Author's note: On a side note, I must say I am really glad the website has changed the top navigation bar to much more useful one to the left side. Anyway, let's carry on...

Chapter 4: Stories

Alan wasn't really much of a scenery admirer, but so far he could see why Sonic and Tails chose to live out here instead of in an urban area. There was no sign of industrialization or pollution among the greenery and mountains. All clean. All nature. It was indeed pleasing, though Alan Doherty was not cynical enough to believe such a place couldn't exist on Earth.

At least not until he saw what came up next.

The Tornado reached a coast five minutes after taking off from Tails' airfield, and was now flying over a sea. Over the horizon, Alan saw something that would make every nature lover on Earth concede defeat to Mobius. He opened his mouth to express amazement, but he simply couldn't find the words. "You know what, uh…I think I'll just keep my mouth shut."

Tails just chuckled. "It's alright, many mobians are amazed by it too. Angel Island. It's one the planet's main wonders, and we're among the few that are allowed to visit it. You're lucky."

Alan wondered whether that was true. To him, Lady Luck was messing with him big time, having first emptied his invisible luck meter by dropping him on this planet and almost getting him killed by talking animals. Now she was slowly filling it back up by letting him meet Sonic and Tails…as well as now this.

In front of the plane, a large and literally floating island was now in view, majestically hovering some two hundred meters above the sea and being at least the size of dozens of stadiums. On it was another lush green forest, untouched by human or mobian hands, with the sole exception of what seemed like a stone structure in the center of the whole island. Grand, Alan thought. That's the best word for all this.

And it probably would have been grander if it weren't for the signs of trouble at the stone structure. Smoke and fire could be seen around it as the Tornado entered the island's airspace.

"Knuckles…" Tails was gasping. "I hope he's okay. We're going to land, hold on." He turned around to gesture to Sonic with a finger pointing downwards. Sonic, still looking like he was at the beach, gave a thumbs up.

"Wait a minute, there's no runway here," Alan pointed out.

"Don't worry, we don't need one." Tails slowed down noticeably and pressed a few buttons. Below and on both sides of the plane, the thrust vectors turned towards the ground. Meanwhile, Alan silently berated himself for having missed the signs that this was a VTOL aircraft. Having needed support from aircraft such as the Harrier a long time ago meant he should have been able to tell.

Eventually the Tornado landed on a small patch of space that was far away enough from the stone structure that the trees were blocking it. Shortly after touching the ground, Tails shut off the engines and popped open the canopy. All three promptly leapt off the plane.

Sonic led the way, though he wasn't running, at least not yet. "Knux?" he called out as he went along a dirt path that cut through the thick trees. "Knux?"

They emerged out of the path a minute later, and Sonic and Tails stood in shock at what they saw. Even Alan could tell something serious had happened here.

The stone structure appeared to be an altar of sorts, made out of four concentric circles, each smaller than the one below it, with a set of stairs leading to the top. Up there, a strange and actually familiar green glow could be seen. It hadn't been visible earlier from the plane due to the smoke coming from all the small fires around it, both on the structure and on the ground.

Tails ran to some of the ground fires and realized that they came from the smoking debris of destroyed robots. They had been very thoroughly smashed into pieces, making it impossible to see what models they were. "It's Robotnik, all right. Sonic, you go up there and see if Knuckles is okay. I'll be looking at these."

"Got it," Sonic said and began heading up the stairs, but then he turned back to face Alan. "Hey, uh, I think you gotta hide yourself again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, sorry, it's just that, well, you if thought Tails didn't like strangers, wait till you meet Knucklehead. And a human just attacked this place. He sees you, what's he going to think? Look around you. Just a hunch, I don't think those robots destroyed themselves…"

Alan took a glance at a nearby destroyed robot that Tails was examining. The decision was made very quickly. "You made your point. I'll get behind the tree."

But not quickly enough. As Alan turned to go towards the nearest tree, a figure suddenly leapt out of nowhere and landed with a forceful thud right in front of him, kicking up some dust in the process. Alan was startled enough to not exclaim anything as he shielded his eyes, and it got the attention of both Sonic and Tails.

