Writer's Note -
Question: What's with all the 'supporting' character chapters?

Answer: I didn't want to make it obvious that Sonic is my favourite character by focusing on him.

Question: Are you actually going to tell us what happened to Sonic 25 years ago?

Answer: Click 'NEXT' to see the following chapter.

Question: Did you know that there is going to be an episode of Sonic Boom with Eggman's brother in?

Answer: I found out after I began this story and I thought it was a mighty big coinkidink. It's a different Eggman brother, though, not Ira.

Question: Why did you call him Ira?

Answer: I didn't. Mama Robotnik did.

Question: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Answer: As much wood as a woodchuck could if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Question: What's your real name, Duma?

Answer: I share a name with a Sonic character. Let's leave it at that. (No, it's not Cheese).

Question: Where actually is Sonic?

Answer:

The cold hard ground underneath him felt as though it were churning back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...

Sonic briefly wondered if he were on a boat out on a rough sea.
But he didn't remember being on a boat.

Then he realised that it wasn't the ground that was moving at all - it was only his spinning head, trying to get its bearings. The only thing he could hear, for the moment, was the sound of his own breathing and the pulsing of his blood in his ears, rhythmically beating along with the pounding of his head. He could feel the cold start to seep through his fur and he involuntarily shivvered, trying to establish a rough idea of where his hands and feet were in relation to the rest of his body.

Feeling as though he were composed entirely of stone, Sonic dragged one of his splayed arms towards him, limply manouvering it underneath his chest to gain some stability as he pushed up, grunting with exertion.

New sounds were able to be picked out though they sounded muffled and faraway; bleeps and whirrs and hums.

Laboratory noises.

Now with both hands, the blue hedgehog was able to lean on his forearms and hang his aching head down over his clasped gloved paws, evening his breaths and trying to coax his headache away as he felt each of his senses start to return.

When his sense of taste returned, it didn't take long for Sonic to register the bitter tang of blood in his mouth which, upon exploring with his tongue, was discovered to also coat the corners of his lips.

Half anticipating that he was going to meet with bright light, Sonic opened his eyes slowly, peering through the opening of his lids with anticipation.

To his surprise, and relief, the light was dim and wasn't too glaring on his eyes when he opened them fully to discover his whereabouts.

The floor was metal, that much Sonic had already suspected, but the cage he had found himself in was encased in, what appeared to be, glass.

Through the glass he could see flashing red and blue lights and growling computers but his attention, to begin with, was fixated entirely on the man stood at one of the desks, quietly watching him the entire time.

Sonic didn't even have to say anything.

"Morning," Eggman greeted, not looking as pleased or as gloating as the hedgehog had thought he would be.

"And there he is," Sonic murmured, shifting his knees up so that he could sit in a more dignified position, "Where have you been then?" he asked, "GUN's been getting their panties in a pinch wondering about you."

"And you weren't?"

"You know me, Egghead," Sonic chuckled, "I don't wear panties. I also consider you a big enough boy to take care of yourself." The laughter on Sonic's voice died away as Eggman stood, leant against the desk, staring at him with an unreadble expression. "So..." Sonic tried prompting, "How...have you been?"

Eggman shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well, I've been doing great," he replied, "I've delivered my perfected mad scientist cackle so many times I've lost count, I've moped and sulked and cursed your name long into the night and, uh... Oh! I'd even started hallucinating you around the lair, taunting me and laughing which, of course, made me even more insane. So, to summarise, I'm long overdue a booking in at that asylum that seems to have reservations for my entire family."

There wasn't a lot you could say to that so Sonic crossed his legs, put his hands in his lap and said the first thing that came to his head.

"That's nice."

Eggman hid the little smile that tried curling his mouth and hurriedly turned his back to scribble on his clipboard. He could practically feel Sonic's inquisitive gaze boring over his shoulder, arching his neck to earn a peek.

"What you writing?" he asked from inside his container.

