Welcome to Crisis City. Population: Dwindling. note
| Written by: | Ian Flynn |
| Year: | Two |
| Saga: | Metal Virus |
| Arc Duration: | #17 - #20 |
With Dr. Eggman creating Zombot hordes across the world by downing entire cities in his Metal Virus using his new Faceship, Sonic races to catch up to the doctor while at the same time struggling to keep his own infection in check. With the help of his allies, Sonic fights to save as many civilians as he can from a crisis that is steadily spinning out of control while Eggman slowly begins to lose his hold over the Zombots. Along the way though, some of Sonic's closest allies fall victim to the virus, such as Charmy, Cheese, Chocola and Shadow. Meanwhile, Dr. Starline slowly realizes that Eggman has no plan to properly contain the virus and plots to employ the Deadly Six to counter this.
Tropes
- And Then John Was a Zombie
- Charmy is the first of Sonic's friends to end up infected when he foolishly goes back to try and save the infected woman from earlier, only to find out too late she turned and gets swarmed by the incoming Zombot mass.
- Cream and Vanilla's Chao, Cheese and Chocola, are next, buying the rabbits time before Sonic returns to help. By the time he does, both Chao have become Zombots.
- Shadow is next due to attacking the Zombots head-on thinking being the "Ultimate Lifeform" will shield him from the infection. It doesn't and he ends up swarmed when he refuses to retreat and turned into a Zombot.
- Berserk Board Barricade: Vanilla does this in an attempt to keep the Zombots out of her and Cream's house. It doesn't work.
- Big Badass Rig: Shadow shows up with a truck to help evacuate a group of civilians.
- Big Damn Heroes: After Shadow succumbs to the Metal Virus and wrecks Omega, Sonic stands alone against a whole crowd of Zombots with his infection engulfing him. For a moment, Sonic thinks all is lost...right before Silver and Tails come to rescue him and Omega.
- Bittersweet Ending: While Sonic and Tails decide to go on the offensive, and find a way to cure the world of the Metal Virus, the rest of the Restoration contends with continuing evacuation and fending off the Zombot hordes all over the world. Unfortunately, a few of Sonic's friends and allies have now become Zombots themselves and the fact that Eggman is losing control of them all takes the crisis From Bad to Worse.
- Broken Pedestal: Starline starts becoming disillusioned with Eggman in Issue #18 after first seeing his idol's self-destructive tendencies. This foreshadows his eventual falling-out with Eggman two arcs later.
- Call-Back: Sonic is reminded that Silver is trying to figure out the cause of his Bad Future, and now suspect that the Metal Virus may have played a role in the metallic plant life and lack of population.
- Debut Queue: Cream, her family, E-123 Omega, and unofficially the Deadly Sixnote , make their IDW debuts in this arc.
- Devoured by the Horde: Charmy and Shadow are swarmed by the Zombots and are Zombot-ified themselves in no time—largely due to their own recklessness.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Charmy's attempt to rescue an infected civilian enclosed among a whole crowd of Zombots predictably backfires and gets him infected.
- Sonic finds two teenage villagers in Cream's hometown trying to halt the Metal Virus' spread using fire, apparently ignoring the risk of torching the whole forest and the town with it. Sonic puts it out.
- No one in Restoration HQ considered special means for Sonic while he is inside. Sure he is distancing himself, but adding a shield or hazmat outfit would make things less tense.
- Since Eggman unleashed the Metal Virus without perfecting it first, he inevitably starts losing control of it as it mutates, thus rendering the Zombots uncontrollable as well. No surprise there, as Orbot explains to Starline.
- Evil Is Petty: When asked why Eggman has chosen to infect Floral Forest Village with no strategic advantage, Eggman states that one of Sonic's friends [Cream] lives there. It's nothing more than a way to further spite him and break his will.
- The Fettered: Cream enforces this on Gemerl, wanting him to hold back from destroying the Zombots, since they have no control over Eggman's virus. Even though the Zombots are practically indestructible, he relents as instructed based on Cream's moral principles.
- Foreshadowing:
- Early in the arc, Amy is shown stressing out over paperwork. This is the first sign that the pressures of leading the Restoration are starting to get to her.
- While Silver now knows the Metal Virus caused his Bad Future, he never mentioned the Zombots before, as the world in his time was completely depopulated. Why that is, and just how pivotal Silver may be in preventing it, would be revealed later.
- From Bad to Worse:
- When Sonic sees the Zombots ignoring Eggman's orders to attack him, he soon suspects that Eggman's new bioweapon has some bugs in it and, since the doctor is still dispatching the Metal Virus despite this knowledge, he fears that the crisis is going to get much worse before it gets better.
- Rouge, Omega, and Sonic have enough trouble handling the Zombots before Shadow becomes one himself. After that, Sonic is forced to hold him back while Rouge calls for backup. While Shadow, as a Zombot, lacks his normal self's abilities, he is more troublesome than the other Zombots.
