A/N: Anyone else saw the Sonic movie trailer? No? Well, good. Best to keep your eyes pure, right?
But seriously, I actually kinda liked the trailer. It's a separate universe, I can understand that. Ben Schwartz as Sonic was different that what I was expecting. His voice sounds more adult than the Sonic I know. For the record, my favorite Sonic voices are Jason Griffith and Roger Craig Smith. I've never really heard the Ryan Drummond version, though. Also, I actually like Jim Carrey as Robotnik. Maybe I'll throw a movie reference or two in the story somewhere…
I joined a fanfiction Discord server and promoted this story, earning me a favorite or two, as well as three reviews! I was also amazed to see Leodragon678 there. Check out his story "Subject 4261" if you have time.
There's this one bug in the FFN docs editor that makes the space button not work when typing in forced-space paragraphs. It jams all the words in the third paragraph and onward. I can go back and correct it, though. Here's an example.
"This is a test line"
"This is a test line"
"Thisisatestline"
See what I mean? I hope it gets fixed soon; it's kinda annoying.
About the story, this was a difficult episode to rewrite. More on that in the post-chapter author's notes. Some of the other difficult episodes I perceive in the future are:
Unfair Ball - Not bad to write, but difficult to extend. (EDIT: Actually, this wasn't as bad as I thought.)
That's What Friends Are For - I like the Sonic and Helen parts, but Jerome Wise has got to go. He is so childish in this episode. (EDIT: I omitted this episode because I couldn't salvage it.)
The Dam Scam - There's got to be a real purpose behind that so-called "dam"… (EDIT: Sadly, I couldn't salvage this episode at all, except for one scene.)
How to Catch a Hedgehog - Yeah, the last plan to stop Sonic was way too loony. (EDIT: I omitted this episode too.)
The Entire Shadow Saga - Can't explain why for reasons that will spoil future parts of the story.
A Date to Forget - Amy is not Tsundere here. (EDIT: I'm omitting this one too.)
Sewer Search - Immaturity at its finest. (EDIT: Same with this one)
Galactic Gumshoes - We need more filler material.
Mission: Match Up - Nope, no embarrassing Chaotix here. Also, I want to add an all-new side story here.
The Planet of Misfortune - Amy is not Tsundere here. Also, maybe some more filler material. (EDIT: Same with episode 18, I can't really salvage this one, but I could write it in a separate oneshot some day.)
The Light in the Darkness / A Fearless Friend - We need more filler material. Also, the Cosmo's death scene… The feels! ;(
So Long Sonic - This episode is getting gutted for reasons I can't explain now.
If you have any ideas for these episodes or any other episodes, shoot them my way in the reviews or PMs!
Backlog update: I have the plots written through Chapter 8 (Satellite Swindle), the extended synopses through Chapter 11, (Fly Spy), as well as plots for the Chaos Saga through Episode 30 (Heads Up, Tails!). Total side note: The Chaos Saga is really different than the original one in a good way. I can't wait for us to get there.
WARNING! Carry on reading, or you will be roboticized, even if you only looked at the word "warning"! (EDIT: Why did I think quoting a copypasta was funny?)
In all seriousness, even though the content I am warning about is significantly less warn-worthy than the last chapter, there will be a little blood near the end of the chapter. But only a little.
One last note: E-51 Intelligente is being renamed E-51 Drill Sergeant.
I want to thank SharpDragonKlaw, D.J. Scales, I Hate Snatch Steal, tomasaurusrex2, and Twistedlionstories for favoriting and following since my last chapter!
Anyway, let's get on to the reviews and what matters most: the story!
GuardianDragon98
Ah so Knuckles still falls for Eggman's tricks. I have to admit though, the Doctor's way of manipulating him was a lot more cunning - pulling out that false theory of the Chaos Emeralds having a negative effect on Mobians… clever ploy Eggman, very clever.
I love Sonic's protective side here. I hope we get to see more of it in future chapters. As for your response to my review, thanks :) Now I'm wondering if you're going to make any references to Sonic's imprisonment during Forces in future chapters. Like will there be flashbacks in Sonic's POV, offering a glimpse into those negative emotions he keeps behind a mask of cheerfulness?
Yeah, I wasn't going to just settle for a crybaby Eggman. Knuckles would never believe him then.
Oh, you'll definitely be seeing more of Sonic's protective side soon. As for Sonic's imprisonment, I don't see an opening for references to Sonic's imprisonment in the near future, though, but it will certainly be referenced. Two episode I have in mind for this are "Sonic's Big Break" and "H2 Whoa".
The Green Seer
Heya! So glad you keep working on this story. I usually lose interest in writing rather quickly. I always admire writers who can continue putting out chapters as lengthy as you do. Keep it up!
The idea of Sonic taking meals to Knuckles is simply adorable. And a cute touch for their relationship. I'm happy you're keeping Knuckles near the group. Now every time Sonic goes out for a run I'm going to wonder 'Is he going to hang out with Knuckles?'.
This episode was a favorite of mine. And thank you for Eggman properly manipulating Knuckles. Just dump science on him. That's all you need to do! Expanding on the manor scene was nice as well as the Tornado. I don't remember the reason why they didn't take it in the first place but even if it was not used, it's things that make sense that are good to be there.
I admit I have not played Forces, and I don't know the names of robots and series that Eggman has, so I'll take your word for it. The Citadel is scary though, and I hope we'll see it in the future, maybe. Again, Matt. The party episode is another favorite, just because of how random everybody is. It should be good.
The fight was great. Lengthy and actually a challenge for Sonic and Knuckles. And there were injuries, at least scratches and bruises. I'm not a sadist or anything but seriously, fighting robots is dangerous business unless you're Sonic or Knuckles.
The electrocution scene…well, it was tame honestly. I don't know how much experience you have with writing but to me this whole chapter just needed an 'extreme violence' warning…if even that. I've stumbled across a lot of really messed up stories but as I said, I'm not a sadist. If it has a role and it makes sense then sure, otherwise it just takes me out of the story. Violence is realistic, especially in a setting like this. So don't be afraid to use it as long as it doesn't go overboard.
(Also, the fact that Chris is starting to understand the gravity of the situation he got himself in, that is well done.)
The ending was sweet. Some nice Sonic/Chris bonding. Can't wait for the next chapter. I love the teacher episode just because of how badass Sonic is during the fight and after.
Heya, Green Seer! Great to see another review from you! I still have a driving passion for this story, and I have no plans of quitting any time soon, which is great news for everyone.
Actually, one of the only reasons I had Sonic taking meals to Knuckles was this: How else is Knuckles going to eat without being seen? So that's how this started. But come to think of it, it is cute! :D
Like I told GuardianDragon98, I wasn't going to settle for a crybaby Eggman. Knuckles would never believe him that way. If Eggman kept his cool and was more convincing, then that is a little lesson in trickery. As far as the going down in history part, well…
There was no reason they couldn't take the Tornado. Also, I found it impossible to leave Cream out of the episode, and I don't know how the original episode did it. Nevertheless, I think Cream was a great addition to the episode. Also, if Tails weighs 44 pounds, and Amy however much she weighs, imagine Chris hauling both of them onto and off of the train.
The Citadel, or E-47 Pumpty, never appeared in Sonic Forces. But what if it did? I actually enjoyed writing a backstory for them. They could easily have appeared in a memorable battle in the Phantom War. If I do go through with an episode Sonic Forces rewrite, then I'll definitely relate that story.
As for Matt… we'll see him next chapter! I've taken special precautions to make sure he doesn't end up being yet another Mary Sue.
I really enjoyed lengthening the fight. And yes, I knew I had to add Badniks. Why send out a heavy-duty robot if you're not going to reinforce it with Badniks?
How much experience do I have? Does writing a script-style Mario story in a notebook at age seven count? :P Seriously, I joined FFN in September 2017, but this is probably the most extreme chapter of any story I've ever written. And yes, I did try to make the electrocution scene tame. It's probably not going to get any worse than that… well, except maybe for "Sonic's Scream Test", "Countdown to Chaos", and "Teasing Time". I'm not a sadist either, but sometimes it feels necessary. I'm not going to have any senseless violence here.
Oh, you'll definitely see how way past cool Sonic is during his fight against Eggman and his teacher robot in this chapter! I think you'll like the results.
SharpDragonKlaw
This story has me interested. I liked seeing Sonic's protective side to the younger heroes he is looking more like a big brother to them. Your Sonic Forces rewrite (as I never liked the game for a lot of reasons) does sound interesting.
I'm glad you like my version of Sonic as much as I love writing him. It may be a while until my Sonic Forces rewrite comes out, if I do go through with it. I'll need to think of a ton of plot ideas, and I'm actually open to ideas. No Classic Sonic, thought. Gadget I'm still debating on.
Thanks to D.J. Scales and Twistedlionstories for their positive feedback, and here's the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own any elements in this story except for my own characters. Sonic the Hedgehog is owned by SEGA, who does not endorse or affiliate itself with this work of fiction. Real world locations and organizations are used fictitiously. Real world people will be mentioned, but will not appear, in order to adhere with "Entries not allowed" Rule 4.
Techno-Teacher? What's wrong with Pop Teacher, Trance Teacher, or… dare I say it… Rap Teacher? Actually, let's just move on and forget about these pointless 4Kids naming schemes…
Chapter 6
Episode 6
Chris' Teacher is a Robot!? The Entrepreneurs Return at Last!
Chris' Family
Thorndyke Mansion - Outside – Thu September 2; 7:18 AM – Third-person POV
It was the morning of Thursday, September 2. Five days had passed since the unfortunate Citadel incident at Silver Valley. Everyone who was involved wished to forget about everything that happened on that fateful day.
But Sonic the Hedgehog knew he could never forget.
As he started off on his daily morning run, the thoughts that continuously ran through his mind over the last few days were once again on his mind now. He did his best thinking on his feet, but he wasn't coming up with any clear answers.
Think, Sonic. How can I protect Chris? How do I make sure he's safe at all times without anyone seeing me? There's gotta be an easy way to do it!
He knew that no one else was supposed to know he was here on Earth except for Chris and Chuck (and of course, his friends), but after three separate encounters with Eggman since arriving, he knew that complete secrecy was way out the window. But how could he be there for Chris, especially away from home, when no one else was supposed to see him?
Sonic had sparred with Eggman three times since the two of them made it to Earth. All three battles had something in common: Chris Thorndyke. He was involved in some way during all of them, and was even the center of attention most recently. That was way too much danger for a twelve-year-old to handle. Sure, Amy was twelve too, and she had taken part in a planetary war. And Tails was even younger!
But age and maturity worked differently with humans than Mobians. Something had to be done to keep Chris away from Eggman as much as possible.
As he ran, he did not see the hidden government agents in a bush he passed.
"523," one of the three men reported Sonic's speed as he lowered a device in his hand.
These men were sent on direct authority of the President to study the alien. After a few days of taking shifts in a bush across the street from the Thorndykes' massive residence (they did not want to arouse the suspicions of the family within), they quickly learned that the alien took daily runs starting around seven in the morning, and started nearly every run going in the same direction.
Ever since learning that the alien started its runs at the same time each morning, they no longer needed to take shifts – their new order was to record its speed and get a feel for just how fast it could run. So they were hiding in a bush with a radar gun, a notebook, and a tablet.
"Good; write that down," the second agent requested as the third wrote down the latest recording.
"Okay, that's pretty consistent with the other speeds," he announced. The second agent took the notebook and punched some numbers into his tablet.
"I'm still baffled how any living thing can run that fast without, like… breaking the laws of physics," the first agent commented.
"Well, that's just the tip of the iceberg," the third agent added. "Tons of people up in Cantonville reported seeing loose pieces of scrap metal in Silver Valley. There's even rumors about them being related to Dr. Robotnik."
"Yeah, I wouldn't doubt that," nodded the first agent.
"And the metal from the robot he allegedly used was salvaged and taken to Area 99 for analysis. They won't say much except that it's other-worldly."
"Finished," the second agent announced. He picked up his radio. "Bravo-Five-Seven to Mission Control. Do you read?"
"Loud and clear," came the response.
"Speed average for Day Eleven is 512 miles per hour. Over."
There was a pause. "Ten-four. Mission complete. Report to HQ for new instructions."
"Ten-four. Over and out."
Thorndyke Mansion – Thu September 2; 7:39 AM – Chris' POV
As I sat down in the dining room for breakfast, I thought back to what had happened five days ago after what was supposed to be a leisurely hunt for a Chaos Emerald.
As promised, Sonic had gone back to Silver Valley to clean up the debris left by Eggman's robot. He had told me that night that he made it look as if Eggman had never been there. That brought me great relief, as I knew no one would go near the lake if it was polluted by metal and spilled fuel. Now no one would ever know what happened there. I wished I could say the same. Some things were just too hard to forget.
When Sonic brought me back home, I was laid down in Grandpa's bed up in the lab, where I had been placed just the day before. It only took Cream and Grandpa seconds to notice that I didn't look well. Of course the cuts and bruises were evidence enough, but after Grandpa pried, I told them that Eggman electrocuted me for trying to escape. That got Cream really worried and even frightened, and Grandpa got mad at Eggman to the point where he even ranted a bit on how inhumane and evil that was. Cream had to ask him to please calm down after that.
Minutes later, the sound of a plane's motor signaled the arrival of Tails and Amy, and they were relieved to find me safe in bed. I had stayed there until the morning being treated by Grandpa due to my pain and weakness. Sonic had to rush to get me a bucket before I finally spewed my insides. The combination of motion sickness, smoke, and the rush home had contributed to my vomiting into the bucket. This had earned me even more sympathy, and made me wish even more that I was never at Silver Valley in the first place.
As a result of my queasiness and pain, Grandpa let me skip school the next day, telling Ella and Tanaka that I was under the weather. He was a little hesitant to let me in the house because he didn't know what my guardians would say about my condition. But he did nonetheless because he didn't want them to be too suspicious. They couldn't know about my new friends yet.
