"We have a problem," Robotnik's voice growled, emanating from the six remaining Cacophonic Towers around the Lost Hex. Zavok dropped a giant Sandworm Bot onto the ground in the Sky Road Zone, and looked to the nearest tower. Zeena glanced up from her nail art in the tundra of Frozen Factory. Zor barely peeked out from under her blankets, looking out the window of her cabin to the Silent Forest tower. Zik diverted her attention away from watching the hedgehog in the shadows of Tropical Coast. "SOMEBODY has been tampering with the Dark Battery! It's been set into OVERDRIVE!"
Sonic looked over to the faint sound of Robotnik's ramblings coming from the nearest tower. "Dark Battery?" Sonic asked, looking to Zomom. "What does that mean?" The color drained from Zomom's face.
"The Dark Battery is a device that was installed a few months ago by Robotnik," Zomom explained as Robotnik shouted curses, insults and angry rants in the background. "He had plans to split your world into pieces, to release and then siphon the energy of a being called Dark Gaia that sleeps in your world's core." Sonic and Tails looked on in terror.
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?!" Tails asked.
"I… was really excited to tell you all stories about my home," Zomom replied, mortified. "It slipped my mind!"
"Dark Gaia…" Tails mumbled. "I've heard about that before. Could that have been the roar we heard earlier?! Dark Gaia is the god of our planet, and holds all of the world's darkness inside of it. If Robotnik harnesses that power…"
"Then he'll become way more strong..." Sonic mumbled. "Alright… but what's this about… 'overdrive'?" Everybody listened in on Robotnik's shouting.
"If the Dark Battery remains in overdrive, it'll lock itself into an uncontrollable state. It will not only siphon the Dark Gaia energy coating Erius… It will also drain the world itself of all of its life energy. The battery will shatter with all of that pent-up power, and it will also destroy the Lost Hex!" Robotnik shouted. "I can't leave my charging dock without risking an incomplete transformation. One of you incompetent ogres need to get over to the control room IMMEDIATELY! I need that world ALIVE so I can rule it!" Robotnik listed off the coordinates to the control room in a robotic tone. "--- Lava Mountain Zone. Go! NOW!" The last part was full of an admittedly hollow reflection of emotion.
Everybody stood in shock for a few seconds.
"Zavok might be the only one who can fix this… Her station, Sky Road, is the closest Zone to Lava Mountain," Zomom muttered. "But even then… what if she's too slow?"
"Then we'll get there first," Sonic replied. "Tails learned all his programming from Robotnik. They have similar coding styles, meaning he's the best chance we have at reversing the effects of the machine."
"Thanks. But who would set it into overdrive? Why would anybody want to destroy Erius completely?" Tails asked. He turned around to face everyone else, and saw an extra person in what was once a trio. "Ah! Zoga?! What are you doing here?"
"Answer: I've been following you all night," Zoga answered, gesturing to a fourth pair of footprints in the sand. Everyone looked uncomfortable. "ALSO, I'm the one who should be asking questions here."
"Why's that?" Sonic asked, squinting.
"Because I'm a game show host," Zoga let out a loud, boisterous laugh track that lasted way too long. Suddenly, it was interrupted as everyone dodged as a wooden spear was launched into the wall behind them, attached to a string. Sonic looked to the spear, then back to where it was launched from. The only thing he saw was a boot in his face by someone being pulled by the string. He was kicked into the wall powerfully, only to be kneed in the stomach by the same person. Sonic opened his eyes, and saw the little white-haired Master Zik in front of him as she continued to beat him into the wall.
"Master Zik, stop!" Zomom exclaimed.
"Yes… please…" Sonic gasped as she got him in a chokehold.
