-Chapter 127-
Trial by Fire
Robotropolis
Robotnik paced around eagerly. After a few minutes, his patience was rewarded when the doors opened, revealing a Battle Bird goon.
"Doctor, presenting your nemesis on a silver platter," he declared.
He pulled aside as Sonic was rolled in, strapped to a hand-truck with his left leg in a cast. His face was impassive as Robotnik grinned.
"Well, well, well, it seems you birds are truly worth all of the great things said about you," he mused. "You are to be commended and rewarded."
He then began walking towards Sonic, hands behind his back and the grin spread across his face.
"Oh how I've longed for this day... For the past year, you've been a massive thorn in my side, the proverbial wrench in my well oiled machine-"
Sonic let out a small snort.
"What?" Robotnik snapped. "Do you have something to say?"
Sonic didn't respond at all. Robotnik shook his head, going on.
"I would have conquered Mobius a dozen times over if it wasn't for your constant meddling, Sonic. But now I have you right where I want you."
He turned back to Sonic, who wasn't even looking at him, just glancing around the room like a bored teenager. The doc's annoyance was continuing to grow, but he was determined to conclude his speech.
"And you'll rot here for a while, knowing you failed and Mobius will soon be mine."
This time when he glanced over at Sonic, he saw that the hedgehog was now just staring blankly at him, eyes half-lidded and mouth agape.
"Well?" Robotnik let out. "Say something, damn you!"
He snapped his fingers in front of Sonic's face, and the hedgehog jumped as if hit with a taser. He looked around, locking eyes with Robotnik and shrugging.
"Oh, sorry. I couldn't really tune your bragging out, so I, uh... died for a minute."
"Tune me…" Robotnik clenched his fists, "were you purposely IGNORING ME?!"
"I figured it was the fastest way to get you to shut up," Sonic replied. "I'm honestly starting to wonder if almost getting my leg blown off was less painful than listening to your monologuing."
Robotnik was turning red at this point.
"Oh c'mon, Doc, I'm just having fun with you." Sonic looked at Robotnik's jacket and smirked. "That's actually a very nice coat you got there."
"Oh," Robotnik let out, mildly surprised. "Thanks for that, at least."
Sonic smirked. "I'm surprised it came in whale sizes."
Robotnik scowled. "Why you little-! I'll have you know I'm Mobius' sexiest fat man! (1)"
"Maybe in your head."
Robotnik roared in rage and punched the table, mere centimeters from where Sonic's head was. The hedgehog wasn't able to stifle the yelp of surprise in time. He retracted his fist as Sonic regained his composure.
"You can make your little stupid jokes," Robotnik sneared. "You can play your little childish games. But mark my words, Sonic. I will break you."
"Ooh, what're you gonna put me through? The torment of the rack? The pain of the whip? Maybe the horror of the Iron Maiden?"
"Hmmm… 'all of the above' sounds tempting."
"Well enjoy it while you can, Doc, because when I get out of here, I'm shoving this cast somewhere you're not gonna like."
Robotnik smirked. "Oh, but you're not getting outta here."
"Heard that back in the Egg Dungeon. Last time I checked, I escaped, and the island's been repurposed into a governmental site."
"Well, last time you didn't have a bum leg, now did you?"
Sonic grimaced, his fists clenching. "Alright, I'll give you that. Still, low blow."
"I'm an evil scientist. What did you expect?" Robotnik then straightened and pointed in the direction of the citadel's holding area. "Take him away! And make sure to keep him secured. Bum leg or not, I am not taking any chances."
Sonic smirked again. "Aww, you shouldn't have gone to all this trouble for little old me, Eggy."
Robotnik turned beet-red, growling unintelligibly before shoving Sonic's table toward two Swatbots.
"Just get him out of here!" he roared.
Sonic was led off, and once he was out of sight of Eggman, he dropped his facade. He pulled on the restraints as hard as he could, only stopping when pain shot through his leg and he had to bite back a curse.
"Super speed is out, as is muscle… if I'm going to get out of this, I'm gonna have to outsmart Eggman."
Cocoa Island
Tails held up the Miles Electric, scanning around.
"Okay, we're in luck. Looks like there's a Chaos Emerald in the Poloy Forest Zone near the cabin."