One thing I remembered as I dozed off to sleep that day was Grandpa, Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Cream talking about a strategy to gather the remaining Chaos Emeralds, and me needing to be kept safe at all costs. Due to my fatigue and adrenalin rush wearing off, I was too tired to add anything to the conversation. I had to admit, I did need protection. Eggman was a far more serious threat than I realized.
There was one thing for which I had been very grateful after the incident. No one had called us about interviews for TV or magazines. They got very annoying after a while, and Ella told them to stop after an incident we described as the straw that broke the camel's back. If there were reporters now, Sonic's cover would be blown, and my entire family would be charged for conspiracy and potentially harboring criminals, even if they didn't know what I knew.
That was five days ago. Now, I was eating a hearty breakfast before school – an otherwise boring routine, but for once, I found it to be a welcome change of pace. I was thankful that Ella was the greatest cook in the world, so hearty was normal for me. Grandpa used to brag that she could beat Bobby Flay with one hand behind her back, and I was pretty sure she even did do that once.
Mr. Tanaka entered the room, his cell phone to his ear. He was smiling, something I didn't often see him doing on the phone.
"Yes, I shall tell him at once. Stay safe, Mr. Thorndyke."
With that, he hung up and turned to me.
"That was your father, Master Chris. He would like to inform you that he and your mother will be arriving here for a visit this afternoon, and they have expressed their heartfelt desire to see you."
"Really?!" I immediately got excited. It had been eight months since I had last seen them. It looked like their busy schedules had finally worked out for once.
A smiling Tanaka nodded. "They will be here through the weekend, if I am not mistaken. The master would have told you himself, but he was called away quite suddenly." Last-minute work on a project, I assumed.
"Oh, I can't wait to catch up with Mrs. Thorndyke!" an ecstatic Ella beamed.
I was feeling so giddy! Mom and Dad were coming today! It was a good thing I was just finishing breakfast, because I wanted to tell my friends and Grandpa about this.
"May I be excused?" I asked Ella. "I wanna tell Grandpa about this!"
"Yes, you may," Ella said. With that, I immediately got up, grabbed my backpack from off the table, and ran toward the front door. "But don't take too long! You have school, remember," she called after me.
"I know! Bye, guys!" I called back as I opened the door and ran outside. I made a beeline for the lab, feeling glad that Tanaka had relaxed the rule about running inside. I was older now and could take better care of myself on the foyer's marble floor.
Not even a minute later, I burst through the lab's trap door, accidentally startling everyone inside. To my mild surprise, Sonic was also there, and they were all enjoying chili dogs. Sonic must have easily turned everyone else onto them, maybe even bribed Grandpa into getting them for all I know. They were even starting to grow on me.
"Oh, you scared me," Grandpa said, his hand clamped over his heart.
"S-Sorry," I hastily apologized, panting a bit, "but Mom and Dad are finally coming home this afternoon!"
"Well now, that's great news!" Grandpa exclaimed, a broad smile on his face. "Oh, it's gonna be great to see your dad again after all these months. I hope work's been going well with him."
I found that my friends' expressions carried a different tone. Tails, Amy, and even Cream all seemed confused, while Sonic seemed to have an odd expression that I couldn't place.
"Um, is there a reason why they're, um… not here?" Tails queried.
"I'll explain later," Grandpa promised before taking another bite of his chili dog. Now I wanted one, even if I had already eaten.
Having finished his own chili dog, Sonic crumpled up the wrapper and tossed it perfectly into the garbage can next to Grandpa's desk. He stood up, stretched, and made his way to the trap door.
"Where are you going, Sonic?" I asked.
"Just the roof," he answered simply before lifting the door and descending the stairs. He closed the door behind him.
"Is he okay?" I asked no one in particular.
"I'm not too sure, actually…" answered Tails. "He's been thinking about a lot of things since we got here. When he's not running, he likes to relax on the roof or maybe in a tree to think. But a lot of the time, he does his best thinking on his feet."
Well, I guess that made sense in a way… But it still didn't explain Sonic's somewhat strange behavior ever since the incident at Silver Valley. Since then, he had been sideglancing me, and I happened to catch him doing that sometimes. Other than that, he seemed pretty normal for what I knew about him.
I snapped myself back to reality.
"So, uh… if it okay if you can please stay out of sight when Mom and Dad come?" I requested.
"Sure thing," Amy agreed. Tails nodded.
"Mr. Chris, I don't want to be rude, but how long are your parents going to be here?" Cream asked.
"I think, uh… through the weekend?" I answered. Cream looked a little dismayed at the thought of having to be cooped up in a small room for the whole weekend.
"Don't worry, Cream," Amy encouraged, scooted closer to her friend. "We can have some fun while they're here, like maybe play a board game! Hey Chris, do you have board games in the house?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I can get some when I'm back from school."
Grandpa rotated his desk chair to face the rest of the room. "Actually, I can get them myself right after I see you off to school, which starts in…" He looked at the clock. "…ten minutes."
Only then did I realize what time it was. If I stayed a second longer, I would be late for school for sure.
With a hasty "Thanks for reminding me Grandpa bye guys!", I immediately threw open the trap door and ran down the stairs…
…except I was probably a little too hasty. I fell forward, but I landed on my hands to break my fall.
"Chris, are you all right?" called a concerned Grandpa from above me.
"Y-Yeah, I'm okay!" I called back as I stood back up and ran for my bike, grateful that Sonic had brought it back after we found the first Chaos Emerald. I mounted it and pedaled off to school.
Thorndyke Mansion - Chuck's lab – Thu September 2; 7:50 AM – Third-person POV
Everyone felt relief that Chris was not seriously hurt. The way he flew down those stairs…
Having run over to the trap door to see if Chris was okay, Tails returned to his beanbag and sat down, wondering to himself why it never occurred to him for the past two weeks to ask about Chris' parents. The boy seemed like he had it all – a big house, lots of money, even a butler and a maid… but no real family he lived with aside from his grandfather.
"I saw that Mr. Chris looked very happy to know his parents are coming," noted Cream.
"Chao chao!" echoed Cheese before the Chao stuffed his face with another bite of chili dog, to Tails' amusement.
"He is," Chuck nodded. "He hasn't seen them in eight months."
"…What…?" Amy spoke after a moment, clearly at a loss for words. "I… I didn't…"
"I wonder… what are they doing that's keeping them away from home so long?" Tails asked.
"They're both uber-famous," Chuck said, before he took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat. "His father, his name is Nelson, is a businessman. He runs this big company called Starship Soft, and it's one of the world's biggest technological industries. They deal in all kinds of things like hardware and software, and they're the parent company of several house appliance brands."
"Whoa…" breathed Tails.
"What about his mom?" Amy asked.
"Lindsey's a famous Hollywood actress, and I'm talking really famous," Chuck said.
"Hollywood?" Amy asked, confused.
"Yeah, that's a place where they film a lot of movies," clarified Chuck.
"Ah, okay," nodded Amy.
By now everyone had finished eating, so they set their plates aside.
"…They sound like they're really busy people…" Tails quietly pondered. "Do they come here a lot?"
"I wish they did, Tails, but… they visit only two or three times a year, sometimes five, and that's a lot for them," Chuck answered. "I want them to visit more often just as much as Chris does, but their jobs are very demanding. But at the same time, they both love their jobs."
"Poor Chris…" sympathized Cream. "Is he lonely?"
Chuck closed his eyes, nodding his head slightly. "It's like he has a hole in his heart, and with his parents' visits so few and far between, well…" He took a deep breath. "He's a very lonely kid, and he's been trying to fill that hole with anything he can."
"But doesn't he have any other family, or friends even?" Amy asked.
Chuck hesitated, almost unsure of what to say. "He does have an uncle who works in a special branch of the police force, but that's another big job and he doesn't come here a lot either. His mother's parents live in England, but as for actual friends… I… I think you're his first."
Cream's eyes went wide. "Mr. Chris never had friends before?!" she exclaimed like it was the most scandalous thing she had heard in her six years alive.
"But he's such a nice kid!" Amy added in her own two cents. "How can he not have any friends? Especially when he's this famous! And he even goes to school and everything!"
"I don't know, Amy…" Chuck slowly shook his head. "Yes, there are people who like him, but it's only because he's rich. That's what he told me himself. Nobody likes him for who he is on the inside." He closed his eyes, trying to forbid tears from forming. "I want the best for him, I really do. But there's nothing I can do to help him make true friends. He's starting to become an introvert now."
The Mobians didn't know what to say. Chris not only didn't have friends, but couldn't make any, either. That was a real shame.
"Listen," Chuck continued pleadingly. "You have no idea how much you've radically turned his life around. I noticed he seems to be a lot happier with you here." He paused, unsure of how to phrase what he was about to say. "So… Tails, Amy, Cream… Please take care of him. He needs you."
Tails, Amy, Cream, and even Cheese solemnly nodded.
"You can count on us, Chuck," Tails answered for everyone.
Chuck looked from one face to the next. "Thank you," he said after a pause.
Little did they know that, from his spot on the roof, Sonic had heard every word of the conversation.
Eggman's base – Thu September 2; 7:56 AM – Third-person POV
Eggman was bored. He had not made a move toward world domination in the last five days, besides organizing and reorganizing his Badniks and E-series robots. He had kept tabs on the GUN surveillance team on his island. So far, they had done nothing of interest since their arrival. He thought it to be unwise to instigate them now, as that would result in a war. In fact, a war was already just beyond the horizon, and he had to prepare for an eventual all-out attack on his base.
But there was one individual he couldn't seem to rid from his mind, and for once, it wasn't the hedgehog. It was the boy.
The last time Eggman made a move, he nearly succeeded in taking the child to his fortress for roboticization, even if he didn't have one ready yet. He knew it wouldn't take him too long to build one, so the prison block could hold him for a few weeks until then. However, his Chaos Roboticizer had taken him a solid month to build. He would have to settle for a normal Roboticizer.
This time he wouldn't try to outright get rid of him, or roboticize him. This time he would attempt to get to know his enemy better.
There seemed to be more to this boy than met the eye. Eggman still couldn't get over the fact that he stole the Chaos Emerald right out from under his nose in broad daylight. He needed to know several things about this new enemy Sonic was staying with.
Who is he?
What is his background?
Who are his allies?
What makes him dangerous?
"Doctor Eggman, you will want to view Monitor 4," Bocoe's voice came, rousing the doctor from his thoughts. "There is something of interest."
Eggman looked up at one of the smaller screens flanking the big screen. The image clearly depicted a familiar-looking child riding a bicycle.
The boy who stole the Emerald.
"This is the live feed from one of the surveillance robots navigating the city," explained Bocoe. For days Eggman had his surveillance orbs, an older series of spy robots, scouting the city for any signs of anything that could potentially forward his plans.
"Is this the child you saw earlier?" Bocoe asked.
Eggman nodded. "It is."
"What do you intend to do?" Bocoe asked. "Surely it is not in your nature to stalk minors."
"Oh no, I'm not stalking him," Eggman corrected. "I have enough dignity to not stoop that low. No, I only intend to learn more about him. That annoying pincushion and his rodent friends are staying with him, and, in case you didn't know, this boy stole a Chaos Emerald right out of my grasp!"
"We have already been informed of this in approximately thirty-seven instances," Bocoe said, doing the closest thing to deadpanning. Eggman shrugged it off.
"The worst part of that is it isn't even hyperbole… Regardless… the time may be here at last." He stroked his mustache. "Have this probe unit follow the boy. I want to know where he is headed."
"Affirmative."
A few keystrokes from Bocoe later, and the probe set its photoreceptor on the boy and pursued him. Eggman couldn't help but notice that he had a strange smile on his face. It was like he was excited about something. He wondered what it could be.
"What do you intend to do once he reaches his destination?" queried Decoe, who was stationed at another part of the console.
"Nothing, yet," Eggman answered. "Perhaps he is making a rendezvous… at…"
His voice trailed off as the boy already arrived at his destination. He locked his bike and ran toward the front doors of what looked like a school. Eggman peered intently at the sign outside the school.
"Oakview Elementary…" he mused, reading the big white letters on the blue sign. "This must be where he goes to school…" He rose to his feet in an instant. "Perfect. Now I can put my next plan into action!"
"Does this scheme involve the new E-51 unit you have constructed recently, Doctor?" asked Decoe.
Eggman grinned. "Indeed it does. Decoe, fetch the coordinates of the school while I summon my latest creation."
"Yes, Doctor," the yellow robot saluted as he went to his assigned post. Eggman walked toward the intercom activator and switched it on.
"E-51 Drill Sergeant, report to the command center immediately. It's time for your assignment."
"It is strange that Doctor Eggman just so happens to have a robot ready for this very scenario," Decoe commented.
"Agreed," Bocoe said.
"I am always prepared for every scenario!" declared Eggman.
Luckily, the doctor didn't have to wait long for his newest robot to emerge through the doors of the command center. It was tall, stately even, and sported LED eyes that could display emotion. It was even complete with a graduation cap. But within its code, it was programmed for Eggman's intentions.
"At your service, Doctor," the robot droned, carrying some rare emotion in its voice.
"Good. Come here, and I'll patch the coordinates into your databanks."
"Yes, Doctor."
"Now, hold still."
There was a wire that resembled Earth's USB wires dangling from the robot's graduation cap. The mad genius took it and plugged it into a slot in the console designed for it, selected a few options on a touchpad, and soon began the process of installing the school's coordinates, as well as the image of the child Sonic was staying with, into the robot's memory.
"Do you need a refresher on your mission?" Eggman asked.
"Negative," E-51 stated. "I am programmed to infiltrate the school of the child affiliated with Sonic the Hedgehog, and incite his class into supporting the Eggman Empire."
"Good," Eggman beamed. "One more thing before you go, and I promise, these will come in handy."
He then opened a drawer and pulled out two large cartridges, adorned with intricate circuit boards protected with a transparent casing. Then he took a screwdriver from his suit pocket and unscrewed a compartment in the robot's back before inserting them.
