CHAPTER 6: TRAITOR OR FRAUD?
(Chris's POV)
I woke up to the blinding sting of light overhead. My eyes felt as though they had been
scorched, each blink a painful reminder of the harsh brightness surrounding me. The dryness of
my eyes only made it worse. It was as though I had been swallowed whole by the desert.
...Oh, wait. I almost was.
As I gathered my bearings, I realized I was lying in a metal room. It was almost completely
empty, save for two other beds and a small desk at the far end of the room.
"Infirmary," I muttered to myself.
My suspicion was confirmed when I noticed a red cross above a door. Okay, so this is an
infirmary, not a hospital. But how did I get here? The last thing I remembered was being
swallowed by sand after an earthquake, and then… oh! That's right—Eggman was there! That
meant I was—
I was interrupted by the door swinging open. I snapped my head toward the sound, a little too
fast. My vision blurred, and a dull throb pulsed in my head. Did I hit my head or something? I
rubbed the back of my skull, feeling a sore spot.
Once the world stopped spinning, I saw two figures standing in the doorway. No, not
people—robots. Doccoe and Boccoe. They were both dressed in medic headbands and doctor
attire, carrying medical equipment. They seemed so absorbed in their complaints about Eggman
that they didn't notice I was awake.
"Why don't we ever man the station?" Doccoe grumbled.
"I guess Dr. Eggman just likes him better than us," Boccoe replied.
Boccoe was about to continue when he saw me.
"Look! He's awake!" he shouted.
"Wow! He's made a remarkable recovery. I'm surprised he doesn't have a headache. You
dropped him so many times."
"Did not! It was you who kept tripping over your own feet!" Doccoe fired back.
"Did too! You've got such butter fingers you couldn't hold onto him!"
I couldn't help but sweatdrop. Well, that answers my question.
"Uh, why am I here? And where is here?" I croaked, my throat dry and scratchy.
"We found you in the desert," Boccoe explained. "You were completely exhausted. You
collapsed, and we begged Dr. Eggman to bring you along with us."
What? Did he actually… save me? I blinked in disbelief. He… saved me? Could he actually be
trying to be… nice? The two robots looked at each other and nodded with enthusiasm.
"Yep!"
I blinked again. "Why?"
The two exchanged uneasy glances. I knew it was too good to be true. Eggman? Being nice?
That's about as likely as finding a needle in a haystack with your eyes closed.
"To tell you the truth, we don't know. He just told us to bring you to the infirmary."
I nodded, processing the information. Without hesitation, I threw off the covers and stood up. I
swayed for a moment but quickly steadied myself. No time to waste. Without a second thought, I
dashed out of the room.
"Where are you going?" one of them called after me.
"To get answers!" I shouted back.
I sprinted through the maze of metal corridors, flinging open doors in search of a control room or
anything that resembled an office. After what felt like hours, I finally found a room that matched
what I was looking for. I threw the door open and froze, taking in the sight before me.
There were computers, of course, and a large glass dome at the center of the room. The setup
on each side looked identical, save for the difference in where the computers were placed. In
the center of the room, sitting in a chair with his back to me, was none other than Eggman. He
didn't even flinch when I entered.
I marched up to him, ready to demand answers. But before I could speak, he cut in.
"So, you're finally awake," he said, his voice indifferent.
I glared at him. "Why did you bring me here?"
"My, my, impatient, aren't we?" Eggman said, smirking without turning around.
I clenched my fists, feeling my frustration build. Why was he acting as if this was no big deal?
"Why. Am. I. Here." I asked again, my voice low and controlled, though my face betrayed my
anger.
Eggman didn't respond. That was it. I grabbed the back of his chair and tried to spin him around
to face me. Just as I reached out, a sudden force stopped my movement. Someone—or rather,
something—grabbed my wrist.
I turned to see… another me.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," my doppleganger warned. He had a sly smirk on his face, his
eyes challenging me. He wanted me to try. He wanted me to make a move.
I glared at him, jerking my hand away from his grasp. "So, it's true. You've finally come back."
I rubbed my wrist, feeling the bruise from where his hand had gripped me. The pain lingered, a
sharp reminder of the past.
He raised his hands in mock surrender when I stepped back, clearly amused by the tension.
"Good to see you too," he said with feigned civility.
"It seems you two know each other," Eggman commented. "Good, I won't need to go into
introductions. Christopher, meet Zero Lisianthius. Zero, this is—"
"Christopher Thorndyke. Heir to Thorndyke Industries. Son of one of the wealthiest, most
famous families in the world. Host to the world-famous Sonic the Hedgehog and friends. Also...
the one person capable of stopping my plans," Zero finished, his voice dripping with disdain. His
eyes narrowed as he spoke, bitterness edging his words.
