what goes up must come down

[shardmods]

The ring deposits you all safely outside the base and seals up afterwards. Neo Metal Sonic doesn't chase after you, which is something of a mercy.

What's significantly less of a mercy is the sky - it's gone dark and ominously stormy, though the clouds spark not with lightning, but with that same green Chaos Energy you've been facing this entire fight. Worse still, there are now far, far too many robotic planes filling the sky - the Egg Fleet seems to go on endlessly, as far as you can see. Though perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the Neo Metal Sonic Fleet.

Sonic and friends arrive shortly, looking pretty banged up but otherwise still healthy enough to make it here, though they stare up at the sky with obvious concern.

"O...kay, this is definitely not what any of us were expecting."

"We will have to take the fight to them, it seems."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid... I'm not sure how to pinpoint their leader's exact location to send you all with a ring..."

A jolt of green lightning flashes across the sky and Neo Metal Sonic's voice rings out.

"I expect to see you onboard my fleet in one week's time. That includes you, my loathsome copy."

It seems you don't really have much of a choice. For now, tend to your wounds and try to regroup; you've earned a break after today.

NAVIGATION

Comments

[undoingdaughter]

...Haha!

[And Jinx laughs. Like Viktor, it's a bit of a wheeze, pained, like a puzzle piece finally slotted into place.]

I had no idea what the hell happened. Of course, he's the one who saves the world.

He... likes that. He's good at saving things. Or people.

[hexalding]

In hindsight, actually quite impressive. Flew straight to the top of the Hexgates and threw some device full of primal magic at my head. [He pressed a hand to a spot on his forehead, because...actually, that had hurt a lot.]

Destabilized my internal structure enough to quite literally knock sense back into me, and then I ended up here. So I guess he did both, in some measure.

[undoingdaughter]

Heh, would've loved to see it. [too bad she was lost in her own mind at the time... moreso than usual.]

Probably good that I cut and run, then. Wouldn't want him getting a big head about saving the world and me.

[hexalding]

No, gods forbid we let our respective heroes get all egotistical about it.

[Viktor huffed out a quiet laugh, staring up at the endless fleet of airships.]

...I'm curious. If we live through this, where are you planning to go next? Because I was thinkng--well, it might not be the worst thing, to stay here.