Flipswitch Part III

Tail's entered the room with a half smile. He'd been so downhearted after his attempt to get the document off of Eggman failed and Amy knew it was all her fault. Everything was. But she'd made herself a promise to fix this and she wasn't in the business of breaking promises.

"I'm sorry about all of this." Tails said as he addressed Amy, Rouge and Knuckles. He looked tired Amy noted, putting it down to the battle earlier.

"It's not your fault Tails." She said, returning his half-smile. It took a lot of effort to conjure it but it was the best she could do right then.

"Yeah, it's hers." Rouge said bluntly, fluttering a hand towards the pink hedgehog. Knuckles gave her a warning glare but Amy brushed it off. She'd expected much worse from the bat, especially after she'd explained what she'd done to Sonic. This was Rouge letting her off easy.

"It's okay Knuckles, she's right. This is my fault."

If only she'd had the foresight to realise that the gun would affect all aspects of Sonic's personality, she never would have considered shooting the stupid thing. Unfortunately for her, her single-mindedness had landed them all in hot water.

"I wouldn't sound so proud of that if I were you." Rouge added but giving in to the red echidna's glare she softened and added "Sorry, I'm cranky because of my leg."

The robot hadn't broken it, thank Mobius Amy thought, but he had bruised her badly and the bat had trouble putting her full weight on it without it giving out in pain. It would take a few days of bed rest for her to heal up. Or in Rouges case, many days of normal life since she refused to stay still and miss any action life threw her way.

"I have good news and bad news." Tails declared, changing the topic of the conversation. "The good news is that I managed to recover part of the download." Amy felt a surge of hope flutter inside her. "The bad news is that it's not the part that would help us turn Sonic back but I have another idea."

All three leaned in closer without realising.

"So, back when I first made the Flipswitch I needed to try it out on something to make sure it worked. I chose Bocoe because I thought we might be able to convince him to spy on Eggman for us." Tails explained to the group who nodded, eager for him to continue.

"It didn't quite work how I wanted it to and Bocoe was useless to both us and Eggman. Clearly, Eggman got Bocoe back to normal but I never knew how. This," he gestured to the document he had open on the screen, "shows all the different things he did to try and fix him. He tried resetting the mainframe, knocking him out, replacing the personality chip along with a host of other ideas but none of them worked."

Amy swallowed nervously. The longer Tail's talked the more she felt her insides constricting with anxiety. Nobody in the room seemed to notice her nausea and she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Tail's had found something, she reassured herself.

"Eventually, he made a new device. That's where the download cut's off but the device must have counteracted the effects of the Flipswitch otherwise Bocoe would be on the scrap heap right now."

"So we need that device?" Rouge said, her voice lifting at the end to signify the question.

Tails nodded. "Except I don't think it exists anymore. Eggman had no need for it after the Bocoe debacle, so he likely destroyed it. But the blueprints will still be in his systems."

"Can't you just hack your way back in?" Amy asked, voice higher and more strained than usual. Surely if he'd gotten in earlier, he could just try again.

"Not after this afternoon. Eggman will be on high alert, and he's updated his security. It would take nothing short of a miracle to get me back in quick enough."

"You said you had an idea." Knuckles responded, rubbing the back of his hand absently. Amy wondered if they were hurting from all the robots he'd smashed earlier on his own. Sonic had helped until they'd stopped and Knuckles had taken them all from there.

"I do. I can't access Eggman's computers from here, but the computers in his base won't be firewalled. I can easily access the file there and copy it."

"Meaning we need to find a way to get into his base." Amy said, following Tail's train of thought.

"Well, yeah. But I'm going in alone." Tails said.

"No you're not Tails. It's too dangerous." Knuckles said defensively, sitting up straighter at the thought of his friend entering enemy territory without backup.

"I need you guys to stay and watch Sonic. I don't know what he's capable of in this state." Tails replied.

All eyes turned to the unconscious hedgehog haphazardly sprawled on the sofa. He'd fallen asleep almost as soon as they'd returned to Tail's place and after the day he was having, Amy couldn't blame him.