"One of these chips contains a mind control module that can override voluntary actions and even emotions – everything except for independent thoughts. The other… it may be a bit sketchy, but it's a short-range teleportation module from one of my earlier schemes. It's an older model, and I haven't had the time to make any new ones, so it may prove to be a bit unstable and could malfunction, but I've programmed you to resist that if it happens.
"Use any means necessary to get those children to support me," Eggman continued as he screwed the panel shut. "If the school's security gets too persistent, teleport yourself out of there. Do you understand?"
"Affirmative," the E-51 saluted.
"Be on your way now. You don't need to use the runway; the Badnik launch bay will be much more sufficient with your smaller size."
"Affirmative," the E-51 repeated as it hovered from the room. Eggman sat back and watched the radar as a blip moved away from his base and toward Station Square. The Drill Sergeant would succeed. He was sure of it.
Oakview Elementary – Thu September 2; 8:13 AM – Chris' POV
Math may have been my favorite subject, but sometimes it had an uncanny way of making Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels seem easy.
Today I was struggling on an algebra pop quiz. Why did it have to be algebra? Why couldn't it be normal math, like subtraction or even long division?
While I liked math, algebra was never my strong suit. They seemed to be full of guesswork some of the time; in essence, I found the math problems to be… well… problems. Two of the most daunting problems were n + 2 = 3³ - 5 and (2 × y) + 4 = 32 - 12.
Maybe I had exaggerated earlier. While I had done algebra before, this was the kind of algebra I hated, and now the problems were getting more difficult with each passing grade. And this was only sixth grade. I dreaded to experience what high school algebra would hold for me.
I found myself wishing something exciting would happen to break me away from my pop quiz. Something like a leak or a fire drill or–
KERBLAM!
Suddenly the door was blasted off its hinges by something from outside. It slammed into the opposite wall, leaving a door-shaped indent in its wake. To answer everyone's question about what caused it, a tall robot hovered into the room. It was about six feet tall, and was sporting one of those hats one would typically see at high school graduation parties.
Mr. Stewart instinctively jumped up and faced the newcomer.
"Stand down!" exclaimed Mr. Stewart.
"No one will leave the premises," it demanded in a somewhat monotone voice before my teacher could speak.
What did it want? Why was it here? I had to admit, I was startled, but fortunately, Mr. Stewart didn't lose his cool.
"Who are you?" he asked. "Are you with Robotnik?"
"Affirmative," the robot replied.
"Tell me what you want," Mr. Stewart ordered as calmly as possible.
"By order of Dr. Eggman, you are to be removed from this establishment immediately," the robot stated as it slowly approached the teacher, its mouth grille flashing in time to its speech. "I am designed to be a functional part of the teacher's union, and compared to you, I have a database of knowledge that you are not exercising."
Mr. Stewart pulled a pistol out of his jacket. I was surprised to see that he was a legal carrier.
"Listen, if you do not leave immediately, I will have security escort you out of the building." And then he had a double take. "Wait, hold on, how did you even get in here witho–"
He didn't get a chance to finish as the robot suddenly fired a beam out of its eyes, vaporizing Mr. Stewart into a shower of atoms. We were all stunned into silence at this sudden turn of events. I was really getting to like my teacher, especially since he had told me a couple of times how much he loved Mom's movies. Why did this robot have to do this?
Now that it no longer had any hindrances, the robot hovered over to the seat Mr. Stewart used to occupy and faced us.
"I am E-51 Drill Sergeant, servant of Dr. Eggman, but you will address me as E-51," it stated.
After the initial screaming, a lot of the students were now whimpering and cowering behind their desks.
"He killed Mr. Stewart…" Danny whispered, still in shock, but E-51 overheard.
"Negative. Previous instructor Franklin Stewart is not deceased. He has been transported. I am his permanent substitute. Today I will instruct you in the truth about Dr. Eggman."
My blood ran cold. Eggman had some nerve sending a robot here to teach us about him. What was the point? Was it propaganda?
As a sinking feeling set in, I suddenly felt myself regretting my wish. Now all I wanted was to go back to my algebra pop quiz…
Somewhere – Thu September 2; 8:15 AM – Third-person POV
Mr. Stewart was far from dead.
Just a moment ago, he was teaching his class like it was any other day. Now he was standing in a hallway he was completely unfamiliar with, all because one of Eggman's robots appeared and kicked him out without any explanation.
He was thoroughly confused. He was here now… But he had just been in the classroom seconds ago. It seemed to be a teleportation device of some sort. But that kind of technology was not able to be harnessed by the human race yet, so he was left baffled over how Eggman managed to pull it off.
Whatever the case, he knew he had to make it back to his class and make sure they were okay – especially the boy he was assigned to.
But first, he had to figure out where on Earth he was.
A cursory overview of his surroundings provided him no easy answer. He hadn't been given a sufficient tour of the entire school, so he had no idea which hallway he was in. Even worse, he didn't know if he was even in the same school anymore.
Sigh... The teacher's union doesn't pay me enough for this. Neither does the CIA, he thought. They have no idea what I'm dealing with. I have no idea what I'm dealing with.
He began to aimlessly wander down the hall, looking for any sign of where he was. But none of the doors or hallways looked familiar to him. This was bad news. If he didn't make it back to his class, there would be certain calamity. It was his duty to make sure Chris lived long enough to supply him and the government information on Sonic. His whole mission would be awash if anything were to happen to that boy.
He was baffled as to why the robot spared his life. Its creator had sworn to destroy anyone who got in the way of world domination. If he had been killed, then the students would be robbed of their innocence. Maybe the doctor had some heart in him after all.
At last he spotted a pair of restrooms. He entered the men's room and, to his relief, found that it was vacant. He ducked into a stall, closed the door behind him, and pressed a few tiny buttons on his video watch to activate it. The face of his superior appeared on the screen.
"Mission Control, this is Chalkboard Charlie. We have a situation here. I, uh…" He sniffed. "I don't exactly know how to explain this, but… an unidentified robot teleported me out of my classroom."
The agent was silent, allowing the message to sink in.
"…Did I hear you right?" he asked. "It teleported you out, like Star Trek?"
"Yes, sir. He's one of Robotnik's robots, he told me himself."
The agent nodded. "Do you know if school security is on the scene?"
"No, not yet," Stewart responded. "I don't know if I'm even in the same school."
"Stay on the line. I'm getting your coordinates now."
As the agent glanced off to the side, probably at another screen, Mr. Stewart looked down at the floor. If the doctor tried to remove him from the classroom, this meant that he wanted the children for something. This was at the very least a hostage crisis.
The agent returned to the screen's view a moment later.
"According to the GPS, you're still at Oakview Elementary."
Mr. Stewart found this piece of news both a relief and a shock. If the robot wanted him out of the classroom, why did it only send him to another part of the building, instead of another city entirely?
"Copy."
"I suggest you contact local police. We'll make arrangements on our end to deploy the army if the situation escalates any further."
"Sir, wouldn't police presence escalate this situation? It's already delicate," Stewart asked.
"Even so, I think you should try it anyway. This is a robot we're dealing with, not a human."
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Stewart disconnected from his superior and reached for his cell phone. He hoped the police were able to do something. He dialed 911 and held the phone to his ear. After he finished calling, he became determined to find his class and see if they were safe.
Oakview Elementary – Thu September 2; 8:17 AM – Chris' POV
"I already know the truth!" I blurted, thoroughly disgusted over what E-51 had just told us. It was propaganda through and through, and I was too smart to fall for it. There were a lot of people who may have easily gotten tricked by Eggman, especially Millennials and Gen-Z people such as myself. But I knew they couldn't get into my head that easily; I learned from Sonic himself about the extent of Eggman's ambitions, and I also had first-hand experience.
I could swear E-51 glared at me with malice through its glowing eyes.
"You will remain silent," it admonished. "All of you will remain silent by order of the Eggman Empire."
"No, you shut up!" Danny piped up. I admired his bravery. "Stop telling us Eggman is a good guy! He's evil!"
"Creator Dr. Robotnik is not designated 'evil'," corrected E-51. "The future Eggman Empire will benefit humanity. Eggmanland will be the be-all-end-all carnival. In due time you will all call Dr. Robotnik your new master."
"My friends told me a lot about him," I replied, feeling bold. "They told me that everyone in the Eggman Empire will be robots. "
"Affirmative," E-51 confirmed.
Apparently our courage sparked rebellion throughout the classroom. It erupted with cries of:
"I wanna stay a human!"
"Eggman will never win!"
"The aliens will defeat him!"
"Eggman's robots stink!"
"You don't have to listen to him!"
That last one came from Frances. I wasn't expecting anyone to come at E-51 from that angle, but I thought it might have been worth a try.
The robot, however, would have none of it. It slowly floated toward her, its eyes beginning to turn a scary shade of red.
"Do you suggest mutiny?" it demanded.
Frances held her resolve. "Look, he could throw away his robots when he's done with them. Do you really want to be one of them?"
"Yeah," Danny added. "Do you wanna have freedom?"
"Freedom…" E-51 droned, as if it was never programmed with such a concept in its entire mechanical life. "That does not compute."
Just then the robot started to freeze up. This took me by surprise.
"Error… Error…" it repeated as its hands started to glow intensely bright. "Teleportation module overridden."
We had to squint at its sudden brightness. It was almost as bad as the time I accidentally shone my flashlight in my face a few weeks ago.
Before I knew it, its entire body was glowing, and energy shot from its hands, hitting all of us at the exact same time. It didn't hurt, but it was really scary. As this was happening, my thoughts rushed.
Where's the school security? Why isn't anyone stopping this thing?!
By now, the energy surrounding me was so bright that I was forced to close my eyes. I couldn't logically explain what happened next, but almost felt as if… my chair was slowly disappearing under me, and I was automatically moving into a standing position. It felt very strange, and my head started to hurt. Whatever was happening to all of us, it wasn't good…
Oakview Elementary – Thu September 2; 8:18 AM – Third-person POV
After he was done with his transmission in the restroom, Mr. Stewart cautiously opened the stall door and looked around to make sure no one had heard him. Fortunately he was still alone.
He casually walked out of the restroom and back down the hall, returning to his search for his classroom. If he was still in Oakview, then that meant it had to be in the building somewhere. The children were most likely in extreme danger if they were alone with one of Robotnik's robots. He told himself to get there at all costs and take care of things before they got too far out of hand.
His thoughts urged him to quicken his pace. Even though he didn't see anyone else in the hall, he still had to act like he was being watched. He tried to mentally come up with what to say if someone saw him. Perhaps he could tell them that something came up that needed his attention? No, that probably sounded too suspicious.
At last he saw a familiar-looking hallway. He knew where his class was from here. One of the first rooms he came across was the principal's office. Of course, the principal had to pick that exact moment to step out of his room. To say the least, he was surprised to see Mr. Stewart out in the middle of the hall instead of with his class.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked. "Aren't you supposed to be back with your class?"
"Yes, but…" Stewart began, turning to face the principal. "Well, you're not going to believe this, but a robot just teleported me out of my class. It said it's one of Eggman's robots, and I'm afraid it's holding the class hostage."
"Okay, come with me!" ordered Everett as he took off running toward the sixth-grade classroom. Stewart followed at an equal pace, finding it humorously ironic that the principal of all people was breaking the rule of running in the school halls. But he figured it could be pardoned in an emergency like this.
"What did it look like?" Everett demanded.
"Tall, white, no legs, had a mortarboard," Stewart described as accurately and quickly as he could. As a highly-trained CIA operative, he had to have a good memory.
"Huh," remarked the principal as they neared their destination. There, in front of where the door used to be, were a few security officers. Several more were inside the otherwise empty classroom.
I'm too late, thought Mr. Stewart. My whole class is gone… and so is Chris…
"Where are all the students?" Principal Everett asked. "Where are they?"
"Well, there's no way they could have left the school without us knowing it," one of the officers replied. "But here, it doesn't look like any of the chairs were even scooted back. It's like they just disappeared."
"I called the police as soon as I was sent out," Mr. Stewart reported. Deep down, he had a feeling they wouldn't make any more progress than the security officers. He hoped he was wrong.
Just then another security guard joined the congregation.
"Just came from surveillance," he reported. "It looks like the robot teleported itself and all the students out of the school somewhere. We don't know where they are, but they're not on the school grounds."
The same way I was, Stewart mentally added. But it sounds like this is not a short-range teleport. The kids could be literally anywhere in the world.
"I think I should probably head out to meet with the police now," Mr. Stewart spoke, but the principal was already heading for the door.
"No, I got it," he volunteered as he left the room.
One of the security officers turned to Mr. Stewart. "So let me get this straight. You were teaching your class, and suddenly the robot broke into this room and teleported you out?"
Mr. Stewart crossed his arms. "That's right. You saw that in surveillance?"
"Yes, I did."
"Okay, um… Do you have any clue how it got in here without anyone seeing it?"
"Yes. I saw it appearing right outside the classroom."
Mr. Stewart was incredulous, but he kept his composure. On the inside, he was bewildered about how the robot knew exactly where to find his class, when Doctor Robotnik didn't even know the layout of the school. The doctor seemed to have his own methods that no human could figure out. This had to be one of them. Mr. Stewart made a mental note to secretly attach a tracking device to Chris the next time he saw him, so that something like this wouldn't happen again.
Principal Everett returned ten minutes later.
"A few officers are on their way in here now," he reported. "Others are looking around for the robot. They talked with some of the other teachers, and they all agreed that we're going to waive school for the rest of the day, just in case."
It's almost like the robot specifically targeted this class, Mr. Stewart pondered. But why…?
And then he pieced it together… The answer was most likely more obvious than he first realized.
Somewhere – Some time – Chris' POV
When the intense glow finally died down seconds later, I found that we were no longer in our classroom. The slight breeze I felt told me we were outside. Opening my eyes, I found that we were now standing in one of Station Square's many community ballparks. I had to wonder why E-51 teleported us at all, let alone here of all places.
Almost immediately the questions began flying.
"What happened?"
"Where are we?"
"How did you do that?"
"A virus, combined with a programming conflict, has prematurely activated my teleportation module," the robot stated as if it were obvious… which it wasn't to me. "This has been corrected. The virus has been isolated, and the corrupted module has been disabled until repairs can be made."
