was their gut!" The only good thing he could say about it was that it wasn't covered in garbage, at least in litteral terms.

---

Taking several seconds longer to react, Sally Acorn fumbled to unfasten her seatbelt. She'd been quiet for much of the flight, particularly after they'd entered Eggmanland's city limits. Managing to free herself, the princess silently rose from her seat and stepped outside of the ship. Those that knew her well might have taken note that her muzzle looked more pale than usual.

---

A small form who had been sleeping against Sally's side awoke suddenly when she got up. Tails blinked awake, yawning as he stood up himself. He looked around, wondering, from his view of outside, why they'd landed in an amusment park when he saw Sally's expression. "You ok, Aunt Sally?"

---

"... The decor is excessive..." Metal agreed with a metallic groan, failing to notice the distress of his passengers. He turned toward the aircraft door and began to exit. "Follow me."

---

"Understatement of the century," Sonic muttered as he followed. He hadn't noticed Sally's expression as he'd been keeping an eye on their...'guide' the whole trip and he wasn't about to stop now.


Waiting at the foot of the stairs was a female Pangolin wearing a thrope sized version of Eggman's outfit, minus the gold buttons and white stripes on the breast and back; the standard uniform of the Eggman Empire. Even though she'd been expecting it, her eyes still widened in surprise for a moment at the site of Metal's passengers before she composed herself.

"Unit Metal Sonic," she said, nodding to him, "The counterparts, I take it?"

---

"They are," Metal answered, turning once having reached ground level to be sure each of the passengers exited with him. "And I hope our... other guest has been behaving..." the metallix answered in a frustrated way that indicated he had been having a very long day. He motioned toward the pangolin. "Everyone, this is Governor Lien."

---

As the leader of her small group, the first introduction ought to have been hers. However, Sally's voice failed to ring out; in fact, her eyes were nowhere near the meeting at hand. Her gaze slowly crept around the horizon before finally settling in on the citadel, towering far overhead with an all too familiar presence. The squirrelmunk's heart thumped lowly in her chest, and her palms became clammy. The nearby conversation may have been in range, but sounded dull and far away, as though having to penetrate a wall to reach her. Sally failed to respond as she stared up at the tower with widened, apprehensive eyes.

---

Not getting a response from Sally put Tails on edge. Worried, he took hold of her hand as they stepped from the aircraft, keeping a comforting grip on her while hoping he could do the same for her.


"About as well as can be expected," Lien responded to Metal's inquiry about the other guest. "Incredible..." she exclaimed, stepping forward to greed them. It probably wouldn't have helped Sally's state of mind to know that as the pangolin looked her over, she was comming up with around four ways to use her in some sort of anti-GUN plot. Luckily for Sally and the others, all of them didn't factor in the current strangeness, so Lien dismissed them as soon as she'd begun thinking about them. "Yes, welcome. The Doctor has been expecting you..." it was then that she noticed the Sonic was giving her a funny look. "...Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Hedgehog?"


"Yeah...you're not a 'bot too are you?"


She smiled patronizingly. "Of course not. Not all of those under the Doctor's command are of the wire and circuit persuasion."


"Uh huh...your nickname's not Snively is it?"


The smile faded. "...I beg your pardon?"


"Eh, nevermind," Sonic said, changing subjects. "So is Buttnik lite comming out to meet us? If so I hope he got started before we got here. I'd like to get this over with before new years..."

---

"There are no Simon Wardells here that I am aware of," Metal groaned, rolling his eyes into his head. "If my father has any living biological relatives, he most certainty has not informed me..."

Failing to realize his own curious choice of words, the metallix began to walk off, willfully choosing to ignore the moronic hedgehog's statement. "My Liege is awaiting us inside the citadel with our world's Sonic, assuming none of you have any further delays."

---

Amidst the back of the group, Antoine stood, equally intimidated by the splendor of Eggmanland. Despite his amazement at the cleanliness of the place, the place still felt eerily similar to the city back home. Creeping up towards Sally, however, he began to notice her unusual lack of punctuality when it came to greeting others.

He could empathize.

Brushing Sally's shoulder lightly with his own, Antoine stood by Sally across from Tails and tried his hardest to keep a stoic face becoming of a royal guard. If anything, at least the effort might make her feel better about the situation.

---

The sensation of a tiny hand finding its way into her own was enough to distract the squirrelmunk from her haze, and Antoine's brush further rooted her in reality. Sally glanced between them slowly; a peculiar sort of hollowness had overtaken her eyes. Turning to the kit at her side, the princess knelt and scooped him into her arms. Tails often protested to be carried nowadays, but hopefully he wouldn't do so now. Sally cuddled him closely, silently, stroking the fur at the scruff of his neck.

---

Tails was a bit surprised as Sally picked him up, but no, he didn't protest, and in fact became even more worried about her. But he was sure it would be all right. Sonic wasn't scared...


"Yeah whoever, lets get going already," Sonic said. He glanced back at the others to make sure they were still there and ok, and spotted the expression on Sally's face. He wanted to go and ask her what was wrong, but the clank of Metal's footsteps reminded him of where he was. Back home, drawing attention to someone's problems around the bad guys usually meant that Buttnik would start aiming for them. Differences or not, he wasn't about to risk putting a bullseye on Sally, so he'd just have to keep up the strong front until he got a chance to talk to her...


Lien considered stopping things and demanding an explanation from the hedgehog about his vague insult, but decided it wasn't worth it. Instead she gestured in the direction Metal had started, said "This way, if you please," and followed the robot.