"Cabin?" Johnny asked. "You never struck me as the camping sort."
"It's my family's summer home," Tails explained. "And I actually enjoy camping alot. I'm not all technology and inventions."
Johnny scratched the back of his ear. "Yeah, that's a good point. Well made."
At that moment, there was a wild shout as Hope came flying in on the Extreme Gear board, losing control and nearly hitting a tree. Johnny snagged her overall strap, pulling her off before it hit.
"Phew…" she sighed. "Thanks, Johnny. Man, that thing has touchy acceleration."
"You're gonna break your neck if you keep this up, Hope," Sally insisted as Johnny set Hope carefully on the ground.
"Sally, you saw how fast the Battle Birds were on the Extreme Gear," Hope pointed out. "With Sonic captured, we gotta even the playing field somehow."
"She's right," Tails agreed. "Sonic's speed factor has always been how we've managed to pull off half of the victories we have. With him gone, Hope and the Extreme Gear board are our best chance at keeping our hold in that field."
"I'll be fine. Practice makes perfect." Hope tapped Omochao on her head. "Besides, I've got a helmet."
"Remember kids, always wear helmets when riding bikes, skateboards, or high speed Extreme Gear mods," Omochao recited helpfully.
"Alright, enough playing around," Tails cut in. "We gotta get to the cabin."
As they go, Johnny turned to Hope.
"Did you program the whole 'Captain Obvious' thing into him?" he asked.
"Guess he took 'information presentation' a bit too literally." Hope shrugged.
"Even in helmet mode, my audio receptors are still functional," Omochao declared.
Hope winced. "Sorry."
In the skies above the island, several members of the Battle Birds were out on patrol, scouting for the Freedom Fighters and any others who would interfere with their mission. One looked down, seeing Tails and the others heading for Poloy Forest.
"There they are!" he exclaimed.
"Persistent little buggers," the second muttered. "What do you want to do about them?"
"Hmmm…" the first bird eyed the forest. "Well, Dr. Robotnik didn't specify how much of the island had to remain intact once we established a base."
The second bird grinned as both of them fired up their thrusters to maximum.
On the ground, Nicole's handheld beeped, getting their attention. Sally held her up, allowing the holo-lynx to appear.
"Two Battle Bird vessels approaching at high speed." she cautioned.
"Uh-oh," Sally let out.
Everyone looked up to see the two birds coming in closer. Flames were spewing out of their thrusters as they swooped down at the group, igniting the trees like candles.
"Oh, shit!" Johnny screamed.
"They're trying to burn the forest down around us!" Tails exclaimed.
"What do we do?!" Hope demanded.
Tails began looking around frantically, then noticed a nearby river.
"I got it! Hope, get on the Extreme Gear and fly around the river like a as fast as you can and keep close to the water. Sally, Johnny, while she does that, we need to take those birds down!"
Hope nodded, throwing the board out and jumping on as Tails flew after the Battle Birds. He had Sally in one hand and Johnny in the other, twirling his tails extra hard to make up for the weight. The birds immediately turned and came at them.
"Get on the ground where you belong, fox boy!" one of them ordered.
When the birds came in close enough, Tails tossed his friends at them.
"You first, chicken brains!" he shot back.
Sally drew a Ring Blade, slashing through the jet-bike as she flew at her target. Johnny just tackled his, knocking them both off the bike, which spiraled out before crashing into a tree with a fair-sized explosion. Tails turned to see Hope raising a funnel of water out of the river. Once it was high enough above the trees, he held out a hand.
"Okay Hope, stop!"
She hit the brakes and the water came crashing down on the trees, dousing the fire. She shook her head, trying to clear it as she wavered.
"How does Sonic pull off all those spins and tornado moves without losing his lunch?" she pondered.
"A medical mystery I doubt will ever be solved," Tails replied.
About that time, the two birds began descending slowly, Johnny and Sally clinging to them in threatening manners.
"That's right," Sally said. "Unless you want to get plucked, you'll take us down nice and slow."
Once they landed, Sally grabbed hers by the collar, extending a Ring Blade with her free hand.
"Now talk," she ordered. "Where's Sonic?"
