So we have our little gang sleeping tight in Freedom HQ, time to check on the rest of the cast!
Back in Angel Island in the Master Emerald altar, the group had stayed awake as they usually did most of the nights, setting a fireplace in the middle and gathering around it to share each other some stories, this time the Chaotix explained to the new and confused Sonic everything that had recently happened, to Knuckles and their little adventure as well as introducing Mighty and Ray, in exchange Sonic explained to them what he was doing before appearing in the island, coming through a portal in a world inhabited only by humans was definitely a weird way to show up which led them to believe that maybe this wasn't the Sonic they knew.
"But even if you were from another dimension then what are you doing here?" asked Espio.
"I guess that's something we have to find out," Sonic replied laying comfortingly on the ground "I'm more concerned about helping Knux".
Everyone looked at him as if he was suggesting something impossible.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked "We're finding a group of people that are missing, aren't you guys detectives? You just told me about how you three went to find these two and these two were finding the armadillo's sister"
"That was different buddy," explained Vector "Back there we had clues and people that guided us to the right place, here we would be finding an entire race and they could be anywhere".
"Even in a place we wouldn't know it existed" finished Mighty.
"Hmph," Sonic complained "Fine, you can stay here and discuss about how pointless that is while I go back up there and talk with him".
"Good luck then".
After standing up in one jump, Sonic left the fireplace leaving the Chaotix looking at each other thinking about the idea of actually helping Knuckles but they've already discussed it before, they were taken away by an instant teleporting device that could even put someone in a different dimension, this was maybe out of their league. As for Sonic, he wasn't very phased about being in another dimension, after all, he just spent months in a different one and meeting Chris and having adventures on his world was a blast so who was gonna say that this would be any different?
But he did needed to apologize or explain things to Knuckles, maybe with enough talk he could be able to bring his people back, but proceeding with caution was a 'must-do', this Knuckles seemed like he wasn't going to take any joke.
"Hey Knux!" he shouted after clearing his throat with his hands in a 'I surrender' position "I haven't left the island yet but you have to hear me out!"
Knuckles didn't moved or replied but he definitely heard him.
"I... think I confused you with someone else".
Still no reply.
"I didn't knew what happened to your people".
With one leap, Knuckles jumped all the way from the altar landing in front of Sonic with a menacing look and his hands still clenched in fists.
"I'll give five minutes, before I put you off the island myself" the echidna replied.
"Eh... I only need five seconds. I'm not from this dimension".
Knuckles seemed confused but still keeping his serious face.
"I already discussed it with the boys back there, everything points that I landed here by accident".
"Hmph, what proves it?" he asked turning around.
"Well... heh," he chuckled nervously "The Knuckles I know didn't had a girlfriend".
Upon hearing this, Knuckles raged on the spot about to hit Sonic here and now causing Sonic to brace, but when he turned around ready to deal the punch he stopped himself almost immediately, turning around once again.
"Uh, Knux?" Sonic slowly approached to realize what Knuckles was doing. He was crying.
They were just drops of tears that he tried to cover but Sonic managed to catch him in surprise to see someone like Knuckles in that state.
"Hey Knux... The Knuckles I know doesn't cry!" he replied cheerfully "And you're acting like if there was no solution!"
"So you think you have a solution?" he asked not really waiting for a response.
"Nope, but nothing starts until you take action and we have the world's greatest detectives back there so that's a good start" he smiled.
Eggman had already fallen asleep a long time ago, waiting for the power to return, waiting for Mecha Sally to come back with whatever caused the power outage in the first place, and just overall boring waiting, he couldn't do much without electricity and at a late moment of the day he eventually fell dead sleep which allowed plenty of time to pass and the power to return, causing Orbot to finally be running again and Cubot arriving at the main room, however, he was still taking a sweet nap, with the two lackey bots having to supervise the cameras that were set up on the screens by default.
Suddenly, while they were getting bored, someone appeared on screen who everyone was waiting for, Mecha Sally carrying someone by the neck who looked to be Sonic.
"Should we wake up the boss?" asked Cubot.
"Well, what kind of question is that? Do you think it would be nice to greet someone who is sleeping?" replied Orbot "Of course you have to wake him".
"Yeah- I have to wake him?"
"Of course, who else would it be? You took longer to be here, I was already present so you have to do it" said Orbot bragging.