---

Leading his entourage throughout the citadel, Metal was beginning to notice the distress of those following behind him. Having seen the wretched filth that was the capitol of Julian's empire and met the horrid troll for himself, the metallix found himself, at least on some level, able to empathize with the group of Freedom Fighters. As they marched ahead some part of him felt as though he should speak up - though what he could possibly say to reduce the tension eluded him. Suppressing an urge to groan, his eyes trailed up to the ceiling. When did he become so soft?

Finally they reached the doors leading to Eggman's throne room.

"... Princess," Metal spoke, placing a mechanical talon on the door. "I would advise putting on your game face now. This meeting does concern the fate of your world."

---

It was good advice to be sure. Unfortunately, said princess didn't seem very capable of living up to it at that moment. Sally, still holding the kit closely, had been staring with little focus into the floor for some time, and only partially raised her head when the robot had addressed her. "Oh... I... Yes," she unintentionally whispered while walking closer to the unopened door. "Thank you."

---

Sonic once again glanced back at her worriedly, wishing he both had time to do something to help her, and wishing he'd already done it before now, but both were too late as they headed in to meet with this Robotnik...


Lien smirked a bit stopping on Metal's other side to say softly. "Going soft, tic tock?"

---

The metallix's eyes flashed with indignation. "We are about to go to war with a foreign enemy who has us drastically outnumbered. We need every advantage we can gather," he turned his head away. "Honestly, I expected something different from someone classified as a high priority threat."

Leaving little time for anyone to respond, Metal opened the door and swiftly marched inside.

[Jammerlee]

Behind a fancy desk, a luxurious chair sat facing away from the door, toward a large window with a glorious view of Eggmanland.

"Ah, so you've arrived!"

The chair swiveled around, and the doctor flashed a toothy grin to the group.



"Ha ha ha!" Eggman jovially exclaimed, "Welcome to my humble abode. I hope you're enjoying yourselves. Again, I do appreciate your... assistance in my inevitable victory over that insipid counterpart of mine."

He casually stood up, beginning to slowly pace the room as he spoke.

"Heheh, let's get down to business," The doctor shrugged nonchalantly, "You know my dimensional doppelganger firsthand, as well as his world. Though my machines are unquestionably superior to that hack's, we'll be playing on his home turf, and with all the unexpected danger that entails. Therefore, the toppling of Robotropolis will at least partially rely on your familiarity with my foe."

Eggman chuckled lightly, "...The rest will rely on my superior robots and strategy, of course- But that was a given."

---

"Oh, that makes me feel muuuch better, Doc. Your track record can totally back you up on that, can't it?"

The lithe, blue hedgehog was leaning against the wall nearby, fiddling with a bit of somethin' in his ear. Something about the overlying situation with the other-botnik was starting to bug him juuust a tad, though surely he didn't really mean much malice in his quip -- stretching, he put on a more jovial face, and took a few steps toward the group that had just entered. His eyes were pretty squarely focused on the double that had just strolled in, though...

"Ahhh, you. I remember you. Y'just... try not to attack me like an Egghead Robo, and we'll be cool, a'ight?"

He certainly recalled how well the last encounter had gone by.

---

"Hey, after seeing some of the things this robo can do, I feel kinda justified, pal," Sonic answered his counterpart, throwing a thumb at Metal to indicate who what he was talking about.

---

Metal's digital eyes squinted shut, and at his side his talons were winding their way into tight fists. With a grumbling chirp of binary that was probably more vulgar than either hedgehog wished to know, the metallix broke away from the group he had entered with to give their undivided attention to Eggman... making a very deliberate attempt to move toward the opposite side of the desk his world's Sonic stood beside.

"... My Liege, I assume you have already reviewed the information I had obtained from Julian's database," Metal stated in an attempt to sway the conversation back to more important issues. "Are we to presume you already have a strategy?"

---

"I'm no stranger to deceit and trickery," Eggman said with an inappropriate sense of pride in his voice, "And that's the name of the game when it comes to taking that pseudo-scientist down."

"And they key player," he pointed at Metal, "is you of course. Heh heh... Here's my plan. Metal Sonic will take on the physical appearance of Sonic himself, approaching Julian head-on to divert his attention. He'll do whatever he can to get Julian's guard down, even if it means throwing the fight or pretending to let himself get captured. We want to establish a false sense of security for not-me, and that will be his downfall."

"Meanwhile," Eggman looked at the two Sonics with a subtle tone of irritation, "You two will do what you do best, showing up unexpectedly to ruin everything at the last minute. As soon as you find an opening, completely blindside him before he has a chance to figure out what happened."

"As for the rest of you," he looked over the Freedom Fighters, "Even with Julian tied up, his robots will be a problem if we're going to take- ...ah, free Robotropolis. My robots will be invading full-scale, and some extra muscle in the fight certainly wouldn't hurt."

"Finally, there's me. I'll be coordinating the entire invasion, and for a change I won't be doing it from here." Eggman grinned, "I'm going with you to Mobius, leading my forces into the streets of Robotropolis myself. I believe my presence and direct involvement is integral to the invasion's success. That, and it sounds like a lot of fun!"

"And that is my simple yet elegant strategy. Any questions?"

---

"That's not enough to get Robotnik's guard down," Sally commented almost inaudibly, giving Tails an extra squeeze.

---

Sonic was in agreement with Sally. "Right, one eensy, teensy, tiny problem with this, Eggbutt..." he pointed at Metal, "THAT, couldn't pretend to be me, or him," he thumbed at the other Sonic, "Even if he had a roadmap to Juiceville! Buttnik'd know what was up before he was in the room for five seconds."

---

Metal's eyes had flared up. At first it was at Eggman's plan - which, he did have to agree with the princess, was probably not enough - but soon it melted into fury at that mobian Sonic's words. Puffing himself up in fury, his body liquefied...

... And reformed into a familiar blue hedgehog.

