Chapter 2: Meet the Phantom Rider
“Test number 2, begin,” Breezie said as he dropped the equivalent of 1000 tons on his new creation, which easily held the heavy load like it was nothing, shattering it in one fell swoop.
“Very well, Metallix, report to the Speed Chamber for your daily test,” Breezie looked at the results of the previous test on his tablet, grimacing slightly in disappointment.
“Any problems?” Clutch the possum asked, appearing in a sumptuous fur coat that covered him completely, making him look like a walking dark brown furball, save for the jingling of jewels on him.
"Metallix's speed still doesn't reach the expected parameters, mostly because the chassis, when impacted, hardens and slows Metallix down, I could apply some gravitational suspensors similar to the ones Eggman uses for his Egg Dragon but..." Breezie entered the file folder that the Phantom Rider had brought her. "It seems that our partner's quick exit caused data to be corrupted, due to the Link cable not being properly removed," Breezie complained.
Clutch chuckled, his eyes twinkling behind his dark glasses. "Ah, the perils of haste, my dear Breezie. But tell me, how does our new product fare in comparison to the original?"
Breezie leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers as she considered the question. "Metallix's speed is impressive, though it doesn't match Sonic's quite yet. However, his power and durability are off the charts. He can withstand temperatures from absolute zero to the core of a sun, and his strength is comparable to a small army."
Clutch stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Indeed, indeed. With a few more tweaks, Metallix could be the perfect enforcer for our new order. But first, we need to ensure that our investment in your friend pays off handsomely."
Breezie nodded, a wicked smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Oh, it will. The Phantom Rider's theft from Eggman's fleet has caused quite the stir. And with the Hoverboard Races starting today, the city is buzzing with excitement. It's the perfect opportunity to make our move."
Clutch chuckled, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Ah, yes. The races. Clutch looked at his gold watch on his right wrist. "I must attend, you know, people love it when their restorer is present" Clutch said as he left Breezie's workshop, who only waved him off while still focusing on Metallix.
"You will be my ticket to power, MY Metallix" Breezie said, as she placed a hand on the glass watching Metallix accelerate faster and faster.
**Meanwhile**
Sonic is on a roof in Central City, next to him is the Egg Hoverboard, an improved prototype of a hoverboard made by Eggman for him, he still remembers the words of his archenemy when he gave it to him. "Someone inside Sweep Clean Inc. is messing with my technology, and we both know we don't need another Mad Genius running around"
"Good Morning Central City! Are you ready for another round of Clean sweepstakes?" said the announcer as a wave of cheers accompanied him. "With the qualifiers ready, we separate the winners from the losers and drop the gloves! Because in this round, the important thing will be to survive!"
The solid energy track was activated, in a route that surrounded the entire city, with multiple traps that seemed deadly. "Don't worry, you won't die, our sponsor confirmed that, but it will hurt if you get hit and not just in the ego" said the announcer, while the hundreds of racers prepared themselves at the starting line, with Sonic watching from his place, activating the Phantom Rider suit.
He felt a chill run down his spine as the suit's visor activated, a strange sensation that made his movements slower.
"Alright, let's do this" Sonic said, as he was about to jump off the roof.
The Race begins, and as soon as they started, everyone else saw the Babylon Rogues taking the lead, with Jet in the lead, followed by Wave and Storm. The 3 feathered ones knocking down several racers in their path without giving them much importance.
"Stay back turtles, the Babylon Rogues are passing!" Storm roared, as she followed Jet and Wave, she always went in the middle to test that everything was correct, while Storm himself made sure that no one passed them.
"Ha! I thought this would be a challenge" Jet mocked the other racers as he was in the lead, when a blue flash passed by his side, his feet wobbled slightly on his hoverboard to regain balance as the intruder stood in front of them.
"What is this? Some kind of Rogue Rider has sneaked into the race!" The announcer shouted while Sonic, under the disguise, grabbed one of the chaos cameramen.
"Alright, listen up everyone, the only Rogues here are Jet and his gang of birds, I'm the Phantom Rider and I'm here to turn your world upside down!" said Sonic, seeing that the disguise worked, since no one seemed to recognize his voice. "And no one here is fast enough to stop me!" he finally announced before releasing Chaos and descending on Jet, his hoverboard egg easily catching up to the self-proclaimed Master of Wind's.
"What's wrong Jet? I notice you're a little slow," Sonic mocked, as he stood side by side with Jet, who looked quite annoyed, as he pushed his hoverboard as hard as it could go.
