Winds of Freedom

Chapter 65: Total Absolution

Chapter 65: Total Absolution

Dreadnought's Crashsite – Team Lilac

Far from the thunderous clash between Team Sonic and Serpentine, Team Lilac found themselves locked in a fierce skirmish of their own. Within a vast and open chamber in the fortress, the steel floor was scorched and dented from recent impacts as the trio darted around the room.

Explosions rocked the walls as deadly green laser blasts rained to their direction, forcing Lilac, Carol, and Milla to scatter.

Then, a brief pause. Smoke drifted through the open expanse, as whatever attacked retreated for a short moment. Lilac stood crouched, her form tense, scanning the skies above as the echoes faded. Beside her, Carol revved her bike, engine purring softly, gripping the handlebars as her eyes darted around. They were ready.

But not all of them were focused.

Milla had fallen to her knees, her wide eyes staring at the charred remnants beside her, twisted metal, scorched wiring, and one flickering optic. The smoldering body of Sparky—a Brevon-made robot turned unexpected ally—lay motionless, broken by the sudden attack.

Even though they hadn't known why the machine had only responded to Milla, or why it had aided them at all, he had fought by their side without question even for a short while. And in doing so, he had paid the ultimate price.

"Sniff... Why, Sparky...?" Milla whimpered, her ears drooping, tears beading in her eyes. "You were so young! We were gonna ride through the skies, go on so many adventures, eat sushi on your back as the sun set behind us... with all our friends..." Her voice cracked, heavy with grief. "You shouldn't have died like this... whyyyyyyy?!"

Carol, still on her bike, gave an awkward glance toward the weeping pup. "Uh, Milla... yeah, I get it. He was helpful and all, but we literally met him like, ten minutes ago..." she muttered, glancing around warily. "And also, we kinda got way bigger problems right now—uf!"

She staggered as Lilac elbowed her lightly.

"Be more sensitive, Carol!" Lilac snapped, not taking her eyes off the skies above. "We may not know why Sparky chose Milla. But he helped us." Her voice softened as she glanced down at Milla. "But... Carol's right, Milla. I know it hurts, but we need you with us. We're not out of this yet."

Milla looked down at the sparking remains one last time. Her shoulders trembled. "I'm sorry, Sparky..." she whispered, placing a gentle paw on the machine's dented shell.

Her ears twitched. Her nose wrinkled.

"...He's coming back," she said suddenly, voice sharp and alert. In one quick motion, she stood upright as she dropped into a defensive stance. "He's here!"

Without warning, a deep whump of air pressure slammed into them as something landed nearby with a violent crash. The shockwave kicked up debris and sent tremors across the steel floor. The girls braced themselves as they saw what came back to attack them once again.

A monstrous green starship now crouched before them, its surface bristling with thick armor. Its hull gleamed with a frog-like design, complete with bug-like wings folded neatly at its back and a wide blue optic eye fixed menacingly at the trio. Its mechanical legs slammed into the floor, enabling it to leap and stomp with terrifying force.

And emblazoned on the front of its hull, bold as ever, was a garish orange mustache. The symbol of its pilot.

"Hehahaha! How about this, Goat and friends?!" boomed the unmistakable voice of Dr. Robotnik, his tone dripping with manic glee. "And what's this? Finally stopped moping over that defective Brevon rustbucket?!" he sneered with cruelty.