Chapter 2

.

[Time - 11:45 A.M.)

[Date - June 29th, 21XX)

(Location - The Sapphire Sea, Dr. Robotnik's Egg Carrier)

.

Sonic's eyes slowly opened, his vision hazy and unfocused. It took him a bit to do anything other than stare straight ahead. As reality came back to him, he started looking around, realizing that he didn't know where he was at. Upon that realization, his head jerked up to see a sterile white metal room with medical equipment scattered around making beeping sounds. The hedgehog's immediate reaction was to try to jump up from the bed he was laying on. When he tried, he found his movements were completely restricted by thick leather straps on his legs as well as his arms, keeping him laid out in what appeared to be a hospital bed. "W-What is this!?" He said aloud with a voice that was raspy from not being recently used. "Where am I!?"

Further examining his surrounding, he took note of the I.V. tubes going into the backside of his elbow via a tapped-on needle. A bag of fluid hung on a rack above him. The typical hospital curtain was off to the right, obscuring his view of the rest of the room. "HEY!?" Struggling against the restraints, he found that the movements caused him to feel pain in his chest, head and arm. Nonetheless, he began shouting, planning to get the attention of whoever it was that put him here.

Thankfully, there wasn't a need to do much else as before he could break free, he heard a doorway slide open with an accompanying whooshing sound. "Hello? Is someone there?" Sonic asked while keeping his neck bent up so he could look around. He could hear what was clearly wheels squeaking, indicating somebody or something was coming toward him. "Who are you? Where am I?" Sonic continued demanding answers as the sound grew closer. "Please, I can't remember what happened! I'm in so much pain!"

Eventually, a shadow grew larger on the hospital curtain, proving that there was indeed a presence on the other side. The hedgehog's heart beat increased alongside a deluge of thoughts about being unable to prevent himself from getting harmed by the unknown individual. Soon, the curtain began to move as it was pushed aside, unveiling the person to actually be a robot. It was a medical robot shaped like a box on wheels with a rectangular monitor for a face, one thin hydraulic arm to manipulate the environment and another with a series of different attachments built-into it. Right from the get-go, he understood it to be a creation of Dr. Robotnik, for the Eggman logo on the screen was a dead giveaway.

"You. are. awake." The robot spoke to him in a mechanized monotone. "This. is. good… I. shall. notify. Dr. Robotnik. of. this. development." Following that, the Eggman Empire logo on the robot's monitor changed to that of an emoji representing an old rotary phone. Noise coming from it resembled a retro dial-up modem. Afterward, the original emblem re-appeared on the screen. It wheeled closer to him and extended out its tool-filled hydraulic arm.

"LET ME GO!" Sonic hollered, still fearing for his life while fighting his restraints. "I SWEAR TO GOD, IF EGGMAN DID THIS TO ME, I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

In response to Sonic's threats of violence in addition to thrashing about on the bed, trying to break the restraints, the medical robot cycled through its options before settling on extending a syringe. "Please. Relax…" It said in that same flat voice. "Your. pulse. has. increased… This. is. bad. for. your. current. condition." Using a tube inside of its arm that was connected to an internal reservoir, the syringe filled up on its own with a blue fluid. "I. must. administer. to. you. a. mild. sedative. and. a. pain. reliever."

Sonic kicked his feet as fast as he could, repeatedly slamming them against the mattress of the hospital bed. The entire bed rocked side-to-side as he tried to free himself. His hands grabbed at the bed frame before scratching at the leather straps holding him back. Nonetheless, he couldn't get a decent enough grip to remove the restraints. He found himself unable to do anything other than flail about while watching the robot go up to the I.V. bag hanging above the hedgehog's head to inject it. "The hell you will! STOP! STOP! I DON'T WANT WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU'RE GIVING ME! STOP IT! TAKE THAT NEEDLE OUT!"

"You. must. relax." Was all the machine replied as it dumped the contents of the syringe into the I.V. bag, letting it gradually go into Sonic's biological system.