"Hey everyone, I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!" he shouted mockingly in his rival's voice. He zipped over to the mobian hedgehog's side, leaning on his shoulder while examining his claw-tipped fingers. "You may have heard of me. The way cool dude with a 'tude," he shifted to Sonic's other side, waving his arm out. "The essence of speed! I treat chilidogs like they're a food group, AND," dashing toward Eggman's side, he jabbed a thumb at the doctor. "I scramble Eggmen for dessert! And you wanna know something else?"

Pointing at Mobius' Sonic, he began to run in place. "YOU'RE TOO SLOW!!"

Taking a moment to pause from his outburst, the android melted back into his familiar demeanor. His eyes half-lidded, he looked up at his creator.

"... My Liege, requesting permission to bash my face into a wall now."

---

Sonic...just stared, then looked at his counterpart. "You don't REALLY sound like that, do you? Cause that's just embarassing."

---

Sonic just kind of stared incredulously at Metal for a moment while he went about with his copycat shenanigans.

Prompted by the inquiry from "Mobius-Me", as he had taken to call him now, Sonic straightened up, and rolled his eyes. "You're tryin' to use Eggman's right-hand as an example of me? Pleeease." He jabbed a thumb over to Metal with a bit of a smirk in his features. "Honestly, he reminded me more o' you." He shrugged as he swaggered over to Eggman, still with that same smile on his blue mug. "And, frankly, that's just as embarrassin', for both o' ya."

He prodded Eggman's gut to get his attention, and crossed his arms. "The plan? S'cool. The strategy? I can dig it. Overall, I'm behind givin' this a shot. Buuut..." He tilted his head to the side, the smile fading as skepticism took over his expression. "... Don't think for one minute that I won't be keepin' an eye on you, just the same. Nothin' personal, Doc. Just.. yanno. Experience over the years, yeah?"

---

In the midst of the banter, the princess had... meandered. Having let Tails down at Antoine's side, Sally shuffled nearly unnoticed to the great, sweeping window. The squirrelmunk's dull, defeated eyes looked past their reflections, locked instead on the city skyline. Sally's right hand slowly crept upward and planted itself on the glass just beside her face. It was cold.

So very, very cold.

---

"Oh, you want to talk about embarrassing, hedgehog?" Metal challenged as he melted back into his normal visage. He paused for a moment, before playing what sounded like a recording of Sonic's voice saying, "Because we're Sonic Heroes!"

"Seriously. 'We're Sonic Heroes'. I am down on the floor, powerless at your feet, and of all the things in the world you could have said, it was that. Do you even hear yourself sometimes?!" Turning his back to the group, Metal folded his arms in indignation. "I would watch my mouth if I were you. If the military would arrest you over the incident with Shadow just imagine what I could do to your oh so good name."

Without waiting for his rival to respond, Metal glanced over at Eggman. "My Liege, with all due respect, I believe your plan has... merit... but that you are overlooking several important factors."

---

Throwing up his hands in mock-disappointment, Eggman sneered, "Why, Sonic, I'm hurt. How could you distrust me after all we've been through?"

He then raised an eyebrow at Metal's threat to Sonic's reputation, quietly muttering, "I'll have to write that down for a future scheme..."

He then looked at Metal directly, preparing to respond to his statement. He would have to choose his words very carefully, lest he be seen taking critique from anyone in front of his nemesis; Though he secretly valued Metal's oft-insightful suggestions, he had an image to keep up and all. "Mmph, I was naturally getting to the intricate details of my plan after presenting the main idea to our guests. But, er... You may proceed. Explain these important factors anyway, for the benefit of everyone else, if you would."

---

Ok, yeah, he couldn't wait anymore. "Blather on, Doc, we're listening," he half lied, heading over to the window and Sally. He slipped up beside her and put an arm over her shoulders, partly out of comfort, and partly to try and keep this private. "Yo, Sal, are you ok? You seem...out of it..."

---

The squirrelmunk's attention remained distant. "This is pointless."

---

Metal's digital eyes went half mast as two of the most important people in the room wondered off on their own.

"A moment, my Liege," he grumbled. He called out toward Sonic and Sally. "Excuse me, this is an important discussion and we need your cooperation?"

---

Sonic gave the robot a nasty look. "And excuse me, tinhead, but this is a tad more important!" he shot back. He motioned the princess towards a nearby door. "Come on Sal, we can talk in there."

---

Guided along by her companion, Sally silently followed after Sonic.

[Jammerlee]

Eggman smirked playfully, not overtly concerned with the other world's Sonic and Sally leaving, "Relationship drama. Can't have a thrilling adventure story without that."

He simply shrugged and sighed, "It's no matter; Once we do mobilize, we'll be unstoppable against my cretinous counterpart and his tin toys- With or without other-Sonic's full concentration."

He paused for a moment, before loudly adding, "Though it would be NICE if he'd pay attention."

---

"My Liege, that is one of my main concerns," Metal sighed into his palm. "I fear you may be underestimating Julian. Would you underestimate yourself given the same circumstances?"

---

"Pah, you worry far too much," Eggman shrugged at Metal, "Nevertheless, if Julian is me- or at least a semi-passable substitute- then he's doubtlessly the most brilliant mind on Mobius. Unfortunately for him, the most brilliant mind on Earth is a whole league ahead!"

"Still," Eggman added, "It's true that we should exercise caution, and prepare for the worst. Which is precisely why I'm sparing no expense and bringing everything I've got; All active Badniks will be part of this invasion. He'll be fully armed, with his entire base's resources at his disposal, and it's only fair that I'll have the same."

"Yes. We..."

I, he thought.

"...will take down Julian..."

...will defeat that corrupted copy of mine...

"...and instate the proper ruling authority..."

...and take over his junkheap base...