"Knux!" Sonic called out. "You're all right!"

"I appreciate your concern, Sonic," the figure said after the dust settled. His rough voice didn't sound very friendly, and it became even less so. "You bringing him here though, not so much."

"Knux, we can explain-"

"You can do that after I'm done with this guy," he said ominously.

Alan now saw that the figure was a mobian of a species he couldn't identify, having red fur, slightly taller than Sonic, long dreadlocks down the sides of his head, what seemed like steel plates on his shoes, and perhaps most worrisomely, two really large fists, each having two spikes. Both were aimed threateningly at Alan, accompanied by two purple eyes narrowed into slits.

Knowing a threat when he saw one, Doherty slowly reached for his pistol. His hand never got to it.

Knuckles the Echidna began his attack by swinging his right fist towards Alan. Amazingly, Alan was able to dodge it, and even the next one, but very barely. This only made Knuckles grunt more angrily. Alan knew he could not keep this up for long as he tried his best to reach his gun again. Knuckles' moves were lightning fast, and there was no doubt about their power. If he was hit even once, he was going to become human debris.

Fortunately Sonic intervened on Alan's behalf right before a punch that was sure to land on the latter's chest and right as he got a hold of his weapon, finger already in trigger. Without knowing it, Sonic had actually also saved Knuckles' life. The hedgehog darted in and tackled the echidna on the ground to the side.

"Knucklehead, stop it, I didn't bring him here as target practice for you!" Sonic quickly said as he wrestled Knuckles to the surface.

"Sonic, are you insane?" The echidna cried out angrily as he did everything he could to get the fastest thing alive off him. "What else could that thing have in mind coming here? To apologize to me?"

"Erm, to give you the seventh Chaos Emerald?" Sonic mentioned desperately.

The struggling stopped immediately as Knuckles' eyes widened. "Wait…what?"

"I'm serious." Sonic got off Knuckles while panting, thankful that he didn't have to hold down the beast any longer. "The green one, the missing one, he got teleported onto Mobius with it. Because of it. Guys?" Sonic glanced at Alan and Tails, the former quickly holstering his weapon again.

It was the fox who responded. "Oh yeah, I have it," he said, before reaching into one of his tails to bring the Emerald out. Not many people knew it, but Tails had the ability to store small objects within his namesakes' thick fur, though he had to remove them before he could fly. As Alan looked at him incredulously, Tails appeared a bit sheepish as his other hand rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, yeah, it's something I can do. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Knuckles quickly strode over to Tails to see the Emerald with his own eyes. He stared at it in amazement. It had been so long since he last saw it, and as the Chaos Emeralds, along with the Master Emerald sitting at the top of the altar, were supposed to be his responsibility, he had never been at peace with himself since its disappearance, and believed he wouldn't see it again. And now, here it was, right in front of him. It wasn't shining, but that was to be expected. He quickly forgot his rash anger as it was replaced with relief.

Yet the feeling was bittersweet. This Emerald was finally back in his hands, but only after Robotnik took away several more from him just now. It could have been much worse, but he knew it could have been way better too. This was his sworn job and duty for life, after all. What good was it if he could not carry it out properly for as long as he lived?

Finding a way to make himself feel better, Knuckles looked at the human that Sonic mentioned. He slowly walked up to Alan, non-threateningly this time. Alan stayed put, realizing this guy had thankfully calmed down. "You…you found it?" the echidna began.

"Um…not exactly," Doherty said. "It's, uh, a long story."

"You should probably still tell him though," Sonic spoke up. "For all I know, it's the reason he's always been so grumpy." The hedgehog started chuckling, which earned a deep, short growl from Knuckles, even though the echidna knew deep down he was right, in a way.

"Uh, guys?" Everyone turned to look at Tails. "The altar's still on fire, you know. And it doesn't look like it will rain soon. Want to me to get the fire extinguisher from the plane?"

Knuckles instantly remembered the damage done earlier, which caused his eyes to open wide. "Uh…yeah, I appreciate it, thanks."

