As Sonic ended his call with Tails he and Rainbow Dash headed to Barricade Town, but much to their luck The Metal Virus had spread through the place.

"Okay, so now what?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm not sure, " Sonic admitted then saw something. "Hey Dash isn't that..."

"The source of the problem, Eggman!" Rainbow exclaimed.

...

"Now trying frequency 141.12," Starline said as he, Eggman, and Shadowforce were trying to regain control of the zombots.

"Ugh... Zombots this is Eggman speaking can everyone please look east," Eggman said but no response.

"Now trying, 141,13."

"Argh! This is so tedious! I should've had Cozy and Chrysalis make an automated version from the Faceship!"

"Wide-Brad broadcasts had no effect. We agree to a localized attempt was the next step."

"Don't get passive-aggressive with me!" Eggman snapped. "If you're going to my coattails then you better have my back!"

"All I'm saying, sir, would prepare a countermeasure in the event that something like this happens."

"There's no need to prepare when have to do is not touch them."

"All when said, but what happened is there's a spill, or a mishap on the field, or if were to mutate and becomes airborne?!"

"You've succeeded my threshold for nitpicking, Doctor."

"It's not nitpicking, it's having common sense!"

"Shut up or I'll staple that bill shut!"

"Aww, is the Honeymoon over already?" Rainbow asked as she and Sonic were face to face with them."

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Shadowforce exclaimed. "Patient Zero and Rainbow Crash, what brings you here?"

"For once I going to skip my usual banter." Sonic exclaimed. "Now tell me and Dash why did you go back to your mad scientist self."

With his patience thoroughly spent, Sonic demands that Eggman reverse the effects of the Metal Virus but the doctor refuses; even if Sonic could convince him to do so, the virus has spread exponentially across the world. Believing that not even he could undo the Zombot plague, Eggman only has to find a way to control them before his victory is complete. That proves to be the final straw for Sonic; deciding to leave the cure to Tails, he lunges at Eggman with the intent to finish their long rivalry. As Eggman meets the incoming hedgehog with weapons from the sides of the Egg Mobile, Starline reflects on how he had dreamed of seeing such a fight; now, he only feels apathy. He recalls Neo Metal Sonic's attempt to revive the Eggman Empire, which failed due to relying on overwhelming power without a proper plan. Starline initially believed that he failed because he was designed as a "ballistic missile with a built-in grudge" against Sonic. However, the first biodata that Neo copied was Eggman's, and Starline was once again seeing the exact same brute force strategy. At last, he recognizes that he idolized Eggman's legend alone; the man himself simply did not measure up to it.

With his patience thoroughly spent, Sonic demands that Eggman reverse the effects of the Metal Virus but the doctor refuses; even if Sonic could convince him to do so, the virus has spread exponentially across the world. Believing that not even he could undo the Zombot plague, Eggman only has to find a way to control them before his victory is complete. That proves to be the final straw for Sonic; deciding to leave the cure to Tails, he lunges at Eggman with the intent to finish their long rivalry. As Eggman meets the incoming hedgehog with weapons from the sides of the Egg Mobile, Starline reflects on how he had dreamed of seeing such a fight; now, he only feels apathy. He recalls Neo Metal Sonic's attempt to revive the Eggman Empire, which failed due to relying on overwhelming power without a proper plan. Starline initially believed that he failed because he was designed as a "ballistic missile with a built-in grudge" against Sonic. However, the first biodata that Neo copied was Eggman's, and Starline was once again seeing the exact same brute force strategy. At last, he recognizes that he idolized Eggman's legend alone; the man himself simply did not measure up to it.

