All Sonic characters and situations are © the Sega Corporation and DiC
Productions. The characters and situations of Anti-Mobius are © Archie Comics.
Bookshire Draftwood and Commander Packbell are the properties of David Pistone.

Voluntarily rated PG-13 for strong language and plenty of violence.

Battle of the Titans

A Sonic the Hedgehog Story
by Tristan Palmgren

Every once in a while, the writers of the Archie comics come up with an idea that
could potentially make for very powerful stories... even if, they are rip-offs of other
stories. The parallel universe Sonic (the Antisonic) was one such idea that, even though
lifted directly from a Star Trek episode, could have made some very compelling stories.
Predictably, though, Archie managed to screw it up somewhere along the line, and the
anti-universe characters lost any semblance of, well, character.

What follows is my own interpretation of what the concept of an Anti-Mobius
could have meant, retold from the very moment that the two universes and their
inhabitants collide.

Timeline:
Sometime between the cartoon episodes "Blast to the Past" and "The Doomsday
Machine".

Chapter One:
Backstab and Massacre

A voice crackled through radio interference.

"I will kill you."

Two almost identical red biplanes soared along the wide, winding channels and
muddy-brown cliff sides of the canyon, leaving only red streaks of light and columns of
disturbed air in their wake. A gloved hand took itself away from the Freedom Stormer's
steering column and slapped down on the radio's 'transmit' button.

"Buzz off, leatherhead," Sonic shot back. "I've never lost a race yet, and I don't
plan to start now." His hand fell back to the steering column just in time to wrench it hard
to the right. The biplane deftly swerved to its starboard side, just missing one of the cliff
wall's many overhangs.

The second biplane swooped down from overheard, matching speeds with the
Freedom Stormer and dropping down to its altitude. The two planes flew side-to-side,
almost clipping wingtips against each other.

"But then again, you've never raced yourself, have you?"

The second biplane dipped in the Freedom Stormer's direction, smashing the two
wings together. The passenger compartment was jarred sharply; both of Sonic's
passengers planted their hands firmly against the roof to avoid being bucked around. The
hedgehog barred his teeth, and managed to keep his own plane steady.

The other biplane, like Sonic's own, and its name painted on the red body of the
passenger compartment. It, too, read "Freedom Stormer," albeit for completely different
reasons.

"Poor, poor Freedom Fighter," the other voice chided. "So much at stake. So
much to lose, so little to gain." The biplanes coasted underneath another overhang, wings
bashing against each other again. "How can you stand the pressure?"

"He's just trying to goad you," the shotgun-side passenger warned him. "Don't
answer."

"Is he always this annoying?" Sonic growled.

The biplane shook as a strong updraft whirred through the canyon. Sonic fought
with the flight stick, struggling to keep his biplane from slamming into the cliff.

"How long until we reach the end of the canyon?" Sonic asked.

"At your speed, I'd say maybe three minutes before we hit the end. From there on
out, we'll be flying over Mobotropolis," the passenger seated in the rear answered. Her
voice twisted in distaste, and she turned to her companion in the front seat. "You know, I
didn't sign up with you for this bullshit."

"Worry about your money later," came the angry reply.

The radio unit came to life again, and the static-distorted voice burst through it. "I
want you to see something, *Sonic*," the voice spat his name, as if didn't belong to
person he was addressing. "We're sending a video feed on an open channel. Have Nicole
- your Nicole - tune in."

Sonic's hand again hit the radio's transmit button. "I swear, if you touch them,
I'll-"

"You'll what?" Laughter echoed through the radio: a short, hideous hiss that
sounded more suited to Ivo Robotnik then the familiar voice that created it. "Tune in.
You'll like it."

Sonic risked a glance towards his front passenger, and held out his hand. Princess
Sally's hand-held computer, Nicole, was placed in it. With one hand, he flipped the
computer open and propped it up against the dashboard.

The twin biplanes turned at forty-five degree angles to follow the rocky canyon as
it twisted along a sharp turn. Hands were once again planted on the ceiling to keep from
being thrown to the side of the plane.