"...to the capital of Mobius."

...forming Eggman Land II!

"We've got two worlds to save, after all- Most importantly mine. And with Julian defeated, things can return to the status quo around here, and I can get back to trying to conquer my world without worrying about some lousy competitor stepping in on my turf!"

He shook his head, loudly shouting toward the door, "And we'd be all the closer to stopping him if one of our Sonics would focus for a minute and stop getting distracted by trivial matters!"

---

"... My Liege..." Metal resisted an urge to groan. Leaning aside he glanced over toward Sonic. Dealing with his creator's ego was difficult enough without an audience - but when that audience was Sonic himself...

"It is not merely a base he controls. It is essentially the entire planet. We may have superior technology, but it... may... be possible... that his tactical skills exceed your own based upon his progress in comparison to ours."

Joining his urge to groan was a need to pinch at the bridge of his nose. "If not that, then he has us beaten by sheer numbers."

---

Eggman's face changed. He was still smiling, but not that wide confident grin he once had.

"Let's not mince words, Metal," Eggman said with a hint of irritation, "You're referring to the fact that Julian has conquered his planet, and that I haven't yet conquered mine."

"Doubtless, this makes him appear quite the daunting enemy. But you know, I've got quite a winning streak too. I certainly don't like that hedgehog, but so far every time he and I have teamed up against seemingly impossible odds, we've won. I've lost count of how many apocalypses we've prevented. With no preparation and little time, we even stopped the intricate doomsday plans of my late grandfather, who I won't hesitate to call the greatest genius of all time, far exceeding even me- And definitely exceeding our enemy. In a sick sort of irony, we're unstoppable as allies."

"Julian has us beat in sheer numbers; But I've got two Sonic the Hedgehogs, as well as a robot capable of emulating him. Combine that with my own tactical genius directing all of you, and I think my confidence is far from unwarranted. Make no mistake, I've thought this over with as much caution and precision as possible and have taken Julian's strengths into account, but I'm certain we can- no- will win in a direct assault on his base."

---

"What about that machine, the...mechanizer?"


"You mean the Roboticizer?"


Lien actually started a bit. For a moment, she'd forgotten the kit and the Coyote were still in the room. "...Whatever. If that device really does convert people into machines, it could mean that your counterpart may have much more forces availible to him than advertised..."

---

At the prompt of someone actually looking at him (though really, she was just looking at Tails), Antoine finally spoke up.

"Forces we canno' 'arm." It hurt for him to say it, with fear clogging his arteries and the statement itself not something he thought Sally could bear to hear at the moment... but it was true. If Robotnik mobilized all the robians under his control, it would only make this... war... that much harder.

---

Sonic raised a brow in Antoine's direction, before redirecting his gaze over to Eggman. "Welp, from the way he said -that- in lieu of the robot-o-sizin' thing... Looks like we're gonna have trouble tryin' to keep the fight goin' if we don't know who we can hit, and who to avoid... Got any bright ideas up there, Nosehair?"

Foot tap-tap...

"I'm all gung-ho for a hell of a fight, but not at the expense of innocent civilians, y'know?"

---

"Are you both insane? Those 'robothropes' or whatever you people want to call them are the biggest monkey wrench in this whole operation!" Lien exclaimed. "From the reports I've read, almost the entire city's population was converted, which means there's thousands or maybe even MILLIONS of potential enemy soldiers just waiting for a kill order! Why the Doctor's counterpart hasn't figured this out and already used them to stamp out resistance, I don't know, but if we want to even consider winning this, we should make sure he doesn't have a chance to fix his mistake, and treating these things with kid gloves isn't the way to do it!"

---

Sonic quirked a brow. Who invited this one...?

"Then the answer's simple, right? Both of me's zoom in and crack him wide open before he gets a chance to 'fix his mistake'. See? No sweat."

---

"I do not think it is going to be that simple," Metal said, resisting an urge to groan. "First of all, I think it would be most beneficial if we were to enlist further backup. Nega's Empire, GUN, and perhaps even the Dark Legion. All of them have as much to lose in this as we do. As far as the 'robian' problem is concerned..." the metallix trailed off for a moment. "While in Mobius I happened to meet one of these who had had his programming partially disabled. It leads me to believe that perhaps if we could enlist the aid of a hacker that we could potentially remove them as a liability."

[Jammerlee]

Cutting through the many voices filling the room was the sound of electronic doors opening, and Princess Sally re-entered the chamber. Although her facial fur was still damp from the many tears she'd shed, her expression was much more stoic than it'd been a few moments ago. "....My apologies," she announced, taking up a more active location in the room.

---

"Aunt Sally!" Tails said happily, moving back to her side as she came in.


Lien was about to deliver a scathing remark at Sonic's idea of a 'plan' when the princess and her counterpart Sonic returned. She instead went quiet and resigned herself to giving their universe's Sonic a dismissive look before turning her attention to the returning couple.


Giving Sally an encouraging smile, Sonic adressed the rest. "Hope you guys didn't get done planning the victory party while we were gone, cause I'm gonna want a LOT more chillidogs!"

---

As the two re-entered, Metal almost seemed to... deflate. "Why must I be surrounded by egotistical hedgehogs again...?"

Straightening himself back up, the metallix glanced over at Sally. "I was just suggesting that we should enlist the aid of other militaristic organizations."

---

"While not a bad idea, I think it's a premature step," the princess replied with far more authority in her voice than had been seen for the duration of her presence. "We could have all of the allies in the world and still lose to Julian if we don't approach the situation with proper tactics. If he knows anything, it's strategy. You may not be aware that Julian's advice was the deciding factor in my father's victory in the Great War, followed by the complete and total overthrow of my kingdom in a matter of hours and a titanic grip on his territories for the last decade. A head-on assault will never work against him; he'll see through it immediately."