Sonic stared up at the ceiling for a moment as he hyperventilated, terrified of his situation. However, he couldn't stop himself from trying to break free. "WHEN I'M OFF THIS BED, I'LL RIP OUT YOUR ELECTRIC HEART, YOU TALKING TRASH CAN! JUST YOU WAIT!"

Once the medical robot was done administering the dosage of medicine, it retracted the needle, then put away the syringe before rolling over to the blue blur. "Please. relax. so. that. I. may. deliver. to. you. your. official. medical. diagnosis."

Confused by what it meant, but curious, Sonic stopped trying to ward off the threat in order to figure it out. For the time being, he was so caught up in attempting to escape this room that he didn't care about anything. Still, he did want to know what happened to him, why he was hurting so badly. There was also a blank spot in his memory that he wanted to be filled in on. "What diagnosis!?" He yelled a bit softer this time. "Where am I and what happened to me?! Tell me!"

"You. are. currently. in. the. infirmary. onboard. the. Egg. Carrier… Dr. Robotnik's. glorious. flying. fortress… Our. location. is. a. few. nautical. miles. out. in. the. Sapphire. Sea." Turning so it faced toward Sonic, the machine's embedded screen once again switched away from the Eggman Empire logo to display that of an X-Ray. "According. to. records… You. were. attacked. by. a. human. streetgang. who. nearly. killed. you. using. wooden. baseball. Bats… This. image. was. taken. ten. days. ago. immediately. following. the. brutal. Assault." On-screen, the X-Ray picture had red pen circles around areas that indicated they were where injuries were. "You. sustained. a. broken. arm… three. fractured. ribs… and. a. concussion."

Sonic closed his eyes as flashes of him being beaten by those humans entered his mind. For whatever cause, he presumed it to be a dream. Now that he was reminded, he could see it in his memory, bits of what happened to him then. He remembered being drunk and having a gang of humans sneak up behind him, pummeling him to the ground. From the anxiety it brought with it, his lips twitched as he visualized those horrible baseball bats coming down upon his body, along with the pain that went with it. Just thinking about it made a tear fall from his cheeks. Thinking about all that happened to him that day, his mind drifted into depression, shocked that he'd be battered in the city he worked so hard to protect by the citizens he used to do anything to keep alive. A part of him didn't know what hurt worse, his body or ego.

Sniffling from the sadness, the hedgehog suddenly realized what was said to him. "Wait… Did you say that picture was taken ten days ago?" His eyes widened in disbelief. "I… I've been here for ten whole days!?"

The robot switched back to the Eggman Empire logo as it replied. "Affirmative… Due. to. the. severity. of. your. wounds… it. was. required. that. you. be. put. into. a. medically. induced. Coma."

"RHAAAAAAA!" Sonic abruptly thrashed about, bearing his fangs as he screamed loudly.

"Please… Remain. Calm." The medical robot tried its best to calm the out of control hedgehog. "You. will. re-injure. your. healing. wounds."

From the otherside of the hospital curtain, Sonic heard the door whoosh open. Right away, he stopped fighting, wondering who else was here to visit. Like previously, a shadow appeared on the curtain. This time, however, Sonic was pretty sure he recognized the tall portly figure. His suspicions were confirmed once the curtain was pulled aside and the shadow revealed itself to be none other than the infamous Dr. Robotnik in all his hateful glory. Same as usual, he donned his red overcoat and black slacks with leather boots. His beady eyes stared at the hedgehog through his pince-nez glasses.

"EGGMAN!" Sonic immediately tried to go after the mad scientist, only to be held back by the restraints. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?"

Dr. Robotnik shook his head as he pulled his lips back in advance of giving a hearty chuckle. "Hehehe. Is that any way to talk to the person who saved your life?" He asked as he waddled closer to the hospital bed and the restrained hedgehog.

Sonic scoffed, refusing to believe that an ultimate evil villain like Eggman would ever willingly save a person's life, much less his own deeply loathed arch-nemesis. "I don't believe you! You did something to me, I know it! Why else would you have me tied down like a rabid mutt?!" Again, he tugged at the restraints, trying to snap them so he could free himself. "Let me go!"