He'd listened really carefully when Amy had explained what was wrong with him in Station Square which had thrown her off. She wondered if he remembered what he was like before. Whether he could feel that something had changed inside of him. The question nagged at her but she couldn't bring herself to give voice to it.

"He's right." She said after a moment's pause. "We can't leave him alone the way he is." What if he leaves, we might never be able to find him again she thought.

"Rouge, you're hurt so you should probably stay behind and watch him." Knuckles said, nodding at the bat. Rouge looked scandalised.

"Hell no, I'm not a babysitter! Besides, my light fingers and distracting charm will be crucial to the mission."

"Well what other option do we have?" Knuckles said, frustrated.

"What about you Knuckles? You two seemed to get on strangely well the whole way home." Amy suggested. She couldn't help but notice how the change in Sonic had affected his attitude positively towards the red echidna.

They'd always had a stand-offish relationship, but the effects of the Flipswitch seemed to have changed it to admiration and she couldn't help but feel the sting of the situation. Sonic had constantly praised Knuckles the whole way home, and soaked up every interaction with the hot head as if he was a dry desert and Knuckles' words were rain.

"Are you kidding, I can't stand the guy like this. He's so...weak. If he hadn't fallen asleep as soon as we made it back here, I swear I would've knocked him out myself." Knuckles grumbled, throwing an annoyed side-glance at the sleeping hedgehog.

He clearly didn't enjoy being idolised.

"Amy, what about you?" Tails asked, a hint of caution in his voice.

Amy looked around nervously as she came up with an excuse. No good could come of her and Sonic spending time together in this state she thought. And she was in no way ready to admit that it hurt whenever he addressed her with that derisiveness look.

"I -uh, I think I've made enough of a mess already. I'd be more use with my hammer than with..." She trailed off, hoping the others would catch the meaning behind her words.

"Well, we can't exactly take him with us." Tails said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"I'm not staying here."

All eyes turned across the room to where Sonic sat, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I'm not being watched like a child. I am an adult." He stated, running a hand through his mussed quills in an attempt to tame them.

The rest of the group eyed each other nervously, unsure of what to say. Eventually, Amy piped up with "Sonic, you uh... you must be hungry."

He gave her a strange look, one that seemed to burn right through her and she had to resist the urge to move out of its path. Then he looked away and nodded.

"For once, I think you're actually right about something." He said as he glanced around his surroundings. "I'm going to go grab some grub." With that, the hedgehog jumped off the sofa and made his way to the adjoining kitchen. He paused at the door and looked at each member of the group in turn.

"Whatever you're planning, it better not include me staying behind." He said, a hint of warning in his voice as he disappeared into his kitchen. The room was silent for a moment before Knuckles whispered loudly.

"Have I mentioned I don't like him."

"We need a real plan to get the blueprints and to keep Sonic out of trouble." Tails said quickly. "Otherwise that," Tails gestured towards the kitchen "is the Sonic that we're going to be stuck with."

"Well then lucky for you kids, Rouge has a plan." The bat said with a smirk. She glanced to the kitchen doorway to make sure Sonic was out of earshot before she continued. "Basically, it's similar to a divide and conquer strategy, but in reverse."

As Rouge explained the semantics of her plan, the group heard the sound of clattering and banging from the kitchen as Sonic continued his search for food. Amy considered going to help him but getting Sonic back to normal took priority. Besides, he was capable of making his own food she thought as she directed her attention back to Rouge.

"And that my friends, is how we get the old Sonic back." Rouge finished, flicking a soft lock of hair out of her face.

"That could actually work." Knuckles said as he played the idea out in his head. "Basically, we split into two teams, a distraction and attack team." He nodded at the bat, clearly impressed.

"Exactly." Rouge replied, fluttering her lashes in the echidna's direction.

Amy had to admit that Knuckles was right. Rouge's plan, if executed correctly, would most definitely work. "I'm in." She said and Tail's also backed the notion.

It was only a matter of time before the true Sonic was back, she thought. It couldn't come quickly enough.