"INCOMING MESSAGE, BLUE-STREAK MY MAN," Nicole reported,
monotone. Sonic could almost *hear* his rear-seat passenger rolling her eyes.

Sonic kept his eyes glued to the Freedom Stormer's front window, eyes scanning
ahead along the canyon. To his left, he saw the other biplane peel up and away. It fell
slightly behind him, but kept pace after that.

"Play it," he said. "But keep it small, just on the dashboard. I still need to see."

A hologram image flickered into existence just above Nicole. The person in the
passenger seat gasped. Sonic risked taking his eyes away the canyon for just a moment,
and when he looked at it he saw...

Time froze.

He saw a blackened husk of a village, some of the huts charred by flames, some
just wrecked, other still spewing smoke into the air. There were bodies, too many bodies,
and too much blood. It flowed across the dirt and grass like a newborn stream. His own
hut had been torn down, its contents still flaming. Fire shot skyward.

This had once been a haven, called Knothole.

"Direct feed from your universe," the voice boasted.

Sonic's lower lip trembled. Gods... he saw Bunnie's metallic left arm,
disconnected from her body, covered with the coppery sheen of blood and discarded into
one of the piles of rubble. It took another moment for him to find her body, strewn across
the ground amongst other former villagers. Her arm wasn't the only limb missing. Her
mouth was hanging open, screaming endlessly, her eyes staring lifelessly at the smoky sky
above the village.

"No..." he felt his breath seize in his chest and his eyes tear over. Disbelief was
overcome by the surreal familiarity of the image. That had to be Knothole...

The camera feed changed, showing a different angle of the village. This one was
closer to the power ring pool. The shores were dyed a faint red, as blood from the village
dripped downhill and into the pond. Fire still licked skyward, and there were more bodies
over here. Some of them were recognizable. Lupe had the most horrible expression
frozen in her unmoving eyes.

"Oh, god," Sonic choked.

"Sonic, the canyon!" the rear-seat passenger shouted. A cliff wall was coming
dangerously close. He didn't move.

An arm reached across from the passenger seat and grabbed the steering column,
keeping it somewhat steady.

Sonic's eyes were still riveted on the Knothole massacre, not seeing or hearing
anything else. He saw pale imitations of people he once knew march through the blazes,
setting fire to whatever wasn't burning already. Soldiers from the other universe, the one
that Sonic had found himself trapped in.

Faintly, Sonic grabbed the steering column, and hit the radio transmitter again.

His voice was cracked, and sounded weak. "Y-you son of a bitch... you said you
wouldn't hurt them."

"Hah! And you believed me, too!"

A snarl suddenly rose in Sonic's throat. On the camera image, still in place nearby
the power ring pool, he saw another body. A smaller one, staring up at the sky as the
others had. There were the faintest traces of tears in his still-open eyes... his two tails
were propped up underneath his head, like a pillow. A jagged slash across the kitsune's
chest was still dripping blood into the dirt.

"He was ten years old!" Sonic burst out, yelling because he would break down in
sobs if he didn't do anything else. His voice choked again.

"Yup," the voice responded cheerfully. "Now he'll be ten years old forever."

"You son of a BITCH!"

Sonic lost control of himself. He felt his hands jam the flight stick downwards, and
the biplane dove sharply. When it came back up again, the top of the Freedom Stormer
slammed into the bottom of the other biplane. Both shook violently, and threatened to fall
from the sky.

Both pilots struggled to maintain control of their planes.

Sonic guided the Freedom Stormer into a position directly alongside the other
plane, and slammed the flight stick to the side. Both biplanes slammed against each other
once more. The Freedom Stormer's structure screamed, threatening to fly apart. Pieces
of wood flew off the wing.

"Stop it! You'll kill us all!" the rear-seat passenger shouted.

The other biplane rattled visibly, then fell back again, into the same position
directly behind the Freedom Stormer. When it had managed to steady its plane, the voice
came back on through the radio.