"Hmm? Oh, just, the basic stuff I already know to make way for the stuff that I don't know which I am very excited for," Eggman told him, almost admitting to himself that he had missed the blue speedster in a disturbingly odd kind of way.

Sonic glanced up at the ceiling of his glass prison. He then glanced to the left and to the right.

"...Doesn't look like your roboticiser."

"No, sorry about that," Eggman answered, "It's just a highly reinforced cage of sorts. 'Exhibit A' and all that."

Sonic wrinkled his little black nose. "I prefer 'Priority 1 Hedgehog'," he admitted honestly.

Dr Eggman gave him a fond smile. "Me too," he agreed.

Sonic was considering on whether he should smile back, to brighten the mood a little, when he suddenly felt a great sense of danger, a sixth sense telling him that something was in the room with them.

From a dark corner, a pair of red optics suddenly onlined and Metal Sonic revealed himself, coming to stand beside his creator and glare upon his organic counterpart with contempt.

"...Look what the cat dragged in," Sonic smirked, climbing up on his feet, "Still the best looking robot I've ever seen and don't you go telling Omega I said that."
Now that the one who had been sent to retrieve him had made his appearance, Sonic realised it was time to talk business.
"So why now, Eggman?" he asked, keeping both scientist and robot in his line of vision, "You've left me alone all this time and I know your canon fodder badniks are all history so, what? Why bring the cheap knockoff back into play?" He could faintly hear the growl eminating from the robot hedgehog but he paid it no mind.

Eggman finished writing and let the clipboard fall from his fingers and onto his desk. He was quiet for a while, not establishing eye contact with the prisoner.

"...You know I would love to take full credit, don't you?" he muttered sadly, "The sad truth is: this wasn't my plan. You're not the only prisoner, hedgehog."

Though Sonic opened his mouth to utter some form of question, he was forced to shut once the doors opened and another figure, eerily familiar, walked through.

"Don't go calling yourself a prisoner, 'Julian'," he said, without smiling, "You know you're not that." The smile that had been vacant while addressing his brother was revealed upon addressing the captive hedgehog. "Hello Sonic."

Sonic stared back at him.

This was the man who claimed knew him and, deep down, Sonic was accutely aware that he might be right. He found it difficult to speak to him the day before but now he found it practically impossible.

"You've locked me in here and forced me to work," Eggman was saying, 'kindly' diverting attention away from the hedgehog and back to him, "How am I not a prisoner?"

"I'm not forcing you to do anything!" Ira sighed, "This was all your choice."

"On my terms, Ira. MY terms."

"These ARE your terms. This was what you wanted! I just got tired of all this secret tip-toeing around and neither of us are getting any younger. I couldn't afford to wait for you."

Eggman, impressively hiding his growing anger. "See, this was the problem," he bemoaned, "This was what got you caught - you were never patient!"

Ira folded his arms and grimaced. "I had to be fast because the prey was fast," he argued, "and now look where it's got us; we finally have our hands on the Miracle Child." Ira clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder and spun him to stare at their captive. "After all these years..." he smiled, "...Do you know, he's quite forgotten me?"

Eggman's face had darkened as he and his brother studied Sonic as though he were nothing more than a zoo attraction, a caged animal that had no voice.

In many ways, both thought, Sonic was an animal to be admired.

"He was five years old," he pointed out.

"What about in Robotropolis?" Ira snapped, "The day I was caught and dragged away? He was to be thanked for that. Doesn't remember that, though, does he?"

"He hardly saw you. Anyway, I don't think he remembers anything about his life before he met Tails. Stop being sour about this."

"He remembers you."

"To an extent - but I'm different." Eggman turned away from Ira and seated himself at a computer, holding his nose in the air proudly, "He's had to deal with me his entire life whereas you were only there for a part of it. You forget that he only saw you once in his entire childhood and that had only been briefly."

Ira, sneering, glanced at Sonic before turned to stare at Eggman. "...Who's Tails?" he asked calmly.

He actually jumped when a furious BANG! was heard on the glass.

