Within the depths of a grand aircraft flying in what felt like nothing short of the heavens, badniks scurried back and forth, hard at work everywhere one could look. It was like the entire ship was alive, a living organism in its own aspects...

...And at its core was one machine in particular, stood within the helm of the mighty vessel. NEO Metal Sonic's red optics scanned over the various terminals, the softest of hums leaving his mechanical chassis as his hands were tucked behind his back.

Everything was going as he wanted it to. He would finally rally with the rest of the fleet, and from there, it would be nothing short of a conquest as he searched for his creator. Once Metal found Eggman, he could finally give the empire over to its rightful ruler. And once that was handled, all that would be left is the mobians and their so-called "freedom fighters"—

A sigh left NEO Metal Sonic just at that simple thought. Those insolent creatures and their desire to be nothing but nuisances— Even worse was his oh-so hated copy, Sonic. Just mere hours before, he had nearly destroyed that faker for good.

But of course, things hadn't gone according to NEO Metal Sonic's wishes, per what he has come to expect. For now, he chose to push all of that out of his mind. It wasn't worth spending his own memory thinking on a minor setback.

Instead, he chose to acknowledge a sudden strange noise that he heard from somewhere near him. His optics narrowed slightly as his head turned, looking around the room he was in. "Hm—?"