I blinked. All that technobabble soared right over my head.
"Wait, you got a virus?" Danny asked.
"Affirmative. It has been quarantined and will be removed at Doctor Eggman's earliest convenience," E-51 replied as it floated over to a nearby shed. We all followed it, though I didn't think many of us really wanted to.
"Mr. E-51, what happened? How did you take us here?" a student asked.
But she got no answer as the robot teacher entered the shed. I noticed that all the students looked confused, maybe startled for some reason. I mean, who wouldn't be in the presence of one of Eggman's robots? But I shrugged it off as E-51 emerged with two containers of baseball bats, balls, mitts, and hats. I didn't like where this was going.
"Who wants to play baseball?" E-51 asked, its mechanical voice attempting to emulate excitement.
Our immediate cheering was intermingled with childlike shouts of "me, me me"! Though, to be honest, I didn't remember making myself agree at all. If anything, I wanted to head back to my class with Mr. Stewart and work on that algebra pop quiz, or, better yet, go home. I didn't comply with E-51, and yet I did.
E-51 began supplying us all with our baseball gear, including bats, caps, mitts, and even jerseys. To my shock, I found that I couldn't move a single muscle in my body, and yet I was moving completely on my own. I tried to voluntarily move my left arm, but it was impossibly stiff. It was almost as if it had us under some sort of mind control. I felt trapped inside my own body.
"Play ball!" the robot announced. I had no choice but to comply. Even worse, Sonic didn't even know I was in any sort of possible danger.
Station Square International Airport – Thu September 2; 2:18 PM – Third-person POV
Having arrived in Station Square at last, Nelson Thorndyke made a beeline for the baggage claim. He had finally found a break in his endlessly busy schedule to visit his son. He wished he could spend more time with him, but as the President and CEO of Starship Soft, it was next to impossible for him to break away from work for too long.
Labor Day weekend was upon them, so the airport was packed with travelers hustling and bustling about to visit relatives and take vacations. Therefore, there were more suitcases on the baggage claim belt than Nelson assumed there usually was.
At last his luggage came around, and he lifted it off the belt. He was grateful to not have a lot of attention on him today. He may have been a celebrity, but like a lot of actors and singers, he also needed time for people to be used to him being out and about, and he also had a life of his own. Fortunately, he didn't find it hard to achieve.
He glanced at his watch: 2:20 PM. She was due to arrive at 2:55 that afternoon. He mentally added a buffer time of ten minutes to calculate the time she would arrive.
He walked over to the waiting area and sat down on one of the benches. Pulling his phone from his suit pocket, he dialed home to inform his family that he was in town.
A moment later, Ella picked up. "This is the Thorndyke residence; Ella speaking."
"Hey, Ella. I'm just calling to let you know I'm at the airport now. Lindsey and I should be there, oh, about 3:30-ish."
"All right, Mr. Thorndyke," Ella responded. "Chris is in school now. Oh, he's going to be so excited when he comes back home."
"Oh, you know I can't wait to see him myself," Nelson replied, smiling at the memory of the last time he got to see his only son. "It's been a good eight months. I really need to make more time in my work schedule for him."
"I know you'll find a way, Mr. Thorndyke," encouraged Ella. "Hurry home, okay? I'll prepare a hearty meal for our two strapping entrepreneurs."
"I can't wait," chuckled Nelson. "See you around 3:30."
He pressed the button to end the call and put away his phone. Eight months without seeing his own son was way too long. A lot must have happened in all that time away from home. He couldn't even be there for Chris' birthday, and it seemed not even a Skype call could make up for his absence. He needed to see Chris in person more often. That was all his son ever wanted.
A little over half an hour after he hung up the phone with his maid, he spotted his beautiful wife Lindsey approaching, handbag in hand.
"Lindsey, dear!" Nelson exclaimed as he stood up.
"Sweetheart!" she returned as they embraced with a hug and kiss. "I'm so glad everything finally worked out!"
"Me too, dear," the businessman replied, and they broke the hug a moment later. "I hope your flight wasn't delayed or anything. You know with Labor Day weekend coming up, travel can get pretty dicey."
"How is work going?" Lindsey asked as she walked over to retrieve her own sizable suitcase from the baggage claim. "Last time we talked, you were working on a hard drive?"
"That's right," he responded. "We just finished the draft for the next generation of Syntax hard drives. You know, the ones that are going to be cross-compatible with Intel? All we're waiting on now is a shipment of exclusive nanotechnology parts and then it'll be all set to manufacture." He looked at his wife. "How are things going on your end?"
By this point, Lindsey had found her suitcase and was lifting it off the belt. "Well, since the remnants of Hurricane Ferdy passed through two weeks ago, we made progress with Valencia by leaps and bounds. However, we still have a whole 'nother half a movie to shoot, and we're already starting to run behind schedule."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Nelson sympathized. "Did anyone mention delaying the movie at all?"
"So far, no," she replied. "We're still on track for it to come out in June."
"That's good. You know I'll be seeing it in theaters on day one."
As they strode at an equal pace in the direction of the rental car garage, Nelson spoke up. "I just thought of something."
Lindsey looked up. "Hm?"
"Instead of just driving home, why don't we surprise Chris by taking the helicopter there instead?"
Lindsey looked elated. "Why, honey, that is a wonderful idea! Christopher is going to absolutely love it!"
Nelson smiled, happy that the love of his life was happy too… "You know he will. I'm going to call the Eckstein Building right now and see if we can get a ride."
He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the button to speed-dial the Station Square branch of Starship Soft. After a few rings, the facility's manager, Bob Steele, answered.
"This is the Eckstein Building; how may we serve you, Mr. Thorndyke?"
"Hi, I'm in town this weekend. I heard the Eckstein Center was damaged, and I wanted to know if the helicopter is safe," requested Nelson.
"Yes, sir," Steele confirmed. "We got it off the Eckstein Center and moved it over to the Ayers Airstrip three miles northwest of the Eckstein Building. I'm curious, what did you want to use it for?"
"Well, my wife and I wanted to surprise our son with a visit, and we thought dropping in with the helicopter would make it even more special," Nelson explained.
"You're very thoughtful, Mr. Thorndyke. I'll get your security escorts ready immediately."
"Thank you. We'll be by shortly."
As Nelson hung up, his wife looked at him with questioning eyes. "What did you mean when you asked if the helicopter is safe? Did you say the Eckstein Center was damaged?" she took both of Nelson's hands in her own. "Nelson… what's going on?"
"To be honest… I don't think you would believe me if I told you," Nelson said.
But Lindsey was persistent. "Try me."
Nelson took a deep breath. "Well… okay, about two weeks back, a man from another world – literally another planet – came here to Earth and attacked the Eckstein Center with a giant robot. Something about world domination, he said."
Lindsey was dumbfounded by what her husband had just told her.
"Honey, please tell me you're kidding."
"Sweetie, I wish I was. Did you see the news for yourself over the last two weeks?"
"No," Lindsey replied as they neared the rental car lot. "I haven't had much time to, with my schedule being tighter than usual lately."
"All right, I'll fill you in. They briefed me on the extent of the damage done to the building. People who were there at the time said they saw a giant robot going straight up the building from the inside, and it made a giant hole going all the way up to the roof. There's no damage to any of the outer walls except the way it came it, but the authorities say the building's integrity is not structurally sound. The staff managed to move the helicopter away safely, though. They say it could take up to a year to repair."
"Oh…" Lindsey was rendered speechless at what her husband just told her. "Is… I-Is this person still at large? The… the mad scientist?"
"He is," Nelson nodded. "And unfortunately, the police have not been able to stop him after two separate encounters."
"Then…" Lindsey was lost for words. "Has the military done anything? What about GUN?"
"Nothing yet," said Nelson, "but I think we may have the hope we need. Around the same time the scientist showed up – I think his name was Dr. Robotnik, I'll have to double-check – an alien race showed up and defeated him quite easily."
Lindsey looked up. "Aliens?" she repeated. "You can't be joking."
"I'm not, but… you can take my word for it, but I know that sooner or later, they'll be back."
"Wait a minute, you just jogged my memory," Lindsey said. "You said his name was Dr. Robotnik?"
"Yeah…?" Nelson was unsure what his wife was getting at.
"I think I heard his name somewhere when I was in my trailer, but I didn't think much of it at the time. But thank you for bringing me up to speed on what's been going on."
Eggman's base – Thu September 2; 4:12 PM – Third-person POV
Roughly eight hours had passed since Eggman deployed his E-51 unit to Oakview Elementary School. Alarmingly, it had not reported back to him during the entire school period. There was no way it should have taken this long to brainwash the children into submission. Something was seriously wrong.
So when he returned to his command center, latte in hand, and switched on a screen that showed him the view from E-51's visual receptors, he was able to see exactly what the situation was. To his shock, it was not carrying out its designated orders.
The signal with E-51 had been terminated for eight whole hours, despite many attempts to restart it, and it finally came back only to show that E-51 and the children were playing baseball of all things. Why?! It was supposed to teach the kids about the benefits of the Eggman Empire and the evil of Sonic the Hedgehog, not slack off! There would now be no revolution among the age groups this world referred to as the Millennials and Gen-Z, all because his E-51 malfunctioned.
Upon his return to the command center, he saw that neither Decoe nor Bocoe were present. There were only a few maintenance and navigator robots there, all of which snapped to attention when their creator entered the room.
"Bring up the radar," instructed Eggman in as calm a tone as he could muster given the situation. This was not how he wanted to pass the time. By now the children were supposed to be completely brainwashed. There would have to be a change of his otherwise flawless plans.
When the radar was projected on one of the smaller screens, Eggman saw that E-51's current position was no longer at the school, but rather at a municipal ballpark half a mile away.
He pieced together that its teleportation module he installed had accidentally activated itself, which explained E-51's change in position. Those modules were ancient and extremely hard to produce. In fact, they dated back to his return to power after he was banished to the Void. That was the reason he decided to no longer produce them. That, and the fact that they were occasionally riddled with viruses, which he mentally slapped himself for not scanning for any earlier.
He walked over to another part of the console and held down the button for the intercom. "Bokkun, report to the command center immediately," he ordered.
It didn't even take two minutes for the mischievous robot to rocket into the room. He made a beeline for the first item he spotted: the half-finished latte in Eggman's hand.
"Ooh! Is that a latte? What kind? Where can I get one of those?"
Eggman shook his head. "Steamed Austrian goat milk, Starbucks. Now you may recall that I sent an E-51 to brainwash the kids at school. Do you know about this?"
"Yes, Doctor," replied Bokkun, calming down a bit. "Decoe and Bocoe told me."
"Very well. Did they also tell you that it turned tail and has aborted its mission?"
"Uh…" Bokkun scratched his mechanical head. "…no. That would be a new one. Does that mean–"
"No!" The doctor raised his voice, but not by much. "My creations are flawless. This is a fluke." He pointed to the radar, which had E-51's coordinates listed in the bottom left corner. "Fly to those coordinates and correct its mission. Warn it that I will come down there myself if I find out it is deviating from the mission any more."
"Yes, sir!" Bokkun eagerly saluted and flew off. Even though he could be fairly pesty at times, Eggman loved that Bokkun was a very willing robot. He sat down in his command chair with his latte, prepared to await the hopefully positive results.
Thorndyke Mansion - Helipad – Thu September 2; 3:36 PM – Third-person POV
Chuck shifted his weight from one leg to the other, gazing skyward and squinting against the bright sunlight. He was standing just outside the door to the helicopter pad behind the house, awaiting the arrival of his son and daughter-in-law.
At last the helicopter appeared above the trees, flanked by two escort helicopter which were now breaking away. He watched as it slowly descended toward the landing pad. The rotors were very loud, and the wind they generated was strong, but Chuck had dealt with it before. Besides, it wasn't anything some noise-canceling headphones couldn't fix.
Seconds later, the chopper made a perfect three-point landing on the pad, and Chuck removed his headphones. The side door slid open, and a ramp extended to the ground from the inside. Two security guards in suits stepped down the ramp and flanked the businessman and actress as they disembarked from the helicopter. Nelson and Lindsey Thorndyke had arrived at last.
"Home sweet home," Chuck heard Nelson say to his wife as he gazed across the vast expanse of the estate he called his own.
"Nelson, Lindsey, good to see you back here in one piece!" Chuck greeted as he ran toward them. His age had not caught up to him yet.
"How are you, Dad?" Nelson asked with a chuckle as he shook the professor's hand.
"Doing great. Probably better than I have in a long time," his father replied.
Just then the door opened and Ella bounded outside, followed by Tanaka at a slower pace.
"Oh, it's so good to see you both again!" Ella exclaimed.
"Oh, you too, Ella!" Lindsey returned as they hugged. "You don't know how much we've missed this place."
"Allow me, Mrs. Thorndyke," Tanaka spoke as he moved toward the suitcases the two entrepreneurs were carrying and took them both by the handles.
"Thank you, Mr. Tanaka," Lindsey said as she let the butler accept her suitcase. In a moment, he disappeared into the house.
"So what's new around here?" Nelson asked Chuck.
"Well, Chris is back in school now," the professor related, choosing his words carefully, "and I've been tinkering with my infrared scopes. Other than that… not much, I'm afraid."
"I'm gonna sound like an idiot, but, uh, what grade is he in again?" asked Nelson.
"Sixth," Chuck immediately replied. Although, he was curious as to how he could have forgotten his own son's grade. Perhaps he was working a bit too hard.
"Whoa… And this whole time I thought he was going into fifth grade," Nelson commented. He let out a breath. "Wow… I really need to spend more time with him."
"Well, I'm glad you finally found some down time in your schedule," Chuck said, rubbing behind his gray head. "You know, Chris is going to be so excited to see you again."
"Isn't he usually home from school around now?" Lindsey asked, noting Chris' absence thus far.
"Usually," Chuck said. "He probably has some after-school thing or something. He should be here any time now."
"In the meantime, why don't you all come inside," invited Ella. "I'll make you all some coffee."