Having to accept fate, Cubot slowly approached Eggman slightly poking him waiting for the worst-case scenario to happen but luckily for everyone, it didn't happen.
"CURSE THAT HEDGE- oh, it was a dream," Eggman said to himself ignoring who just woke him up "Not even in my dreams he can leave me alon- Oh! Would you look at that!"
"Uh boss?" Orbot tried to catch his attention but it was no use.
"Finally the power is back so finally I can find out what happened-"
"Boss..." Orbot called again.
"Ah, Orbot, finally you're operating again, which is amazing because we have no time to-"
"Boss, the princess is approaching to us as we speak".
"Finally! Everything's falling into place! Now that she has found the cause for this I can now-"
"It appears she's carrying Sonic with her sir".
In this interruption, Eggman didn't continued, he was just surprised by this and confused making him to check the cameras only to confirm that Mecha Sally was in fact transporting Sonic, but that was impossible right? Sonic was annoying, that's without a question, but he was never powerful enough to cause an entire blackout let alone an EMP, he decided to shrug it off and instantly make himself presentable ready to greet Sonic the second Mecha Sally arrived through the door.
"Hey, that Sonic looks different!" exclaimed Cubot.
"Looks like he used a coat of paint for his arms," added Orbot "Excuse me boss but this Sonic is very different".
Now a bit more upset, the doctor returned to the computer to analyze once again that this wasn't normal.
"Maybe you should try a different approach boss" Orbot suggested which Eggman dismissed not fully getting what he meant only to be struck by the thought of realization and understanding of that sentence slowly making a grin right before Mecha Sally entered through the door still grabbing Sonic who was struggling to get free.
"My, my! Don't you think that's enough?" Eggman commanded Sally with gestures causing the robot to obey and simply drop the hedgehog on the spot.
"Ah! Always wonderful to have new guests!" he said with his arms wide open.
"Guests?" Sonic replied standing up with pain "Funny wait of showing it, last time I checked guest aren't forced to be brought by some weird-totally-not-creepy robot that looks..." he made the not pleasant action of looking at her which she replied back with a menacing death stare causing Sonic to quickly look away.
"Well, well, there have some mysterious events happening lately like a power outage and wouldn't you know how many evil guys we have around these places," he said grinning "You can't blame a man for being cautious can you?".
"No but... it hurt" he said grabbing his neck who was still slightly hurting.
"Ah, it doesn't matter! Now, let's start with the right foot.. What's your name, where do you come from?"
"Uh..." Sonic paused to take a quick look all around "I'm... Sonic, I... don't know where I am to be honest, I'm actually looking for someone" he said lowering his head.
"Don't worry about that! You got me and, in fact, maybe I could help you find your 'someone'... in exchange of some not-hurtful help of course" he twirled his mustache still smiling.
"Really? Can you help me?"
"Oh, ho, ho! I'm a doctor, you know, I actually love helping other people! Surely you need someone to move around here".
"Like a doctor in medical or just the doctorate? 'Cause I don't think the doctora-"
"Doesn't matter! Do you want help or not?" he said reaching out for a handshake.
Sonic looked back at Mecha Sally who this time was simply staring into the void, looking back at Eggman, smiling and accepting the handshake.
"I do accept the help, uh..." he said checking Eggman's abnormal shape looking for a name.
"You can call me doc, Sonic..." The doc replied grinning intensively shaking with one hand with his other one hiding behind his back with fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, somewhere, deep hiding below the grounds of New Mobotropolis, there was a group of secret heroes, mysterious and hidden to the public eye gathering in their usual base to prepare the next plan, it wasn't exactly part of their mission but it was required.
"We're all in the same building and Agent Spades still not on time" said Harvey Who, an old and wise owl, founder of the group itself who was waiting standing with the rest of the members sitting on the table.
"I heard that!" shouted a female voice from a door that led to main bedrooms "These outfits still get some time to adjust you know and I already told you that we don't need those fancy agent 'this' agent 'that' if we're all here together".
The door slowly opened with Agent Spades finally coming out.
"Just call me Tangle".
Ok, this is where the chapter ends and quite a few things happened here, Movie Sonic is partnering with Eggman and Tangle is somehow part of the Secret Freedom Fighters... how did this happen? We'll find out later, if you don't know who the Secret Freedom Fighters are then... you will soon!
See you soon everyone!