As the group of four finalised the details of the plan, Sonic re-entered the room with a proud grin. He looked like himself again as he held up a chilli dog, eyeing it like it was his pride and joy in life. The familiarity pained Tails as he reminded himself that the boy stood in front of him was not his brother. At least not how it mattered.

"This thing looks so great." Sonic said as he slowly sat down on the sofa. He, like his old self, had refused to bring a plate. He made a mental note and filed it away to look into later. "Good thing I have tons of 'em in the freezer."

Tails knew exactly what was coming. He held out a hand to stop Sonic and yelled, "Wait!"

All eyes turned to him, a mixture of confusion and shock. Tails bit his lip as he continued. "I uh - I don't think you want to eat that." He said, gesturing to the chilli dog in the hedgehog's hand.

Sonic frowned. "Why?"

"I don't think you'll like it." He said simply, unsure of how else to put it. He knew the Flipswitch affected a person's personality but he didn't know if it went as far as changing their tastes regarding food.

Sonic seemed to hesitate, eyeing the food in his hand suspiciously. His frown deepened and he turned to Tails. "Well, you don't know me. Besides, I know I've had this before so you're wrong." He declared.

Before anyone could stop him, Sonic took a big bite of chilli dog. He chewed it carefully and his faced changed from relish to disgust as quickly as his status as the 'fastest thing alive' would suggest.

Coughing and spluttering, he forcefully swallowed the bite in his mouth and stared enraged at the food in his hand. His eyes told a story of foul betrayal and Tail's had to stifle a snigger.

"What on Mobius!" Sonic shouted. "How can something that looks so good taste like dirt?"

"We tried to warn you buddy. " Tails said softly, wary of enraging the grumpy hedgehog.

Tails heard the boy take a deep breath before replying to him. "Yeah you did." Sonic accepted in an annoyed tone. "But that doesn't explain why I have so many of these things in the freezer."

Sonic held the chilli dog as far away from his mouth as physically possible as he headed to the bin. The blue hero looked strangely forlorn as he threw the food into the bin and retook his seat.

"I'm not even hungry anymore." Sonic whined as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back into the sofa. "So, what's the deal with Eggman."

"We haven't decided whether or not to let you come yet Blue." Rouge replied.

Sonic's face twisted into one of displeasure. "Fine." There was an uncomfortable pause as the waited for his next words. "Then I'll just let him know you're on your way shall I?" Manipulation did not look good on him, Tails thought. His brother, the real Sonic would never steep that low.

Rouge huffed loudly, sending a sharp glare towards Sonic before addressing the group. "We can't risk him spilling on us."

"Why do you even want to come?" Knuckles asked with a scowl. Tails got the feeling that Knuckles didn't trust Sonic as he was and part of him agreed.

"I want to help." Sonic said bluntly.

"I don't trust that's what you want." The red echidna replied, eyes locked onto the blue hedgehog.

"Why would I want anything different?" Sonic asked, his eyes narrowing unkindly.

"Because you're not you right now." Tails interrupted. The last thing he needed was for Sonic and Knuckles to start brawling in the middle of the room. He sighed in defeat as he turned to the blue hedgehog. "Look Sonic. We'll let you come."

Before the hedgehog could react, Rouge spoke. "But only if you behave yourself speedy." A thinly veiled warning hid behind her perfect pout and the bat was sure to flash it at the hero menacingly.

Tails looked over to Amy who was nervously twiddling her thumbs as she watched the blue hedgehog and he couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for her. She'd meant well and he doubted she'd considered how the whole thing could spin out of control the way it had.

Looking around the group, he shook his head almost imperceptibly. A mission with a flipped untrustworthy Sonic and a venture into Eggman's base itself. This would be an interesting mission to say the least.

Thank you for reading! Drop me a review if you can and let me know your thoughts :)

This was supposed to be up days ago but I couldn't get the ending right and I also got distracted with drawing. I'm still not sure about it but by now I'm sick of looking at it. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (a bit slow I know, but there's more action to come, and sonamy because why not, patience).

Thanks again, and chao for now lovelies :)