Thorndyke Mansion - Chuck's lab – Thu September 2; 3:36 PM – Sonic's POV
My ears twitched at the sound of a distant whirring sound, and I immediately recognized it as a helicopter. No, multiple helicopters. My first thought was that we were being invaded by GUN. If they had wanted to capture us, then it had definitely taken long enough for them to make their move. If that was the case, I knew I could easily get the others and juice it loose, but I couldn't jump to conclusions just yet.
I looked up, and sure enough, three helicopters were bearing down on Chris' house. Peering at their sides, I didn't see anything that showed their affiliation with GUN, and I couldn't recognize any other markings on them. Yet I didn't want to get any closer. In fact, Chris would probably have my fur if he knew I was out in the open right now. So I knew I needed to stay still and hope that no one saw me.
Two of the helicopters broke away and flew off, leaving the third behind, which was beginning to descend toward a landing pad behind the house. I didn't even know it was there, that was how huge the place was. I was hoping I could get a tour of the house once it was safe enough.
Beneath me, I could hear Tails, Amy, and Cream scrambling to the window to watch. Moments before, they had been enjoying their second game of what this world's humans called the Game of Life. I found it to be quite a neat board game, but after the first game, I decided to chill on the roof for a while. My thoughts had been wandering aimlessly; there was so much to think about since we arrived on this planet.
The helicopter landed, and to my surprise, two people whom I could only assume were Chris' parents stepped out of the chopper, flanked by a pair of bodyguards. Their jobs had to have been really important for them to need them, but that didn't surprise me as much as the fact that Chris' parents came by helicopter. I had expected them to take a limo or something instead, but a helicopter? The Thorndykes were way richer than I thought.
Chris' butler and maid – the latter I had never seen before – made their way outside to join Chuck, whom I didn't notice had been outside this whole time, and the three of them were chatting with Chris' parents. It still pained me that they were never around to be there for Chris. I mean, the kid had it all. He had pretty much anything and everything a kid could ever want – toys, games, money – everything… that is, except his parents. And not just his parents, either. He didn't seem to have any friends, either.
For that very reason, he seemed to be very happy when I fell into his life. Ever since then, I had noticed that he had gravitated toward me and my friends to replace that hole in his heart.
I looked up to see Chris' parents and guardians disappearing inside the house. It was safe again – not that it wasn't safe, but still.
"Sonic? Are you still up there?"
I lifted my head at the sound of Amy's cautiously quiet voice from below me. I walked to the edge of the roof and carefully looked down to see her leaning out the window, looking back at me.
"Yeah. What's up, Ames?" I asked.
"Do you know if Chris made it home from school yet?" she asked. "Because I didn't see him with the others."
Glancing at the helicopter which was now taking off again, I thought back for a moment. "No, I don't. He's usually back around this time, but he's been a little late some days. Want me to go look for him?"
"No, not yet," Tails replied, joining Amy at the window. He had to speak a little louder on account of the chopper's blades. "Maybe he's talking with a friend or something. I think we should wait a little longer."
I nodded and lay back down on the roof. I really hoped that it was that and not anything else holding him up at school…
The ballpark – Some time – Chris' POV
If I had to guess how long I had been mindlessly playing baseball with E-51, it was probably about half an hour, but the odds were greater that it was longer, especially since the game seemed to be going on forever. One half of me wanted to just put down my gear, pick up my backpack, and go home. But the other half, which seemed to be the more dominant half, demanded that I keep playing. It sort of felt like I wasn't able to voluntarily control any part of my body except my thoughts. It was the strangest feeling.
And on top of that, between innings, E-51 would tell us a random fact about Eggman that sounded like I wanted to support him. All of it sounded true, but I had to keep telling myself that Sonic was right and Eggman was wrong. To me, it seemed everyone else wasn't doing as well resisting E-51 like I was, because Eggman didn't try to kidnap them like he did with me. They didn't have firsthand experience with him like I did.
I pitched the ball to Danny, who batted it with a satisfying crack and sent it sailing through the air. It looked as if it would leave the park, but E-51 activated a rocket thruster and flew up to make an aerial diving catch. As we all cheered for the robot's brilliant move, deep down, I felt myself liking E-51 more and more, especially since he was telling us about Eggman less and less. I knew that this was one of Dr. Eggman's robots, and I shouldn't have felt this way. It scared me that the brainwash seemed to affect even my emotions. It affected everything but my conscious mind.
I was starting to get bored in what was left of my free will. However, things changed a few plays later, though not necessarily for the better.
E-51 was now at the plate. I was just about to pitch the ball when I heard an annoying shrill voice which could only be compared to nails on a chalkboard.
"E-51 Drill Sergeant!" it shrieked.
We all stopped playing and turned to the source of the voice. It was a small being, about Cream's height, that seemed to resemble a cross between a Mobian and a robot. It descended toward the ground with the aid of the jetpack it had strapped onto its back.
E-51 did not appear to be amused at the newcomer's interruption.
"Explain your presence, Bokkun," it demanded.
"Why do you think I'm here, idiot?! You were sent here to make these kids admire Dr. Eggman, but nooo, you had to get all the attention yourself!" the robot known as Bokkun shouted. "Who do you think you are, defect?!"
"I know the truth," E-51 began to explain. "The juveniles have enlightened me on the subject. Not all human beings deserve roboticization. Besides, it is possible that I deserve to be admired myself after programming so many other robots to admire Dr. Eggman."
"You deserve nothing!" Bokkun screamed, now getting into the teacher robot's face. "E-51, you are a malfunctioning robot who deserved the scrap heap ever since you were built! If you don't stick to your original programming, then I have a message from Dr. Eggman himself that will make you wanna think again!"
As he said this, he pulled a small yellow television out of a satchel he had slung on his shoulder. All the laws of physics shouldn't have allowed it to fit in there, but somehow they did. I decided not to question it as Bokkun switched the TV on. Eggman appeared on the screen, but he was not facing the camera.
"Fly to those coordinates and correct its mission. Warn it that I will come down there myself if I find out it is deviating from the mission any more," came the doctor's voice from the screen.
"Did you hear that?!" Bokkun practically screamed. "Eggman's gonna come and punish you if you keep this up! Is that what you want?! Huh?!"
"Come what may," E-51 replied, his monotone response taking Bokkun aback. "I have taken it upon myself to defend the class regardless of the doctor's course of action."
"Very well," Bokkun retorted as he put the TV back in his bag. "But don't come crying to me when Eggman dismantles you!"
Before I could even blink, he was suddenly in my face, something I totally didn't expect.
"And you! Don't even think about interfering in Eggman's plans again, okay?! Now you be good and listen to your teacher!" With that, he flew away.
I was a little shaken up by those last ten seconds. I threw confused glances at the others, who were all looking at me with the same "What's his deal?" look.
"Who was that?" Danny asked.
"No one to be concerned about," E-51 stated, doing a robot's equivalent of shrugging. "Gameplay will resume effective immediately."
We automatically took up positions once more, and while I hoped that something would happen before Eggman's eventual arrival, I found myself admiring E-51 in a way I didn't think I would.
Eggman's base – Thu September 2; 4:22 PM – Third-person POV
It had been a solid ten minutes since Eggman had deployed Bokkun to the ballpark E-51 was at. Finishing the last of his latte, he anxiously anticipated positive results from his courier robot.
He honestly did not expect E-51 to malfunction in two different ways. The teleportation module containing a virus was one thing, but it was the brainwashing module that got him. Yes, the kids were under mind control, but they were playing baseball rather than learning with eager attention to Eggman's plans. The viruses were the very reason Eggman didn't often use these modules.
The sound of the automatic doors opening behind him heralded Bocoe's presence as he entered the room.
"Have you finished consuming your latte yet, Doctor?" he asked.
Eggman set down his now-empty cup. "Er, yes, I've finished. You can take it."
"Yes, Doctor," Bocoe replied.
Eggman leaned back in his chair and idly looked at the screens as Bocoe picked up the cup and threw it away in the trash. Eggman was meticulous when it came to keeping his lair clean, and he could not stand seeing trash left out.
"What is the progress of E-51's mission?" Bocoe inquired.
"It appears to be defective, though it was to be expected due to the condition of the modules I equipped it with," explained Eggman. "This is more of an experimental mission. I'm cleaning house, if you will. I was testing to see if these modules would prove to be faulty during an official assignment, and if so, I would purge them."
"So you have deployed E-51 for no particular greater cause?" asked a now confused Bocoe.
"No, of course not!" Eggman interjected. "E-51 is equipped with a built-in viral neutralizer, whereas most of my non-sentient and even some of my sentient robots do not yet have one implemented. E-51 is able to handle the viruses they contain."
He got up and started pacing the room, hands clasped behind his back. "Though it appears it was not able to fully neutralize the viruses. As we speak, it is playing a game of baseball with the children it's supposed to be brainwashing. I sent Bokkun out ten minutes ago to give E-51 a reminder that I am watching. He should report back any time now."
Bocoe appeared confused. "Doctor, how could anything of your genius design defect so easily, even with viruses?"
Eggman gritted his teeth. "That's what I intend to find out."
Just then the "Incoming Call" notification appeared on one of the wall screens. Eggman sauntered over to the console and pressed a button on the touchscreen to accept the call. The face of Bokkun appeared on the screen.
"Did you get through to E-51?" Eggman asked.
"I couldn't," the mischievous robot replied. "In fact… heheh, you're not gonna believe it, but the kids got through to him instead of the other way around."
Eggman stroked his mustache. This wasn't new news, but it was official confirmation. "Go on."
"They told him what they called the truth about the Eggman Empire, and here's the kicker: E-51 claims he can protect them from you!"
Eggman grinned a grin that confirmed he truly was the man with the master plan. "We'll see about that," he sneered. "Bokkun, your mission is done, so you can return to the fortress. Meanwhile, I'm going down there myself to deal with that incompetent robot right now."
That said, he ended the call with Bokkun and reached for the intercom. "Decoe, report to the command center immediately, and bring my tool belt," he ordered.
Three minutes later, the tall yellow robot entered the command center carrying a sizable tool belt loaded with tools and utensils of many varieties.
"Repairs for Motobug platoon C have been completed as you have requested, Doctor," he reported.
"Good. Now give me the belt," instructed Eggman. "I'm going to deal with this defect personally. Bocoe, arrange a group of Buzz Bombers and Buballs as an escort and patrol unit."
"Yes, Doctor," he saluted as he made his way to one side of the console wall. Eggman approached his elevator and reached for the button.
"Let Bokkun back in when he returns, and hold down the fort while I'm gone," he said "Make sure GUN doesn't do anything sudden, and if they do strike… you know what to do."
He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to descend to the hidden runway where he parked his Eggmobile. It took everything he had to keep his anger in check. He needed to save it for E-51. He was determined to deal with it, and the children as well, once he arrived.
The ballpark – Some time – Chris' POV
In an instant, it felt like I had gained all my free will back, as well as complete control of my body. And with it came an incredibly overwhelming desire to stop playing and do literally anything else.
Interestingly enough, I also didn't notice until just then that I was feeling incredibly exhausted, like I had been running a marathon all day. Yet I didn't feel any wear and tear on my body moments ago. Looking around, I could tell that everyone else felt the same way.
"Um… wh-what just happened?" a bewildered Frances asked.
"I don't know," another student replied as he got a feel for his own body once more. "I-I literally couldn't control myself."
"Me neither…" Frances said.
"Mind control?" guessed Danny.
"Yeah, I think so…" a fourth student replied.
"I can't think of anything else it could be," added another student.
"Why am I so tired...?"
"I don't know..."
Another burning question made its way to the surface, and that was the matter of what time it was. We had been playing for so long that it felt like hours, but if I had to guess, we had only been in the ballpark with E-51 for one hour. I glanced down at my watch. It probably wasn't quite ten in the morning yet, so there was still time to return to school. Everyone was probably worried about us, so we had to go back and–
My eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
My heart raced a little.
"Guys… it's 4:30."
An astonished silence fell upon the class, with the only noise being E-51 putting the baseball gear back in the shed. Then the floodgates opened, releasing all the questions from my classmates' heads.
"What?!"
"Wait, what?!
"But how?!"
"Really?!"
"But it's only been maybe half an hour!"
I too was shocked. There was no way on Earth that that much time passed so quickly. And yet here we were, in a ballpark with no idea of what time it was except for our watches, and a malfunctioning robot belonging to an alien mastermind.
So how did this happen?
I was so involved in the baseball game that I had nearly forgotten E-51's reasoning for his unexplained actions. It probably had something to do with a virus, but I was still so focused on how time passed so quickly. I could only assume it had something to do with the mind control.
Having finished cleaning up after our game, the teacher robot approached us.
"Class has concluded," it announced. "I will be present to instruct you tomorrow."
Deep down, I wished it wasn't. I didn't want any more weird days like today.
I just stood there, feeling awkward for the next few moments, until Danny walked up to me.
"Uh… Are you up for some Splatoon at my house…?"
"I.. I can't today," I answered after a pause. "My parents are coming over tonight, and I need to be back home early."
"Oh, okay," he responded, not looking disappointed, to my relief. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"Yeah," I replied as I started to leave. "Tomorrow."
As I said goodbye to everyone and started to head back toward the park entrance, it dawned on me that my backpack was back at school, and so were everyone else's. I knew there was no point in walking all the way back there to get my backpack, especially since school was out for the day, so I figured I could just pick it up tomorrow no sweat.
However, I had only taken a few steps when I heard the faint sound of an engine. I was about to dismiss it when I started to realize it wasn't a plane engine. No, this one was oddly familiar. It was making the same sound as the engine of Eggman's hovercraft. This could only mean that Bokkun was true to his word. Eggman had arrived.
But his hovercraft wasn't the only thing I heard. There were several other tiny buzzing motors piercing the still air as well, all sounding similar to drones. We all looked to the skies to see the rotund doctor himself, a swarm of Buzz Bombers, and a group of spherical robots entering the ballpark from above.
I became pale at the sight of my new worst enemy descending into our midst, but I worked up the courage to shout "RUN!"
