Rising Empire

~The Team~

The Eggman Empire was growing.

Ever since the discovery of the Phantom Ruby, and the defeat of Sonic the Hedgehog, Eggman's forces had been storming their way across the planet, taking out the citizens of the world who dared to resist.

The Empire mainly consisted of machines, but there were few individuals who did not quite fit the standard "Egg Mech" category. It was these individuals who often interacted with one another, considering that they had no other socialising options.

So, who were these individuals?

Possibly the closest to being a standard "Egg Mech" was Metal Sonic, an intelligence and advanced war machine created by Doctor Eggman. Despite his lack of ability to speak, his personality was still something he could communicate just by his actions, and it was easy to tell that he was a cold and heartless killer.

Next was Metal Sniper, a slightly smaller robot which bared some resemblance to Metal Sonic, and for a good reason, too. He was a prototype for a badnik model designed to evolve based on individual experiences, and these models would all accompany, assist and obey Metal Sonic, but the technology used to create Metal Sniper was so advanced (with it even being used to create a highly-articulated face with a mouth), and his evolutionary qualities granted him a level of free will which Eggman loathed. Still, the "young" robot was not one which deserved to be scrapped, even with his malfunctions and programming errors, so he remained in the base as an assistant.

Then there was a Mobian fox. It may seem odd for a Mobian to go against his kind, but considering the fact that his fox had robotic legs, a scarred face with a robotic left eye and even a robotic left ear, with the rest of his body being powered by external robotic enhancements on his chest and down his arms, it seemed as if this silver fox had a story. He had a reason to be here, and he was passionate about it. This fox was known as Remnant, but many individuals, including those in this unusual group, were well aware that Remnant was a name he had given himself, and his former name had been completely abandoned.

And then there was the fleshiest of them all: Tawny. A coyote with brow fur and dark red hair tied back into a high ponytail. She was the newest member of the team, who was still waiting for her unique Empire uniform to be made. Currently she wore dark green shorts and a purple vest, along with long brown gloves and tall black boots tipped and shaded with brown. She was a bounty hunter and her loyalties varied depending on who was paying her the most, but considering the power and money Eggman's Empire now had, she would definitely be staying for a while.

"So, do any of you know why we're here?" the female coyote asked as the group stood together in one of the many small, lab-like briefing rooms. She frowned upon meeting Metal Sonic's cold, menacing stare. "Oh, right, you can't even talk."

"The Commander is assigning us locations to control," Remnant spoke up with venom in his voice. "Have you honestly never been briefed before?"

"Not really," Tawny shrugged, smirking. "Never been part of an army, unlike you. And the robots don't count, they're designed to be briefed and stuff."

"We're right here!" Sniper huffed childishly as he momentarily stopped stacking gold rings on top of each other.

"I was never in an army," Remnant hissed at Tawny, narrowing his one remaining eye. "You should know that."

"Well, you used to do something kinda like that a long time ago," Tawny brushed off. Her ignorance only caused Remnant to glare further at her, but everyone immediately stood to attention when the Commander entered the room.

The Commander. The one who was in control of Eggman's army. If Eggman wasn't around, then he would be the top dog. Or, in this case, top jackal. This individual was known as Infinite, and he was not someone anyone – Empire or Resistance – wanted to get on the bad side of. He was ruthless. Merciless. Sadistic. And his expressionless mask which hid his face only made him more terrifying. But the most interesting feature of his was the jewel on his chest, which hummed and pulsated lowly as he used it to slowly float into the room, and the sound only came to an abrupt end when the black-furred jackal stopped floating and stood before the misfits.

"The world is already crumbling," he commented through what sounded like a subtle voice filter. "It won't be long before it is under our complete control." He turned his head slightly, eyeing each individual standing before him. "Their armed forces are no match for the doctor's machines, but we need to dominate what they are trying to protect. Cities. Landscapes. They all must be ours."