---

"He'll see through it immediately."



Sally's words flashed through Eggman's mind, and it seemed as though suddenly something clicked.

Eggman rubbed his chin, an idea forming in his brain, "Exactly."

He snapped his fingers. "Mwa ha ha! Why didn't I see this before?"

"If we launch a head-on assault, even as a cover-up for our real infiltration, he'll recognize it for the diversion it is and quickly seek out the real attack."

Eggman began pacing around the room erratically, laughing to himself at how simple yet elegant his plan was, "Which is why we'll need to out-think him with a double diversion."

"In short, a three-phase attack, where ideally Julian only detects two of the phases. A frontal assault as a diversion to a covert attack which is also a diversion for an even more covert attack. If Julian is too busy spending his attention and resources on what he believes to be the only two phases of our assault, while a secret third phase is transpiring behind the scenes, we could pull this off."

Eggman rushed over to a nearby closet and pulled out a blackboard, and began to rapidly scribble down his plans onto it. He explained as he wrote, "My robots and I will launch the full-frontal assault. If G.U.N. can be persuaded to accompany us, then they'll be assisting me here. Naturally, the full-frontal assault is one of the most dangerous parts of this plan, but my robots and I will handle it because that's just how we roll."

He continued, "Of course, this is to cover you for a stealthy, quiet entrance into Robotropolis under the ensuing firefight. Metal Sonic, disguised as Sonic naturally, will lead the heroes and freedom fighters through Robotropolis to Julian's lair to sabotage his counterattack. However, we want this diversion to be spotted, and with Julian's track record, I'm certain it will be."

"Julian will see through the frontal assault and will now have to juggle his resources against my army and the freedom fighters. Nonetheless, he will be confident that he can take us both, and this will all lead up to a dramatic confrontation against 'Sonic,' with Julian quite sure that he's outsmarted our plans by detecting the diversion we set up."

"However, this ignores phase 3," he continued, "Where both Sonics will have been quietly infiltrating Julian's base, and will be prepared to launch a final surprise attack during his confrontation with Metal. The two of them can catch him off guard and detain him before he has a chance to properly react, and with its commander out of commission, Robotropolis will be ours for the taking!"

He stepped back, and admired his crudely-scrawled scheme. While simple, perhaps it could work.



"We'll still have to give this everything we've got, but I'm sure you'll find our chances of pulling this off aren't nearly so hopeless as you think- Especially with me in charge!"

---

While she'd been vaguely aware of the fact that this version of Robotnik was more... outgoing, it could be said, than the one she knew, she hadn't quite anticipated this kind of overwhelming enthusiasm. Eggman's speech came at such a rapid pace, in fact, that she found herself unable to get a word in until he'd finally finished. Gingerly pinching the bridge of her muzzle, the squirrelmunk drew a deep breath. This conversation did not promise to be easy.

"While I can appreciate that you may believe you know the way your counterpart thinks due to being parallel versions of one another, you're still failing to miss the crux of Julian's tactics. If we execute this plan the way you've laid it out, we'll be walking right into our own deaths."

---

Eggman raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed, though not at Sally so much as at the continued hyping up of his counterpart, "He's that prepared, is he?"

Eggman grumbled a bit. This Julian guy had gotten nothing but fear and awe this whole time, and he hadn't even met him yet. What did this clown have that he didn't?

"You're kind of a downer," he said to Sally matter-of-factly, "We die if we launch a full assault, we die if we launch a diversion, we die if he launch a double diversion..."

Eggman sighed. Perhaps it would be a good idea to listen to what she had to say, if for nothing other than her firsthand experience with his counterpart.

"I'll bite- What is this crux of Julian's tactics that I've missed?"

---

"What you're missing is that Julian takes no chances -- none. He's absolutely ruthless when it comes to battle. The word 'mercy' is not in his vocabulary. He launches a full army of SWATbots against even one member of my team if he spots them, whether it's Sonic or anyone else. He literally has millions of robots at his disposal. If he were to ever enlist the use of the robian citizens that he currently uses for labor, his numbers would be in the billions. If he's willing to send a thousand or more of his soldiers after even a single member of my team, what do you think he's going to do if he sees a full assault on his doorstep?"

Sally's expression became grim. "I'll tell you exactly what he'll do: He'd put Robotropolis under complete and total lockdown. Any means of defense at his disposal will be up and on the highest alert. If we even managed to get into the city limits at all, which I'd be skeptical of to begin with, we'd be overwhelmed in minutes. Those that weren't killed in the ambush would be roboticized -- which would only increase his numbers even further.

"The only way to take on Julian that's ever shown to work is via covert infiltration. We've learned the difficult way that the element of surprise is not only necessary, but our lives depend on it. Julian has an extremely tight security network in place to begin with. Given the dimensional instability, it'd be ludicrous to assume that he hasn't amped up his defenses already. It's treacherous enough for a small team to get in on an average day. With the way things currently stand, it's going to take an even smaller team using a much greater amount of stealth and caution to infiltrate his systems before an assault can even be considered."

---

Eggman's face fell. She did have a point, he supposed. But the idea of being left out of the fun while some infiltration team did all the work visibly disappointed him.

"Mmph, go on," he quietly added, prompting her to continue.

---

Much of the tension in Sally's chest relaxed just then. It appeared the good doctor was willing to listen to ideas other than his own. She had no idea how rare that was.

"If we're to get anywhere in this endeavor, what we really need is for Robo-- er, Julian, to feel as comfortable as possible. If he perceives a threat before we're ready, we'll have blown our chance at this -- and make no mistake, we will only get one chance."