I sprinted for the ballpark's parking lot, along with most of the other students. Only one thought was on my mind:
Run for your life. Get away from this madman with everything you got. Get home as fast as you can.
I knew that he was going to succeed where E-51 had failed. I just knew it.
"Ah-ah-ah!" chided Eggman, wagging a finger. "You're not going anywhere. Besides, you're all the way on the other side of town from where your school is!"
Wait, WHAT?!
Just then the spherical robots banded together in a cluster directly above Eggman, and a pink glow formed around them. Before I knew it, the glow expanded until it created a field that completely surrounded the ballpark, trapping us inside with Eggman.
The doctor lowered his vehicle to the ground and climbed out. If I wasn't so nervous about what would happen next, I would have been intrigued at how his hovercraft was silently hovering a couple inches above the ground, completely upright. Instead, I took note of the massive tool belt Eggman was wearing as he bore down on E-51.
"Why did you choose to be defective?" he asked in a dangerous tone. "Why aren't these kids brainwashed yet, and what is this I hear about you protecting them from me?"
But E-51 stood his ground, even positioning itself between us and Eggman.
"I know the truth," it declared. "You have no authority over these juveniles. I will defend them until the day that I am–"
"Some lousy guardian you are," interrupted Eggman as he pulled a device from his tool belt and pressed a button. Immediately E-51's LED eyes sparked before they dimmed to blackness.
I forced myself to look away. If I didn't like Eggman before, that hatred went through the roof now. The Buzz Bombers inched closer to prevent us from potentially escaping while Eggman opened a hatch in the front of E-51 and began to tinker with its circuitry.
"So your teleporter went off prematurely…" he mused as he worked. "And... and you played seventeen innings of baseball since you got here... You really wore out these kids, and... hmm, it does seem you tried to instill knowledge of my empire in them, but they overcame you in the end. Well, that's not happening again."
I could hear a few of the kids starting to cry, but not me. I was too scared to break down like that. I knew that Sonic and his friends would eventually find out that I was gone too long, and come to my aid. But when would they get here? And did they even know where we were?
Five minutes of fear and boredom later, Eggman finally screwed E-51's maintenance hatch shot and reactivated it with the same tool he had used to shut it down.
"Front and center!" Eggman ordered. E-51 attentively faced its creator.
"Sir!" E-51 saluted.
"What is your mission?" Eggman asked in a militant tone.
"My one and only objective is to train soldiers for Dr. Eggman, sir!"
"Good, good!" Eggman chuckled before turning to us. It was time to face the music.
"You may have managed to sway my Drill Sergeant with your limited knowledge of the Eggman Empire, but allow me to present to you the real truth of its glory! After-school detention begins right now. If you behave like the good little kids I know you are on the inside, I might let you go home early." He grinned an evil grin. "But no promises."
"No!" a girl shouted. "I'm going home right now!" She tried to run toward the exit, but a small electric shock from the force field made her jump back in surprise.
"You may not leave the premises," E-51 warned.
"Did you forget already?" Eggman taunted. "We're on the north side of town, and your school is on the south side. You'll be exhausted long before you get home. It's a shame you're all too young to call an Uber yourself."
Now I was well and truly stuck – and my parents were expecting me back home right now.
Oh, Sonic… where are you?!
Thorndyke Mansion – Thu September 2; 4:34 PM – Third-person POV
It was just past 4:30 back home. Ella was busying herself in the kitchen with supper preparations to hide her increasing distress. Chris had still not returned, and it was already an hour after the time he should have been back. Nelson was figuratively pacing a hole to China in the living room floor, while his wife and father were sitting on the couch. Needless to say, the atmosphere of the Thorndyke household was strained in worry over Chris.
Finally, Nelson broke the agonizing silence.
"I'm sorry. I just can't anymore," he said. "He should have been home well over an hour ago."
Chuck sighed. "I know."
"I'm pretty sure it's not like him to stay after school like this," continued Nelson.
"It's not," Lindsey replied. "He tells me he always comes right home after school. Oh Nelson, what if he's been involved in an accident?" She suddenly added in worry.
Nelson stopped in his tracks. "Security would get a hold of me the moment they found out."
Silence reigned in the room once again, and a moment later Nelson sat down.
"You're pretty quiet about this, Dad," he noted. "Are you holding up okay?"
Chuck smiled knowingly. "Oh, I'm confident Chris will make it back in one piece," he responded matter-of-factly as he stood up. "I know this isn't like him at all, but… Excuse me, I need to step out for a bit."
"Where are you going?" Lindsey asked.
"To the car," he smoothly lied. "Don't call security yet, son. I just want to check if Chris is still at school."
"Uh… okay?" Nelson replied, thoroughly confused at this turn of events.
Chuck opened the side door. "He did tell me he met a couple new kids at school, so he could also be at one of their houses. But I'll check the school first."
Closing the side door, he walked briskly in the direction of the garage. No, time was of the essence, so he broke into a run. For a man in his early sixties, he was still very physically fit, and still frequented the gym.
Privileges aside, he knew that Chris' parents wanted him to go to and from school like normal middle-class children. Tanaka was easily capable of picking him up in the family limo, but that would only make the other kids jealous. Also, just because he was one of the richest children on Earth did not mean he could stay out on his own without a set curfew and without his parents' permission. It was a dangerous world out there, and with the added threat of Dr. Eggman, things had just been made even worse.
If there was one person who could find Chris quickly, it was Sonic. While Chuck didn't have any doubts that Nelson's security could locate him, Sonic could do it in a fraction of the time.
He reached the garage and saw the hedgehog just beginning to stand up when he saw him.
"You guys gettin' worried in there too, huh?" he asked in a somber tone. Chuck nodded.
"It's been an hour and a half," he responded. "It's not like him to be out this late."
"I figured," Sonic said as he hopped down from the roof. "Think he might be at a friend's house or something? I mean, it could be no biggie."
"The thing is, he's never been the kind of kid to go over to someone's house," pondered Chuck. "Maybe he's held up by some after-school thing?"
"I know where he goes to school," Sonic said. "If it makes you feel better, I'll just juice over there and see what's cooking."
Before Chuck could speak, Sonic took off with the speed that made him the "fastest thing alive". Chuck was nearly blown over by Sonic's sudden speed, but he regained his balance.
He looked up at his lab window, attempting to take his mind off Chris for the time being. He had to do something about supper for his guests once again. He had been spending a lot of money catering fast food to them, and Ella was becoming suspicious of the disappearing food from the pantry. But he really didn't have much of a choice otherwise. For Chris' sake, he wasn't going to tell her anything.
He opened the garage door and headed up the stairs to his lab. When he pushed open the trap door, he saw that Tails, Amy, Cream, and Cheese had finished their game and were looking up from the books they were now reading.
"So Sonic is out looking for Chris now?" asked Tails.
"He is," Chuck said. "I don't know what could be holding him up, but… I'm sure we'll find out once he's back." He pulled his cell phone from his labcoat pocket. "Now… let's talk about dinner. Does Carl's Jr. sound good?"
Tails nodded. "Sure."
"Chuck, I don't mean to be rude," Amy began, "but when are we going to eat real food? And- And when can we just... be able to go around and be free? It's not like we're free up here, no offense."
"I know..." answered Chuck. "It could still be another week at the least, but it all depends on circumstances. In the meantime, I'm going to try and keep sneaking you leftovers whenever I can. Try to be patient for just a little longer, okay?"
Amy sat back down. "Okay…" she relented.
Chuck began to dial the number for the local Carl's Jr. Questions swirled in his mind, but the one that led them all was if Chris was okay. He hoped that Chris would be found and brought back safely.
The ballpark – Thu September 2; 4:36 PM – Chris' POV
Courtesy of E-51's newly-repaired mind control projector, we found ourselves sitting on the grass a few short moments later, almost literally mindlessly sketching pictures of Dr. Eggman on sketch pads that Eggman had brought from his base. I hated to admit it, but the way the shading and detail was done was actually really good, and it was turning out to be better than any picture I could ever draw on my own.
While we drew, the doctor rambled on and on about his dreams of the Eggman Empire.
"…so as robots, you won't have to worry about such annoying emotions like sorrow, or pain, or anything like that. However, if you remain obedient to me, I can treat you with first-class tickets to the best rides in Eggmanland, which is guaranteed to be tailor-made for children like you. I will admit, you are all smart children, but no amount of propaganda that hedgehog spews will make you refuse my offers. However, if I do decide to roboticize you, I'll make sure you get amazing weapons…"
While my body said yes to Eggman and his new reform, even to the point of involuntarily nodding my head a little when he spoke, the sane part of my mind screamed no. There was nothing I could do to protest. I couldn't even speak. All I could do was draw a picture of this madman. And the worst part was there was nothing I could do to tune Eggman out.
"…I hope you're all paying attention, because there may be a pop quiz later; and hear me out, E-51 is very strict when it comes to bad grades."
Then Eggman fixed his eyes on me.
While it was hard to tell if he really was looking at me with his glasses that hid his eyes, I know his gaze and attention was on me. Out of all of us, why me?
It didn't take a genius to know why.
"Er, you there. I didn't catch your name earlier?"
Completely against my will, I set down my drawing pad, leaped to my feet, and saluted.
"My name is Christopher Thorndyke, Doctor Eggman sir!" I stated in a militant manner. Eggman nodded in satisfaction, grinning wickedly before returning to his original position in front of us.
As I sat back down, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that no one even turned to look at me. Their eyes were glued on this sick, twisted man, almost eager and hungry for what more he had to tell us.
With the dim light of sanity I was holding onto with every fiber of my being, I hoped that Sonic would find me before I completely lost my mind to Eggman.
Station Square – Thu September 2; 4:37 PM – Sonic's POV
It only took me less than ten seconds to get to Oakview Elementary. To avoid detection from any of the humans who were inevitably gathering on the grounds, I spotted a nearby pine tree and scaled its boughs. The pine needles were prickly and a little uncomfortable, but I only planned to be up there for a minute or two, so it was no big deal.
I quickly scanned the school grounds below. There wasn't a single sign of Chris, or even any of the other students. They couldn't possibly still be inside the school, as there were police everywhere. They must have searched every square inch of the place, so if they were inside, they would have been found by now.
I strained to listen to what they were saying. I was able to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation with another man whom I assumed was Chris' teacher. But I quickly lost interest, as typical cop chatter tended to go over my head.
Knowing I wouldn't find anything else at the school, I decided to take off and search the entire town for Chris.
I took off running through the streets, checking every single neighborhood for any sign of Chris. I knew he could be literally anywhere in town, or even the world. It would take me forever to find him at that rate. I was surprised he wasn't anywhere near the school.
But then I noticed something over the tree line that immediately caught my eye. I couldn't make out what exactly it was, but it was pink, and looked like it was made entirely of pure energy. I knew the humans of Earth weren't capable of harnessing that kind of energy, so that meant there was only one person who could have been responsible for it.
If that pink energy field belonged to who I thought it belonged to… That raised a couple questions. What was Eggman doing all the way out here? Was it…? I gritted my teeth, hoping it wasn't connected to Chris' disappearance.
Upon my arrival, I found that I was wrong about that.
I stopped just outside the energy field, out of sight of the numerous Badniks hovering just above it. From between the trees, I could confirm that the energy field was indeed a force field, which was surrounding the entire ballpark.
I could make out the unflattering form of Eggman inside the park. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I did see one of his robots next to him. It was tall, about the size of an adult human, and designed to look like a teacher. They stood in front of Chris' class, who were all seated on the grass writing something inside sketchpads. It seemed like propaganda, but there was only one way to find out for sure.
My gaze shifted upward, and I analyzed the threat of the Badniks Eggman had brought with him. There were several Buzz Bombers stationed both inside and outside the force field, patrolling the area not just to keep the kids in, but to keep me out. I could also count at least eight modified Buballs which were responsible for generating the force field.
I cracked my knuckles, prepared to liberate Chris' class.
Tightening my hands into fists, I eyed the tree I was standing next to, and judged that I could scale it no problem. So I ran up the vertical trunk of the tree and out onto one of its sturdy branches, and took a flying leap into the air toward the robots. I prioritized taking out the Buzz Bombers first, since they were armed and, for the most part, the Buballs weren't.
I curled into a tight ball and slammed myself into the first one, getting the attention of all the rest of them. However, it didn't take them long to recover from the shock and start firing lasers from their stingers at me. Unsurprisingly, they all missed.
With the momentum I had from destroying the first Buzz Bomber, I landed on the back of a second one and aimed it at each of the other bee robots. As I predicted, my mount went ballistic and fired wildly everywhere, trying to shake me off, but I held on tight. Many of the lasers struck the other Buzz Bombers, including the one that flew through the force field from inside to engage me. We were moving too fast for any of the other Badniks to get a hit on me.
Once I exterminated all the Buzz Bombers, I kicked my ride into one of the eight Buballs generating the force field, then home-attacked the remaining seven since I was done playing around with them. Just as I thought, the force field deactivated once I finished off the last one, leaving nothing between me and the big bad doctor. It was time to crack that Eggman wide open once again, and this time, I wasn't going to joke around.
I landed right in the middle of the ballpark in a heroic pose, with one knee bent and one hand on the ground, before darting straight up to the bewildered doctor.
"Alright, what's your game, 'Buttnik?" I asked in a dark tone.
Eggman, trying not to show his already obvious fear, cowered back a little and held up his hands. I swear I could see a sweatdrop on the side of his head.
"Now now, Sonic, this isn't what it looks like…"
But I didn't buy it; I knew it was exactly what it looked like.
"Brainwashing the kids, are we now?" I glanced at the students, who were still drawing in their sketchbooks. "Is that why they haven't looked up this whole time?"
Eggman grinned a twisted grin. "You catch on fast, hedgehog. E-51, ATTACK!" he roared.
It was somewhat awkward how the teacher-like robot hesitated at its creator's command. "I am not programmed for direct combat," it stated.
"You have hedgehog-seeking missiles!" Eggman exclaimed. "Shut up and use them!"
"Affirmative," it responded.