"Clearly you don't know me, buddy!" Jet roared, but only received a denial from this Phantom Rider.
"Master of Wind? Or Master of Slow? Because I see your friends are left quite far behind!" Sonic said, as he accelerated the Egg Hovercraft, knocking down 3 racers who had gotten ahead of him. Jet wanted to go after him for the insult, but Wave stopped him, in time for both of them to avoid a tube trap.
"Leave him alone Jet, that's not even part of the Race!" said Wave, who was trying to calm her leader down from his typical recklessness.
The 3 previously knocked down racers were in free fall towards the ground, when suddenly something fluffy caught them.
"Don't worry guys, we'll take care of that evil guy!" said Tangle the lemur, who had extended her tail to catch the fallen racers and put them in safe places on the rooftops.
"Hey, Tangle! You're a lifesaver!" one of the racers exclaimed, his voice filled with relief.
"Thanks, Tangle! We owe you one!" another racer chimed in.
Tangle waved them off, her tail retracting with a flick. "No problem, guys. Just doing my part. Now get back in the race before you miss the fun!"
Whisper the Wolf, who was hovering nearby, nodded in approval. "Good job, Tangle. We need to keep our eyes on this Phantom Rider. Something's not right about him."
Tangle nodded, her tail twitching with agitation.
"I don't like this, Whisper. Something feels... off."
Whisper floated closer, her eyes narrowing as she watched the Phantom Rider zoom past the other racers, leaving chaos in his wake. "I agree. We need to keep an eye on him."
Lanolin approached them on her own hoverbike, "Contact Security, I'm sure we can handle that Phantom Rider" assured the sheep, as she went in pursuit of the Phantom Rider, accompanied by Tangle and Whisper, who were on the same hoverbike.
From above, in a Sweep Clean Inc. blimp, multiple security guards descended on hoverboards towards the Phantom Rider, who watched with crossed arms and a smile under his helmet. "So much attention, I'm flattered, for my first time doing this stuff" he said as he entered the tube system of the race with Jet following him.
"This is a race, not a showroom!" Jet snapped, trying to catch the Phantom Rider.
Jet smirked, seeing an opportunity. "Time to show you what the Rogues are made of," he said, activating his board's extra speed mode.
"Oh, I hurt your feelings little birdie?" The Phantom Rider mocks, avoiding Jet's catch with a quick jump, leaving its Hovervehicle to do a spindash directly at the glass road, even reforced, it breaks easyly letting him escape.
"See ya later, Jet, perhaps the next time you'll be faster" the Phantom Rider says as his hovervehicle go back below his feet and take him on the air, leaving the Babylon Rogues confused about the event.
"Why that feels so good?" Sonic asks himself, below the suit, as he looks the chaos he made. "Well, Now I have to make my exit quick before..."
Suddenly above him, Lanolin appear followed by a squad of security guards, Tangle and Whisper, all of them going toward him. "Stop! This is the end of your reign of Terror!" Lanolin yells as she speed up her hoverbike toward him.
Phatom Rider dodges her charge, jumping over her and landing behind her on the seat, crouching and stroking her whool. "So floffy, you must stay outside the battlefield, little sheep" Phatom Rider says jumping again and desetabilizing Lanolin hoverbike.
Tangle try to catch him with her tail, but the Phatom Rider catch her tail first and doing a few spins to take impulse, he throws the lemur against a bunch of guards without much effort.
"Tangle!" Whisper yells in concern, trying to reach his friend.
Phatom Rider watches her, with a smirk on his lips, but he has no intention of harming her, he knows that Whisper will take care of her. Then he turns his attention to the rest of the security force.
"Really, do you really think you can stop me" he says, accelerating towards the guards.
He begins to attack the guards, using the Phatom Suit’s energy blades, cutting through the vehicles and demobilizing the guards without hurting them.
"So many to play" says the Phantom Rider as he destroys the last vehicles, letting the Diamond Cutters save the falling guards. "But so little time," he says to himself as he looks to make a big distraction so he can escape.
He focuses on a nearby building, the Sweep Clean Inc. headquarters, and aims an energy blast, causing a large explosion on the side of the building.
"What was that?!" Surge yells from inside the building, running to the window to see the chaos below. She sees the Phantom Rider causing havoc and grins. "Finally, some action. Let's give them a real show, Kit."
Kit nods, following Surge as she jumps out of the window, her electrokinesis surrounding them, creating a platform to hover on. They descend just as the Phantom Rider is about to make his escape.