"You know, you really should have one here too. I can give it to you if you like," The fox said as he twisted his namesakes to get into the air and hurry back to the Tornado. Well, at least we extinguished the biggest one first…

After the fire was put out, Alan and Knuckles exchanged introductions and their stories. The human recapped how he got there and the little he knew about the Chaos Emerald when it was on Earth. Knuckles gave his account about how the robots had suddenly descended upon him, intending to take all the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald, which was what kept the island floating, away. Alan had to stop himself from reacting too visibly upon seeing the latter, due to how it was the size of a car, lest Knuckles think he was just as greedy as Robotnik. Above Angel Island, the sun continued to shine brightly, so everyone made sure to be under the shade of the trees.

"He only managed to take three away though," Knuckles said. He looked downwards unhappily and quietly added, "I could have done better than that…"

"Me too." Tails wasn't looking very cheery either. "I could have noticed your distress signal earlier, while in the town, and I could have come here to knock out more robots with the Tornado. I'm really sorry." The fox hung his head in shame.

"Aw, what is this, group therapy?" Sonic cut in abruptly. "Robotnik played a trick on all of us. We all did what we could, given the circumstances. And not that I think the Chaos Emeralds are unimportant or something, but I don't think it would have been worth it to leave a town to die to save them."

"But that's exactly it, Sonic," Knuckles replied. His voice and eyes were heavy with worry. "What if he uses those Emeralds to wipe out even more people?"

"Well, he hasn't used them yet, has he? And he definitely would have wiped out that town if we weren't there. Focusing on the now and all that," Sonic continued. "Besides, we've dealt with Eggy with three Emeralds before. It's hard, but not that hard."

"I'd probably feel a bit more assured by your words if we knew where he was hiding. That's the hardest part," an exasperated Knuckles said. "At least the other one's still with you, right Tails?"

"Yeah, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to come here."

"What are you talking about?" Alan inquired.

"Oh, the Tornado's powered by a Chaos Emerald. Knuckles lets me use it."

That earned a whistle from Alan. "You managed to do what many scientists back on Earth had failed to do for thirty years just like that?"

Tails shrugged. "It's not really that hard if you're familiar with how they work. You just need to strike the right balance between-"

"Alright, thanks Tails, but enough of that here," Knuckles spoke, stopping the fox before he could engage in his technobabble. "Anyway, there's the other problem with not all of the Chaos Emeralds being present here." He glanced at Alan.

Doherty already had a feeling he knew what he was about to say. "Let me guess. I can't go home now."

The echidna nodded. "Yes, unfortunately for you. The Chaos Emerald you brought in is real, definitely, but it's used up its power and needs a full recharge, that's why it's not longer glowing. The recharging can only happen with all other Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald present. When they're all together, the latter can establish a link with Earth. But I'm guessing Robotnik is going to link it up to some other doomsday device instead."

Doherty simply crossed his arms and frowned. He was disappointed, but not exactly surprised. He had always assumed the worst in such situations. But there were some other things that caught his interest. "Okay, I understand that, but…how exactly do you know it can lead back to Earth?"

"My people long ago had suspected the existence of a linked planet in a parallel dimension that could be reached through the Emeralds."

"But you never came through it, to our planet?"

"No. We didn't." Now it was Knuckles' turn to frown. "It's complicated, and to be honest I've had enough of storytelling for today."

Alan wanted to inquire more, out of a belief it was related to his job, his investigation. But he looked at Knuckles' face and fists while also considering the remote location they were in. Would this guy even know what an investigator did? Come to think of it, did Sonic or Tails? "Fair enough."

"One thing I'd like to know, though," Knuckles added, "Why did Robotnik choose now of all times to attack Angel Island?"

"I think I know," Tails said. "It likely has to do with position. Angel Island is usually much further out at sea. But it seems that every few years it comes close enough to land for Robotnik's bots to reach and attack it. If you didn't notice it, don't feel too bad. It's not so easy while you're on it yourself."

