Chapter …. I forget what chapter this is uhhh 4 I think anyway here it is

Finitevus was sitting at one of his various steel tables. His cheek leaned into one hand while the other scribbled equations onto pad of paper. His eyes where blood shot (or as blood shot as black eyes can be).He was also operating on 4 hours of sleep. He has operated on less, but never because of a wailing child.

"Waaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Screamed Knuckles in his new baby voice. The child in turn was on the floor on a blanket that was placed near Finitevus's feet. Where he could keep a proper eye on him. Finitevus would have put him on a clean table instead of a dirty floor but the tables were covered in chemicals and burners that he was positive those would harm him more than a germ on a the ground could. Also the Destructix hadn't purchased and brought back a crib yet.

The doctor just resumed his mindless sketching inspite the babe's cries. He already changed the little monster not 15 minutes ago so there was no reason to react. Some babies just want to cry, he had learned while he read up on baby care. So he was going to let him cry.

He can't cry forever, the doc reasoned.

Carry the 7

Add the 17

Take into account that the dosage might be too strong.

Angrily, Finitevus scribbled out what he just wrote.

Tug tug.

Finitevus looked up from his work then down at his feet. With glossy beautiful purple eyes and pitiable quivering lip, Knuckles looked up to his care taker demanding attention.

"Ahh nyayah yah blub!" Knuckles whined

Fin readjusted his purple specs before speaking to the puggle.

"Okay guardian I'm going to be frank with you. In order for you to become Enerjak again, your brutish teenage nature has to be restored. " Knuckles just blinks twice in response. "Now I'm sure you also want to be back to normal, but I can't help you if you don't-"

GGRRUUMMBBBLLEE

Knuckles looked ready to start another round of tears. At that moment, the heartless man felt something.

Something…?

Pity maybe.

Either way, Finitevus needed to feed the child. The Destructix were off running errands again… and Finitevus was to prideful to go back on his word any who. So he was the only one who could take care of him right now.

"Alright, alright." He said a bit more gently. Picking up the baby, he cradled him in the crook of his arm. Knuckles still held tight to the cape corner deciding he liked the warmth it brought.

Quickly, before Knuckles could cry more, he strode into the kitchen like a phantom.

"Nom nom." Knuckles whimpered.

"Yes yes. It is a little late for breakfast isn't it?" On the counter he spotted the baby formula. You know the kind that's powdered and you boil it in water. Picking it up with his other hand he read the instructions.

Add to water.

Boil.

Let cool.

How hard can it be?

"Alright." The doctor walked over to the couch. "I'm going to put you here while I fix your formula—"

"wahhhhhhh!"

"I can't hold you and fix your—you know what forget it! Wail your head off!" He let baby Knuckles on the couch. He started to prepare the pot.

Knuckles continued to cry till his face was red and tears stained his rosy cheeks.

"How can something that small make so much noise?" Finitevus could do little more than wait for the white liquid in the pot to come to a boil. The ungodly scientist prayed to God to either rip out his ears of rip out the baby's vocal cords.

His prayers were answered. Knuckles wails quieted down to moans and sniffles. Finitevus took a spoon and stirred the pot. He glanced at Knuckles poor teary face and quivering lower lip. He's tiny brows knit together in the most heart breaking way.

Again Fin felt something.

And again Finitevus dismissed them. Literally shaking the maternal instincts out of his dreads and mind.

"The experts say you have to learn to self -cope. I can't be there to comfort you forever… Not that you will need comforting forever. I do, in fact, plan to transform you back." He poured the liquid into a bottle. The casual conversation Finitevus held with Knuckles seemed to calm him down a bit. He looked in his direction and seemed to be listening. A little more intently than a baby usually did. But that might have been because Knuckles was a 17… year old… baby? So he understood more… even though he has the IQ of a baby? If that makes any sense to you, gentle reader? Oh course it does everything in a fanfiction makes sense. Finitevus continued to talk.

"Hmm I wonder if I could possess you with Enerjak's spirit while your still—no can't do that, you don't have any chaos powers." He picks up Knuckles, who sees the bottle. He reaches out and grunts impatiently. And just before Knuckles could take a gulp, Finitevus tore the bottle away from him. "Wait a minute."

"Wahhhhhrahh!"

What if it was too hot. He didn't let it cool very long. Suddenly Knuckles leaned to grab his late breakfast. "Hang on I don't want it to burn you." He researched that mothers usually test the temperature of bottled milk on their fore arms… but the doctor had rings coving his forearms. Also he was carrying a feisty hungry puggle.

"No, stop it." He held it farther away. The bottle felt warm in his hand but how warm is to warm?!

A needy baby and no way to tell if the milk is to hot…With no other choice, Finitevus put the bottle in his own mouth and sipped it.

Not to hot not to cold.