I crossed my arms, my voice sharp. "So, now you plan to use Dr. Egghead for help?"
"It's Eggman to you," Eggman interjected, his tone a little more defensive than usual. "And for
the record, I'm the one running the show here."
I couldn't help but snicker at the ridiculousness of it all. Eggman, trying to play the leader when
he was clearly a pawn in someone else's game. A fly caught in the web.
"I'm the one who brought him here," Eggman added, clearly proud of himself.
That was the final straw. "Idiot," I muttered.
"What was that?!" Eggman barked, his face reddening in fury.
I whistled innocently, a mock smile tugging at my lips. "Oh, nothing."
Zero chuckled softly behind me, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "Same old self,
aren't you?" he said, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Seems you haven't changed a bit, either," I retorted dryly. "Still trying to be the big shot, even
after all this time."
"Well then," Zero said, his smile fading, "now that we've exchanged pleasantries, let's get down
to business. We need you to get us some… plans."
I raised an eyebrow. "And why do you think I'd be willing to help someone who's tried to take
over my world? Not to mention, coughs trying to kill my best friend?"
"It's not my fault that blasted hedgehog keeps getting in my way," Zero spat, his anger flaring. "If
everyone just cooperated, we wouldn't have to resort to such extremes."
I growled, ready to retort, but Zero spoke again before I could.
"If I remember correctly," he said coolly, "you weren't so different last time. You had a goal just
like his, one that wasn't exactly 'innocent.'" His voice darkened. "That was my job."
My glare returned to him, cold and cutting. "But in the end, I saw the error in my ways. I
changed." I looked down briefly. "I only wish I could say the same for you."
'Slap!' I felt a stinging sensation in my cheek. I looked only to see Zero stepping back with his
hand still raised.
" I will not sit ideally by and let my nemesis start talking about me in such a manner. I had once
respected you; but now you're nothing more than dirt under my feet." He spat at me.
A long silence hung in the air. Anyone who had walked in would have fainted with the first step,
overwhelmed by the tension.
"I'd rather be dirt than a heartless piece of scum like you," I hissed.
Zero gritted his teeth, struggling to hold his tongue. I could tell it was taking all his energy not to
lash out and attack me at that moment. His knuckles turned white, and his face slowly flushed
red. He squeezed his eyes shut and muttered incoherent words under his breath; I could only
catch a few fragments: "…Over soon… others… dead… let's get it over with… worth it." Slowly,
a wicked grin spread across his face.
My stomach clenched. This can't be good.
"So, I'm guessing it's safe to assume you're not going to help us?" he asked, his voice cold.
I tensed, preparing for the lion's pounce.
"Do I really need to answer that question?" I shot back.
Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through my stomach. The shock of it hit me like a
thunderclap—so fast, so brutal. The breath was knocked out of me, and I was thrown into a
violent coughing fit. I crumpled to the ground.
"I was hoping you would say that." He kept his gaze fixed on me, unblinking.
I tried to stand, willing my knees not to give way, but they had other plans. They collapsed
beneath me. I had braced for the pain in my knees, but to my surprise, it wasn't there. Instead,
the pain exploded in my head. Zero had yanked me by my hair before I hit the ground, pulling it
sharply upward. Within moments, I was forced back onto my feet.
With a single motion, he hurled me into the heavy machinery, the impact leaving a deep dent.
sparks flew as wires snapped, and glass exploded resulting in a deadly spray, raining down
around me. In the background, I could hear Eggman shouting at Zero to be careful, but Zero
didn't seem to care.
I felt Zero grab the collar of my shirt and jerk me onto my feet once again. My body ached. It felt
as if there were flames against my back, and knives were digging into my skin. Part of me just
wanted to pass out—to let the pain end. But another part of me didn't want to give Zero the
satisfaction of seeing me so helpless. Letting my pride take the lead, I forced myself to push
through the pain and stand on my own two feet.
"What happened to you...?" he asked, his voice dripping with false pity. "You used to be one of
the most feared beings in the world. No, the galaxy. But now look at you—nothing but a little
butterfly, fluttering through the depths of a wasteland. You're not even worth a second glance."
He leaned in so close that I had no choice but to meet his gaze.
"Guess even the great Silver Bullet can't stop me now. I've grown more powerful than you could
ever imagine. That's why I've decided to offer you a deal. Why don't you join us and return to
your former glory? Be like you once were."
My throat was dry and scratchy, but I forced myself to speak. "Never in a million years," I
rasped.
Zero frowned, his eyes narrowing with annoyance.
"Suit yourself," he muttered. "But after all we've been through, I'll show you mercy. I'll give you
time to think about your choice."
I felt a sharp, pinching pain in the back of my neck, and then, once again, everything went black.