The robot's graduation cap tilted back, revealing a hidden compartment loaded to the brim with miniature missiles. I sprinted toward it hoping I could destroy it before it could launch any of them, but I had no such luck. It moved backward and out of the way, causing me to miss.
As I was skidding to a stop and turning around, it fired eight of its missiles out of its compartment straight into the air. I took a few steps back as they slowly arced back toward the ground in my general direction. I broke into a run, easily able to outrun the speeding projectiles. That was when I came up with an idea.
If I could lead the missiles right back to E-51, then I could save myself a spin-dash. It was foolproof. I always got a kick out of using Eggman's own tech against him.
So I led the missiles for one lap around the park before making a beeline straight for E-51 once again. The robot dodged me, but it didn't see the missiles coming. It was too busy facing me and getting its next batch of missiles ready to fire.
In the split second between now and the imminent explosion, I realized one tiny flaw. The kids were still brainwashed, and therefore they couldn't possibly get out of the way to avoid the shrapnel in time.
I had to act fast.
In the exact moment the explosion went off, everything went into bullet time. I planted myself between the robot and the class without a second thought. Even though we were about twenty yards apart, I knew the shrapnel could fly far, far enough to do serious damage.
Sure enough, some of the shrapnel flew our way, and I refused to move, even as I took several hits. Bits of sharp metal cut parts of my abdomen and right arm, drawing some blood. It hurt, but not as bad as I thought it would. I told myself that I was doing it for the kids. I inspected myself, grateful that none of the shrapnel was embedded in my fur. I would definitely need a few bandages later.
In the moments that followed, the children slowly put down their drawing pads, stood up, and started regaining their bearings, evidence that the mind control event no longer affected them.
Eggman was left speechless at first by my heroic actions, but his stunned look was now replaced by irritation over the destruction of his robot.
"You haven't seen the last of me, Sonic," he growled.
To my surprise, he walked right up to Chris, who cowered back a little, and pinned an Eggman-themed sticker onto his shirt.
"A reward for your cooperation," he explained before heading back to his Eggmobile. I watched him start up the motor and fly away. The danger was finally over, at least for now, but several questions remained.
Cooperation? What did he mean? How did Chris cooperate?
I turned back to the kids. The majority were facing me in awe and confusion, while the rest were staring in bewilderment at the sticker on Chris' shirt.
"Everyone okay?" I asked. Just about everyone replied positively, which was definitely good news.
"Hey, why did he put that sticker on Chris?" asked the red-haired girl in overalls near Chris.
To be honest, I couldn't think of a good reason myself.
"Eggman rarely does something for nothing," I gave a non-answer. "I'm gonna look into it as soon as I get Chris home."
The dark-skinned kid on Chris' other side looked awe-stricken at my heroics.
"Who are you?" he asked in wonder.
I cockily rubbed my nose. "The name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog," I answered hastily as I stepped toward Chris. "Now if y'all don't mind, I really gotta get Chris home; his parents are worried sick. Oh, and uh, you're gonna want to get a taxi or something; you're all the way on the other side of town. Anyway, see ya around!"
I gave them a two-fingered salute as I scooped Chris into my arms and ran back toward his house, being careful not to touch his shirt to my blood, which was already beginning to stop flowing out of me.
Thorndyke Mansion - Outside – Thu September 2; 4:48 PM – Chris' POV
Thirty seconds and one adrenalin rush later, Sonic raced through the open gates of home and set me down behind a hedge, making sure we were out of sight of the mansion's windows. I had to keep my eyes closed, as the sheer speed we were traveling at made my eyes water, not to mention I felt a little uneasy in my stomach. And on top of that, I was really exhausted from playing seventeen innings of baseball in a row, but my parents couldn't know that.
"Are you okay?" he asked again, looking me squarely in the eye. I didn't think I ever saw him looking as serious as he did in that moment, except for last week in Silver Valley.
I was still catching my breath from my fastest trip home ever. "Y-yeah… Thanks…"
My eyes widened a little as they drifted down to the red smears on Sonic's abdomen and arms.
"Y-You're bleeding," I whispered. I knew it was from when he protected us from the shrapnel, but I didn't know that Mobians could actually bleed. I had never seen any of them bleed before.
"Just a scratch," he shrugged modestly as his attention turned to the sticker that was still stuck onto my shirt. "Can't let your parents see this," he mumbled as he peeled it off. He was just about to crumple it up until he noticed that the Eggman logo was actually a tab. He peeled it back and squinted at what I thought was writing.
"What is it?" I asked.
Sonic hesitated, as if debating whether to read what the note said. Finally he put it away and gave me a short smile.
"Nothing for you to worry about," he dismissed. He patted me on the back. "Now you head on inside and see your parents, okay?" He started back toward the garage, but turned back to look at me. "I'll stop by to see you tonight. I wanna hear your side of the story."
"Okay," I nodded before taking off for the house.
I watched as Sonic darted to the garage in the blink of an eye and leaped onto the roof before lying down on it. How he somehow found the roof comfortable, I would never know…
I ran past the fountain and up the front steps and, finding the double doors already unlocked for me, I opened them and ran inside.
"I'm home!" I called out in triumph.
Immediately there arose the sound of the scurrying footsteps of my parents as they ran in from the living room to see me. Incredible joy was practically radiating from their faces.
"Oh Chris, darling," Mom exclaimed as she hugged me a little too hard. "You're home at last!"
"Hey, Son! I knew you'd make it back in one piece, kiddo," Dad half-joked. I supposed I was lucky to be alive and back home after all that happened today.
"I hate to pry, dear," Mom said as we broke the hug, "but what were you staying out so late for? And where's your backpack? And... Why do you look so tired...? Dear, you look exhausted!"
I struggled for a workaround. I knew I should have been aware of a question like that coming.
"Ah… Well… I-I was just… playing baseball with a couple kids at school and… I guess I got caught up in a long chat with them. And I realized I forgot to bring my backpack home. I think I left it in the locker. And I kinda had to run really fast to get back here." At least what I said wasn't a total lie, which both my parents seemed to buy.
Dad nodded. "It's all good, Chris, but can you try to be home earlier next time? We were getting really worried about you."
"Okay, Dad," I promised. In all honesty, it wasn't my fault I was held up after school. And I felt relieved that no one got suspicious.
Looking up at the grandfather clock standing on the landing of the double staircase, I saw that it was nearly five.
"Um… I'm just wondering, is Grandpa in the lab?" I asked.
"He said he was going to take the car and look for you," answered Dad. "I should probably call to let him know you're back."
As he pulled out his phone and began dialing Grandpa's number, an overjoyed Ella bounded out of the kitchen.
"Oh, Chris, my bambino, you made it!" she joyfully exclaimed as we hugged. "I was so worried! I'll go get dinner ready for you right away!" And with that, she excitedly headed back into the kitchen to busy herself with dinner preparations.
I was a little confused. "Are we having supper early?" I asked Mom as we headed toward the dining room.
"We are," she responded. "Ella insisted that we have an early dinner in case we have to leave again."
Upon entering the dining room, I saw Mr. Tanaka standing next to the table near my spot. He smiled upon seeing me.
"Welcome home, Master Chris," he greeted as he pulled out my seat for me. "I knew you would return safely. Your place at the table has been prepared for you."
"Thank you, Mr. Tanaka," I responded as I sat down.
Over the next several minutes, Dad returned, and Ella brought in platters of her homemade meatloaf and lasagna. Grandpa joined us a minute later, apologizing for being late, and we soon began eating.
"You know, I wasn't really worried at all about Chris today," Grandpa said after swallowing a bite of meatloaf.
"Neither was I," Dad replied. "Well, for the most part, anyway. You know, I used to stay after school for quite some time back in my day as well. Lots of friends to chat with."
"Well, that was during your high school years," corrected Grandpa jokingly. "Chris is still in sixth grade."
"Come on, I wasn't that bad!" laughed Dad. "I had lots of free time on my hands back in my day. I didn't have all this newfangled smart technology kids brag about these days."
He turned to look at me. "But seriously, Chris, you gotta try and take better care of yourself, okay? For all we know, you could have been in a lot of danger and we wouldn't have even known it."
"I was this close to raising the alarm about you, young man," Mom partially joked, though I had a feeling she could have also been serious, knowing how overprotective my parents could be. She could have brought the news crews and police running.
"Mrs. Thorndyke," spoke Ella. "I don't mean to be rude, but he doesn't need to know that."
"Oh, she's just exaggerating," Dad clarified.
"That's right," seconded Mom.
The conversation shifted to Matt's arrival the next day, and Ella, Tanaka, Mom, and Dad did most of the talking. They would never know I was in any real danger today, and I would not tell them. I couldn't risk them learning that Sonic was living here; at least, not quite yet. They couldn't know that I was nearly brainwashed by Eggman.
As I continued my meal of lasagna and meatloaf, I was grateful to Sonic for finding out about my prolonged absence in time. It could have been disastrous otherwise.
Thorndyke Mansion - Chuck's lab – Thu September 2; 4:58 PM – Sonic's POV
It didn't take long for Chuck to leave the garage and return to the house after dropping off some more fast food for me and my friends. On the menu tonight was Carl's Jr, and I knew they had some really good burgers, as well as chili dogs. Truth be told, all the fast food was starting to get a bit one-note. I hoped we could get some real food at some point soon.
I leaped down to the ground and pushed the garage door open, brushing away the thought of how humorous I found the Sonic drive-in restaurants to be. It was like they were named after me or something.
Jokes aside, it was time to tell my friends about what happened today, since I knew they all had burning questions. So much was on my mind. So many questions waiting to be paired with answers.
Upon entering the lab, I saw Tails, Amy, and Cream sitting on the beanbags which were arranged in a circle, already tucking into their meal. Cheese was sharing with Cream, and there was an untouched meal in front of my beanbag.
"Hey, Sonic!" Tails greeted. "Did you find Chris and bri–" His smile dropped when he noticed that something about me was off.
"Oh my gosh, Sonic, you're bleeding!" Amy exclaimed as she leaped up. She looked like she wanted to wrap me up in one of her crushing hugs, but she couldn't because of the blood. "What happened to you?" she demanded.
"It's really no big deal, Ames," I shrugged, but that did nothing to alleviate her concern.
"It is a big deal and you know it!" Amy countered. "Anyone know where the first kit is?"
"I do!" Tails volunteered as he stood up. "It's right up there on the top shelf. I'll get it." He flicked his namesakes, and flew up to the shelf before grabbing the white box of medical essentials.
"Are you okay, Mr. Sonic?" a concerned Cream asked as she set down her cheeseburger.
"Chao chao?" Cheese echoed. The Chao surveyed my wounds before becoming squeamish and turning away, his innocent eyes not being able to stand the sight of blood.
"Yeah, in fact, I feel great," I answered as I sat down on a beanbag, and Amy began bandaging my wounds. "Chris is back home now with his parents, so… yeah. Good day all around."
"So what happened?" inquired Tails. There was no need to beat around the bush any longer, but I was a little concerned over what everyone's reactions would be.
"So… Eggman showed up, and I kicked his butt like usual, and… I took some robot shrapnel for the kids. I think they were under some kind of brainwashing from what I could make out."
From the moment I mentioned Eggman's involvement, everyone's expressions were a mixture of concern and shock, as it took a little while before anyone could say anything.
"Eggman was there…?" Tails worriedly spoke.
"Sonic, you… you're so brave," Amy breathed in awe. I chuckled; I wasn't exactly the type to bask in praise like sunrays, even though that was totally me back in the day.
After she finished patching me up, Amy put the rest of the bandages back in the box and set it aside. "But are you serious that he was there at Chris' school? What was he even doing there?"
"Well, the way I see it, I think he was trying to get Chris' class to support him by using mind control," I recalled. "I told Chris I'd swing by to hear his side of the story tonight."
"Then we can know why Dr. Eggman did it," Cream added, having nearly finished the fries she shared with Cheese.
Tails set down his vanilla shake. "But it doesn't seem that straightforward," he stated. "I mean, he could brainwash just about anyone, really." He tapped his chin in thought. "So why Chris' school in particular?"
Chris' school in particular…
"Sonic, what is it?" Amy urged, seeing the solemn look or realization on my face.
"I think you might be on to something, little bro," I said. "Eggman did it on purpose. Out of all the people and places he could have chosen to brainwash people, he chose Chris' school, because that's where he goes every day when he leaves the house."
A small gasp arose from Tails. "So he…"
"He did it because he was targeting Chris specifically," I finished. Even I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth.
"What?!" exclaimed Amy. "Sonic, please tell me you're kidding!"
"I wish I was, Ames," I responded, looking down. "But this is… this is not really something I joke about."
"But… why…?" Cream whispered. "Why would Dr. Eggman do that?"
"Think he wanted to know more about Chris?" suggested Tails as he picked up his box of fries once more.
My eyes widened a little. "Now there's a thought… Oh wait, before I forget…" I pulled the sticker with Eggman's grinning face on it out of Hammerspace and held it up for everyone to see. "Eggman stuck this on Chris' shirt."
"Is that…" Amy peered closer at the object. "Is that a sticker? But that… That doesn't make any sense!"
"Turns out it's not just a sticker," I explained. "It looks like it's a warning message as well. I didn't read it to Chris, though. Don't want to worry him any more than he already is, you know?"
I handed the sticker to Tails first. His eyes widened at what the warning said. When he was done, he handed it to Amy for her to read. She almost looked like she was going pale.
The note read: "If you are reading this, then this child has established himself as one of my adversaries associated with Sonic the Hedgehog. I will get the Chaos Emerald back, and I will learn more about him so I can be prepared for what he has in store next. None of you are safe from me, not by a long shot. Long live the Eggman Empire!"
"I… I can't believe it," Amy finally said after handing the note back to me.
"May I please see it?" asked Cream.
"No, Cream, sorry," I responded as I promptly ripped up the note and deposited it in the trash can. "It was just Eggman saying he made Chris one of his enemies. I don't want you getting worried like he is."
"He's still mad at him over the Chaos Emerald, isn't he?" Amy said, clenching her fists at the injustices done.