Knuckles only nodded with a grim expression. Just another hazard that he to take note of in the next many years, assuming Robotnik continued to operate till then. Great.

"Well, I guess we got what we came for," Sonic said as he stretched his arms into the air. "Thanks for everything, Knux. Go now, Tails? I'm starving."

"So am I, actually. Alan?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Hey, before you leave," Knuckles said as he walked up to Alan again. "Thanks for giving me that Emerald. You have no idea how much relief you brought me."

Doherty shrugged. "I'm not sure I'm the one you should thank, but, no problem. And actually, thank you for not punching me. I'm serious."

Knuckles smiled wryly and briefly at that one. Behind Alan, Sonic and Tails were trying not to laugh. "Sorry about that. It's just that I didn't know what else to do. This job, these Emeralds, they're just so important to me."

"You were doing your duty. I can't blame you for that," Alan said.

"Anyway guys," Sonic cut in. "We'll find Eggy's hideout and get the Emeralds back. We always have, always will, after all."

"Alright, alright, I get it, you're awesome," Knuckles added, sounding a bit annoyed. "Bye."

"See ya." Both Sonic and Tails began walking away, and Alan waved before following them. The echidna watched as they walked away back through the trees.

Knuckles turned around to head back up to the Master Emerald. Taking the newly recovered Chaos Emerald, he placed it upon one of the seven raised stone spots surrounding the Master Emerald where it belonged, the spot which had been empty until now.

As he sat at the top of the stairs, he found himself thinking about all manner of issues, including how Alan seemed different from Robotnik, and what exactly he could do about the missing Emeralds. Not much, he supposed as he shook his head, other than take care of the ones that weren't.

As Tails prepped the Tornado for take-off, Sonic glanced at Alan. "Not bad. You're, like, the third person ever to come onto this island without being tossed off of it or something. You're making quite a bit of progress."

"I think I'll call it progress only after I can make friends without being considered an enemy first. That was the third time already." He didn't try to hide his annoyance. "Maybe I should meet this Robotnik and show him what a pissed off FBI Special Agent out of his jurisdiction can do."

"Oh, I'm sure that'd make an interesting meeting," Sonic remarked as he got into his usual position on the plane, not realizing that Alan meant it more seriously than he thought.

An hour later, the Tornado arrived back in the airfield underneath Tails' place once more. Tails cooked again, this time serving ham and eggs. Sonic joked about how about Alan's presence meant they couldn't go to any restaurants for lunch, not that they did that often anyway.

As they started eating, Sonic decided it would be boring to have a quiet lunch. "You know, maybe you should tell us more about yourself," Sonic said to Alan.

"Hm?"

"You know quite a bit about us already," he explained after swallowing another bit of egg. "But we don't really know much about you. One-way streets ain't cool, man." Another piece of ham. "Besides, looks like you're gonna be stuck with us for a while."

"I guess it's only fair," Doherty agreed. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, you say you're FBI, a Special Agent, what are those things? What do you do?"

"Federal Bureau of Investigation. I thought you told me Mobius had such things," Alan stated confusedly.

"Well, I don't go to the places that have them often, not really."

"You could always use the internet, Sonic," Tails said. "It's not that bad. If you sat there for a while, you probably would already know what Alan's talking about."

"You know me bro, I don't like to sit down if I don't have to. Anyway, do you know Alan's talking about?"

"Yeah, sort of. I remember reading about it somewhere." Tails turned to Alan. "Is it, like, an agency that holds up the law across a country rather than just in one city, one spot?"

"You could say that."

"What's a Special Agent do?" Sonic asked.

He cleared his throat first. "My job is to investigate, investigate and investigate criminal suspects."

"What's with the gun, though?"

"The purpose of my investigations is ultimately to save lives. And to do that, I don't just sit at a desk. Sometimes I have to go out there, into dangerous situations with dangerous people. Then, I ask questions before I decide whether to shoot."

"What's that mean?"

"I try to save as many lives as possible, both innocent and guilty ones. Though sometimes, they can be mutually exclusive. I acknowledge I may have to take a life to save another." He took a sip from his drink before putting it down on the table somewhat forcefully. "I accept that."