"But, wait," it said, "I'm not done showing you everything yet. You know, not all
of the Freedom Fighters are dead... yet... not your beloved Princess Sally."

The camera view changed once again. The power ring pool was yet again visible
in the background, but now it was distant. Sally was kneeling on the ground, her face
covered up by her hands. Her chest was shaking... sobbing silently.

Bunnie was standing in the background... not the Bunnie he knew. This one
wasn't half-mechanical. This Bunnie was from the other universe, and was the antithesis
of everything the Bunnie he knew stood for. This was the Antibunnie. Instead of her
usual purple jumpsuit, a professional sewn leather jacket was thrown around her shoulders
as clothing.

"All in all, I'm surprised you fell for it," the voice continued. "It was very
obvious... we take your village hostage, and I challenge you to a race to lure you out into
the open. If I win, we kill all your friends. If you win, you all go free, right? I really
thought that you would figure out that we would annihilate your Knothole anyway."

Sally looked up and saw the camera. Her eyes were bloodshot; she shook her
head. "Oh, god, Sonic... we lost everything!"

"Bunnie," the voice addressed the rabbit in the background. "The time has come."

"No..." the passenger-seat rider breathed.

"Shore thing," the Antibunnie smiled, her accent a sadistic imitation of the real
Bunnie's sweet twang. "Stand up, sugar." A knife glinted in her hand.

"Don't do it, Sal!" Sonic shouted into the hologram, not caring whether or not
Sally could hear him or not.

"Sonic... there's nothing we can do," Sally whispered sadly. A tear formed in her
eye, and she didn't bother to blink it away. Sally stood up, looked down at the ground,
and waited.

The voice on the radio chuckled for a moment. "Join your friends."

Bunnie lunged forward suddenly, her biological left hand thrusting something into
Sally's back. Sally staggered forward, managing to stay on her feet for another moment,
and then fell to her knees again.

"Sally!" Sonic shouted, choking on his sobs again.

Her face looked up at the camera for a final, desperate moment. The tip of the
blade had emerged at the very center of her chest... blood dripped from the wound,
flowing down the length of her body and onto the ground.

Her face screwed up in effort, and she coughed violently. Her eyes met Sonic's
one last time. "Don't let them kill you, too," she rasped.

Then her eyes rolled upwards, and her body fell.

The camera feed cut off.

Sonic's eyes stared forward, feeling just as lifeless as the bodies he had seen
moments ago.

"You've already lost what you hope to win," the voice on the radio taunted.
"Why not just give up now and make it easier for all of us? See those cliff walls? Crash
your plane into them, and be together with your Princess. Forever."

Sonic's trembling hands gripped the flight stick tightly. A sob escaped his throat.
"Never."

As if he could hear Sonic, even though he hadn't pressed activated the transmitter,
the voice spoke again. "Oh, please. You know we were all really after you when we
invaded Knothole. But you weren't there; you were in hiding on our world. So we
offered a race, but that was just bait. Now we really have you, *Sonic*," the voice spat
the name again. "One way or another, you will die today."

Sonic slapped down the transmit button. Anger was gone. Shock was the only
thing that filled his mind. He empty, like a void. "Why do all this?"

He could hear the other speaker's hesitation to the question, as if he didn't really
know. "Power, of course. Why only control one Knothole when you can conquer
another and have two?"

"You wiped it out!" the passenger-seat rider shouted. "That's not conquering!
That's not power!"

"Fine," the voice sighed. "I'll let you in on an little secret. It was too fun to pass
up."

The other biplane accelerated slowly until the nose nudged the rear of the Freedom
Stormer. The biplane shook, but Sonic absently wrestled with the steering column until it
steadied.

The radio burst to life again. "That voice is too familiar. Is that Commander
Packbell riding with you, Sonic?"

Emotional consciousness was slowly returning to Sonic. He barred his teeth, and a
growl formed low in his throat. Vengeance, first, he decided. He would... he didn't
know he would do if he survived this. Death sounded all too welcome right now. But
first... vengeance.

"One minute until the canyon system ends," the rear-seat passenger noted quietly.

