Jennifer Robotnik is a scientist first in most cases, usually tending to her machines and technology before herself, but she is a medical doctor as well. After being brought on to medical school by Charles de Hedgehog, Sonic's uncle, Jenni learned the ins and outs of various bodies that make up Mobius' denizens. These days, she rarely gets any patients, but when she does, she drops everything to help them to the best of her abilities…

Earlier that day, at the Cats Cafe, Ebony and Ivory were serving drinks while Agatha, dressed in a loincloth-cape combo that showed off a bit more of her curves than her usual cloak, acted as the entertainment via magic show. To say the people inside were excited would be an understatement. Watching this performance were two green, female pronghorns. The younger pronghorn looked very ill, though hid it with a smile and enthusiasm.

Younger Pronghorn: "Look, Clove… The way she made those paper doves come to life…"

Clove: "It's cool, I guess, Cassia… But nothing too interesting."

Cassia: "Aw, come on, sis. Don't be-"

Clove: "And you're looking a little… shaky. Are you okay?"

Cassia: "I'm fine, I'm fine. Excuse me! Another coffee please!"

Ivory gives an 'okay' gesture before roller skating her way to the back to fetch a cup of coffee.

Agatha: "Thank you all for the lovely attendance. Now to end off today's performance, I will need a volunteer."

Plenty of people in the cafe raise their hands, but Agatha approaches the pronghorn's table.

Cassia: "Yay…! I got picked…!"

But before she stood up to do the performance, Agatha shook her head and gave her a serious expression.

Agatha: "My dear, you are ill. Hide it all you want, but you know it to be true. Ebony! Ivory! Escort this young lass to Dr. Jenni right away!"

Clove: "W-Wait… Is it that serious!? Cassia!"

Cassia tries to deny the claims, but she collapses onto Agatha, the cat holding her so she doesn't hit the floor. Clove stands up and carries her sister, giving Agatha a sorrowful thankful look before walking out with Ebony and Ivory following.

At Jenni's mansion, Cassia was escorted to a room where she can lay down as Dr. Jenni takes some x-ray scans to identify the problem. Thankfully the condition wasn't another NIDS case, but it was serious judging by her look. She exits the exam room in order to confront Clove.

Clove: "Doctor! Is my sister okay?"

Jenni: "Bluntly, no. She's got some condition festering within her brain that is causing a loss of hearing, sight, and general brain activity. In my research in the medical field, it's a fairly common condition to see among deer or deer-adjacent Mobians."

Clove: "Well if it's common, there's a cure, right?"

Jenni: "Yes… if she had come sooner for treatment. As she is now, her hearing is going out, her taste buds are going to shut down, and within 24 hours, she'll be lucky to even breathe once her brain completely shuts down."

Clove started to break down, collapsing to the floor as she buried her face into her hands, crying loudly. But Jenni simply lit a cigarette as she took a drag.

Jenni: "...But I'm a doctor who doesn't give up that easily."

Clove: "Huh?"

Jenni: "It's too late for any conventional medicine to beat back her brain tumor, but there is an unconventional method that has risk, but far greater chances for her to live."

Clove: "What kind of risk?"

Jenni: "Death. It'd be quicker so your sister doesn't suffer, but we're looking at a rough estimate of a 54% survival rating."

Jenni looked… oddly confident in those chances. Clove wasn't sure; heck, she didn't even know Jenni, so why should she trust her? But what other choice did she have? It was either let her sister suffer or go through with whatever plan Jenni had. She agreed with a silent nod, having no choice but to rely on this quack doctor.

Jenni: "Good good. And if your sister happens to die in the process, I'll take full responsibility."

The doctor has Cassia moved to another room, serving as the surgery room.

Jenni entered the room with a surgical mask and two assistant robots with her as she stood over the unconscious Cassia. Nearby, Tails Doll watched with some interest at what the doctor was up to, seeing what looked to be cybernetic parts of some kind. Jenni took a deep breath as she went through the process of one of the most difficult surgery procedures in history - removing not just the brain and infected neurons, but the head completely replacing it. Despite her earlier bravado, Jenni was very nervous about the procedure.

Science Log 90 - Date: [REDACTED]

"I don't consider myself a miracle worker. Quite the opposite actually; I don't really believe in miracles, despite everything I've been through and seen. But this girl, Cassia, needed a miracle to survive this procedure. My feelings at the time were a mix of nervousness and fear. Fear that I may accidentally kill the patient, or worse… It's a feeling any doctor worth their license would experience - the fear that one little screw up may lead to an undesired consequence. I pride myself on my science and technological advances, but… Was this too much for me? That question kept repeating in my head as I went through the entire operation. The process of taking out the brain without killing the patient is, in medical history, the hardest thing people can do, since the heart needs the brain for blood circulation and for the heart to beat. My assistant robots were there to keep the heart beating by providing the necessary neurons to the organ. Minutes turned into hours… This was not a process I wanted to go through, but I had. To say that I didn't throw up at least once or twice would be horribly overselling my feelings on the matter. …But in the end, it all worked out."

Clove looked out of the window. It was midday when Cassia was brought in for surgery; it was now nearing midnight. Her patience was growing thin and she was getting restless as she paced around the halls. The door opened as Jenni walked out, removing her bloodied gloves and her surgical mask. Clove is startled by Jenni coming out and wasted no time to ask the big question.

Clove: "Did it work!? Is my sister okay!?"

Jenni: "She is going to be just fine."