Knowing that using his amazing powers, the hedgehog would eventually break through the straps holding him if he continued to try long enough, Dr. Eggman pulled up a chair as he told Sonic "I didn't do anything to you that a normal physician wouldn't do." He cleared his throat before putting his hands on his knees. "You're lucky I was going around Station Square that evening, testing out a few new gadgets when I spotted you taking a beating by those punks. If I hadn't gotten there when I did, you probably wouldn't still be alive right now. It was obvious by the way they were wailing on you that they intended to kill you." Crossing his arms, he kept going "You don't have to freak out so much about those straps either. They were just to keep you from moving around while you were in your coma."

"You're a liar!" Sonic snarled.

Eggman just sat back, staring as he let out a heavy exhale. "You were the one who was beaten up by them. You know what's the truth, why don't you believe me?"

Sonic laughed sarcastically. "Are you joking? You're a bad guy! You're the terror of the entire world! Why would you rescue me instead of letting me die?" He shook his head in disbelief. "No. I don't believe you. You did something. You have an ulterior motive!"

"I did." Dr. Robotnik admitted. "I saved your life."

"WHY!?" Sonic screamed as he flailed about more, kicking his feet faster and faster. "WHY WOULD YOU SAVE ME!?

Dr. Robotnik leaned closer to ask "If I let your arms free, will you calm down long enough for me to tell you why?"

Although Sonic's heart was beating out of his chest and he didn't truly believe a word Eggman was saying to him, he knew he had to do whatever he had to so that he could escape his bondage. By the time he capitulated, he managed to say "Fine… Just let me loose."

"Good." Eggman replied in advance of standing up. The fat human turned around to the medical robot before returning to Sonic's view with a needle in his hand. Squirting out a tad of the fluid, he came closer, making the hedgehog squirm in fright. "Let's just give you another dose of sedative to make sure you don't go dashing off around my laboratory. Last thing I need is for you to snoop around in places that are private."

"NO!" Sonic tried to refuse, only able to wiggle side-to-side like a tied up worm. "I DON'T WANT ANOTHER SEDATIVE!"

In the blink of an eye, Dr. Robotnik poked Sonic in the arm, injecting him with the sedative. As he pushed in on the plunger, he shushed the freaked out blue blur. "Shh… It's going to help you relax so you can listen to my story." He saw the hero flinch as he removed the needle from his arm, so he gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder to try and encourage him, to ensure he knew he wasn't about to be killed. "There. Feeling better?" He asked as Sonic blinked and his head hung a bit. "That was a shot right in the veins, so hopefully it'll kick in pretty fast."

Tossing the empty syringe in the garbage, Dr. robotnik returned to his chair, sitting down with a grumble. He spent a little while just gazing in Sonic's direction. Eventually, however, he piped up with a question. "What do you think of the world, Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog coughed as his eyes shifted over toward Eggman. His vision was hazy again. That second shot of sedative was making him loopy. But, he was aware enough of what was going on around him to reply. "The world? It's where we live."

Eggman chuckled lightly as he replied. "Hehehe. Yes, that is true. What I meant was, do you think it's a good place or a bad place?"

"Sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's good." Sonic answered under his discombobulation. "That's the reality of it."

Dr. Robotnik nodded his head in partial agreement. "That's true as well. By all means, what we know as society today, that is what we consider normal." He leaned back with a grin. "What if it doesn't have to be what civilization knows as standards? What if we could change the way things worked; for the better too? What if we could make this world a better place?"

Sonic tried to wrap his head around what he was hearing. "What are you trying to say?"

"You think I'm evil, don't you?" Robotnik abruptly redirected the conversation.

Narrowing his eyes, Sonic tried to figure out where he was being led in this discussion. Unable to think of anything nefarious that could occur by speaking, he answered the question. "I sure don't think you're the good guy."

Eggman chuckled more prior to saying "Hehehe. I had no doubt you'd say something like that. What I bet you didn't contemplate at all, was whether or not you are truly the good guy. If you think I'm the bad guy, that must automatically make you the good guy, right?" His index finger tapped on his knee as he continued "Is that really the case? Sure, you tell yourself that, but is it really how it is? Look at what happened to you. No matter how much you consider yourself to be a hero, all it took for the populace to turn against you was a single failure."