"This is too perfect," the voice hissed, almost lustily. "Two of my problems
solved. You, *Sonic*, dead, as well as the android commander of the Mobotropolis
Police force. Too perfect."

"You're too late, Sonic," Packbell spoke into the radio. "I've already sent
Knothole's coordinates ahead to Mobotropolis," the android lied. "The Feds will be
swarming your hidey-hole in minutes. You'll pay for all those murders, I can promise you
that." Sonic could tell what Packbell was thinking: 'Even if the victims aren't from this
universe.'.

"You would have sent them... if the Freedom Stormer had a radio unit capable of
patching into the bands your police forces use. Which it doesn't. Keep in mind, I have an
almost identical plane, Commander."

The nose of the other plane rammed into the Freedom Stormer again, sharply it
sharply forward. The biplane dove towards the floor of the canyon, but pulled back up
again. The Freedom Stormer's wingtips clipped against an outcropping of rock, shaking
the passenger compartment again.

Sonic jammed the steering column upwards, and the biplane regained altitude. His
jaw hurt from being clenched shut so long.

"I don't think that you built these planes with ramming in mind," the rear-seat
passenger said. "Be careful. I'm not dying until I get paid."

Packbell, in this universe not a Commander in Robotnik's army but a police officer
working for King Acorn, swiveled around to face the rear seats. "Would you can it,
Nicole?"

"When I get paid," the rear-seat passenger, another android, shot back.

Sonic, his mind still back on the image of Knothole, deftly flew the Freedom
Stormer around another curve in the canyon, and avoided another ramming attempt from
the other biplane. Vengeance, he thought, means staying alive long enough to enact it.

The other biplane surged dangerously forward again, just barely missing colliding
with the Freedom Stormer.

"Thirty seconds," the rear-seat passenger noted emotionlessly. Sonic knew that
the canyon would end suddenly ahead in a sheer cliff wall, just around the next turn.

"Let me get a good look at you," the voice on the radio crackled. The pilot threw
the throttle forward, again almost slamming into Sonic's plane. Only a quick move on
Sonic's part saved him from another bone-rattling collision. Instead, the two biplanes
raced pulled up to one another and raced through the canyon side-by-side.

"Why delay the inevitable?" the voice asked, conveying every emotion that Sonic
had never felt -- they all could be summed up in one word: heartless.

His tear-filled gaze fell across to the other biplane, and he saw its pilot.

It was like staring into a circus mirror. The blue-quilled hedgehog that stared back
was the culmination of everything in his life that he had come to despise. The eyes, barely
visible through a pair of dark sunglasses, sparkled with angry intensity. Sonic saw his
opponent's jubilation at the death of his friends... he enjoyed the killing. His face bent
into a sadistic leer that would have done Robotnik proud.

The hedgehog flying the other biplane was the personification of every morbid
thought of Sonic's unconsciousness. It was a face that had performed every action that
Sonic had thought of in his darkest moments. His enemy was the wickedness hidden in
himself.

"I will kill you."

The biplanes rounded the corner, and Sonic could see the rock wall that marked
the end of the canyon in the distance. The other plane nudged itself closer, its wingtips
coming over the tops of the Freedom Stormer's wings.

"Pull up," the rear-seat passenger, the Antinicole, said nervously. The cliff wall
was coming closer.

Sonic shoved the steering column upwards, but to no avail. The cabin only rattled
and screeched in protest; the other plane's wings, firmly atop the Freedom Stormer's
wings, were keeping it from pulling up.

"Join your Princess Sally," the voice whispered alluringly. "Throw your plane into
the cliff walls, or I'll do it for you."

Sonic glanced over at his counterpart again. The other Sonic was grinning widely,
as if gleefully anticipating the other biplane's death. The two planes' wings were still
locked together, unable to pull up and away from the approaching wall.

An image flashed through Sonic's mind: Sally staggering forward, clutching at her
chest. The dagger had penetrated her back and the tip was sticking through her ribcage.
He saw her pleading eyes one last time.