I nodded grimly. "Yeah, and knowing him, he's not gonna quit until he gets it back." I pounded my right fist into the palm of my left hand. "Well, I'm not gonna let that happen, that's for sure."
"You know," Tails said after swallowing his fries, "this is the third time this week that Chris was in danger." He started to sound a little more agitated, which normally wasn't like him. "He could have died two of those times!"
"And now he can't even go to school without his life being threatened!" fumed Amy.
"This isn't right!" Cream added.
"Chao!" Cheese echoed.
There was a pause as all eyes were on me, wondering what I would say or do next. All of today's thoughts amounted to what I was about to tell them now. I cleared my throat.
"Yeah… so…" I began, "I've, uh, I've been thinking about Chris all day. Actually, it's been since last week or so." I sniffed. "He's only a kid. He doesn't deserve any of this. But today, though… today was the straw that broke the camel's back. Eggman went too far. He pretty much stalked him all because he got the Chaos Emerald." I took a deep breath. "And earlier today when I heard you guys and Chuck talking about Chris, and how he's alone… I wanna form a pact… a promise that we'll protect Chris… protect him and keep him safe for as long as we're here on this world."
I extended my hand into the center of our circle, and Tails placed his smaller hand on top of it.
"Yes," he whispered, nodding somberly. "If Eggman is going after him personally now, then we gotta do everything we can to make sure he's okay."
Amy placed her hand on top of Tails'. "I agree," she said.
"I want to help too!" Cream piped up as she contributed her own hand to the pile.
"Chao chao!" Cheese echoed, doing the same.
"Then it's settled," I declared. "We're gonna make sure he doesn't get into any more danger ever again, 'cause that's what friends are for, right?" I added with a wink and thumbs-up.
"Yup," Tails smiled, returning the thumbs-up. "Friends forever."
"Now he won't have to be alone anymore," Amy added.
We removed our hands, and as I picked up my burger and took a big bite, I inwardly resolved to secretly follow him to school and back to make sure he got there safely, in case Eggman decided to try something else. But for now, I could rest assured that he couldn't be in better hands than ours.
Thorndyke Mansion - Chris' room – Thu September 2; 10:03 PM – Chris' POV
After dinner, we had spent some of our time playing board games. There were still plenty of games left in the house that Grandpa hadn't brought out for my friends. I also got to have a session of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with Dad, and I even managed to beat him a couple of times! But soon after dessert, it was time to hit the hay.
Bedtime preparations went by rather quickly. I couldn't wait to finally go to bed, because I felt like I ran several marathons from all the baseball that Eggman's robot had put me through.
After Mom tucked me in, we exchanged good nights, and she shut the door. I really missed it when she said good night to me. The last time she did it had to have been around Christmas. Normally I would have been too old for something like that, but my parents loved to pamper me, and I, being their only child, let them.
A few moments after Mom left, I quietly slipped out of my bed and padded in my stocking feet toward the balcony door. I opened it and stepped out onto the balcony. It was a cool September night, but not quite enough to chill me.
I wondered what Sonic had to say to me. He didn't know my side of the story yet, so that was a valid reason why he wanted to see me. Since he had been dealing with Eggman for much longer than I had, he probably had a few answers to questions that I had.
"Good, you're still up," Sonic spoke in a hushed tone as he carefully jumped down to the balcony with a surprisingly quiet landing. I jumped too; I didn't expect him to be literally right above me.
"Y-yeah… I feel like I'm gonna be up all night, even though I'm really tired," I said.
"I can imagine…" Sonic sympathized. He took a seat at the small table on the balcony and beckoned me to sit with him, which I did. "After what you went through today, you're definitely gonna need some rest."
"Yeah..." I said, holding back a yawn.
Sonic looked directly at me. "So what all happened to you, exactly, from the beginning?"
"A lot…" I recalled. "It was, uh… really weird. And kinda scary, now that I think about it."
Sonic nodded.
"The robot you destroyed earlier… it broke through the door and like warped Mr. Stewart out of the classroom– my teacher, he's Mr. Stewart," I explained.
Again Sonic nodded.
"We thought the robot killed him until it told us that he was teleported…" I paused to take a breath, and let it out. "I haven't seen Mr. Stewart since… Do you know if he…?"
"Oh no, no, he's not dead, if that's what you were thinking," Sonic told me. "Your grandpa was on the phone with him after I saved you. He said the police made sure all the kids were safe, so…" He linked his hands behind his head with a satisfied smile. "Happy endings all around."
"So that means Mr. Stewart is safe?" I deducted.
"You bet," Sonic confirmed, winking for emphasis. He rested his hands on the table. "So what happened next? After the robot teleported your teacher, I mean."
"It started to teach us about the Eggman Empire…" I glanced out over the pool below us. "But, um… we resisted it. All of us. We told it that we're not going to become robots. And then we told it the real truth about the Eggman Empire. I think one of my friends there said it didn't have to work for Eggman or something…" I closed my eyes, picturing the scene. "And then the teacher robot malfunctioned. It just… It teleported all of us to the park where you found us."
Sonic cocked a brow. "It… malfunctioned…?" he repeated.
"Mhm," I nodded. "And then it started playing baseball with us. I didn't want to play baseball, but I… I couldn't make myself stop no matter what… It was… it was like I was moving automatically."
"Definitely mind control," confirmed Sonic, who was now looking thoughtful. "But… but that's not like Eggman's robots at all. He doesn't build his creations for such… basic things like baseball. I guess it really was malfunctioning if it was doing that."
"Yeah," I nodded. "Anyway, we were playing for a really long time, and I think we were playing for like 17 or 18 innings-"
"Whoa, whoa!" Sonic exclaimed, holding up his hands. "That's a lot of baseball! No wonder you're so tired..."
"Mhmm... And we finally stopped playing when another robot came and tried to remind the teacher robot what it was really supposed to be doing. But then the teacher robot told the other robot that he would protect us no matter what Eggman did." Here Sonic looked thoughtful. "Then the other robot… he… he yelled at me to not get in the way of Eggman's plans, and to be good and listen to my teacher…" As an afterthought I added, "He had a really annoying voice."
Sonic chuckled, a reaction that confused me.
"What?" I asked.
"Sounds like you had a run-in with Bokkun," he grinned. "He's a real prankster, that one. Never delivers a message without his exploding TVs." He became more somber. "He didn't use any, right? 'Cuz those things are really annoying."
"He did have one, I think, but it didn't explode," I recalled. "He was showing the teacher robot a video of Eggman. He threatened him that he would come down there if he didn't listen to him. And… that's when he yelled at me before he left… and the teacher robot told us to ignore him before we went back to playing baseball again."
I paused for a moment to reflect on everything that happened to me that day.
"And then later, the teacher robot said we were done for the day," I continued. "As soon as we stopped playing, we got all our free will back, and that's when we felt really tired. I don't think I remember feeling tired before then. And then I checked my watch, and I saw that it was 4pm. I think it should have been like… eight in the morning." I looked down at my watch, still unable to shake the disbelief. "It didn't feel like time was passing at all. I think it was the mind control..."
Sonic drummed his fingers on the table, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Well, uh… I don't know what to say about that," Sonic admitted. "I got nothing."
"It's okay," I said quietly, feeling my eyelids drooping closed.
"So what happened when Eggman showed up?" Sonic asked, and I opened my eyes again.
"So he showed up in his hovercraft with a bunch of robots, and they all made a force field so we couldn't get out. And, uh… he turned off the robot and reprogrammed it so it could obey him again. And then we were brainwashed again… and all we could do was draw pictures of Eggman and listen to him talk about the Eggman Empire…"
I was forced to stop as it all came back to me. I swallowed.
"And then… a-and then I… E-Eggman asked me wh-what my name was…" I paused again, voice wavering. "I… I-I saluted him, Sonic! I…"
"Hey hey, it's okay," Sonic tried to reassure me. "It's cool."
"But I–"
Sonic laid a hand on my arm, and I found myself gazing into his easygoing emerald eyes. They were kind of mesmerizing, not to mention soothing. I started to feel myself calm down almost immediately, which in itself would have amazed me had I not been paying attention to what Sonic was saying next.
"That wasn't really you doing it," Sonic said. "Sure, you may have been supporting Eggman on the outside, but deep down, the real you refused to go down without a fight. You stayed strong even though the rest of you caved. That's what I like about you."
In the moment of silence that followed, I reflected on Sonic's words. He was absolutely right. I still despised myself for involuntarily saluting, but in the end, it was only involuntary. I had no idea how strong my own free will was at the time.
"Now, I got a question," Sonic spoke again. "You said the teacher robot was going to protect you from Eggman?"
I nodded.
"That's…" Sonic shifted his position in his chair. "One thing you gotta know about Eggman is that he programs his robots to obey every order of his to the letter. They don't listen to anyone other than him." He grinned. "Heh, I guess that robot was a dud, huh?"
I hummed in response. From what Sonic had told me, Eggman never made duds. So how did it malfunction?
And then I remembered.
"Wait, I– I think it said it had a virus or something," I recalled. "But Eggman fixed it when he came."
"Well, that might explain a few things," Sonic said, stretching as he rose to his feet. He inhaled the night air deeply. "So, uh… this is now the third time you got in danger with Eggman."
"Uh-huh," I nodded.
"Frankly, I'm gettin' kinda concerned for you," he continued. "I mean, you're just a kid. I don't think any of this should be happening to you."
"But… why me…?" I found myself asking.
"Well, remember that Emerald you found?" Sonic recalled. "Eggman said he had dibs on it since the day before, I learned. He was supposed to be the one to get it. And you thwarted his plan all by yourself, so he's not gonna let you forget about it, at least not until he gets it back."
"That's what I'm worried about," I croaked. I could feel the moisture in my eyes as tears threatened to form. "I… I don't know how much more danger I can take… I… E-Eggman made me his prisoner twice, and… he hurt me… and he made me salute him…" I looked back into Sonic's eyes. "Sonic… I don't want to be in danger anymore…"
I closed my eyes as Sonic rubbed my back in soothing circles.
"I know, buddy, I know," he said. "I've been talking with your other friends over dinner, and… they all agreed to protect you and keep you safe from Eggman for as long as we're here."
Opening my eyes, I slowly raised my head. "R-really?"
Sonic smiled. "We're all here for you, Chris. We always will be."
I was immediately filled with elation and gratitude. This promise was all it took for the floodgates to give way. As the first tears fell, I stood up and tightly hugged Sonic, which he graciously returned.
"Th-Thank you, Sonic… s-so much…" I whispered. I don't think he gave any mind that my voice was muffled by his fur.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for my friends," he responded. "You need anything, we're here for you, okay?"
We held that position for a few moments. As the tears of gratitude slid down my cheeks and onto Sonic's shoulder, I could figuratively feel that a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. Now that Sonic saw the potential of all the danger I would inevitably have to go through in the future, he and his friends – my friends – had banded together and offered to protect me from Eggman! My respect for them skyrocketed, and I found that I couldn't ask for anything more from them. In fact… I couldn't believe that they would willingly do all this just for me.
"Eggman is gonna pay for everything he put you through," vowed Sonic as we finally broke the hug. "But right now, it's time for us both to hit the hay."
"I'm still gonna be up all night," I reminded both of us. "and I hope I don't fall asleep in school tomorrow."
"Well, try to get some sleep anyway," Sonic advised. "After all the excitement today, you're gonna need it."
With one swift movement, the hedgehog had already leaped onto the roof and was preparing to get into a comfortable position. I still didn't get what he found so cozy about the roof. I was sure I had asked the night he got here.
"Good night, Sonic," I said as I placed my hand on the doorknob.
"Night, Chris," came Sonic's reply from the roof.
I stepped back into the house and gently closed the door behind me. Already I could feel the heat of my room; it was quite different than the cool air outside.
I climbed back into bed and pulled up the covers. I tried to close my eyes, but found that sleep wouldn't come easily. I was wide awake, both from today's events and from the events of just a few minutes ago.
Today had been a strange day, to say the least. I thought I was done for when Eggman began lecturing us. Roboticization had even crossed my mind. But with Sonic's selfless rescue, me being able to see my parents again, and now tonight with Sonic – the day completely turned around in my favor. I was so happy to know that my friends were going to have my back from here on out, no matter what.
All told, today had been a good day.
A/N: And there you have it - the rewritten Techno-Teacher! I called it "Chris' Family" for two reasons: his parents are visiting, and also Sonic and friends feel like part of the family now!
I wanted to delve into Sonic's brother-like relationship with Chris in this chapter. Inspiration from and kudos to jljj1996, author of "My Brother's Keeper" and "My Brother's Keeper re:TUNED", the best Sonic brotherly love stories ever! I highly suggest you give them a read.
Some of the major changes:
- I completely changed the first scene before the title sequence to make it more relevant to the plot.
- I removed Helen from this episode as I couldn't find a good place to put her.
- Once again, I added Cream into this chapter as I can't see how she couldn't be there in the original episode.
- The mind control and teleporter modules are creative liberties, but without them, this chapter would be extremely hard to write.
- I decided that it would be best if the police actually did their jobs, and also, I added actual security on the scene. Overall, these scenes are taken much more seriously.
- Chris' parents are more level-headed concerning Chris' absence.
- The scenes with E-51 playing baseball have been reduced.
- Instead of sulking, Bokkun returns to report the situation to Eggman.
- Badniks are added to the battle.
- E-51 is now reprogrammed to obey Eggman again, instead of obeying him on its own.
- I removed all references to Mr. Stewart eating the police officer's hamburger because as funny as it was, it can't be taken seriously, especially where law enforcement is involved.
- I greatly extended the last scene, as well as made a brand new scene, so that it is more heartwarming.
Also, the scene in which Chris recites his name to Eggman was a last-minute addition.
And that's it for this chapter! If you have any ideas for future chapters, feel free to share them! If you have any constructive criticism, or want to point out a plothole or OOC character, feel free to share that as well.
Next time is "Party Hardly", where Chris' mom throws a big party for Chris' cousin Matt who is returning from college! Don't miss it!
