Winds of Freedom

Chapter 62: Snowy Trip Over a Laser Fest

Chapter 62: Snowy Trip Over a Laser Fest

Shuigang Island – Snowy Fields, Noon Hours

The vast, snowy landscape had transformed into a battleground. What had once been a sea of untouched white was now riddled with scorch marks and craters, the aftermath of relentless bombardments that echoed through Shuigang.

Brevon and Robotnik's flying forces had descended in unison, cutting through the skies, firing indiscriminately. From flying saucers that pulsed with energy, to floating orbs with glowing red optics and Egg-Pawns piloting aerial machines with glee.

"Uah!" Carol cried out, yanking the handlebars of her bike as a laser exploded just behind her, the blast lifting a plume smoke that nearly sent her flying. She grabbed her hat before the wind stole it away. "Maybe I should've ridden in one of the tanks!" she yelled through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, well, no space left! Ahhhh!" Dexter hollered from inside the safety of his tank, flinching as another barrage of lasers pinged off the armor. "These things bounce too close for comfort!"

Knuckles, manning the cannon of his own tank, fired with practiced precision. A loud explosion echoed as a shell tore through one of Brevon's hovering eye-spheres, exploding and letting the debris to spiral down.

"They're going all out to stop our advance!" Knuckles growled as he lined up the cannon for the next group of incoming bots.

"Carol, are you okay?!" Milla's concerned voice rang out from the hatch of Knuckles tank, her ears flapping in the snowy wind.

Carol glanced over her shoulder with a nervous grin. She gave a thumbs-up, despite the tension. "More than ever!" she responded, then gulped, her eyes squinting toward the horizon. "Uhhh... is that mountain really far? Just asking..."

Tails voice crackled over the tank's radio. "The radar shows we still need to head north, toward that big water mass. After that, we curve left. The army's going right toward the palace, our route takes us through the mountains. But don't worry, we are not far behind!"

There was a beat before Tails suddenly shouted, "Woah a giant Buzz Bomber incoming!"

A thunderous whir pierced the sky as a monstrous Buzz Bomber soared into view. It was at least ten times the size of the standard models, and it raised its stinger charged with unstable energy.

Carol's heart leapt to her throat as in an instant, the giant Badnik unleashed a blinding barrage of lasers.

She twisted the handlebars hard, her bike kicking into a sideways drift as she ducked low, the first wave of lasers scorched the path inches from her head.

"Okay, that's way too close!" she yelled as she accelerated into a rough ridge, bouncing violently but using the slope to launch herself off a mound of snow, narrowly dodging a second laser sweep.

Before the Buzz Bomber could charge its next shot, Knuckles tank swiveled and fired. The shell struck the robot squarely in its mechanical gut.

BOOM!

The Buzz Bomber exploded mid-air, its body imploding in a burst of fire. Metal shards rained down like snowflakes.

"Alright! Thanks, Knux!" Carol said, flashing a grin over her shoulder.

Knuckles gave a smirk from the top of the cannon, raising his fists. "Keep your eyes sharp, there's more comin...woah look out!"

His smile vanished as a new threat emerged, one of the remaining eye-spheres had latched onto the side of the tank. The eerie red glow of its single eye intensified, building a humming charge as it prepared to fire a concentrated laser directly into the tank's hull.