Phazing in and out of consciousness, Sonic was still with it enough to understand what was being said to him. His jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists as he struggled against his restraints a bit. "That's because of what you did, you bastard!" He shouted toward the chubby man. "You made that machine kill dozens of innocent citizens; women and children! How can you live with yourself for doing that?!"

Dr. Robotnik brushed off the degradation of his character, not seemingly bothered by it in the least. "What was I supposed to do? You destroyed my controls. The robot was out of control."

"You could have shut it down!" Sonic iterated.

"The time it would have taken me to shut down the Death Egg Robot, you would have captured me. I couldn't have that." Eggman coldly replied.

Sonic closed his eyes as he shook his head, stunned by the response. He pushed air out between his teeth, making a 'pff' sound. "Yeah, god forbid you get locked up and can't be a menace to society anymore."

"You still don't get it, do you?" Eggman asked "You're still not looking outside of the box."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Sonic wondered.

Dr. Robotnik reached over the bed the blue hedgehog was strapped to and began to unbuckle the leather restraints attached to the arms. "Why do you think I want to take over the world?"

Tiring of all the questions, Sonic wanted to smack Eggman in the forehead in advance of finding a scalpel. Nonetheless, seeing that he was being released from his bondage, he held out a bit longer in order to find out what the mad doctor was rambling about now. Still, he had to be honest as he didn't expect any kindness from the heart of a maniac. "I think you want to take over the world because you're a selfish man who wants to micromanage everything. I think you want to cause havoc because you like it. You might think you're high and mighty, but hurting people is the only way you can stoke the dying flames of your obese ego."

Dr. Robotnik rolled his eyes at the burn, not planning to acknowledge it. "Sonic… The world outside of these metal walls is a corrupt, rotting husk decaying in orbit. Reason is slowly disappearing. Instead of the law and order we worked so hard to make, there has been only chaos. Just know that chaos doesn't understand the difference between good or bad people. Chaos merely cuts innocent lives short. For some reason, we're supposed to accept this as 'how things are supposed to be'. Murder, Drugs, Rape, Assualt, Slavery…. Gang Violence…" Once he unstrapped Sonic, he watched as the hedgehog rubbed the marks they made on his wrists.

Although Sonic wanted to dart out of there right this second, his legs were still strapped to the hospital bed. It was obvious that this was a test of some kind. He had a feeling that the moment he tried to unbuckle his leg restraints, he'd be incapacitated before he could undo them. His best option was to listen to what Eggman had to say. A plan of escape could always be formulated afterward. "Bad things are always going to happen, Eggman. You're proof of that."

"Well, I can't accept that any longer. I plan to alter reality." Robotnik continued "You see I might be a simple human, I'm also an instrument of great change. Alongside you, I could remake the world as I see fit, and this new world shall be unrecognizable in its perfection. But, my will alone is not sufficient for such a monumental task, not if you are always trying to halt my plans. It is only through us, our work combined that Earth will be transformed into what it should be. All that I require of you is your wholehearted determination."

The sedative he'd been given directly in the arm already started to wane. In spite of that, Sonic couldn't believe his ears. In fact, he had to double check to ensure he heard what he thought he did. "You want me to team up with you?"

"Yes. Exactly." Dr. Robotnik confirmed the hedgehog's suspicions. "Imagine the work we could do, the things we could accomplish if we worked together. We could fix every problem the world ever had."

Sonic couldn't believe his ears. Deep down, he had a gut feeling that this was still some sort of ploy. He just couldn't fathom what the evil genius was trying to pull off. As fast as possible, he ran through his potential options again. Still, he wasn't able to think of anything to do other than sit there, listening to a psychotic rant.

