“You allowed my son to be roboticized?!” shouted Aleena when Optimus arrived to give the news directly to the Queen’s Congress.
“I hardly had a choice in the matter!” protested Optimus. “Somehow, Megatron had Eggman make a Roboticizer dart and tested it on Sonic!”
“And now, thanks to your incompetence,” accused Senator Beller, “we’ve lost a hero and a mother has lost her son!”
“Senator, the Autobots are doing everything in their power to get Sonic back,” assured Optimus, bristling at being called incompetent.
“I’m sorry, Optimus,” replied Senator Beller, “but I have no proof of that! RAAT will be the ones to rescue Sonic!”
“RAAT?” asked Aleena.
“The Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team,” explained Senator Beller. “I thought it best to start that team to put machines in their place.
“On whose authority?!” snarled a Scorpion woman.
“On MY authority,” replied Senator Beller. “Senators may make teams to make up for deficiencies that the senator perceives to be rampant in the Senate.”
“With the Queen’s permission!” shouted Aleena. “Your paranoia has caused you to circumvent and forget various regulations!”
“You know as well as I do,” hissed Senator Beller, “that we’re at war! Certain regulations must be suspended!”
“Senator Beller,” drawled a female Owl in Southern Belle clothes, “you are relieved of your duties on account of your prejudice against our allies’ mechanical nature interfering with your judgement.”
“Senator Smith,” hissed Senator Beller, “I don’t recognize your authority to relieve me. You’re not a part of my delegation and only members of the same delegation may call their members into question and relieve them if necessary.”
“If it affects the stability of the Congress,” replied Senator Smith, “then that bit of protocol can be thrown out the window. You ARE relieved.”
“You may lodge a formal protest if you wish,” continued Aleena, “but I would step down if I were you. You have a lot of gall to bring my grief into your argument.” Senator Beller didn’t move. “Senator,” urged Aleena, “I do NOT wish to have you escorted from these chambers under armed guard.”
“…You wouldn’t dare,” hissed Senator Beller. Aleena waved a couple of guards over. “Your Majesty, that has to be the biggest bluff on the planet,” said Senator Beller.
“Grieving mothers never bluff,” replied Aleena.
“…No, I don’t suppose they do,” mused Senator Beller. She then set down her i.d card. “But RAAT will not be disbanding any time soon.” With that, she left the Congressional Chambers.
“If RAAT harms any Autobot,” snarled Aleena, “they are to be considered a terrorist group.”
“Agreed,” replied Senator Smith. “In any case, Mister Prime, you said that the Autobots are doing everything in their power to retrieve Sonic?”
“That’s right,” confirmed Optimus. “Tails is helping Ratchet and Perceptor modify an old invention of his with Cybertronian tech as Eggman altered his Roboticizer the same way. He calls it the De-Roboticizer. However, that doesn’t account for the memories locked away by Megatron, so Sira, Amy, Trema, Natalie, and I are working on a spell that would unlock those memories.”
“And the other Autobots?” asked Aleena.
“Patrolling for Sonic, as are his friends and G.U.N,” reported Optimus.
“A waste of resources, in my opinion,” hissed the Scorpion Senator. “We know where Eggman and the Decepticons are, I say we attack them now!”
“Without knowledge of their defenses?!” countered Senator Smith. “Senator Bellatrix, you must be insane!”
“Let’s not go insulting one another,” called Aleena. “Senator Bellatrix has a point.”
“I understand the desire for a frontal assault,” replied Optimus, “but both factions know where the other’s base is. Neither is in a position to relocate due to resources.”
“Then what do you recommend?” asked Senator Bellatrix.
“The reason for the patrols,” answered Optimus, “is to try and draw Sonic out. Right now, our forces are giving the impression of being stretched out over a wide area.”
“I get it,” realized Senator Smith. “It’s a trap to draw Sonic and the Decepticons out.”
“Exactly,” confirmed Optimus. “And, if it turns out that they can escape from the trap, it will serve as a means to gauge how they will strike next.”
“A way to get a feel for the enemy,” guessed Senator Bellatrix.
“Precisely,” replied Optimus.
“Then the main problem is waiting,” sighed Aleena.
“If there is anything we can do,” offered Senator Smith, “just ask.”
“Thank you,” bid Optimus.
“I must say,” remarked Cyber-Sonic, “it was nice of you to take me in.”
“While I am saddened that your memories were purged by the Autobots,” sighed Megatron as he kept up the lie, “it does my Spark good to have you back.”
“Back?” repeated Cyber-Sonic.
“To help us against the vile Autobot terrorists,” answered Megatron.
“Dude, you wouldn’t believe what they did to our home of Cybertron,” mumbled Soundwave.
“Maybe seeing the horrors of what that warlord, Optimus, did will jog your memories,” guessed Eggman. “Soundwave, if you please?”
“The following contains images of a wasteland, ruined cities, and soldiers fighting when there’s no planet left to fight for,” remarked Soundwave. “Viewer discretion is advised.” A picture of a metal world then popped up, ruined and marred by war. Craters littered the landscape and bodies were stacked on top of each other. To say Cyber-Sonic was horrified would be an understatement.
“Optimus did this?!” he gasped.
“Forcing us to launch our sacred Allspark into the far reaches of space,” sighed Megatron. “Because of the way we’ve fought, we’ve exhausted our precious Energon, the very thing that fuels the Allspark and our race. We need to beat Optimus NOW if we’re to ever stand a chance of survival!”
“Then I will do everything in my power to help beat the Autobots!” declared Cyber-Sonic.
“I knew I could still count on you!” cheered Megatron. “Our allies are few, but we remain strong! And I believe we can achieve victory soon! All we need are the rest of the Chaos Emeralds!”
“The Autobots have three while we have but two,” replied Eggman.
“It is imperative that you help us find the remaining two,” urged Megatron.
“I will do everything in my power to secure the rest of the Emeralds,” confirmed Cyber-Sonic.
“Excellent!” cheered Megatron. “Metal, show your brother to his quarters.”
“Yes, Sir,” muttered Metal, annoyed that he had to stop himself from eviscerating the new recruit. Once Cyber-Sonic was led away, Megatron turned to Eggman.
“Is the Data-core sanitized?” he asked.
“It is, indeed,” reported Eggman. “I’ve even asked Soundwave to check my work.”
“I triple-checked it, just to be safe,” replied Soundwave. “Cyber-Sonic is ignorant of his once fleshy past.”
“Excellent,” praised Megatron. “The last thing I need is for any contamination of his current mental state. When this is over, Sonic will be the instrument of the Autobots’ destruction!”