"I see…I'm really not sure I agree with that, but I guess that's how you work." Sonic shifted his position a bit. "Come to think of it, could I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Have you killed people before?"

There was a moment of silence before Alan said anything. "Yes, I have." Both Sonic and Tails sat forwards as they immediately looked more interested in the subject now. "Though, I wore a different uniform back then. A military one."

"Hmm. What do you think about that? You know, the fact you've killed before?"

"Not much honestly. I fought in wars. Didn't exactly a lot of time to contemplate morals." He drank a bit again and gazed at Sonic. "Nevertheless I did get rather tired of it. So I switched from a job where I kill as many enemies as possible to one where I kill as little as possible, and all the while still serving my country. And so far, since I got my badge, I haven't killed anyone, I think." He remembered shooting a few ARA goons in the Long Beach warehouse. He had no way to make sure whether they survived.

"But your uniform still looks pretty military. Your armor, your rifle, your equipment."

"I don't wear or use those every day. Usually when I do, it's meant more for intimidation than war. It doesn't necessarily mean violence is inevitable, though it is a precaution against it. The few times I wore it, I only ever had to fire shots in the same situation that teleported me here." His gaze softened as he realized something. "Wait, Tails, has Sonic told you about that?"

"Yeah, what you told Sonic, he told me this morning," the fox confirmed.

"Though I don't think the ones I shot died. I hope not, we need info from those creeps."

The two mobians exchanged what seemed like uncomfortable looks. Doherty was able to guess why. "I know it can feel awkward to be with someone who used to take lives for a living, and may still have to do so. But you asked who I was, and there's my answer."

"Nah, it's alright, we're not judging you," Sonic assured. "It's just that in our experience most people other than hunters that kill, well, they don't seem to have much respect for life."

"Yeah," Tails agreed. "But you're not like that. It's…new to us, I guess." He shrugged.

"You're saying this because of Robotnik, right?"

Another pause before Sonic spoke. "Yeah. I guess when I said people, I really meant person."

"I can assure you if he pulled that crap on Earth, I and many others would be hunting his ass." Alan took in a deep breath before he continued. It was time to bring out what he really had in mind. "You know what? Nobody says it has to be only on Earth."

"What're you talking about?" Sonic looked confused.

"From the way you talked back on that floating island, you guys seem to have had a problem with Robotnik for a long time."

"Eh, it depends. He's pretty good at designing robots – not so good at designing plans though. Well, except for that distraction thing earlier."

"He seems pretty good at staying alive too," Doherty remarked. "Ten years you said you've fought him?"

"Yeah, more or less."

"Before you were even born, Tails?"

"Umm, well…" the fox's face was briefly downcast as he came up with his answer. "I've helped Sonic fight Robotnik ever since I met him four, five years ago. It can be hard…still beats my life before that though."

"But doesn't that seem like a long time? Don't you wish for it to stop? For him to stop?"

"Well, he is pretty thrilling to play with sometimes…" Sonic smiled for a while, but then it disappeared. "But, otherwise, yeah. I'd just…like to help everyone, you know. No more deaths, no more hate. For all."

"I think I know where this is going," Tails said, keeping eye contact with Alan. "You want to help us."

Doherty put his hands at his waist. "Exactly."

"But why?"

"Well, why not? It's not like I have a choice anyway. He has what I need to go back to Earth. Since you guys have to find him, I might as well try to speed it up." He finished off the last of his meal and drink before pushing them away a bit. "But even if it weren't like that, I've just told you my job is to investigate. And this guy's a freaking gold mine of questions."

"Because he's a human?" Sonic asked.

"More than that. I remember hearing something about a researcher working on the Chaos Emerald who went missing thirty years ago on my planet. I couldn't confirm it because it led nowhere, but now I'm thinking it could really be this guy." Alan got up from the chair and began pacing around. "Not to mention, based on what Knuckles said, Robotnik could really choose to go back to Earth any minute, yet he doesn't. He chooses to stay here and act like a science fiction villain." He stopped moving to look straight into Sonic's green eyes. "I want, and I need to find out why. It cannot simply be for the kicks. I have a little more faith in humanity than that."