Dr. Robotnik stood up and walked around the room with his hands clasped behind his back. "Think about it. Who's stopping the crime in the world today? Who? The Police? Military? Courts? No, they can't… They wont… None of them can stop crime anymore, because they are so fractured and politicized they can't fully function like they should." He walked over toward overhead cabinets where supplies were stored, opening them to rummage around. "The Station Square Police Department is massively underfunded as well as ill-equipped to deal with the miscreants of today. They're not even properly trained to deal with non-violent situations." Removing a snack-bar from a cardboard box within the cabinets, he tossed it over to Sonic so he could eat his first taste of real food in over a week. "I bet you're thinking, 'There's still laws to be upheld, be it by the police or otherwise.' You'd be right in thinking that, it's what most people think. Unfortunately, laws are constantly broken. In rare instances, just so an individual can proceed with wrong doing, the law is even completely re-written."

Having the snack-bar land in his lap, Sonic immediately unwrapped it, taking a big chomp out of it. Strawberry fig; it wasn't his favourite flavour, but he was starving.

"Think about it." Robotnik continued "Think about what happens when the court system fails, when judges or lawyers are either bought off or just plain ineffective. I'll tell you what happens, the jails and prisons fill to the brim, full of a mixture of bad people as well as good people. Innocent lives slip through the cracks without a proper method put in place to ensure correction of failures."

With his mouth full of a snack-bar, Sonic laughed. "You sound like a hypocrite. Your plan is to re-write laws to serve your own purpose, but you don't want anybody else doing the same?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Sonic." Eggman replied, making a face of disgust. "It's rude."

Sonic chose to ignore him, feasting on the snack-bar rather ravenously instead. "It's also rude to hold a person captive."

"You're not being held captive." Dr. Eggman re-stated. "You're not a prisoner here. This is the infirmary. Besides me, you're the only other person who has ever laid in that bed for medical treatment. That's not a thing I would do for a prisoner."

"Gross." Sonic said, hating the thought of his fur touching where Eggman had laid.

Slightly offended, Eggman clenched his teeth as he grunted. Sitting back down in his chair, however, he kept trying to convince Sonic to see things his way for once. "Do you get it, Sonic? Forget everything we've been through, all that's happened between the two of us. Together, you and I can put a stop to all the transgressions in the world." Taking a chance at being attacked, he went ahead and unbuckled the straps to Sonic's legs, hoping it would gain him more trust. "We'll start with Station Square; we can shape it into a utopia free of poverty and crime. I can build a solid scheme for taking care of the common rabble if you can be my sword. I can use my robots to do what no human can or willingly wants to do as long as you protect me."

"Why would I protect you?" Sonic asked as he watched his legs being freed from the leather straps.

Eggman smirked cockily, speculating that what he would say next would persuade the blue blur. "Because I'd be doing public service instead of villainy. You and I can bypass the judicial system to be our own police force. Gangsters, rapists, drug or arm dealers, all of them would face annihilation at the hands of our justice." After undoing the buckles to the latches restraining Sonic's legs, he sat back with that malicious smile still plastered upon his face. "We would be the world's Black Knights, unafraid to go against the establishment if it is for the betterment of society. Over time, we'll peel off that rotten husk, layer by layer until all that's left is the fruits of our labour."

Sonic took a deep breath, still befuddled by what was being asked of him. "I don't believe you. You're the same evil villain you always have been. Whatever you're trying to convince me of, it's just another plot to take over the world and probably eliminate me at the same time." Swinging his feet over the side of the bed, he tried to stand up, only to nearly fall to the ground before Eggman caught him. "If you're truly going to let me go, then do it. I want out of here."

Dr. Robotnik sighed, feeling defeated because of his inability to bring Sonic over to his side. Nonetheless, to encourage further cooperation, he stood by his word in allowing the blue blur to leave the Egg Carrier. "If that's what you want, I won't stop you." Proceeding to unhook Sonic from the heart monitor in advance of removing the I.V. from the hedgehog's arm, he said. "You might find it a bit difficult to move around. After your ten day coma, your muscles have atrophied. Be careful or you'll wind up impaling yourself on something sharp. Hehehe."

Coughing prior to holding his side from the pain it caused, Sonic asked. "How did I survive ten days without food or water?" Not really understanding much in the medical field.

"You had an I.V. drip and a feeding tube. Up until today, you had a machine breathing for you." Eggman replied.