Rather than utilize Eggman's chalkboard, the squirrelmunk unclipped Nicole from her boot and projected a holomap of Robotropolis. "The fewer members of the initial team we use, the better, as it'll provide less opportunity to be spotted. Unfortunately, this'll also offer less protection for the parties involved at the same time, but it's necessary to keep Julian's suspicions low." Gesturing to the map, she continued, "It'll be absolutely necessary to strike at these two locations first. One is the communications hub, and the other is the artillery production line. However, I don't recommend that we take these points out completely; if we rock the boat too hard, we'll draw his attention in no time.

"What we really need is an encrypted dummy program: something that will keep broadcasting information, but manufactured information that has nothing to do with real-time events. So long as the signal itself remains operational, that'll leave us free to shut down the most critical threats to our cause without notice. Once we take out the communications network, we'll be much freer to make the rest of our moves. Julian's forces will be unable to communicate any problems, and Julian himself will be hard-pressed to send commands to his minions. This will also prevent him from enlisting the use of the robians, leaving them sequestered to the factories and out of the path of battle.

"From there, we could begin an actual assault, but slowly." The squirrelmunk pointed to the lower part of the projection. "The southern limit of Robotropolis frequently has the loosest security, but I wouldn't put too much stake in that given the current circumstances. Still, it's where I would begin to place forces, if just to better our odds. A small force composed only of robots would be the wisest first move, as that would allow us to determine if the programs we've installed really are keeping Robotnik's communications offline. If it turns out that something's gone wrong, we won't have lost any living soldiers, and we'll have only raised a small blip on his radar. With any luck, it'd be insignificant enough for him not to worry too much about it. However, if it proves that our program is working..."

Sally motioned to the citadel. "This will be our next target. It's the central base of Julian's operations. We'll need to get a team inside of the citadel before we begin any major assault. As I said, as soon as he perceives a threat, he's going to go into lockdown. If he does this when our team is already inside, that'll allow us to exploit a weakness in his defense: the citadel will be so secure that he himself won't be able to easily escape, nor will his own forces be able to get in to help him. Once we can get a team inside, that will be the moment to make use of the diversionary assault on Robotropolis. While the battle ensues outside -- against unarmed and leaderless SWATbot squadrons -- our inner team can infiltrate Robotnik's war room and take control... That is, provided that he's not coming up with extra security measures that even I have never seen before as we speak."

Sally's features hardened, contrasting with the lingering wet streaks on her muzzle. "I've actually wanted to do something like this for a few years now, but I haven't been able to create a strong enough algorithm for the dummy signal, nor has Nicole programmed a tight enough encryption. Julian frequently surprises us with the things it turns out he knows that we were sure he didn't, or with the pure, unbridled genius he's able to pour into a blank screen. It's too dangerous to assume that my programs are powerful enough to prevent him from hacking them..."

The princess's eyes turned to Eggman. "But my guess is that it would be well within your talents, would it not?"

---

Eggman blinked. He wasn't honestly expecting the squirrel to demonstrate such admirable technical knowledge. In a way, he was impressed.

What she was saying did make sense, he supposed.

He smirked, "Naturally. Let me have a look at your dummy program algorithms so far, as well as all the information you have on Julian's security systems, and I can have it fine-tuned to perfection in no time."

Eggman wasn't too deterred by the change of plans. He'd still get to attack Julian's lousy city head-on like he wanted, just with a slight change to the time slot.

"We have a plan. Once the dummy signal is in place and you guys sneak into his citadel, my army and I will be ready to make our move."

---

"Well, we have part of a plan," Sally mumbled as she closed her handheld computer, causing the hologram to vanish. "There are still several factors that haven't been addressed yet -- particularly Snively and Metal Sonic." The squirrelmunk's eyes flickered quickly toward the metallix lingering in the room. "...The one from Mobius, that is."

---

Sonic, meanwhile, was grinning like an idiot the whole time, even if he was only half paying attention. Sal was back, which meant they were gonna win this...


Lien had to admit she was impressed as well, if only to herself. "What size of a team for the infiltration do you reccomend? I realize you said the fewer the better, but I prefer exact numbers."

---

Good question, Sally thought with a wrinkling of her muzzle. "...Best case scenario, I wouldn't send more than two, three max. Robotropolis will be crawling with spy orbs and patroling SWATbots. It just wouldn't be feasible to send a team bigger than that and expect to avoid detection." Of course, that just makes it that much more dangerous for a team that small...

---

"I should mention while in Robotropolis I managed to acquire much of the information my counterpart had access to," Metal spoke up. "However, I was forced to reveal myself before escaping the citadel. The information I have could have potential value, but if your Julian is as cautious as you say, there is no telling how credible parts of it may still be."

---

The real Sonic (or so he preferred to think of himself) stood there with arms crossed, listening to the constant brainstorm, perhaps with a touch of mild impatience. Tapping his foot, emerald eyes gazed over the other-world blue blur. There was still something that rubbed him the wrong way about that guy, but then again, the last double he ever met (see -> current Metal) did the exact same thing, so that was familiar ground, anyway.

Something else that caught his attention was the mention of the other-world Metal Sonic. Given how much of a handful the regular one could be, Sonic could only wonder just how much more of a pain the other could potentially become; especially one built at the hands of a genius that had already conquered the majority of a planet.

He looked as though as he really wanted to say something, but then, even -he- wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to come out. The real brains in the room were pretty much saying everything that needed to be pointed out -- any additional conversation would probably be a bit unnecessary.

Though, he did manage to give a bit of a smile -- the one named Sally was something of a strategic professional, it appeared, and it was nice to have someone else intelligent in the room that wasn't a bouncing, egg-shaped megalomaniac.

Chaos knows that Sonic didn't need any more of -that-.