As Sonic and Eggman's battle continues, the latter gloats that Sonic's time is running out - eventually, he will be too tired to run off the Metal Virus' effects. In response, Sonic attempts to grab Eggman and infect him with the virus. Eggman's attempt to dodge sends him and Sonic tumbling to the ground. Several Zombots surround the pair and Sonic taunts Eggman as he could not do anything about it. In a panic, Eggman attempts to command the Zombots. To his bewilderment, they suddenly ignore him and attack Sonic. Starline reveals that he found an effective signal with the Egg Mobile. He muses that his own plans may not be necessary now, "but what will [Eggman] learn from this?" Ecstatic at the success, Eggman orders Starline to upload the frequency to the Faceship. Faced with the risk of Eggman regaining control of his new army, a desperate Sonic bursts out from the horde of Zombots and destroys the Egg Mobile before Starline can do anything. Eggman quickly grabs onto Starline's own transportation machine and tells him to get them out of there. Due to the added weight, the vehicle crashes down atop Barricade Town's gate.

Eggman berates Sonic for destroying the only means of controlling the Zombots but the hedgehog sarcastically voices his concern and tells Eggman to work on a cure instead. Eggman furiously refuses, stating that he would pave over the Zombot hordes if he had to. Seeing the Zombots beginning to scale the wall, Starline suggests retreating so that they could try something else. Furiously announcing that Sonic has already lost and just refuses to admit it, Eggman joins Starline in fleeing through a portal made by the Warp Topaz. Back aboard the Faceship, Starline says that he was unable to upload or memorize the working frequency; however, he was able to recall the range. To Starline's dismay, Eggman does not care to do anything about this; with close-range broadcasts being too risky and the Metal Virus likely adapting to resist it, he does not want to repeat the tedious process just for another failure. When Starline asks what the next move is, Eggman says that he will start by enjoying their next outbreak, asking for the Faceship's current location. Orbot reports that they are above Spiral Hill Village, and the Metal Virus has already been deployed. Satisfied by the news, Eggman announces that he will figure out his next move later, oblivious to Starline's fuming glare.

Back in Barricade Town, Sonic finds that the bio-scanner had been destroyed in the commotion as Zombots begin climbing onto the roof. Realizing that he has done exactly what Tails warned him not to do, he laments his recent string of failures; he thought Eggman had a tiny bit of good in his heart, and the entire world is paying for it. In his despair, he almost fully succumbs to the Metal Virus. Before this can happen, he quickly dashes through the incoming Zombots and out of Barricade Town. Even as bad as things have become, he refuses to give up; some of his friends still need to be kept safe and others are waiting for a cure to their infection. Despite acknowledging that he has messed up significantly, Sonic believes that he has time to make things right. As he takes a brief break from full-speed running, he receives a call from Amy. She tells him that Restoration HQ and Tails' lab were overrun by Zombots, stating that they were now on the way to Tangle's home village to help evacuate it. Despite his fatigue, Sonic readily pledges his assistance, clinging to the hope that things cannot get any worse as he heads for Spiral Hill Village.

Meanwhile, on the Lost Hex, Zavok tells Master Zik that Eggman and Sonic's actions against them will not go unanswered. Zik reminds Zavok that the vengeance must be exact, stating that it was wise of him to have them bide their time and let their hatred and anger fester. Zavok comments that their patience has finally paid off as a portal appears before them, greeting an emerging Starline and saying that he has returned sooner than expected. The platypus comments that the day's events have cemented how much the Deadly Six's help was needed and asks if they actually can exert their will over machines. Zavok decides to demonstrate by controlling a Motobug, announcing that the Zeti can command any number of robots before asking when they will serve Eggman again. Starline claims that he has a few more last-minute preparations on his end before taking his leave. The portal has barely vanished before Zik mocks Starline's naivety, saying that he has no idea that they will take the Zombots for themselves and use it against Eggman. Zavok then declares that they will use the Zombots to destroy Eggman, Sonic and the entire world below for merciless vengeance and absolute victory.

Back on the Faceship, Starline recalls the files saying that Eggman used the Cacophonic Conch to control the Zeti and they were eager to turn on him. From this, Starline already knows that the Deadly Six are planning to betray him; however, after doing his research and collecting Eggman's paraphernalia, he is well prepared for that possibility. Reaching into a small portal, he retrieves the Cacophonic Conch, gleefully saying "Take note, Eggman. This is how you do it."

Next Chapter: The Last One Out Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 42 Minutes