"Gone," the bird stammered. "We shipped him off the second our medic finished his work. You'll never find him."
The quartet exchanged looks, nodding.
"He's at Citadel Robotnik," they said in unison.
The bird sputtered. "Y-you don't know that!"
"You're in league with Eggman," Hope pointed out. "Your Battle Kukku specifically mentioned delivering him to the doc. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to connect the dots."
"Unfortunately, the citadel's Warp Ring proof now after that incident with Eggatha," Sally recalled. "And even if it wasn't, stopping the scheme on this island takes precedence."
"Sonic's resourceful, and smarter than Eggman gives him credit for," Johnny pointed out. "He'll be fine."
"The sooner we chase the Battle Birds off, the sooner we can go back him up," Tails insisted.
"But- but you," the bird began.
Johnny punched him out. "Shut up."
They headed into the forest, coming across the Prowers' summer cabin. It was nothing special, just a simple, cozy log cabin. Tails marched right up to the main door, where the group saw a green Chaos Emerald embedded in the wood as a decoration. He flew up, pulling a screwdriver from his jacket and using it to pry the Emerald loose.
"Wait…" Hope blinked. "You and your folks had a Chaos Emerald here as a wall decoration this whole time?"
"Yeah," Tails confirmed. "I found it when I was really young, and my mom wanted to display it proudly. So, it became a feature of the house."
He got it loose, pocketing the Emerald before pulling out the Miles Electric.
"Okay, there are two more near here," he informed them. "One in the Volcanic Tunnels leading up to Polly Mountain, and the second on the mountain."
"Then let's go," Sally insisted. "Sonic's waiting for us."
Robotropolis
In Citadel Robotnik, Robotnik walked to Sonic's cell, seeing the hedgehog still strapped to the table. Sonic glared at his captor as Robotnik cackled slightly.
"I do hope your time here has been miserable," he said.
"Does a Becky (2) crap in the Wood Zone?" Sonic retorted. "Worst part is my butt itches and I can't scratch it while strapped to this thing."
"Well get used to it, Sonic!" Robotnik shot back. "You're staying right there on that table. That way, you can't run, even when your leg heals. That is… if I allow it to heal."
"Wow," Sonic deadpanned. "How is it no girl has snatched you up yet? Oh, that's right. They were scared off by either your flabby exterior or horrible personality."
Robotnik slammed his fists against the bars.
"I will find a way to silence that insolent tongue of yours. Perhaps when I bring your friends here. I'll make them suffer for every quip that comes out of your mouth. Starting with the two-tailed fox and the Princess."
Sonic's face darkened. "Fair warning, Eggman. Whatever you do to them, I do to you and then some. I see any of them with a bruise, you get a scar. Any of them start limping, you get crutches. And if you think I'm bluffing... ask your mecha-arm."
Robotnik's metal fingers twitched unconsciously before clenching into a fist.
"Oh, I know you're bluffing," he scoffed. "You're scared of your own power, Sonic. Afraid of your 'darker nature. You won't go down that path."
"You hurt my friends, no guarantee I'll be feeling like myself then. You really wanna take that chance?"
His entire body began sparking, and Robotnik actually stepped back on instinct.
"Well…" Robotnik began nervously. "We'll see how it goes."
He departed at that, not wanting to risk provoking the hedgehog further at the moment. Sonic just snorted, then noticed something off. He watched the Chaos energy he was giving off traverse his body, then slip underneath his cast. Oddly enough, the pain began to subside, albeit only slightly.
"No way… is my natural Chaos Energy healing my wound?" He flexed his toes and pain still shot through his foot, showing that it was still broken. "Well, it's slow going, but I just might get outta this mess yet."
He closed his eyes and focused, the energy gathering up and travelling down his leg, healing it little by little...
Author's Note:
(1): Reference to AoSTH; the chief animator hoped to make that show's Robotnik, and I quote, "animation's sexiest fat man." Considering he provides the page image for Fan Disservice on TV Tropes... let's just say it didn't work out the way he hoped.
(2): Mobini bear, featured in both Sonic 2 and Sonic Mania.
Well, Sonic's out of the frying pan and into the fire. Can he save himself, or will Tails have to do it for him?
Please R&R. Until next time!