Jenni says with a genuine smile. Clove looks in the room, seeing Cassia's head in a full cast; she turns to the doctor, wondering what she did.

Jenni: "Plain and simple, I had to remove her head. I'm serious by the way… Her brain wasn't the only issue going on with her, so her entire head needed a replacement. What I provided her were cybernetics with give her the motor functions she needed to live a normal life. She can talk, eat, sleep, dream - the whole nine yards. And, to the best of my abilities, I recreated her face so she'd look exactly as she did when she came in."

Clove: "So… She's truly okay? It all worked out?"

Jenni: "Being her heart monitor hasn't flatlined, I'd say so. Her cast is simply to help her body adjust to her new head without any interruptions, which will take an estimated five to six hours for her brain to catch up and register things properly again."

Clove was beyond happy. She let her emotions pour out as she thanked Jenni, hugging her tightly as she cried out. Jenni pats her back as she smiled.

Jenni: "As for you… Let's give you a quick check up just to see if you have that same condition as Cassia, hm?"

Clove: "Are you sure, Doctor? I do feel… fine…"

Jenni: "That's what they all say until it's too late."

Jenni escorts Clove to get an x-ray check, and, through this scan, Clove was revealed to have the same condition, but in its much earlier stages. With some prescribed medication, the pronghorn would be cured within a week.

The next morning came as eyes stared up at the ceiling lights. Those same eyes look around the room, seeing… neatly stacked books on a shelf, drawers of weird tools, then a figure. A crying figure who stared down at her with hopeful eyes.

Cassia: "...Clove? …Why do you have water coming out of your eyes?"

Clove: "Cassia… Oh sweet Cassia, you're okay!"

Clove hugs her sister, holding her close as Cassia looked… confused, not remembering much beyond the magic show.

Cassia: "Did I get picked for the final act?"

Clove: "You… did in a way… You did…"

Cassia let out a soft 'whoo' before getting out of bed, checking a nearby mirror. Her entire head was like it never went through surgery, even her eyes were normal. The only thing that looked amiss was her bed head, which nothing like a bit of combing wouldn't fix. As Cassia starts to comb her hair and get dressed to leave, Clove goes to Jenni's study to meet with the doctor, who was busy tending to the doll.

Clove: "Doctor Jenni, may I bother you?"

Jenni: "Sure, just don't do it often. How's your sister?"

Clove: "Awake and full of her usual pep. It's like she was reborn… Thank you, doctor."

Jenni: "Ah, don't mention it, Clove."

Clove looks down before pulling out her wallet. She had some money left, but she doubted it would be enough to pay for this kind of surgery or even the medicine Jenni gave her.

Clove: "Miss Jenni… How much do I owe you? I'll pay whatever I have."

Jenni raises an eyebrow at this, confused by the prospect of getting paid for doing a good deed.

Jenni: "Clove. I did this out of the kindness of my heart. You and your sister's health and happiness is payment enough for me."

Clove: "No. I'm sorry, but I refuse to leave such a good deed unpaid. My parents once told me that one good deed deserves another. So I insist on repaying you back. So please, name it."

Jenni looked at the Tails Doll on her desk, which did look back at her with the same level of intrigue. She mulled it over in her head - looking at both Cassia and Clove, they do appear to be more athletic Mobians. And Clove herself seems to have a good head on her shoulders as well. Perhaps… they'd be perfect candidates for a project she's been meaning to build up for some time now.

Jenni: "Very well, Clove. I'll accept your offer by enlisting you and Cassia under a secret training program I've been planning to develop. I'll discuss the full details later, but I'd like you to be an ally in a fight against my brother, Ivo Robotnik, and his plans to take over Mobius. It will get dangerous, but I have faith you and your sister can handle it together. What do you say?"

Cassia: "Did someone say 'dangerous'!?"

Cassia runs in, having heard the tail end of that explanation.

Clove: "Cassia… Miss Jenni, I said I would pay you back. I would appreciate it if you didn't involve my sister in-"

Cassia: "I'M IN! I like adventure… and danger! Bring on the fun times!"

Clove looked at Cassia before just face palming. She just got up and now she's excited to hurt herself again. Well, under Clove's leadership, maybe it won't be so bad.

Clove: "Fine. But I call being leader… if only to make sure you don't get into too much trouble, you danger happy greenhorn…"

Jenni: "Excellent. Your training will begin as soon as I have everything set up. But should danger come early, please be ready to evacuate the island at a moment's notice. Especially since this island's been a frequent target as of late…"

Clove: "Yes, ma'am."

Jenni: "And just call me 'Jen'. No 'ma'am', no 'doctor', nothing like that. You are not my servants; you are my friends under my protection."

Clove and Cassia salute and leave the study. Once Jenni and Tails Doll were alone again, the doll turns to Jenni to speak.

Tails Doll: "The girl offered you monetary compensation for your troubles… Yet you denied it. Why?"

Jenni: "Money isn't always important, Doll. It does get you nice things, but it is ultimately fleeting compared to one's happiness and joy."

Tails Doll: "She did seem… overjoyed. And the way you handled the surgery was admirable. …"

Tails Doll once again goes limp, leaving Jenni all by her lonesome as she sighs. She'll never truly understand Eggman's creations… but she's at least glad she has someone to talk to now.

Jenni: "You shouldn't just take one perspective to know how the world works, Doll. Perhaps we should take you to see… another's perspective."

To be continued…