"Go to hell," he whispered, and thrust his biplane to the left. The wings slid across
each other, the other biplane's going wide and high, whereas the Freedom Stormer's wing
slammed directly into the passenger cabin of the other craft. Both planes shook, but Sonic
kept his altitude.

The other biplane spun away, almost slamming into the canyon wall, but saving
itself at the last instant. Sonic could see his counterpart gritting his teeth and wresting
frantically with the cockpit controls.

"Pull up!"

Without thinking, Sonic pitched the plane sharply upwards, and flew up and out of
the canyon. The blurred outlines of the rock walls to both sides disappeared, replaced by
the cloudy blue of open air. Below, mud-brown rock faded into bright green vegetation.

The other biplane soared above the canyon, the bottom of his biplane nicking
against the top of the cliff wall. A horrible scraping noise filled the air, and the craft
shook, but it recovered.

"That was a mistake," the other Sonic growled. His biplane fell into place behind
Sonic's.

Ahead, silhouetted against the setting sun, Sonic could just barely discern the
outlines of several tall buildings. Dwarfing them all was the pyramid structure that was
King Max Acorn's castle. The city of Mobotropolis lay dead ahead.

Sonic had still been trying to grapple with all the facts the last time he had seen the
city, and he was no less confused now. From what Commander Packbell had told him, in
this world there had been no Great War, and therefore no need for a Minister of War. The
King had never been in a position where one of his underlings could have backstabbed
him: the coup had never happened on this world. The Royal House of Acorn was still in
power, and all the planet's citizens were free.

Unfortunately, every person he knew had a duplicate on this world, and they were
always the opposite of what he knew in his world. On this world, instead of banding
together as Freedom Fighters and fighting a tyrant from Knothole, Sonic and his friends
had become terrorists. In this world, the inhabitants of Knothole had dedicated
themselves to removing King Acorn and seizing his power for themselves.

And once the portal had been opened a week ago, linking the Knotholes of the two
worlds, the terrorists of this world had stopped at nothing to kill the Freedom Fighters.

They were insane.

"The hedgehog's getting angry, is he?" the voice on the radio taunted. "Have his
friends' deaths really affected him that much?"

Sonic heard Sally's last words echo in his head. "Don't let them kill you, too," he
whispered.

"You can still join them, you know," the voice continued. "All it takes is one
sharp push down on the steering wheel... do it. You know you want to end it, now. You
can't live without them."

Packbell glared at the radio, and then quickly reached across and shut it off. The
voice died in mid-sentence. "We don't need to hear *that* anymore," he said.

Sonic only looked ahead, at the slowly growing outline of Mobotropolis. "Oh,
Sal..."

***

Sonic's counterpart glared through his sunglasses at the biplane ahead of him, and
barred his teeth again. They had shut off their radio. "So he doesn't want to play
anymore," he mused.

Keeping his eye on the biplane and keeping pace directly behind it, Sonic switched
his biplane's radio to a different frequency, and hit the transmit button.

"They made it out. I need you to be ready."

Another voice crackled into being on the radio, this one just barely intelligible
through the static. It sounded distant. It was Rotor's voice. "They made it out? I
thought you said for sure that-"

"Look, fuck you too, Rote," Sonic snarled. "I didn't do it. I still need you to be
ready."

"So the hedgehog finally fails at something," Rotor laughed. Sonic's scowl
deepened; he hated it when the walrus was difficult. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Hey, Rote, you remember that Amy Rose girl that was always following me
around? Remember how I snapped her neck? That's what I'll do to you if you don't
GET ready!" Sonic snapped.

"Yeah, yeah," Rotor grumbled. "All right. I've hijacked one of Mobotropolis's
ground-based laser turrets. They'll get a big surprise when they fly over the city."

"Good. And keep your damn mouth shut." Sonic switched his own radio unit off.
That walrus was getting too smart for his own good.

Slowly, he increased his biplane's speed. Now, the only challenge would be in
making sure his counterpart got close enough to the city.

***

The biplanes roared through the air, picking up speed and approaching the city.