---

"When dealing with R--Julian, there is always an unknown element to consider," Sally admitted with a morbid tone. "That's part of why this plan isn't complete enough to execute just yet. It assumes that Julian will be powerless once we seize the citadel, but I wouldn't count on that even on a normal day, let alone given the circumstances at hand.

"And furthermore," the princess bemoaned, "we still have Snively and Metal Sonic to worry about. Snively's at least as devious and underhanded as Julian, and has proven more than once that he also has a sharp intellect. He's shown signs for years now that he'd be willing to betray him, but I wouldn't try to enlist his help because he'd probably betray us as well."

The squirrelmunk drew a long breath; all of the stress appeared to be catching up with her. "...I admit that my proposal doesn't account for his whereabouts at all. We don't even know if Snively's in Robotropolis at the moment, let alone what he's doing. The same goes for Metal Sonic... Even if we can disable Robotnik's communications, that robot alone is enough of a threat to ruin our plans. We need a way to locate it and disable it if we're going to have a shot at this."

---

Dr. Eggman rubbed his chin, pondering what the princess said. She did have a point, he presumed... as much as he despised admitting it. The doctor cleared his throat, and again began to pace about, before he spoke up.

"Mmph," he started with a clear hint of displeasure in his voice, "Very well. I suppose more preparations are in order before we execute our strike. One would hate to fail and die because of a crucial oversight, after all."

"In any event," he glanced around the room, "I don't suppose any of you have suggestions as to how we deal with the other Metal Sonic?"

---

"Before we hear that... I wanna hear something else."

Sonic slowly stepped towards Sally, his features fitted with mild concern. "This Metal Sonic.. from your neck of the woods... What's his deal? I never had the chance to run into him during my brief stay, so... any info might help me out."

---

"......" The squirrelmunk gazed into the unfamiliar hedgehog's eyes silently for a moment, then looked away. "It doesn't have a 'deal'. Metal Sonic's purpose is to destroy, and that's what it does. It undoes what has been done, and unmakes what has been made. No other goal ever supersedes that endeavor."

---

"He," Metal began, growing increasingly annoyed at the use of the word 'it', "From what I have managed to gather, is highly mentally unstable. While I have not met him personally, he wound up in one of our bases, and from security footage I witnessed he is both highly aggressive and volatile. My Liege had managed to temporarily detain him, and while this may only be my speculation, during questioning he seemed to hint at a certain desperation in his need to prove his value to Julian, as though he is afraid of him."

He glanced toward Sally. "If my speculation is correct, there is a slim chance we may be able to use this to our advantage. I have met Julian for myself, and having witnessed Robotropolis, I can believe that my counterpart may only serve Julian unwillingly."

He paused for a moment then, thinking to himself. "Either way, I volunteer to be responsible for implementing the dummy program - by myself. Of all of us I possess the best advantages in both stealth and infiltration, and I can interface directly with the mainframe."

---

Eggman listened to Metal's words, silently agreeing. That other Metal certainly did seem spiteful and perhaps even somewhat afraid of his Robotnik. While his own relationship with Metal had never been sunshine and roses, it was all too apparent how differently they interacted just from their brief meeting.

Eggman nodded at Metal's volunteering, patting him on the back briefly before speaking up, "I trust Metal Sonic's ability to get the job done. If anyone here can do this, he can."

He smirked, adding, "But of course he can; I designed him, after all."

Eggman pondered for a moment, as an idea hit him, "But even with all your stealth, you'll do well to blend in with your surroundings. Before you deploy, I'll whip up a new android transformation for you, to resemble one of Mobius's mechanized citizens..."

Eggman twirled his mustache a bit, grinning, "A common robotic slave won't look out of place in Robotropolis, after all."

---

((I'm gonna temp SaSonic since Lans isn't around))

The metallix's eyes dimmed slightly as he glanced up at his creator. "So long as the grime is simulated..."

Mobius' one true blue hero couldn't help but snerk at the metallix's whining. "Oh, like that's going to make any difference."

---

The idea definitely had merit. Sally evaluated Metal's proposal several times, and eventually nodded to herself. "I have to agree. You really would be in the best position to make the initial infiltration. I can give you copies of the data files stored in Nicole to help make your information as complete as possible."

The squirrelmunk then frowned. "Now all we have to worry about is Snively."

[Tony]

"A'ight, so... aside from this Sniveling guy, I guess we... kinda have a plan?" Tap-tap-tap went the toe of his running shoes as he mulled things over. "... You bring up 'stealth' a lot in this whole strategy. That... I can do. It's not a thing I do very often, but it's a thing I can do."

Scratching behind his ear, the hedgehog raised a brow as he looked Sally over. "So, since the Egg Man Game Plan changed up a bit... and seeing as you have the best idea over what's goin' on... What ought me an' me to do?" He gestured a thumb between himself and the other 'himself' standing a few feet away.

It looked like things were coming together soon. With what he was able to understand, Metal was going to sneak in as the robian thing and get a dummy signal placed somewhere, so that small teams could infiltrate and sabotage two primary locations under cover. If the signal worked, anyway. In which event, another team would take on the citadel and cause problems there, while Eggman began his usual shenanigans on the outside.

... it was... how he heard everything, in any case. This was the sort of thing that Tails would help him understand if things got too complex.

... Speaking of...

"Oh, yeah. Uh... that reminds me..." The hedgehog rummaged a couple of fingers into the sleeve of his glove, before revealing a profile photograph of Miles "Tails" Prower, flicking the picture over to Sonic like a frisbee. "This guy is, uh... our guy. Any chance you ran into him again after you guys got taken up by the dimensional portals? I know Angel Island showed up in your world, and he was gonna check it out with a group, but... I ran off to take care of some errands myself, and haven't seen 'im since then."

