AN: Kudos to Soberan 123 for the idea and some brainstorming help with this.

In a nutshell, this is similar to my one-shot 'A Cursed Blessing' but now with an overarching plotline!

This will be a rather short chapter compared to my usual 1.5k+ words Standard due to it being a setup one.

"Uncle why are we out in these wastes?" Snively whined for the umpteenth time as they swept through the ruins of what used to be a major pre-xorda city in the Britannian mainland, having passed a long rusted and faded sign that said 'Los Angeles' at one time.

"Simple, we're hunting a witch who holds the key to ultimate power." Eggman stated as his Egg Walker marched through the ruins, plasma missile launcher swiveling on its mount. A dozen Egg Gunners and forty Dark Egg Legionaries under Lien Da's command followed them.

"Uncle you don't seriously believe those old texts? The Chaos Emeralds should be plenty."

"I agree with Snively for once, what could this Power of Kings offer you that the Emeralds could not?" Lien Da added.

"Simple my dear, short-sighted, subordinates. The power of Immortality… And the power to bind god to my will~." Eggman smirked.

"You can't be serious Uncle! This is ludicrous in the extreme!"

["Target detected in general area"] One of the Egg Gunners droned.

"Excellent, the Witch hunt begins, bring her to me, I don't care what condition she's in!" The mad scientist-emperor roared.

Lien Da and Snively could only stare in shock as Eggman and his robots opened fire on the ruins with all of their available weapons, blowing them apart building by building.

"UNCLE WHAT IS THIS MADNESS, YOU SAID YOU WANTED HER ALIVE!" The ever flighty Snively screamed as a series of retaliatory gunshots blew the brains out of one of the Echidna legionaries, causing an enraged Lien Da and her troops to join in as well, plasma, missiles, and bullets ripping apart concrete, brick, and drywall.

"SHUT UP AND DO AS I SAY OR I'M FIRING YOU AT HER NEXT!"

Snively squeaked and began using his own walker to start blowing apart their surroundings as well.

Another pair of legionaries and three egg gunners went down over the course of the next five minutes, infuriating Eggman.

"I'VE HAD ABOUT ENOUGH OF THIS! EGG KNIGHTMARES FLUSH THIS FOX OUT OF HER HOLE!"

Five machines reminiscent of the old RPI-209 Gloucesters scream into the square on their landspinners, firing their machine guns and rapid fire handheld plasma cannons into the building that was deemed the target's hiding place.

A rocket flew from the smoke struck one in its chaos drive, causing the machine to shut down and topple over as its primary power source went down.

"RRGAAAGGH! I WANT EGG FORT TWENTY-EIGHT TO HIT THIS DAMN BITCH WITH AN AIRSTRIKE!" Eggman screamed in a blind fury as he grabbed a radio handset from the console in front of him.

"UNCLE!"

"DOCTOR WAIT!"

"FIRE!"

The dull thunder of cannon fire reverberated throughout the area as the first shells shrieked in and blew the already badly damaged office building apart, obscuring everything in a cloud of smoke and dust.

Eggman peeked over his walker's windscreen as the smoke cleared, smiling to see a badly brutalized Mobian fox half buried in wreckage and stomped his walker up to her, Lien Da and Snively following.

"Uncle there's no way she could have survived that, her corpse is lucky to be this intact and only missing an arm and possibly legs!"

"Just give it a minute Snively, and Lien Da, please be a dear and slide her arm a bit closer to her. I want her to grasp the futility of her situation." Eggman ordered in the guise of a request.

After doing so Lien Da sat down on a nearby wall section. "I don't understand why you… WHAT THE HELL!" The Dark Egg Legion's main general yelped and scurried back, trembling as Eggman grinned madly while Snively shrieked like a small child as they watched the Vixen's arm began reattaching itself, one of her eyes opening as her mind overcame the physical pain of 'death' and subsequent regeneration at last.

"You… I knew you were after me the moment I spotted your mindless drones and pawns sweeping these ruins that truly became a city of angels. I know what you are after and you are not the first to have tried and no will you be the last, do your worst to me, I have faced agonizing torture from those even more desperate for such things since long before your ancestral line began, if anything it might actually not be boring for once." The immortal muttered nonchalantly despite her tattered, bloodstained clothes and numerous, rapidly healing injuries.

"I do recall you being human, I assume the Xorda's Genetic Bomb after finding itself unable to kill you simply mutated you instead?" Eggman smiled as he loomed large over her.

"Quit deflecting madman, I've met children who are less obvious in their intentions than you." The lime green vixen's golden eyes retained their defiant fire despite her monotone.

"Tsk, tsk, my dear, I wanted to be civil but I guess that will have to change. Snively, prepare my tools we have some experimentation to do~." Eggman chuckled darkly as two Egg Swats picked up C.C. and dragged her to the gravity lift of the waiting Egg Carrier under heavy escort.

"What have I gotten myself into…" Was the only thought that ran through Snively's head as he automatically carried out the task his uncle Julian Kintobor, more commonly known these days as Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, ordered him to do.