"Stop? Don't make me laugh," Zik replied, as she tightened her grip. "I have orders from Lord Robotnik to take this hedgehog out of the picture. I suggest you stay back." Tails jumped in, as Zomom reached her hand out. Tails bounced off of Zik, who went tumbling backwards. She dropped Sonic. "Brash fox!" Zik shouted as she crashed into a palm tree. She harnessed the coconuts from the tree telekinetically, and shot them forward at Tails one by one. He jumped out of the way, and ducked as the hard coconuts blasted towards him like cannonballs. "Your skills are somewhat impressive… and very unique… Who is your master?" Sonic got up and launched towards her in a Homing Attack. She caught him, and threw him into a rock like a basketball. He bounced right back at her, hitting her in the face. She was knocked forward, but got up with ease. It had all happened in one second.
"Please don't fight!" Zomom cried, as Sonic and Tails fought against Zik. She was holding her own even against the two of them combined. Everyone ignored Zomom. Zoga watched intently.
"Oh right, I forgot… You were trained by Lord Robotnik himself, were you not?" Zik answered her own question, trying to fend Sonic off with her wooden bat as he grabbed on to try and get through to her. "You betrayed your own master. How shameful!" She whacked Sonic with the bat. She then kicked Tails as he tried to Spin Dash into her. As Sonic and Tails tried to get up, Zik approached. "I do not know if you two are worth the energy, but I will give you both a lesson in respect. A painful lesson. Think of me as your new master."
Zomom was conflicted. She didn't know whether to fight for her master, or the two people who had saved her. "Zoga, what do I do?" Zomom asked, watching as Sonic got up and continued to fight.
"Do not stand. Bow before your new master, my students!" Zik shouted, fending Sonic and Tails off.
"Well, it's your choice," Zoga explained. "In front of you are two doors. Behind one lies freedom as well as danger. Behind the other lies confinement, but also security."
"I can't choose…" Zomom mumbled. Both options seemed daunting in different ways.
"Clock is ticking! Choose a door, or your life WON'T change!" Zoga exclaimed. Zomom, sighing frustratedly, spinned forward and caused a small whirlwind. She sent both sides flying upwards a little. Sonic, Tails and Zik landed on their backs. It took a while for all three fighters to realize what had happened. They slowly got up and looked at Zomom as she stopped spinning. The whirlwind ceased.
"Stop it, everybody!" Zomom shouted. She held her arms up between both parties as they tried to charge each other once more. "Right now is NOT the time to fight."
"But Zomom, she attacked us!" Sonic exclaimed, surprised at Zomom's initiative but not yet ready to give up.
"So did I!" Zomom replied. "But you and Tails helped me break out of Robotnik's control. Surely you can do the same for my master. Please!" Sonic and Tails exchanged glances.
"So she really is your master, huh?" Tails asked, tilting his head to the side to see Zik. Zik's stare back was as piercing as one of her pineapple's spikes.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Zik shouted. "I don't see you trying to teach the last batch of Hexis alive about our all but forgotten culture." She sighed. "Yet… I must admit your offer is tempting." She ran right under Zomom's arms and stared Tails in the eyes intensely. "Give me more details." Zomom put her arms down and looked embarrassed, given how easily her barrier had fallen to the significantly shorter Zik.
"I modified some headphones using parts of the Desert Ruins' Cacophonic Tower. They're designed to block out the Mystic Melody," Tails replied.
"Wow," Zik gasped. "Technology sure is something. We only rarely used primitive machines before Robotnik's takeover."
"I crafted some copies on the way here," Tails stated. "Just in case anybody else needed a pair. Do you want one?" Tails asked, holding forward a pair of headphones.
"Yes," she whispered. "We're out of range of the tower's cameras. But my age is taking its toll. I can't control these Badniks as well as I used to." Zik sighed. "My electro-magnetic field manipulation will wear off any second now, and then the entire platoon will be after us. Hurry!" Tails handed her the headphones, and she placed them on her head.
"You don't look old at all, though…" Sonic replied.
"You're very flattering," Zik joked. She walked towards the long beach ahead. "But meaningless, surface-level remarks can only get you so far. Consider this lesson in respect… ongoing."