"So that's why you followed us there this morning," Sonic remarked. "You feel Robotnik is your responsibility."

Alan nodded. "I think I would want to do something about this even if I weren't in law enforcement."

"But how are you planning to do it?"

"I'm guessing I'll have to be bait. Robotnik would be very curious about seeing another human here. He'd want to meet me."

"But you're sure he doesn't know about you being here yet?"

"I don't think so. The villagers yesterday aren't exactly going to tell him, and I hid behind a tree to shoot that robot. But even if he knew I did that, I can explain it away as confusion, panic." Alan leaned against a wall with his palm. "Anyway, before I can really plan anything, I need more info. Not just about Robotnik. This whole place. Everything. Tails, is your internet fixed?"

"Yeah," the two-tailed fox replied, beaming. "Let me wash this up first, then I'll get it ready for you, in my room," he said as he collected the dishes and cups.

"Okay, thanks."

Sonic got off his seat and walked up to Doherty. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Well, you don't really have to fight Robotnik either. You're not employed in any capacity like mine that requires you to. But you do it anyway."

The hedgehog shrugged. "Sure I have the capacity. Just a different kind."

Ten minutes later, all three were in Tails' bedroom as Alan sat at the computer, with Tails next to him on another chair. Sonic simply laid lazily on his friend's bed. The room was somewhat messy, with various books and pieces of paper, mostly about technical subjects, lying around the shelves, desk and on the floor, for which Tails sheepishly apologized when they first entered.

Alan had to type slowly, as the mobian keyboard layout was completely different from that on Earth. Other than that, the similarities were clear. He still had to boot up the OS, open a browser, and use a search engine and online encyclopedias. From then on the world was at his fingertips. Before he started, Alan asked if he could take as many pictures of what he saw on the screen as possible with his cell phone just in case, and neither of the two objected.

What Alan had read so far correlated with the info Sonic had given. Mobius was indeed divided into various developed and undeveloped countries, also known as New Mobius and Old Mobius respectively, and it seemed that the rift between the two was stark, apparently due to colonialism, clashes, and conflicts in the past. There wasn't even much, if any, trade that occurred between them, unlike on Earth.

Old Mobius was what caught his interest. It was true to its name, if the articles online were to be believed. Other than simple machines, technology appeared to be shunned in its areas. Few real internet connections or broadcasts, which meant parts of Old Mobius that were far apart enough hardly ever had contact with each other, and possibly less info about its territories. Cars were rare. Alan recalled the two settlements he's seen so far, the village and the town earlier, and they were indeed rather rustic in appearance.

Then Doherty remembered where this house was. He turned to Tails. "Why is a technophile like you living in a place where technology isn't widespread? Actually, where did you learn this stuff anyway? Sure doesn't look like it's from around here."

"It's not," the fox confirmed. "I'm from a New Mobian area that borders Old Mobius, right here," he said as he pointed it out on the map on the screen. "Pretty high-tech place, but, well…" Tails shook his head. "I wasn't happy there. I told you about it yesterday night. Sonic arrived there one day, and I took what I learned and followed him out here. Never looked back."

"Yep. Best decision we've ever made in both our lives, if you ask me." Both hedgehog and fox smiled at each other.

"You can still make ends meet with your skills here?" Alan asked.

"Yeah, I can," Tails said. "They do have machines, just not complex digital ones. It's not a problem for me at all to fix them."

"As long as I'm by your side while with those people, that is," Sonic said as he let out a good-natured chuckle.

"Sonic, come on," Tails replied, his face turning red.

Alan continued his research. Their lack of technology seemed to translate into a lack of government, the highest being only at town level. This meant they usually had no militaries, little law enforcement…little law. However little it was though, the latter was fortunately still there. A number of regions still had courts, criminal systems and prisons. Tails didn't say anything about the articles, figuring that, due to his job, Alan would naturally want to look at such things.