"I know this won't make you feel any better, but... on behalf of the Royal House
of Acorn and the City-State of Mobotropolis, I'd like to apologize for the criminal portion
of our population." Packbell tapped his uniform's badge. "I can assure you that your
friends' murders will not go unpunished. I've been after these Knothole punks for years,
and thanks to you, I finally know where their hide-out is."

Sonic tossed a glance back towards his counterpart's plane. It was still keeping its
distance to the rear. "Thanks, Packbell," Sonic sniffed. "You know, you're really not
such a bad guy in this world." He looked at the mute Nicole, the hand-held computer
from his world - not the android in the rear-seat - and choked up again. "Sal..."

The two passengers remained quiet. The buzzing of the Freedom Stormer's
engine filled the void, and Mobotropolis inched closer and closer.

"We still have a problem," Packbell said at last, hiking a thumb towards the tailing
biplane. "He's still following us. Any ideas on how to shake him?"

"A way to escape," Sonic said quietly, almost a whisper. "There's always been a
way to escape."

"Not this stupid moping again!" the rear-seat Nicole mumbled, shaking her head.
She, like Packbell, was fitted with an android body. She appeared to be a ground squirrel,
and could have passed as an exact replica of Sally except for several streaks of neon-green
fur on her sides, and a crowning tuft of electrical violet hair.

"Can it, Nicole," Packbell said again.

"Every time we've been in trouble," Sonic continued, oblivious, "We've always
found a way out." He buried his head in his hand, resting it against the steering column.
The plane shook briefly. "Not this time..."

"I'm sorry, I really am," Packbell said with a sincerity that would have been
completely alien to his otherworld counterpart. "But we have to keep moving, or-"

"Far be it for-" Nicole interjected.

"Can it, Nicole!" Packbell shouted.

"No escape," Sonic went on. He looked up bleakly, eyes bloodshot. "Nothing left
to fight for."

"*Far* be it for me to interrupt," Nicole said again, more forcefully, "But I think I
may have thought of a way out." She leaned forward, placing her hand on Sonic's
shoulder. Surprisingly, the android's fur was warm to the touch. "It may even save your
friends."

Sonic looked back angrily. "Not funny, Nicole." Anger returned to him. "I've
just about had enough of your sense of humor!"

Nicole ignored him, and turned to Packbell. "Fine, I'll tell it to you. But I'm
expecting extra pay."

Packbell's glare could have frozen fire.

She smiled sweetly, almost sarcastically. "Remember those artifacts you dragged
me out to look for? The ones you still haven't paid me for?"

Sonic's head again fell down to the steering column, and he hid his eyes in his
hands. Below the plane, the suburbs of Mobotropolis began to appear.

Packbell nodded quickly, looking ready to kill. "What about them?" Packbell's
police department had hired the android Nicole as a tracker a few days ago, to recover
some hidden artifacts that King Acorn felt would be the Knothole terrorists' next target.
Packbell and Nicole had just returned from some archeological expedition when Sonic had
found them a week ago.

"When we found them, we didn't know what they were supposed to be used for,
right. The *generous*," she spoke the word laden with venom, "King Acorn refused to
tell us what they were."

"Would you get to a point?" Packbell snapped.

Nicole smiled again, not so sweetly. "I've been doing some research on my own.
Have you heard some of the rumors about them?"

Packbell frowned. "Yeah, I've checked into it. The rumors are frankly ridiculous;
I don't know what Max was thinking."

Sonic looked up from the steering column, frowning. Something didn't seem
right. He looked back again. The other biplane was still maintaining its distance. "What
artifacts?" he asked, glum yet curious.

"The ones Packbell and his band of merry men hired me to find. We ended up
going to some floating island out in the middle of frickin' nowhere."

"Floating... island?" Sonic's mind was jumpstarted by her words.

"Yeah, we got there, and finally found the damn stones. Then some ridiculously
large owl appears from nowhere and tries to ask us a riddle." Sonic's eyes slowly
widened as Nicole kept going. "Damn fool. It tried to attack us when we left. So I shot
it right in the middle of the eyes with a laser submachine gun." She laughed. "Bet it
didn't see that one coming."