- Harmful to Minors: Cream runs the risk of being infected, and is Forced to Watch as her friends are turned to Zombots. Charmy ends up becoming a Zombot himself.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Cream's Chao companions, Cheese and Chocola, tackle some incoming Zombots to prevent Cream and Vanilla from being infected, knowing full well the Chao will suffer this fate. While it only stalled the Zombots' attack, it was enough for Sonic to help the rabbits escape.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Vector is forced to trap an infected woman with cars when some of the Metal Virus gets on her despite Charmy's protest. He clearly doesn't like it but knows they can't do anything in their current situation and risk her infecting others.
- I Warned You:
- Several issues ago, the Chaotix planned on capturing Eggman, though they were uneasy in doing so while he lost his memories. In the end, they agree with Sonic to leave him being now that he was no longer a threat. Fast forward to this arc, while good humored, Vector tells Sonic next time they have Eggman at their mercy, they're locking him up.
- Shadow attempted to kill Eggman at the same time as the above mention, stating that a loss of memories doesn't justify excusing the man for his previous crimes. Eventually, Sonic convinced him to lay off. Now? He doesn't hesitate to tell off Sonic for sparing Eggman, even claiming he deserves what's happening to him.
- Several issues ago, the Chaotix planned on capturing Eggman, though they were uneasy in doing so while he lost his memories. In the end, they agree with Sonic to leave him being now that he was no longer a threat. Fast forward to this arc, while good humored, Vector tells Sonic next time they have Eggman at their mercy, they're locking him up.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Gemerl isn't a jerk, but he is ridiculously stubborn. He refuses to allow an infected Sonic to get close to Cream, whom he's assigned to protect, because he is a potential risk. He at least orders Sonic to run off said infection to minimize said risk.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Shadow tells Sonic he deserves his fate for letting Eggman live. Later, when Rouge tells him not to fight the Zombots head on, he ignores her, thinking his alien biology will protect him. It doesn't, he ends up infected, and when told to run (in order to offset it), he again doesn't listen because he thinks it's a cowardly move and ends up Zombot-ified as a result.
- No Sympathy:
- Gemerl warns Sonic that he won't hesitate in attacking him unless he gets his infection under control, for Cream's safety.
- Shadow gives a hard dose of this to Sonic; as far as he's concerned, Sonic's Metal Virus infection is Laser-Guided Karma for sparing Eggman in the first place.
- While Rouge is upset about Shadow's fate, she doesn't mourn him for even a moment, since he blew her off when she told him to retreat and resist his infection.Rouge: The idiot should've run when I told him to.
- Pride: Proved to be Shadow's undoing, as he refuses to run away from a hopeless fight.Shadow: Cowards run. I win.
- Stepford Smiler: When Sonic meets Cream again in Restoration HQ, she continues to keep a stiff upper lip despite the circumstances of the outbreak. It's clear, however, that losing her two Chao to the Metal Virus has left a negative impact on her, to the point of having nightmares after her and her mother's escape.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Vector contained an infected with a ring of cars to keep her from touching anyone. Since the Metal Virus is contagious, this was a slightly effective move. If there is no way to seal the infected, then this would be a way to slow her down when she becomes a Zombot. Unfortunately, Charmy's stubbornness left him within arm's reach of her, sealing his fate.
- Even if Shadow's alien origin applies here, it's not enough to make the Ultimate Lifeform immune to a foreign [man-made] virus. Check out The War of the Worlds for a comparison.
- Tempting Fate: Issue #18 ends with Sonic vowing not to lose any more allies beyond Charmy, Cheese, and Chocola, only to lose Shadow as well just one issue later. He'd ultimately lose at least half-a-dozen more friends throughout the next two arcs.
- Too Dumb to Live:
- Charmy was warned by his fellow Chaotix to not touch any of the infected. He decides to return to help one that Vector trapped and ends up infected himself.
- Shadow ignores Sonic's advice to run off his possible infection and Rouge's order to retreat, his pride is what ultimately led to him becoming a Zombot.
- Wham Episode: All four issues in this arc feature at least one of Sonic's friends turning into Zombots, while Eggman and Starline soon learn that they are losing control of the Metal Virus. And that's just tip of the iceberg...
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Cream scolds Gemerl for treating the infected Sonic as a threat and shooing him away. While she knows he's just trying to protect her, she still thinks he went too far and makes him apologize to Sonic when they next meet.
- Gemerl almost does it again later on, barring Sonic (whose infection is now even worse) from entering Amy's office in Restoration HQ. After Cream tells him to be nice and that Amy herself specifically requested Sonic's presence, Gemerl relents.
- Shadow gives Sonic absolute and total hell for not letting him kill Mr. Tinker back in Windmill Village, since his fears that Eggman would eventually regain his memories and return to being evil were proven correct. He spitefully brushes off Sonic's insistence that Dr. Starline was the cause as an excuse, and when Sonic reveals that he himself is infected with the Metal Virus, Shadow has No Sympathy and tells him point-blank it's what he deserves.
- Cream scolds Gemerl for treating the infected Sonic as a threat and shooing him away. While she knows he's just trying to protect her, she still thinks he went too far and makes him apologize to Sonic when they next meet.