Sonic looked around the room, gazing at the medical robot. Really slowly, he tried standing on his own two feet again. It was definitely a challenge. Even though he had been laid up in a bed for over a week, the moment he stood, it felt like his muscles were tired. Regardless, it did feel better to stretch his legs. "I just want to go home." He admitted while rubbing his arm where it had been broken by the streetgang. "I want to sleep in my own bed."

That medical robot beeped a melody prior to printing out a sheet of paper. "Due. to. atrophication. in. addition. to. your. specifically. sustained. injuries… It. is. highly. advised. that. you. do. these. particular. exercises. to. build. back. muscle. mass." Coming from a slot located directly beneath the robot's monitor, the sheet of paper listing exercises came out prior to merely falling to the ground.

Dr. Eggman picked up the sheet of paper, then handed it to Sonic. "You're never too good to do old fashioned calisthenics. Take this and do it. Don't push yourself."

Narrowing his eyes, Sonic snatched the paper from the mad doctor's hand. "Whatever, just take me to the exit."

"Very well." Robotnik acknowledged. "Follow me." After that, he pulled the hospital curtain to the side, exposing the door which had been hidden behind it.

Sonic followed directly behind him, moving slower than usual. He hated to admit it, but it was harder than he thought it would be to move. It might be a good thing that he was given those exercises to do. Thinking of being like this for too long would drive him insane. Running was his only superpower; without it, he was nothing. For the time being, however, he accompanied the chubby human outside the doorway of the infirmary. There was no waiting room, for obvious reasons. Right away, they emerged out in a hallway full of red metal panels and doors leading to other areas of the Egg Carrier. Going left, it seemed like a walk that took forever. Holding onto his side as he moved, Sonic occasionally grunted in agony. Although he wasn't sure how the bone in his arm healed so fast, he could still feel bruises all over him.

Room after room led to different places. One was a testing chamber for experimenting with the advanced weaponry of his malicious robots, while another was a manufacturing plant. Passing by the manufacturing plant, Sonic could see multiple models being assembled, from the E-02 Rhino Tank that resembled its namesake, the E-03 Sweeper in the shape of a large pond-skater and E-06 Spinners, a flying robot capable of rapidly spinning its blades. There were also later models such as his infamous E-100 series or an E-23 Missile Wrist mecha. Walking by, the final thing he noticed was the sheer number of E-1001 Egg Pawns being produced on a mass scale.

"How will you get me back to Station Square if we're out in the middle of the Sapphire Sea?" The blue blur enquired, trying not to seem like he was interested in what was going on around here.

The two passed by a maid robot diligently scrubbing the floor. It paid no attention to them as Eggman said. "You'll take one of my patented E-52 Kiki SpeedBoats. It's fully automated and it will take you straight to the docks." He kept walking down the hall before continuing "I just hope that you'll at least contemplate all that I said to you today. Think about it hard. You don't have to give me an answer on it anytime soon, as long as it's on your mind, that's what counts."

"I don't need time. My answer is no, Eggman. It's always going to be no." Sonic spat with no hesitation. "I could never work for you. You're a lunatic who has committed nonstop atrocities."

Registering his identification, the doorway at this end of the corridor opened following a quick scan of Dr. Robotnik. Sunlight instantly shone through, making them both wince, holding their hands up to block a fraction of the brightness on this clear day. "You wouldn't be working for me. You'd be working with me." He explained. "It would be a partnership between two people who respect each other's abilities. We can put the past behind us if we are willing to work with one another for the sake of bettering not just mankind, but the entire world. No more good guys or bad guys for us, just equal allies."

"No." Sonic put it bluntly. "I want nothing to do with you. Before you know it, I'm sure we'll be back at each other's throats. All of this will be a long forgotten joke." Going outside, onto the deck of the Egg Carrier, the hedgehog limped out into the sunlight, enjoying the warmth it brought along with it. The day was young, there was a gentle breeze without a single cloud in the sky. "| think it would be safe to call us equal now."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Eggman asked as he led Sonic across the deck toward the escape boats at the ledge.

