Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 247

Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 247 is the two hundred and forty-seventh issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series published by Archie Comics. It is part one of the At All Costs storyline and the prelude of the Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide crossover event.

Official Solicitation
“At All Costs” Part One: On the eve of the history-making “worlds collide” crossover event – Sonic’s Team Fighters have reached the frigid north! The plan: finally rescue Mecha Sally. But will Silver’s arrival help or hinder their efforts? Meanwhile, “Operation: Deadly Cuddles” goes into full effect, menacing Team Freedom! It’s the last stop of the road to the Sonic/Mega Man crossover event – with an explosive ending that will rock Sonic’s world!

At All Costs - Part One: Fate Interrupted
At the Northern Tundra, Guntiver the Arctic Wolf gives Team Fighters–Sonic, Tails, and Amy–information about the Death Egg and Dr. Eggman's whereabouts, mentioning that the doctor has been awfully quiet since he's landed here. Tails thanks Guntiver for the information, while Sonic jokes around to Amy on how cold it is. Team Fighters and Guntiver, along with his Arctic Freedom Fighters–Flip Penguin, Augustus the Polar Bear, and Sealia Seal–wait for Erma's signal to enter the Death Egg, and, after the signal was clear, the Freedom Fighters charged at the base. They had begin to fight several Egg Swats before receiving help from... Silver the Hedgehog?

Sonic, who is less than pleased, walks towards Silver and begins to yell at Sonic about how there is a traitor on the Freedom Fighter team, and Guntiver, who at first told Sonic to calm down, begins to remember what Silver did to Rotor a while back. Silver had admitted that he didn't have enough source to prove the traitor, but Sonic ignores him and tells him plainly to get out of here (Amy and Tails come in and tells the team that the Egg Swats are defeated). Silver begins to say that he has enough proof, but he can't say who helped him nor can he explain how he got the source. Tails, putting two and two together, asks Silver if the true king was involved, but Silver, shocked, asks how he knew about it. Tails asks Sonic if they can hear Silver out one last time, and Sonic, agitated about something he doesn't know, lets Silver speak.

Silver tells them that in his era, his two mentors cannot recall exactly what happened in this time period and that a Freedom Fighter is causing the Freedom Fighters to fall apart and that he's running out of time to save his time period. Sonic thinks it's ironic that Silver is a time traveler and that he's running out of time, but Silver starts to state his facts quickly. He begins to say that Sally is a robot after the post-GENESIS effect, Antoine is in a coma, and that Bunnie is missing somewhere. He then begins to point out that Ixis Naugus is plotting to rebuild a new Ixis Resurgence, but failed thanks to a secret team. He then finds that the true traitor is.... Sally Acorn. As the Arctic Freedom Fighters are shocked at this, Amy and Sonic are both furious at Silver and they begin to change at him. Augustus and Tails are able to stop the two from attacking Silver and Tails tells Silver to hurry and give proof to this quickly. Silver even mentions he's not here to destroy the traitor anymore, but to save her.

Meanwhile, in New Mobotropolis, NICOLE and Rotor Walrus are about to prepare the grand opening of the newly, rebuilt Castle Acorn. NICOLE wonders where Ixis Naugus and Geoffrey are at. Rotor then tells NICOLE it is better without them, but NICOLE wonders if Naugus is at the point of death. Suddenly, Castle Acorn is being destroyed. NICOLE manages to get the castle back to shape, but Rotor wonders that first the stadium is destroyed by a random source and now this. At the same time, Cheese finds Tails Doll and gives it to Cream. The rabbit gets on to the doll about disappearing and she begins to realize why it keeps disappearing every time something bad happens. Cream tells Cheese to put Tails Doll away and tells Rotor about how every time Tails Doll disappears, something bad happens. She then recalls when Bunnie got hurt by Naugus crystallizing Titan Metal Sonic a while back, she found Tails Doll in the damaged city. Rotor begins to think about the idea and tells Cream that it all makes sense. He then tells Cream what they're going to do...