Eventually Doherty turned his attention on Doctor Ivo Robotnik. Unfortunately, the information available on him wasn't much. Nothing about when or where he first appeared, or about how he was treated, aside from 'occasional prejudice'. His earliest mentioned history on Mobius was eleven years ago when he was allowed to work for a New Mobian military ordnance company called Extro, with descriptions saying he was 'hardworking' and a 'talented genius' during his time there.

A year later, he was able to outsmart all employees and security in the company, taking over all of their resources and technology by force before escaping deep into Old Mobius with them. Many Extro employees also abruptly went missing during that time, suggesting kidnapping. On top of that embarrassment, the government and military's attempt to take everything back from Robotnik ended in disaster, causing several hundred casualties, and they never touched each other again. A 'shoot-to-kill' policy had remained in place with regards to Robotnik from then on, and even if he were captured, the country in question was hardly hesitant to use the death penalty.

Since then, he has continually terrorized people with powerful robots and insane schemes – none particularly well-documented – mostly in Old Mobian areas, some of which border New Mobian ones, though in the end always foiled by Sonic the Hedgehog. Tails and Knuckles were mentioned to help him as well. Nevertheless Robotnik has continued to hide rather well, always waiting to strike again.

Alan finally had one more idea. He looked up information of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to see how they were popularly perceived. Sonic had the most available, due to having appeared in public in both New and Old Mobian areas, even greeting crowds and giving interviews. There was a movie and a comic book series about him, as well as rumors of a future video game.

Less could be found about Tails, due to his fear of the spotlight – there were a few photos of him, info about his flight and tech skills, as well as descriptions about how he was distrusted by some members of the public due to his twin tails, causing him to be labeled a 'kitsune', a legendary demon fox of some sort.

Meanwhile, virtually nothing could be found about Knuckles beyond the fact that he guarded Angel Island.

"Wow," Tails remarked. "I've never actually thought of looking up about ourselves on the internet. Kinda interesting, actually."

"See Tails, I told you not everyone out there hates your guts," a smiling Sonic said, who was now standing behind them, having looked over their own internet descriptions.

"I believe it, Sonic, just…one day, okay?" Tails turned back to Alan. "So what do you think?"

"I guess I learned a lot. Rather New Mobius-centric though."

"Yeah, that's what happens when only half the world uses it."

"Could be a problem. It seems to me much of Robotnik's history before he got picked up by that company must have occurred in Old Mobius, then." He got up from the seat. "Yeah, I need to get out there and meet him."

"Hey, just one question?" Sonic said.

"Yeah?"

"If whatever you plan to do really works, what are you going to do with him?"

"Well, since you're the closest thing to being the local, uh, sheriff, I guess I'll leave him to you. Technically, it's your jurisdiction."

"Hmm…yeah, maybe I'll see what the other towns think. It could be a bit difficult though."

"Why?"

"Tails?" Sonic turned to his friend.

The fox quickly explained. "Uh, well, you won't find it on the internet, but Robotnik, we managed to get him a few times in the past, so he's actually been in prison, or rather prisons, before. Around the Old Mobian areas."

Doherty did not like the feeling of where this was going.

"But he's got more than one hideout. Quite a lot. Without removing every trace of them, his remaining robots can still come from those hideouts and free him. Messily. A few of those prisons he's been in don't exist anymore."

"Jesus."

"Don't worry. I think it's still worth a try," Sonic assured, ignoring the exclamation Alan used that neither he nor Tails understood. "I'll go around and ask."

"So there's another reason to go and talk to him then." Alan remembered how he was supposed to assume the worst. If Robotnik really broke out of prisons before, would they still let him back in? Not to mention the few pictures of Old Mobian prisons he saw just now didn't seem much better or more advanced than the ones in third-world countries on Earth. But if he could help take down all of Robotnik's hideouts, it likely wouldn't matter anymore. "Alright, so that's settled. I have also one question."

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"Why do you call him Eggy? Or Eggman? Whatever?"

Sonic just smirked. "When you see him in person, I think it will be pretty obvious."