"We're even." Sonic responded. "I didn't kill you the moment you released me for a reason. Despite everything that occurred that day with your Death Egg Robot, you saved my life. Once I leave here, I hope you understand that we don't owe one another anything anymore. Like I said, the next time I see you, I won't take it easy."

Robotnik smirked, nodding a yes. "I understand."

Sonic rolled his eyes as he hobbled closer to the escape boat. "God, I hate your creepy smile."

Pressing a green button on a nearby remote control, Dr. Eggman sent a signal to retrieve the lifeboat. Cables squeaked as pulleys brought up the E-52 Kiki Speedboat. The boat was small but sleek, yellow, had six seats in rows of two, as well as a no-legged E-20 Kiki shaped like a monkey with its torso connected to the transom on the stern of the boat, where it could presumably operate the engine. "What can I say?" Robotnik replied. "I make myself proud. Hehehe." He watched Sonic get into the boat before his eyes lit up. "Oh, wait…" Reaching into his pocket, the mad scientist removed a pill bottle from his coat, tossing them to the blue hedgehog. "I almost forgot. Here, take one of these once every twelve hours. It'll help with the pain."

Sonic caught the pill bottle and examined it, seeing that it had instructions written up on the label that said precisely what Eggman just did. There was even a Eggman Empire logo on the cap. "Where did you get these? I'm not going to take random pills you just pulled out of your pocket. Who knows what they are."

Huffing, Dr. Robotnik retorted. "I have to take medicine of my own, plus I have good personal hygiene, Sonic. Don't be a jerk." Returning to his original conversation, he said. "They're pain pills, hydrocodone. You're loaded with it right now, so you don't even realize how bad you're hurting. Trust me, you'll be glad I gave you these once that I.V. drip wears off."

"Yeah right." Sonic tossed them back to him.

"Oh for god sakes…" Dr. Robotnik complained. "They're the same pills you'd get if you went to the hospital. I'm giving you them so you can stay away from there, you dope." Twisting off the cap to the medicine bottle, he tapped one out into his gloved hand. "Look, I'll take one myself." Popping it into his mouth, the chubby human swung his head back so he could swallow it. Following that, he opened his mouth, holding his tongue out to prove that they weren't poison, that this wasn't a plan to kill him. "See?" Tossing them back toward Sonic, he hit the red button on the remote control to the lifeboat pulley, gradually sending it down toward the crystal blue water beneath them. "Just remember what we talked about, okay?"

As the boat lowered into the sea, Sonic gave Eggman a kind farewell by holding up his middle finger, flipping him off. "Go to hell!"

"Mature!" Dr. Robotnik shouted down over the edge of the Egg Carrier to the blue hedgehog. "Real mature! Hehehe!"

Turning back to the remote control, Eggman let go of it. Waiting until he heard the motor of the E-52 Kiki Speedboat, he started calmly walking back to the interior of the Egg Carrier with his hands clasped behind his back. It seemed as if he were enjoying his time. However, about halfway across the deck, he wiped sweat off his forehead and suddenly started dashing inside as quick as his feet could move, racing to the infirmary.

Bursting into the room, the medical robot was still there. "Antidote!" He shouted while grabbing for a nearby bucket. "Quick, inject me with the antidote!" The medical robot did as it was told while Eggman closed his eyes to stick his finger down his throat, forcing himself to vomit into the bucket.

"What did you do?" A mysterious voice asked from behind the hospital curtain.

Dr. Robotnik gagged, puked into the bucket, then fanned his face as he wiped his mouth. "I took one of the pills to prove they weren't poison. He wasn't going to take them if I didn't."

"Are you okay?" The voice asked.

"Yeah…" Eggman said as the medical robot gave him a shot in the neck, making him grumble. His stomach tossed and turned until he threw up one more time. "Five minutes was all we could handle in our tests. That was… maybe three and a half. So long as I got it all out of my system, I should be okay." Coughing, he set the bucket of puke aside, still continuing to fan himself as sweat poured from his face. "The important thing is that I think I put the idea in his head. He's not open to it yet, but let it fester inside. He'll come around to our side before we know it."

"Excellent." The voice replied.