Even Sonic wasn't entirely sure why the photo was lining his glove like it was. All he knew is that it was there, and... he was able to use it, now. Convenience.

[Jammerlee]

The mobian hedgehog easily snatched the photo mid-flight, holding it up to get a good look.

"Ahhh, hey, yeah, I remember this guy. Maaan, that orange fur looks mondo weird on Tails," his eyes flicked over toward the young brown and cream fox that was his own world's Tails. Idly he held the photo up, knowing the young kit would probably want a look of his own as Sonic's eyes focused back on his own counterpart. "Yeah, sorry. Last I saw him he was with you. I kinda fell into one of those portal thingies and wound up with Ego-man over here."

Jerking a head toward Eggman in indication of who he meant, Sonic offered the photo back to... uh... not-him. "So when do we juice on out of here and get the party started, anyway? I'm getting bored standing here!"

[leedzie]

As the group spoke amongst themselves, Sally made her way to the nearest terminal and searched the console for a point of interface. "Nicole, I need you to upload all resources on Robotropolis, as well as the dummy program we've been working on for the last couple of years."

"Yes, Sally."

"..." Upon plugging the handheld into a fitting port, Sally gave her keypad a few extra clicks, then left the A.I. to do her duty.

The princess then turned back to the group. "While Eggman works on the algorithm we need for this mission, the rest of us need to do some investigative legwork. We need to start scouring all media resources available to see if there's any sign of Snively in the world. Having him confined to this dimension would be the best case scenario, but falling short of that, we'll need to get a yardstick on where he is and what he's doing no matter which world he's in. Until we have that information, I don't think we should move forward. It's too risky."

Sally paused, frowning to herself and glancing aside. It was never pleasant to be the bearer of bad news. "As to your question about this world's Tails... I'm sorry to inform you that, while talking with my other self, I learned that he's been captured by Julian. It'd be a miracle if he weren't already roboticized." After an uncomfortable pause, she quietly added, "I'm very sorry."

[Tony]

I'm sorry to inform you that... ...he's been captured by Julian...

Well. That was... yeah, that was probably the worst outcome he could've expected. Given all the continual buildup about this particular enemy, finally discovering that he had captured his little buddy flooded Sonic with all kinds of thoughts and questions. Was he okay? Did he maybe escape? What if he was a robot now? Would they be able to change him back?

...

Was this his fault?

He never did make it back to the plane to go investigate Angel Island. If they had gone before he got back, and were intercepted around that time period by Julian's forces...

Huh. They might've had a chance if he didn't go throwing himself somewhere else.

.... huh...

Yeah, this was probably his fault. He knew it. The guilt tried to get to him, but...

... He did a pretty decent job covering himself, at least. Sonic rubbed a frustrated palm over his face, before slightly regaining his composure. "Well, uh... well, dang. I... Huh." There was a pause, before he looked back over to Sally, his features coming off as a little less.. carefree, as it were.

"... If we need some media resources, I know of a place where we -miiight- find some... My, uh... my little buddy's workshop. Whenever we had to keep tabs on the big guy over here, I know we've logged some news clips and things to keep posted on his movements. He doesn't... really keep quiet about that stuff, we realized.." He rubbed a thumb under his chin in thought... "We obviously couldn't be there the whole time, so... I dunno. If he kept any news outlets under constant recording, maybe there'd be something present within the last few days or so...?"

He shrugged. "I can't say for sure, but it's... possible?"

[Dr. Mechano]

Tails had been captured?

On any other day, he'd gloat at the hedgehog's misfortune, but... he found himself somewhat unnerved too, given what he'd learned about his counterpart. Even Eggman had some standards, after all.

As for Sonic's suggestion, Eggman reasoned that it made sense. But there was one issue with it.

"It's certainly possible," Eggman agreed, "But it could still take forever for you to look through that data manually. We don't have that kind of time."

"Metal Sonic!" Eggman turned to face Metal, gesturing to Sonic as he addressed him, "I want you to accompany Sonic to Tails's workshop and scan the database for the information we need. If what we're looking for is there, you'll be able to find it."

"And," he added with a playful grin, "Do try to get along, you two. Personal histories aside, we do have a planet to save and all. So, have a pleasant trip!"

[Jammerlee]

Metal blinked over what Sally had announced, similar thoughts as everyone else racing through his mind - Tails? Captured? Something about the thought just didn't sit well with him. And neither did Eggman's suggestion, which prompted the metallix to double-take at his organic doppelganger. Were circumstances not what they were, he likely would have protested. Loudly. As it were, he tilted his head back in frustration.

"... Can I just infect myself with adware instead..." he groaned, then straightened himself up. Eggman was right after all, and so he reluctantly motioned toward the door. "Fine. Come on, hedgehog."

Quieter still was another particular hedgehog standing in the room. Seeing the visible reaction his counterpart had to Sally's news, Mobius' own Sonic couldn't help but let his eyes trail over toward the small brown and cream colored fox standing beside Antoine. Whether or not it had been his own world's version of Tails, the news was... jarring. He sucked in a breath through his nostrils and gave a small shake of his head in an attempt to dispel any dark feelings that may have tried to creep in.

"Yeah, yeah, just hurry it up, okay? I'm gonna be one angry hedgehog if Ro-butt-nik gets the jump on us while we're messing around." he said, trying to mask the more somber tone in his voice.

[Tony]

Sonic tapped the point of his shoe onto the surface as he prepared to make his dash. Giving a small nod to his universal counterpart, the hedgehog grinned. "Don't sweat it -- you know me better than anybody. We'll be back before you know it."

Without even looking to see if Metal was ready to depart, Sonic made his exit.

Time to pay a visit to the Mystic Ruins!