The masked jackal paced to a control panel and activated an electronic map of the world, gesturing to it. "The areas in red are where we have already conquered," he informed. "As you can see, we have not fully taken over much of the planet yet, but we are close." He walked closer to the group to face them again. "We are going to destroy what little foundations they have remaining, which will allow us to control more of the world. We will eventually push back any remaining rebels, and we will exterminate them once they are cornered."

"So, what are we gonna do?" Sniper asked, almost seeming bored of the military discussion. Infinite's head turned sharply and he glared at the small machine, and the robot almost immediately looked frightened.

"Do not interrupt me, robot," the jackal warned. "The doctor has already expressed interest in scrapping you; he's reworking your design into something much less… infuriating."

"I was just asking…" Sniper grumbled, lowering his head. Infinite looked ready to give the machine a brutal dent, but he controlled himself, especially after seeing a small step forwards from Metal Sonic, who now had his glowing red eyes on the commander. Infinite merely sighed and readjusted his mask, then proceeding to indirectly answer Sniper's question.

"You all have individual tasks," he announced, quickly glancing at Sniper. "Except you. You're with Metal Sonic."

"Woohoo!" Sniper cheered, but immediately silenced himself when both Metal Sonic and Infinite stared at him with a warning look. It was then when Infinite decided to continue speaking.

"Metal Sonic, you will be deployed here," he announced, once again gesturing to the map as he pointed to Green Hill's Arsenal Pyramid location, with further pyramids still being built. "You and Metal Sniper will annihilate any soldiers who intend to damage the construction site. Kill them to set an example, and perhaps bring some to the Death Egg as… "test subjects"." His gaze fell upon Remnant, who wore a face full of pure hatred and anger, and after a small silence, he addressed the cybernetic fox. "You will be stationed here," he said, gesturing to Metropolis on the map. "This is our capital. You need to prevent any forces from crossing our border. Your instructions remain the same as Metal Sonic's."

"Understood," Remnant acknowledged, firmly nodding his head.

It was then that Infinite looked to Tawny. "The doctor wants you to head to the Mystic Jungle in search of Shadow the Hedgehog," he instructed. "It is likely that he will appear there, and if he does, you must capture him and bring him back to our fortress."

"Shadow, huh?" Tawny reacted, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I've never dealt with such a well-known target…"

"Do not fail," Infinite cut in, glaring hard at the coyote to emphasize his point, then staring at the group. "That goes for you all. We do not tolerate failure."

"Explains why you guys have failed so many times…" Tawny muttered. Having already heard enough from her mouth, Infinite raised his hand and caused the ground beneath her to pixelate and break away. The coyote fell, and the ground quickly closed up again.

"Would anyone else like to criticise the doctor's methods?" he asked in a somewhat sinister tone. Metal and Remnant were both silent, and only Sniper seemed as if he wanted to speak up, but he swiftly silenced himself when Infinite glared at him and raised a hand warningly. With silence now in the air, Infinite nodded his head. "Good," he commented as he then floated into the air. "I will be in the city, dealing with the rabble there. If any of you find yourselves needing help… then I advise that you question the value of your own life."

"So, um, where did Tawny go?" Sniper questioned quietly, almost flinching after asking the question. Infinite just raised his hand again, and this time the ceiling pixelated itself away. Tawny fell through and hit the floor flatly, with the others now beginning to leave the room on Infinite's order.

Tawny sat herself up and shook her head, then rubbing it in an attempt to clear her dizziness and confusion. Infinite briefly paused beside her and stared down at her.

"Respect those who are superior to you, dog," he growled. "Otherwise I will personally put a slow end to your existence." With that said, he glided out of the room, with Tawny now rising to her feet and dusting herself off. She wore an unamused frown, but overall did not seem too phased by Infinite's threat, and instead followed the group to go and carry out her assignment.

This was the beginning of Team Eggman's rise and Team Sonic's fall.

~End of Chapter~