When the Phantom Rider attempts his exit, suddenly gets intercepted by Surge. "Nice moves there, blue boy" Surge says with a eager grinn as her hands begun to enlight with electricity "I am Surge the Tenrec by the way, and I'll be pleased to show you MY moves" says Surge throwing a punch at Phantom Rider's helmet, denting it.
Phantom Rider acts quickly, he grabs her punch and throw her out of her hoverbike, to a near building, making a loud crash as he propels toward her. Surge falls hard on the pavement and Kit rushes to her side.
"Surge! Are you okay?" Kit asks, his fur standing on end, his eyes wide with worry.
Surge pulls herself up, dusting off her clothes. "I'm fine, Kit. Just a little crash landing. But that Phantom Rider is going to pay for that." She clenches her fists, electricity crackling around her.
Kit nods, his tail flicking nervously. "Be careful, Surge. He's not like the others. He's..." Kit gets suddenly interrupted by steps coming toward them.
"Come on, kiddo, finish your sentence" Phantom Rider says looming over them from his hoverboard. "I like your moves, Surge, and I want to make a great first impression as the new Villain since Eggman's departure" Phantom Rider says jumping off his hoverboard.
"So let's have a speed match at the old way, without this technological nonsense" Phantom Rider says activating the auto-pilot of his hoverboard.
"After all, what's the point of a speed race if you don't get your hands dirty, right?" he says with a grin.
Surge snarls, "Fine by me, blue boy. Let's see what you're made of."
Kit looks at Surge, concern etched on his face. "Surge, are you sure? He's very fast and stronger than he looks."
Surge smiles back at Kit, "Don't worry, Kit. I won't let anything happen to you. Besides, this will be fun."
Phantom Rider watches Surge, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
"Good. Because I've been waiting for someone like you." He flexes his fingers, energy crackling at his fingertips. "Ready? Go!"
Surge doesn't hesitate. She takes off like a shot, her spines bristling as she runs. Phantom Rider follows close behind, his speed rivaling hers. They weave through the streets of Central City, their footsteps barely touching the ground.
Kit watches them go, his heart pounding in his chest. He knows he should try to stop them, but he also knows that Surge can handle herself. He takes a deep breath and turns to follow them, his tail flicking nervously.
The cameras of the race suddenly point toward the new sudden event. "Ladies and Gentlemen, apparently we have a speedsters battle!" Yells the announcer as the Cameras point to the two lime green and the blue trail that clash constantly across the streets.
"This is something special," Says the announcer. "We don't have one of this in Central City since the fight between the Hedgehogs, Sonic and Shadow, in this same streets" says the announcer as the public seems to ignore the race to see the battle unfold.
Surge, her tail standing on end, her eyes blazing with determination, darts through the city, leaping over cars and weaving between buildings. Phantom Rider keeps pace, his robotic suit humming with energy. He grins beneath his visor, adrenaline coursing through him. This is what he lives for—the thrill of the chase, the rush of speed.
Suddenly, Surge makes a sharp turn, racing up the side of a building. Phantom Rider follows, his suit's thrusters allowing him to scale the wall with ease. They reach the roof, their feet pounding against the tar.
Side to side, the clash multiple times, clashing arms, fists and even kicks, letting sparks fly with each impact at high speed. "How it feels to be the heroine, Surgethe Tenrec?" Says the Phantom Rider as they continue their chase, running down of the building, with Surge struggling to keep his pace.
Phantom Rider stops suddenly, and Surge, unprepared, glances off a nearby wall, stumbling and falling to the ground.
Clutching his side, Kit rushes to Surge's side. "Surge, are you okay? That was... wow, that was intense."
The Phantom Rider turns, his visor glinting in the sunlight. "You can't keep up with me, can you?" he taunts.
Surge grins, a wicked light in her eyes. "You're right, I can't.
But I can make sure you don't go any further," Surge growls, pushing herself to her feet. She takes a deep breath, her body tingling with electric energy. "Time to turn the voltage up."
Kit looks at her, concern etched on his face. "Surge, be careful."
She nods, her eyes locked onto the Phantom Rider. "Don't worry, Kit. I've got this."
The Phantom Rider watches her, a smirk playing on his lips. "Bring it on, Surge.
I'm not some chump you can take down with a few sparks," the Phantom Rider retorted, a smirk playing on his lips. He flexed his fingers, and an energy blade materialized at the end of each one, humming with raw power.