Back at the Northern Tundra, Silver goes further into his proof on how Sally is the traitor. His mistake was this; he thought the traitor meant to destroy the Freedom Fighters, but instead, it was caused accidentally. In a selfless act, Sally sacrificed herself to stop the world roboticizer, but was turned into a robot. He also mentions that history just lost details, and that since Sally was roboticizted, the Freedom Fighters began to fall apart from there until there were no more Freedom Fighters left to stop the evil of this world. Erma then begins to think that if history lost details, people in the future would never think that the person responsible for ruining their world wasn't acting on their free will. And they might not even know that "roboticization" existed. Sonic begins to argue with Silver on how it was his assumption on a traitor, but Silver interrupts him and points out that it was history's assumption. Sonic then forgets about it and tells the Freedom Fighters that they'll get to find Sally while the Arctic Freedom Fighters and Silver will watch Team Fighter's back. Amy then asks Silver how they knew they were here, but Silver points out that he is psychic (but he got the source from Agent Jack).

The Freedom Fighters then go to the underwater tunnel Flip had found. When it becomes too dark, Silver lights the tunnel up, but Akhlut and his pod find the tunnel and begin to attack the Freedom Fighters. Silver gathers Amy, Guntiver, and Erma to a telekinesis-force-field while Sonic and Tails do a Rolling Combo on Akhlut. Augustus, Sealia, and Flip then begin covering Sonic and Tails, but Akhlut remembers Silver and orders his pod to attack Silver. They are able to escape from the water, but Akhlut begins to command a system alert to Dr. Eggman about intruders. Because of this, more Egg Swats are called upon and Team Fighters run towards their next phase of their plan. Meanwhile, Cubot and Orbot tell Eggman that Sonic and co. have entered the Death Egg. Eggman, furious that he just cleaned the place up again, and that things are getting too close again, orders the Genesis Wave to activate again. He then hopes that Albert is ready for their plan. He then launches Mecha Sally to attack Team Fighters, and Sonic tells her plainly that she is going home this time, but she refuses.

Meanwhile, in New Mobotropolis, after Cream pretends to leave her home, Tails Doll is reactivated and heads towards the power center. However, it is cornered by Team Freedom; Rotor in his battle-suit, NICOLE, Cream, Big the Cat, Heavy, and Bomb. But, suddenly, it transforms into a monster and begins to plead to spread toxins around the city... Back at the Northern Tundra, Sonic and Team Fighters are at their last ropes and Mecha Sally is about to shoot them down. But, Silver deactivates Sally, only for the world to fade to white once again.....

Off Panel
As the the right side of the panel fades to white, Silver facepalms himself in disbelief, as Dr. Eggman runs towards the right side of the panel, with Mecha Sally under his arms. Sonic, however, complains to Eggman, while shaking his fist vividly, that he let the story end with a Genesis Wave resetting reality, thus leaving the story with a cliffhanger about what would happen to Sally, much in the same manner as in Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 225. Eggman however, merely sticks his tongue out, taunting Sonic as he makes his escape.

Key Events

 * Silver's "traitor" is revealed to be Sally, but instead of destroying her, he has decided to help rescue her.
 * Team Fighters, the Arctic Freedom Fighters, and Silver launch an assault on the Death Egg Mark 2.
 * Team Freedom find out that the Tails Doll is the cause of the mishaps with the Nanites in New Mobotropolis.
 * Dr. Eggman unleashes the Genesis Wave from Operation: Clean Sweep again, and this time, it effects not just the Prime Zone, but another world is caught up in it as well.
 * Prior to unleashing the Genesis Wave, Eggman stresses the need for an individual named Albert to be ready.

Trivia

 * In this issue, Sonic and Tails performs an attack similar to one of the moves in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, namely the Rolling Combo.