High in the Tornado, Tails flew slow steep turns at the outer boundary of Robtnik's perimeter. He'd been crisscrossing back and forth for almost an hour and seen nothing. More to the point, nothing seemed to have seen him. Not so much as a single potshot had been fired.
Tails knew he should get back and let the others know what he'd seen. He pulled up into another turn, climbing and doubling back on himself. He rolled out level, facing back along his course, and in spite of the situation felt a moment's pleasure at the manoeuvre. Wingovers were difficult to fly accurately and the concentration required made it easier not to worry himself into a lather about Sonic and Knuckles' disappearance.
A disappearance which it was looking more and more likely had included Robotnik.
Tails sighed, pushed the controls full over and kicked the rudder. The plane banked hard around and darted away from the perimeter. He spent the rest of the flight back trying not to speculate and when the wheels touched down and the motion changed from gliding through the air to bumping across the grass he felt his heart sink with it.
Amy ran across to meet him. "Did you see anything?"
Tails shook his head. "Nothing. The place looked almost abandoned."
Amy frowned. "But that doesn't make sense. If anything had happened. If Sonic..." she trailed off, unable to voice the fear that all of them felt. "Robotnik wouldn't keep quiet about it would he?"
"Unless whatever happened, happened to Robotnik too," Tails voiced the theory he'd come to. It wasn't a much more pleasant thought, but it was the only one that fit.
General Whitman strode into the briefing .
"If this is some sort of joke, I really don't have time for it," he announced.
The rotund man waiting there rose confidently from his seat, disdainful of the armed guards who trailed behind Whitman.
"Ivo Robotnik," he introduced himself. "And lack of time is a something else we have in common."
Whitman eyed him. Strange attire, and outlandish hair not withstanding, there was a certain poise about the man which told him this was no prank or hoax.
"So what else is it you think we have in common?" he asked, willing to go along for the moment.
"The other things," the man, Robotnik, regarded Whitman, equally as poker-faced, "Or should I say, the other individuals, you already know or you wouldn't have come in person at my mention of them to your--" he cast a scornful look at the guards, "--underlings."
Whitman couldn't be drawn in that easily. "If you'd read the papers you'd know that all this talk of aliens has nothing to do with us. This country's military does not engage in holding little green men prisoner."
"Red," Robotnik corrected easily. "And blue. And the fact you failed to hold them is a disappointment, though I I must admit I've encountered the same difficulty myself. But let us not talk of the idle speculation of your papers. Let us talk, as I said, of the things we have in common."
"Talk then. Are you claiming to be from the same world as these--" Whitman narrowed his eyes. "--alleged aliens?"
Robotnik resumed his seat. "As I understand it is a question not of distance but of dimension. This is less another world than it is another version of the world." He rested his elbows on the table. "Are you a man of science General Whitman?"
"No," Whitman said bluntly.
"A pity. Still, for the purpose of your question, yes, I am from the same 'world' as your erstwhile guest and his compatriot. Indeed I am a figure of some authority there and these two, along with a band of like-minded troublemakers have caused me a certain amount of trouble."
He paused expectantly for a reaction, but not receiving one, continued. "It was in attempting to construct a defence against their incursions I began the experiment which resulted in our unintentional arrival here. Unfortunately for both worlds, it was not complete when they attacked and in its half finished state somehow flung the three of us to this dimension."
Whitman grunted. "All right. Suppose I believe you. Why come to me?"
"Simple," Robotnik smiled at Whitman. "As I said, we have something in common. We both want Sonic and Knuckles captured before they do any harm. Naturally I understand you have no more reason to trust me than you do to trust them. But I, unlike them, am prepared to bargain. I have looked at the technology of your world with an eye to comparing it with my own and I believe there are a number of areas where I could offer useful expertise."
"And once they're captured?" Whitman asked. "You'll take them back with you?"
Robotnik gave a small shrug. "Naturally I will want to return to my own world. Dragging a couple of violent criminals along with me is an unfortunate duty. I would not, of course, leave them here to cause you trouble."
"I think," Whitman spoke slowly, "That we may want to hold them ourselves. They have after all committed crimes here as well."
Robotnik smiled agreeably. "Well, I'm sure we can come to an agreement." He stood and reached out his hand. "Can I count on your support when you take this to your superiors?"
Whitman shook Robotnik's hand. "Absolutely."
Sonic stared down at the magazine, then snuck a glance across the room at Knuckles, who was staring out of the window again.
Sonic read a bit further then snorted out loud, unable to contain himself.
"Hey, Knux, you've got an admirer!"
Knuckles turned from the window and Sonic gleefully spun the page around for the whole room to see.
The Man Who Arrested An Alien, read the headline. A large bold type inset added, "He seemed like a nice guy but didn't like museli"
"That's the cop who sent the pictures to the paper?" Chris asked.
"What?" Knuckles crossed the room, affronted dignity vying with a still pronounced limp to produce an awkward sort of quickstep.
"Hey at least he think you're a good guy," Sonic commented.
Chuck took the magazine from Sonic and looked it over before handing it to Terry. "I wouldn't worry," the vet said after a glance. "It's not a very reputable publication. I shouldn't think anyone other than its usual subscribers would believe it."
Knuckles snatched the magazine and looked through the article, his glare deepening. Finally he flung it back at Sonic.
"Read the last bit!"
Sonic scanned to the bottom of the second page.
Next Issue: Exclusive Interview with the Military's Alien Doctor. The quote read, "I couldn't believe what I was seeing."
Knuckles made a sound very close to a snarl and Sonic looked quickly back up at him.
"Uh, Knuckles, you're not thinking of doing anything--hasty-are you?"
Knuckles fists clenched at his sides. "You were there, Sonic! In that laboratory, you saw what he'd been doing. In fact--" He brought his fist down hard on the coffee-table, splintering it, "You, and him," he jerked his head at Terry, "probably know more about what he did than I do because I all remember is--" He broke off and spun away. Sonic waved at the three humans to leave then jumped up to grab Knuckles before another piece of furniture bit the dust.
"Just listen a minute," he said, almost into Knuckles' ear. "I met him too. In the compound, when I came to look for you. He told me where you were." Knuckles stilled but Sonic didn't let go until he'd finished speaking. "He was upset about what happened."
Knuckles did snarl then. "Didn't stop him though did it? He was the one with the drugs. The one who did just enough 'doctoring' to keep me awake to be asked questions."
He stepped back from Sonic and visibly tried to rein in his anger. When he spoke again his voice was low, tightly controlled.
"I need to know what I told them, Sonic. I am going to find him. Are you going to try to stop me?"
Sonic didn't miss the subtle emphasis on try but ignored it and asked quietly in return, "Are you going to try to kill him?"
Knuckles baulked slightly at the direct question, Sonic was pleased to note. At least he hadn't immediately yelled, "Yes!"
They stared at each other for several long seconds. Knuckles lowered his eyes first.
"If that's the compromise it'll take to keep you from interfering? Then no. I will not kill him. Satisfied?"
"Almost," said Sonic. "I'm coming with you."
"No."
"Stop me," challenged Sonic. He watched Knuckles glare at him and could almost tally up the various methods he considered for shaking him off. Most of course had been tried before and Knuckles clearly came to the same conclusion because he sighed heavily.
"Where is this magazine based?" he asked in lieu of actually conceding.
Sonic grinned and retrieved the magazine from the floor where it had fallen.
"It's our lucky day huh?--It's right here in town!"
---End Part 6---