It was less than a week later and Robotnik was grinning as he was observing the new personal factory and lab that had been set up for him by GUN on this island. He watched on the assembly line as they assembled his Badnik army. He looked as Walters as Stone and Walters was on him.
"So your 'Botniks' shall help us with taking down our alien invader and his friends?" Walters asked as Robotnik had given the fake name for his robots as to not arise suspicion.
"Ah yes... Before they could only do so much against the rodent delinquent but with the backing of the Department of Defence and now back here on my home planet; I am sure that I will be able to evolve my creations and finally rid the universe of the menace once and for all!" Robotnik replied as he was grinning at the thought. "Final victory can be at hand... Once my army is big enough and i have retrieved all the Chaos Emeralds... I remember back when we first met..."
Inside a hill of Green Hill island; there was a makeshift hidden lab with Robotnik having grown his moustache and hair out as well as having grown a beard. "Day 45 of being marooned on this strange world filled with animals that can talk and walk on two legs... Plus multi coloured and some are normal animals... My grasp of sanity remains absolute and I have managed to move my lab equipment here before the archway short circuited... With my grandfather's notes; it led to me a lab he had set up for when he had been experimenting with travelling through the worlds... I have combined his tech with mine to use some more of his research... Some of it missing but I have found a hidden container with 7 artefacts using the same energy that was powering several of his inventions and projects back home... His notes state that they are called the Chaos Emeralds and are capable of unlimited power... That is of interest to me but I wonder about his studies of the bipedal hedgehogs who are capable of running at faster speeds that most of the other animals..." Robotnik said to his recording device to deliver a log.
However he then heard the sounds of burrowing and through the roof of the caved lab was a brown furred 6 year old hedgehog. "Sorry... Didn't know that a weird monkey was living here... I'm Sonic and I was trying to find the best hiding spot for hide and seek!" greeted the infant hedgehog and Robotnik looked at him.
"Sonic... An odd name... I'm Doctor Robotnik..." Robotnik introduced himself as Sonic laughed.
"Robuttnik... Funny name... They call me Sonic as I'm the fastest thing alive on the island!" Sonic bragged and Robotnik was annoyed by the insulting nickname but got an idea as he heard about him bragging about his speed and his grandfather's notes...
Late that afternoon inside an office building; Tom was packing up the stuff for the area that he was renting for his private detective agency. "So this is where you work?" said a voice as from the open window in came Sonic as Tom jumped.
"Sonic! What are you doing here? Someone could seen you here!" Tom snapped exasperated looking through the window to see what was out there.
"No one saw me as I'm too fast and besides; I just wanted a quick visit and I will be out of your head!" Sonic then said as he looked around. "So as a private detective; what kind of cases do you get?" Sonic then asked as Tom shook his head.
"Well... Last month I was hired to find evidence of a firm frauding their customers and last year I was hired to find evidence of a woman's husband cheating on her, he was not happy about that and I had to get a restraining order from the violent threats he was giving to my office... I also found a lost cat a week before you arrived..." Tom then said as Sonic just looked bored.
"I will be out of your head now... Feel free to ask me for help when you have a more exciting case..." Sonic then said as he then waved goodbye to him and Tom did the same. Sonic then ran and jumped back out o the window as he ran down the building and onto the streets as he heard sirens while running. He then saw catching up were GUN trucks and grinned as he started running but they opened up from the back and out came some ground Badniks as well as air ones with them GUN marked.
"Well; what do you know... Robotnik has his robot army ready now... Should be a lot more fun here now..." Sonic muttered looking behind him as he then grinned and then started slowing down to let the Badniks keep pace with him as he then dodged the blast fire with people on the streets running away in fear. He then went to work getting them out of the way as he then jumped up at the air Badniks to kick and destroy them. He then went into ball form to Spin Dash at the ground ones. Some more trucks came forward and out came more Badniks as well as GUN soldiers on motorcycles firing guns at him along with helicopters.
Sonic was now dodging their blasts as well as getting people out of the way as he then launched himself more at the Badniks. "Not gonna needlessly put the people here in danger just to play games with you Robotnik and your GUN friends..." Sonic muttered as he then zoomed far at top speed to get out of the area before going back to the Wachowski house.
Tom and Sonic had gotten back to the house to meet a concerned Maddie with Jojo and Cream up as the news of the robot fights with Sonic had already hit social media. "Robotnik has his Badniks army up and running again with GUN's help." Tails then said with a frown.
"As if GUN wasn't already dangerous on our streets; well we can just grin and bare it... The people of the city are already unhappy with GUN here having taking over the police and I think them putting out a robot army on the streets putting people at risk will make these complains louder as well as increase them. Their spin doctors and lawyers can only hold back so far..." Tom then said trying to sound optimistic.
"Now we can just hope that the city can last that long until Robotnik is beaten or he gets powerful enough that he doesn't have to listen to GUN or the government anymore..." Maddie then spoke with a sigh.
"And Robotnik will go back to his grand speeches... Crush the blasted hedgehog! Conquer the world! Unimaginable Power! Unlimited rice pudding!" Sonic then said making a mocking impersonation of Robotnik's voice that made Jojo and Cream laugh.
"Well sooner or later Sonic is going to show the people here that we are the good guys and Robotnik is not to be trusted! GUN is going to regret seeing him as an enemy or thinking that Robotnik can be trusted!" Tails then said with Cream cheering in agreement and Jojo smiled as she nodded. Sonic tried to look like he was being modest and didn't deserve this praise as the Wachowski couple looked amused.
Fang groaned as he tried to get to sleep on the old mattress that he had found in the sewers; without anything to clean himself or be able to get out of the sewer in who knows how long he smelled and looked awful. "Fang... My friend... You have seen better days..." Robotnik said making his appearance known with a grin as Fang got up and noticed him.
"If it isn't the good doctor... What do you want?" Fang demanded as Robotnik then pressed a button on his gauntlet and then in came a rebuilt and modified version of the Marvelous Queen. Fang's eyes widened as he got up.
"All your's again and upgraded. I want to hire out your services once again Fang. Once I take over the world then I will have your payment which will make you set for life and have a pleasurable place in the Eggman Empire. All I ask you to do is go out and hunt for the Chaos Emeralds for me..." Robotnik told him and Fang then grinned as he got up and then shook Robotnik's gloved hand.
"Now I am going to have to wash this... Word of advice for when you get out of here... Wash yourself in the body of water around this city..." Robotnik then told him as he then left and was smirking to himself. "Fang hunting the Emeralds for me while I stay here and focus on hunting down Sonic and whatever friends and allies he has here to help him keep hidden... Plus with Fang out and about; GUN and the government will have to continue relying on me to be their best bet to take care of the 'alien threats'..." Robotnik thought to himself as he got out of the sewer and went back to the parked and rebuilt Eggmobile; his own personal air teleportation vehicle that was armed for combat.
That Project Shadow fan short film I told you about last chapter? I watched the English dub in its live premiere and I really liked it. Noticed the influence from the movies and the effects and scenes were impressive for an indie fan project and seeing Shadow and Maria's friendship was sweet even if watching it caused dread because you KNEW where it was headed.
The first meeting of Sonic and Robotnik here is based on the early origin given in a story bible and was also used in the children's storybook Sonic the Story as well as the origin used in the Fleetway Sonic comics.