Both Eggman and his brother, startled, looked up to find that Sonic was crouched sinisterly against the glass, one fist pressed against the dome beside his thunderous face.

Metal hadn't shifted an inch, unfazed by his organic counterpart's aggression.

Dr Eggman closed his mouth and looked away. "...Seems Sonic would rather I not say," he murmured, typing away at his computer. Ira hadn't taken his eyes off the agitated hedgehog.

"You'll have it on file," he swallowed. He then straightened up and cleared his throat, composing himself. "Anyway," he announced, "there's the precious hedgehog - get to work. We've waited long enough." Turning on his heel, Ira Robotnik was gone, the doors closing behind him ominously.

The silence bore down on the occupants of the room, unbearably heavy.

Eggman knew Metal Sonic well enough that he wasn't going to be blabbing everything back to Ira as soon as their backs were turned, so he wasn't afraid of breaking the silence in order to achieve some form of conversation.

"...Ira Robotnik. My little brother," he said aloud, by way of explaining things, "Mama Robotnik loved him. He didn't have any expectations thrown on him so he was left alone to be spoiled. I always thought that what he really wanted was to be seen as a scientist too." He chuckled. "He didn't have the brains, though. He was...henchman status, really. Don't get me wrong, he was a truly evil boy. Wicked little brat, he was. But he never had the ingenuity, you know? He talked the talk but he never had the true Super Villain calling. Not Ira. Didn't stop him from trying. Hasn't stopped him from still trying."

"Why don't I know him?"

Eggman stopped in mid-type, his middle finger hovering above the 'S' key. Sonic's fist had dropped back down and the hedgehog had slowly sunk to his knees, glaring at the door, at Eggman, at Metal...

"Trauma, probably," Eggman answered hesitantly, "It was Ira's job to hunt you down way back in the day. Took him five years and then, would you believe it, he lost you again for a further four." He resumed his ominous typing. "That was the last time you and he saw each other - when you were a nine year old ball of prickles."

Sonic shook his head. "But why don't I know him?"

"Who's to say?"

"...What's this about, anyway?" the blue speedster suddenly asked with a frown, "What were you two going on about, 'miracle child' and hunting me down and all that? What happened to the Eggman Empire and its robotic armies? What happened to our old-fashioned game of 'good guy vs bad guy'?"

The scientist didn't answer him straight away. He sat, gazing impassively at his computer screen, typing and clicking and reading and typing and clicking and reading...

"You can't remember when we first met. Well, you wouldn't, would you?"

It wasn't just Sonic who turned his head in Eggman's direction - Metal turned too.

"Don't worry," Eggman 'assured' him, "there's a perfectly good reason for that. The popular story is that, one day, my endeavors caught your attention and you came to put a stop to my rampaging at the now famous site of Green Hill."

"That was so long ago," Sonic breathed, almost fondly. Eggman smirked a little.

"But you knew that we'd met before, didn't you?"

Sonic felt his words falter and all he could do was nod. "...But I don't know why."

"I told you - there's a perfectly good reason as to why," said Eggman, pushing himself away from the computer and sliding his chair over to the capsule.
He leant forward, elbows resting on knees, chin planted in his hands, smile broadened on his face...
"The first time we met, face to face," he whispered, "you were only a few hours old."
The hedgehog shifted away slightly, unsure whether to believe his enemy or not. Eggman saw his uncertainty.
"It's true," he growled, "I heard your mother had gone into labour and, well, I wanted to be close by to..." He stopped himself, an evil shimmer lurking behind his glasses. "Anyway..." he went on, "I made several appearances since then, keeping an eye on you, as it were."

Sonic bared his teeth a little, curling his hands into fists so tightly that his claws, hidden underneath his thick white gloves, punctured the fabric and dug into his soft paw pads.

"Do you understand what I mean when I ask 'why'?" he snarled, "I've asked it, like, three times now and I haven't had a straightforward answer for any of them!"

Eggman rolled his eyes.

"...Fine," he relented, "I'll start from the beginning..."