Surge watched him carefully, her eyes narrowing as she calculated her next move. She knew she couldn't outrun him, but she was confident she could take him down in a fight. She flexed her fingers, and electric arcs danced between them, crackling with energy.
"You're fast, but I'm faster," Surge said, her voice dripping with confidence.
Kit watched from the sidelines, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew Surge could handle herself, but he also knew how dangerous the Phantom Rider was. He just hoped she was prepared for what was about to come.
The Phantom Rider chuckled, a low, menacing sound that echoed through the city streets. "We'll see about that," he said, dashing towards Surge with blinding speed. Surge was ready for him. She shifted her weight, her body humming with electric energy. As he approached, she unleashed a barrage of electric bolts, each one as powerful as a lightning strike.
The Phantom Rider dodged and weaved between the bolts, his reflexes pushing his suit to its limits. He countered with a flurry of energy blade strikes, but Surge was ready. She blocked each one, the electric energy in her body providing the strength and speed she needed to keep up.
"You're good," the Phantom Rider admitted, a hint of surprise in his voice. "But I'm better."
He disappeared in a blur of motion, reappearing behind Surge and delivering a powerful kick to her back. She flew forward, crashing into a nearby car and sending it flipping through the air.
She hit the ground hard, her body tingling with pain and electricity. Kit rushed to her side, his tail flicking nervously.
"Surge, are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Surge groaned, pushing herself up. "I'll be fine, Kit. Just a little shock to the system." She clenched her fists, electricity crackling around her. "But I'm not done yet."
The Phantom Rider smirked, his robotic suit humming with energy.
"Perhaps you not, but I am" Phantom Rider says tipping some commands on his forearm pad, making it's hoverboard go back to him. "Don't follow me, unless you want to get hurt" Phantom Rider says as he speeds up his hoverboard, flipping down several cars in his way or sending them fly toward near buildings.
Kit steps next to Surge, who pump her fists together with electric arcs appearing and crippling between them.
"S-Surge, I knew that look, you don't need to follow him" Kit says almost pleading as he looks how she prepares to continue the chase.
"It's okay, Kit. I know what I'm doing," Surge reassures, giving him a quick pat on the head before taking off after the Phantom Rider. She moves lightning fast, her spines bristling with electric energy. Her target is just a blur in the distance, but she's not giving up. Not yet.
**Meanwhile**
Whisper, Tangle, and Lanolin have regrouped after their earlier encounter with the Phantom Rider. They watch the ongoing chase from a nearby rooftop, their expressions serious.
"We need to stop him," Whisper whispers.
Tangle nods, her tail twitching with determination. "Agreed. We can't let him cause any more havoc."
Lanolin looks at both of them and takes a deep breath. "I'll contact the other Diamond Cutters. We need more reinforcements if we want to stop this Phantom Rider."
---
Surge is barely keeping up with the Phantom Rider. She leaps over cars and buildings, her electric energy crackling around her. The Phantom Rider looks back, a smirk on his face.
"I think I told you to not follow me" Phantom Rider laughs, as he prepares the energy canon of his wristers, "But, now that you are here, what about a bit of reaction game?" Phantom Rider says as he begun to shooting lasers at her from his wrists. Surge ducks and weaves through the laser beams, her electric energy allowing her to move faster than the lasers can hit her. She uses her own tail to deflect some of the lasers, sending them back at Phantom Rider. He quickly blocks them with his energy blades, a grin on his face. "Nice try, Surge, but you'll need to do better than that." Phantom Rider says as they approach to the larger tower in Central City, the High Point of the Race too.
Surge and Phantom Rider clash as they speed up it's path toward the top of the building, with Surge trying to knock down the Phantom Rider, her quills clashing and hitting the metal of his hoverboard, until the last clash, she lost, tripping and falling on the rooftop, while the Phantom Rider continue ascending, preparing the final act.
"What is he doing?" Surge asks to herself as she sees the Phantom Rider going to the top and propelling himself several meters up on the air, and turning upside down to face her.
"Activate auto-pilot" the Phantom Riders commands his hoverboard as he jumps toward Surge, charging his best attack, a powerfull boosted spindash that descends like a bomb over Surge, who decides to try to counter it with her own spindash.
The two high-speed projectiles collide in the air with such force that the explosion of energy is visible even from kilometers away, creating a shockwave that shakes the city.
The clash between the two left Surge badly injured, her body falling from the roof and crashing to the ground below. Kit, seeing his friend falling, let out a desperate cry and launched himself after her, his hydrokinesis creating a large water platform to catch her.