He didn't was time placing the nipple into the puggle's hungry mouth. Knuckles stopped squirming. Focused on sucking. A sigh of relief came from the doctor. In his arms the puggle drank making small cute sucking sounds. The sounds only stopped when Knuckles stopped to catch his breath. Fin held the base of the bottle, gradually tipping it up until the milk disappeared.

By the time Knuckles was done, his eyes were heavy. Yawn escaped him. Finitevus put the bottle in the sink. He made his way back into the lab.

Knuckles burped. It was probably the cutest burp ever expelled.

" Ha ha heh." Even the scientist couldn't help but chuckle lowly. Immediately he silenced himself.

" rrrrrau.."

"What do you have an air bubble?" With the out most gentleness, he pat his back.

Hiccup. Splat!

White spit up dribbled down the echidna's golden breast plate.

"…..Ah lovely." Held knuckles away from him. "I think I understand now why most creatures don't eat their young. You're lucky you're cute… Did- did I just say-"

Yes. Yes you did.

After muttering a string of curses on his own thoughts, he wiped away the spit up. And placed Knuckles on the ground. "Perhaps I can get so equations done before I have to change your diaper again." Knuckles whined a little. Finitevus peered down at him. He stared a moment and his black eyes softened. He picked up Knuckles. With his left he continued to calculate while his right grew weary holding 12 pounds of guardian. And in no time, that guardian snoozed cooing snores into the white echidna's ear.

The action in itself, falling asleep in his arms, stopped Fin mid equation. He whispered to himself.

"I know you still know who I am. The 'crack pot' who killed your father indirectly and weeded out the echidna race. The way you look at me proves it so. And yet…" He swallows.

And yet you feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in my arms.

It means he trusts you.

Well he has very poor judgment.

"If only you were as trusting as a 17year old. You and I could rule the world together."

It might have been a dream he was having or some extra gas escaping him. But to Finitevus, it sounded like Knuckles was cooing 'in agreement'. And on that note, Fintevus smiled (not smirked or grinned or any other expression that usually takes all of his sharp teeth to perform. But a simple content smile.) though tired and frazzled. The doctor lay the sleeping one in his lap while he combed over more theories.

Elsewhere, the Destructix stomped angrily down an isle in a grocery store. The usually chilliness super stores characteristically have was replace by fuming emotions on behalf of their predicament.

"I agreed to work with the best- no the strongest. Instead I'm here running errands like some dog." Sgt Simian heaved a crib box into the basket with a loud clang. It was apparent that no one in the store recognized them as the infamous Destructix, however they were still getting some attention from the racket their unhappy shopping was creating. Fiona pushed the basket with a wonky wheel. While the fearsome foursome plus her bf tossed, threw, or dashed baby things into the cart.

Scourge "This wasn't my idea." Tosses harshly in a bulk of diapers.

Flying "I think it's sun won fun."

Lighting tosses a stuffed bunny. "at least we get out of that muggy hole in the ground."

Scourge "I'd rather suffocate down there then suffer the humiliation if anyone we know caught me here. 'hey there's Scourge. What's he doing in a baby store? Hurry someone take a picture and tweet it to the freedom fighters." I'd never live it down.

"Oh just shut uhuup!" Fiona spoke this time. Scourge didn't like getting told to shut his face hole by his girl so he grumbled uncontently with is arms crossed. She sighed. Fiona, didn't like running around like a chicken with its head cut off but this predicament was temporary… somehow she needed to talk to her boys and reassure them that they have not been demoted from mercenaries to errand boys. "We're getting paid double for all of this." She hisses.

Sgt Simian spoke as he heaved the crib box onto the checking counter. "Yeah, sure. But all our money is getting spent on all. This. STUFF!"

The box crashed to the counter loudly, spooking the cashier. He silently scanned their items.

Beep Beep

"Look Fin's a scary smart guy. Literally. He'll get Knuckles back to normal in no time."

Scourge grabbed a plastic bag full of baby stuff. "He better." The teen growled. "A king doesn't baby-sit!" He marched away.

Sgt Simian grabbed a bag as well. "or a sergeant ." He follows Scourge out the automatic doors.

The others follow:

"Or a master hunter."

"Or a ninja."

"Or a frog tee hee."

Fiona sighed. The cashier hid slightly behind his cash register. Without looking away from her retreating team, Fiona dug her hand into her pocket. The sheepish cashier flinched again when Fiona's hand slapped two bills and a coin on the counter. He peered wide eyed at the money.

"Keep the change." Fiona heaved the crib box onto her shoulder and left.

The cashier didn't take his eyes off her until she was well out of view of the store windows.

He raised his sleeve over his wrist com and pressed a button.

"Ma' me ?" He whispered.

"What is it Ice-17?" The voice on the other end was clearly feminine and irritated despite the insufferable static.

"I- I found out something…Some information that I believe Eggman will be very interested in."