Maybe it was the pain, maybe it was the light, maybe it was the screaming, but if Sonic had to guess, he'd say it was the rush of energy that woke him. He leapt gracefully off the couch and spun to face the danger. There was… nothing. He glanced confusedly at the screaming human, realizing belatedly that the terrified screeches were directed at him.
"Good morning!" Professor Pickle called, blithely ignoring his still-screaming assistant.
"G'morning, Professor!" Sonic bounced over to join the old man at the window. Early morning light, still tinged with red, beamed through the glass. Sonic grinned back.
"As I was telling you last night, I believe I have found the—" The Professor paused and frowned at his assistant, who was still screeching. "Say, Cucumber, is something wrong?"
The younger man stared at him. "He— it's— it transformed!" He hissed in a whisper, as if afraid "it" would hear him.
"You are being very rude," Professor Pickle chided.
His assistant stared at him blankly for a moment, looked at Sonic, and then left without a word. The door slammed behind him.
"What an odd young man." Professor Pickle chuckled, drawing Sonic's attention back to him. "Now, as I was saying, I believe I have found the solution to our problem."
"Problem?" Sonic echoed, following him across the room to a bookshelf.
"The creature awoken by Dr. Robotnik," The Professor pulled down a book. "Perhaps you haven't heard of it, but it's causing quite a fuss."
He opened the book to show a picture of an old painting. It looked like the yin yang symbol, but when Sonic looked closer, he could see it actually depicted two creatures tangled around each other.
"Light Gaia," The Professor tapped the white, bird-like creature. "Is the one that seems to have awoken. It's upset many people, and if it is not put to sleep it may very well burn our world to a crisp."
"You said you have a solution?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. His ear flicked at the creaking of the door, but a glance towards it showed it was nothing but the wind.
"Yes, see," The Professor flipped through the book. "In the past, all it took to subdue a Gaia was activating the Gaia Temples with the Chaos Emeralds."
"Sounds simple." Sonic leaned forward to get a better look at the text.
"Too simple, if you ask me," A smooth voice interjected, and Sonic spun to face the intruder. He relaxed slightly when he recognized her.
"Was that really necessary, Rouge?"
She shrugged, smirking. "Perhaps." She laid a finger on the page, tapping it lightly. "I couldn't help but overhear—"
"Because you were listening," Sonic interjected, grinning.
"And what the Professor failed to mention was that the Gaia Temples were used to subdue Dark Gaia in the past." Rouge looked at Professor Pickle. "Isn't that right, Professor?"
"It is," He admitted, taking the book from her. "But it stands to reason that it would work on Light Gaia as well."
Rouge considered him for a moment. "If you say so, Professor." She turned to Sonic. "Hey Blue, when was the last time you ate?"
Sonic cocked his head, considering. "Y'know, I'm actually not—"
"Breakfast is on me." Rouge grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door, leaving Professor Pickle to fuss over his manuscripts.
"Since when do you know about 'Gaias' and all that?" Sonic waved his arms vaguely.
"I talked to him yesterday," Rouge glanced back before nodding him down a side street. "It was all he'd talk about, Light Gaia this, Dark Gaia that. Who's your friend?"
Sonic blinked. "Who— oh, Pretzel?" He perked his ears, catching the faint scratch of her claws on the pavement. "Just somebody I picked up in Apotos." They sat down, and Rouge ordered their food. While they waited, Sonic told Rouge what he knew, which admittedly wasn't much.
"It's not surprising you haven't heard much," Rouge speared a banana slice with her fork. "The dangerous thing about it is that anyone affected by the crisis doesn't think it's a crisis."
"So it's like… brainwashing?" Sonic asked, passing a lemon to Pretzel, who was hiding under his seat.
"Basically," Rouge waved her fork in his face. "And I believe the good professor himself has been affected."
"How do you know I'm not affected?" Sonic joked.
Rouge rolled her eyes. "Even if you were, it wouldn't make much of a difference."
Sonic laughed. "That's fair. What brings you into this?"
"Even I care if everyone in the world is brainwashed, Blue." Seeing his look, she sighed. "GUN sent me to question the Professor and find you. Fortunately for me, you turned up before I left the area."
"Find me?" Sonic's tail flicked restlessly. "Why?"
"They're hoping you'll solve all their problems," She paid the bill and simpered at the waiter. "Do you know where the Chaos Emeralds are?"
"Eggman has 'em," Sonic glanced upwards briefly, though he doubted the Doctor was still up there. "So GUN wants me to follow Professor Pickle's plan? Why?"
Rouge shrugged, looking irritated. "They didn't tell me."
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "They didn't tell you? Aren't you one of their best agents?"
"You don't need to rub it in," She stood, stretching. "I'm just the messenger—" she said the last word with disdain "—so my work here is done." She looked down at his plate. "You should eat that. You're going to need your energy."
"Eh," Sonic shoved it aside and stood, following her. "Why would I follow Professor Pickle's plan if he's brainwashed?"
Rouge paused, placing a hand on her hip as she considered him. "...that's a good question. Why would you follow Professor Pickle's plan?"
A moment passed, punctuated by the wind blowing down the street, whisking away what few voices there were. The white bat kept his gaze, challenging.
"Alright," A lose grin spilled over Sonic's face. "What's your plan?"
Rouge smirked, revealing her fangs. "I thought you'd never ask."
Sorry for the late upload! I started school recently, so I think I'll only be posting a chapter every two weeks. Hope that's alright with everyone!