Phatom Rider, after the clash, is still stable on his hoverboard, with hands on his hips and admiring his job. "Well, that feels good," he says as he looks Tangle, Whisper and Lanolin approachin, with a larger number of guards. "Well, time to go, but don't worry, I'll be wandering around for a looong time" The Phantom Rider declares before boost his hoverboard and dissapearing of the scene faster than when he arrives.
Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin approach Kit and Surge, who are lying on the water platform created by Kit. They look at each other, concern etched on their faces. Lanolin asks, carefully inspecting Surge's injuries.
Surge groans in pain, her body covered in electric burns and bruises. "I'll... I'll be fine," she says through gritted teeth. Kit whimpers, his tail flicking nervously as he watches his friend in pain.
Whisper approaches them, her eyes filled with worry.
"Surge, you were incredible out there, but you pushed yourself too far. We need to get you medical attention immediately."
Tangle nods in agreement, her tail twitching with concern. "Whisper's right, Surge. You can't keep fighting when you're this hurt."
Kit looks up at Whisper and Tangle, his eyes welling up with tears. "She's always pushing herself to the limit. I just want her to be safe."
Lanolin places a comforting paw on Kit's shoulder. "We'll take care of her, Kit. Don't worry.
I've got her," Whisper says, gently lifting Surge into her arms. Kit hesitates for a moment before following them.
"Where are you taking her?" he asks, his voice small.
"To the Sweep Clean Inc. medical bay," Tangle replies, shooting him a reassuring smile. "She'll be in good hands, trust me."
Kit nods, his tail flicking nervously as he follows them.
Clutch, who sees all the havoc, was analyzing all the situation.
"Sir, we lost the Phantom Rider, our patrollers and the Diamond Cutters lost any hint of him" inform one of his assistents, a cat, trembling with each word.
"Good, refocused the media on the race and let the all-clear ring out" Clutch says in a calm manner, as he looks at the records of Surge fighting the Phantom Rider. "Actually, give the people some peace, told them that, their new heroine handles the situation" Clutch orders finally.
"Spin this to our advantage, we need to keep the good image of the Restoration" Clutch says as he goes back to his office, closing the door behind him.
Once in there, he activates a holographic screen and watches the images of the Phantom Rider and Surge fighting. He grins as he sees the footage of the Phantom Rider knocking Surge down.
"Very good, very good," Clutch mutters to himself, rubbing his paws together in anticipation. "This will be perfect for our next move."
He turns to his computer and types in a few commands, his eyes scanning the screen as he does so.
"Yes, this is good. Very good indeed. The people will love this. The Restoration will look strong and capable, and that little pest, the Phantom Rider, will be hunted down and dealt with. Perfect."
Clutch leans back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face. "And now, to phase two."
He picks up his golden phone, the one with the encrypted line, and dials a familiar number. It rings a few times before being picked up on the other end.
"Yes, Mr. Possum?" a voice says, the voice of Breezie, the Chief Engineer of Sweep Clean Inc.
"Our bussiness partner makes quite the show, doesn't it?" Clutch says as he looks at the records.
"Yep, and I think I know how we can solve Metallix problem" Breezie says as she looks the records too, but with focus on Phantom Rider's hoverboard. "I need that Hoverboard, with it, I can give Metallix better trusters to finally outmatch Sonic's speed and agility." Breezie says as she glances at her finest creation.
"But I need the Phantom Rider's Hoverboard for that." Breezie says, her eyes reflecting the image of the hoverboard on her computer screens.
"I'll make sure you get it," Clutch assures, his voice dripping with confidence. "I have someone in mind who can retrieve it. And once you have it, our little project will be complete."
"Perfect," Breezie says, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Once I have that board, Metallix will be unstoppable.
And with him under our control, we can assure the public's safety and our complete dominance," Breezie said, her eyes gleaming with ambition.
Clutch nodded, his mind already considering the logistics. "Leave that to me, my dear Breezie. I have just the assets to get the job done. And once we have the board, the world will bow to our will."
Breezie smirked, her fingers dancing over the keyboard as she sent the hoverboard's specifications to her personal device. "I can't wait to see that blue menace humiliated.
It'll be the perfect way to commence Phase Two," Breezie said, her eyes narrowing as she imagined the countless possibilities with the enhanced Metallix. "Thank you, Clutch. You never disappoint."