"Holy shit," Sonic muttered.

"So anyway, one of the rumors floating around about these stones is that they're
capable of traveling-"

"Back through time!" Sonic finished for her. Packbell noticed that his white eyes
were now the size of dinner plates.

"Hey, yeah, you've heard about them?" Nicole asked.

"I've used them!" Sonic turned back in his seat to face Nicole. "I could kiss you!"

"Holy hells," Packbell said quietly. "You've used them?" Sonic nodded quickly,
eyes still bloodshot.

"I guess it's true, then, what you said," Nicole's android face split into a grin.
"There *is* always a way out."

Sonic looked ahead again, at the approaching city. **It's true, Sally...** he
thought, **What you said is true... there's always a way to fight. All you have to find
it**.

Nicole frowned, and reached into the pouch of a backpack she had strapped to her
back. She withdrew two carved rocks. "I take it, then, that you know *how* to use
them?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure, you just hold two of them together and concentrate on where
you want to go." He looked out towards Mobotropolis. They were almost upon the
borders of the city. "There's always a way to fight..." he trailed off.

Packbell looked at the biplane's pilot, then back at Nicole. "Are you two sure
about this? What happens when the stones touch? What'll go back with them?"

"I think," Sonic frowned, trying to retrieve ancient memories from the fog of
sorrow and sudden excitement in his mind, "that anything in a certain radius of the Time
Stones will get sucked in with it. The entire plane, pretty much."

"Oh, great," Packbell said doubtfully.

"Look at this way," Sonic said. "It's a chance. That's all this hedgehog needs."

"I still think we should try and land in Mobotropolis first," Packbell said, "and
figure out what to do from-"

The air outside the plane suddenly lit with an electric blue fire, and the plane shook
with thunder. It was like lightning had struck only meters away from the hull of the plane.

"What the hell-"

Packbell looked out his window, towards the ground below. A ground turret's
cannon, normally facing the ground while inactive, was leveled directly at the biplane.
"That was laser fire!" he exclaimed.

Sonic grabbed the steering column with new energy, and threw it quickly aside.
The plane's course skewed sharply to the right just as another blast of laser energy seared
through the air nearby.

"Mobotropolis's ground turrets are firing on us!" Packbell shouted angrily. "They
must have found a way to commandeer one of them."

Sonic's risked a glance at the Mobotropolis Police officer. "You were saying
something about landing in the city?"

"Never mind what I said," he grimaced. He turned again, to face Nicole. "We
have to do it, then."

Sonic nodded, and executed a sharp port turn just as the thunder blast of another
laser bolt shook the plane, burning through the air where the Freedom Stormer had been
just an instant before.

"You two, combine the stones!" he shouted above the deafening rumble of the
laser cannon. There was something to fight for again. Sonic jerked the steering column,
and the plane maneuvered again. "I'll try and keep us alive!" Another laser bolt came,
closer this time.

Nicole anxiously eyed the carved rocks in her hands, and then looked outside as
the turret fired yet again. She tossed one of the stones to Packbell.

Together, they slammed the Time Stones against each other, both fitting together
perfectly well. Nothing happened.

"Concentrate on where you want to go," Sonic ordered.

"Uh, where do we want to go?" Nicole had raise her voice above another laser.

"My world! A week ago! Before the first portal between the dimensions opened!"

Nicole closed her eyes, and began repeating the target date and destination over
and over. Packbell shrugged, and did the same.

Yellow arcs of energy shot outwards from the Time Stones, engulfing the
passenger cabin of the Freedom Stormer.

The biplane shook as one of the turret gun's lasers finally struck its target, tearing
through the Freedom Stormer's port-side wing and snapping it in half. The steering
column seized up, and the biplane began to tumble helplessly downward.

The Time Stones grew brighter and brighter, until finally the biplane was engulfed
in light. The world outside seemed to grow fainter, and white-hot, until it finally
disappeared.

"I'm comin' for you, Sal!"