Clutch chuckled, "Think nothing of it, Breezie. Our alliance has been fruitful and will continue to be. Just make sure Metallix is ready for deployment once you have the board. I want to be able to unleash him on command."
"Oh, he'll be ready. I've been tweaking his systems non-stop.
He's almost ready," Breezie reassures, her eyes never leaving her computer screens. "Once I have that Hoverboard, everything will fall into place."
***Meanwhile***
Jet the Hawk is sitting on the podium of the winner, despite end the race on the first place, he was... Clearly mad.
"Come on boss, don't feel bad, at least we secure the First Place" Wave says as she repairs Jet's hoverboard, and prepare it to the next phase of the race.
"Yeah, it was more easy when lady Surge take away that spooky racer" says Storm, both the albatross and the swallow trying to consoul the hurted ego of Jet.
"But don't worry Jet, we know you are the fastest."
Jet looked up at Storm and Wave, his expression still sour. "Yeah, right. Fastest. If that's true, then why couldn't I keep up with that freak in the blue suit?" He crossed his arms, his feathers ruffling with annoyance.
Wave sighed, "You can't win 'em all, Jet. Besides, you still took first place. That's something to be proud of."
Jet grumbled under his breath but said nothing.
Wave and Storm exchanged a look, both knowing that trying to console him further would only make him more annoyed.
"Hey, look!" Wave said, pointing to a nearby screen that was broadcasting a live feed of the race. "It looks like they're about to announce the results for the qualifiers."
Jet turned to look, his expression softening slightly. "Yeah, let's see who made it."
On the screen, the announcer was indeed revealing the top racers who had qualified for the next round. But first appears the image of Surge on a stretcher along Kit and the Diamond Cutters.
"Before announce the winners, we have to pay respect for our heroes, who today, put they lives on risk so the race could finish without badly injured racers," the announcer says. "And most of all, to Miss Surge, who bravely fought the Phantom Rider alone." The announcer's voice was somber as the camera panned to Surge, her fur singed and bandaged, but her eyes bright as she waved weakly to the crowd. Cheers erupted, and Kit gave a small, proud smile from beside her.
In the podium area, Jet watched the broadcast, his expression softening. "Looks like we've got some real competition," he murmured, a hint of respect in his voice.
**Meanwhile**
Duo the Cat was heading to Clutch's offices, in theory, he should be taking care of Jewel, Tangle's friend but...
"She's bought it boss, they don't suspect a thing," Duo assured Clutch, who was enjoying a delicacy while watching the sunset. "Although she did look a little uneasy with Sonic and his friends missing during the Phantom Rider's appearance."
"Fine, in which case, make sure the next shipment of supplies to Spiral Hill Village gets lost, that will keep her busy while we prepare everything for the next phase" Clutch said while watching the recordings of the event during the race.
"Pretty crazy huh? Our friend the Phantom Rider" Duo said as he watched the recordings.
"Well, it doesn't matter much, after all, it helps a lot with our views and public image." Clutch said. "But I need you to take away his Hoverboard, now that Lanuli is calling out what's left of the Diamond Cutters and, without Silver around, you can log into the game and roam around without raising suspicion" Clutch said as he took another bite of his steak.
Duo looked at the recordings of the Phantom Rider on the hoverboard. "And how exactly do I get it off him? He doesn't look like he's going to leave it alone anytime soon."
Clutch chuckled, "Leave that to me. I have a little... surprise for him. But first, you need to get close to him."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do I do that? I'm not exactly the best at making friends."
Clutch leaned back in his chair, a sly smile on his face. ""Oh come on, we both know that's not true," Clutch paused for a moment, watching Duo's eyes turn black, with small white irises, revealing his true identity clearly but mockingly. "Mimic"
Duo returned his eyes to the ones in the costume he was wearing. "Fine, fine, I'll think of something, after all, he had to get that technology from somewhere," Duo said as he watched the recordings..
"Just don't blow your cover, Mimic," Clutch warned, his golden eyes glinting behind his dark glasses. "We need to keep the Phantom Rider's identity secret for now. Once we have Metallix fully operational, then we can reveal him to the world."
Mimic nodded, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Don't worry, boss. I know how to play the game."
Clutch leaned back in his chair, satisfied. Get to work. And remember, our little surprise for the Phantom Rider should be ready by tomorrow.
A little reminder of who's in charge, if you will. Now, go find out where our blue friend plans to strike next. Clutch dismissed Mimic with a wave of his paw, turning his attention back to his meal and the sunset.