-Chapter 129-

The Not-So-Great Escape

Robotropolis

Some time later, Robotnik was in his lab with a Swatbot playing a card game. The Swatbot looked through the ones in his hand, seeming about to play one, only to shake his head as if deciding otherwise. Robotnik began to grow impatient.

"Will you hurry up and play a card already?" he demanded.

It was at that moment the door was thrown open, Snively storming in.

"Uncle!" he shouted. "We need to talk!"

"Whatever you have to say can wait," Robotnik said simply.

"No, it can't!"

Robotnik scowled. "In case you haven't noticed, Snively, I'm in the middle of some very important business here!"

"It's about my treasonous sister!" Snively snapped.

Robotnik let out a growl. "You dare speak of Agatha that-"

"Yes, I dare!" Snively shouted. "I saw your little meeting! You knew she was conspiring with Sonic and his friends behind our backs, and you just gave her a slap on the wrist!"

"No, we had a small talk and established boundaries and rules," Robotnik clarified. "There's a difference."

"You knew she's been selling out to the Freedom Fighters all along! That she's been framing me for it! And you're just looking the other way and playing favorites!"

"She's not causing any major issues, and she's gotten us quite a bit of intelligence," Robotnik retorted.

"She gave them Badnik plans! Metal's plans!"

"Let's face it Snively, they would have found a way to acquire them at some point," Robotnik shot back. "At least this way, we had knowledge of the theft."

"Then what about her framing me?" Snively demanded. "Aurora knows how long I've spent either in prison or working as a butler because of her!"

"That's your own fault for not securing your email and personal effects better, Snively. Besides, ten to one says you did something to warrant punishment anyway."

At this point, Snively was seeing red, his fists clenched incredibly tightly.

"You dirty, ungrateful, good-for-nothing hippo!" he roared. "After everything I've done for you, this is the thanks I get?!"

Robotnik's grip on his cards tightened, crumbling them in his grip.

"You are dismissed," he said, calm but cold.

"Not this time! I have bent over backwards for you! And you choose the traitor over me?!"

"Dismissed!" Robotnik grabbed a coffee mug, throwing it at him and deliberately missing. "Now turn around and keep walking until I can't see you anymore!"

"This is not over," Snively growled, panting with rage as he stormed out.

With that, Robotnik turned back to his card game, the Swatbot laying his cards out.

"Gin. I win," he declared proudly.

Robotnik turned, scowling and fuming as he looked at the robot. He was immediately running as Robotnik removed his glove, firing on him.

"I DON'T REMEMBER PROGRAMMING YOU TO BEAT ME!" he roared.

As he went to destroy the robot, Snively made his way into the throne room, snatching Sonic's shoes from their display case.

"You'll regret turning your back on the one who has been truly loyal," he spat.

He stormed out of the throne room with the shoes in hand. His next stop was Eggatha's lab, where Sonic's Warp Ring pouch was seated on her work table. The young girl was out, most likely for lunch. Snively snagged the pouch before making a beeline for Sonic's cell. Sonic looked up in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Snively retorted.

He opened the cell, hitting the button that released Sonic from the table. He then tossed him the sneakers and the Warp Rings.

"The anti-Warp Ring barrier extends to the edge of Springtrap Village," he informed him. "Get there, and you can warp out."

"Why so nice?" Sonic questioned. "Is it my birthday and no one told me?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Sonic," Snively spat. "Normally, I wouldn't bother extending you a kindness like this. But I've been crossed by my uncle and my kid sister for the last time."

"So that's it," Sonic realized. "Dirty politics. You're just letting me go as a blow to Eggman."

"Exactly. Now I suggest you get moving. You have a five minute head start, and since you can't do much running or fighting in your condition, I suggest you make use of it."

Sonic shrugged before pulling one of the sneakers on, sticking the other into his jacket pocket and hobbling out as fast as he could on his bad leg.

"Don't expect a thank you!" he called as he went.

"I wasn't," Snively said simply.

Sonic then took off, much slower than usual due to the bad leg.

After five minutes passed, Snively pulled the alarm. Unfortunately, Sonic hadn't even made it out of the citadel, unable to speed up walls. He was gritting his teeth, his leg throbbing with every step and getting worse.

"Damn it…" he cursed. "How could things be any worse?"

At that very moment, doors opened and Swatbots came marching in.

"I just had to open my mouth…"

The Swatbots opened fire, with Sonic barely dodging.

"Priority One Hedgehog!" the commander declared. "We have you cornered! We are authorized to use lethal force if you do not surrender!"

"Surrender?" Sonic grunted in pain. "Me?"

"You are injured," the commander pointed out. "You will not make it far on that leg of yours. To try to resist would be suicide on your end."

Sonic scoffed. "I'll take my chances, rust bucket."

Steeling himself and mentally preparing himself for the pain, Sonic shot out of the citadel. He made it halfway through the courtyard before pain overtook him and he fell. His Warp Rings went scattering across the ground.

"Aw, no!" he cried.

"You have no options," the commander insisted. "Surrender."

"I've got one last trick up my sleeve, bolt brain!"

Gritting his teeth, Sonic revved up a Spin Dash before taking off. He was wobbly as he spun and kept running into things, but he made it out of Robotropolis.

Springtrap Village

Sonic made it as far as Springtrap's town limits before he collapsed, his leg throbbing and pulsating with sheer agony.

"Gotta keep moving... gotta keep moving…" A twinge of pain shot up his entire body from his leg. "Ah, who am I kidding?"

With no other options, he got up, hopping on his good leg to an empty apartment building nearby. He slammed the door behind him, locking it and pushing an old bookcase in front of the door for good measure. Only then did he completely collapse, clutching his leg and struggling not to cry from the sheer agony he was in. He kicked back, breathing deep and slow as he tried to summon his Chaos energy to relieve the pain. While he did so, Sonic searched his pouch, only to find it completely empty of Warp Rings.

"Great. Juuuust great," he spat. "My Warp Rings are gone, I made my leg worse, and I'm smack-dab in the middle of Eggman territory."

He curled up into a ball. "Damn it… Looks like I'm gonna be here a while."

Robotropolis

Eggatha ran into Robotnik's throne room.

"Uncle! The Warp Rings are gone from my lab!" she cried. "I swear I left them on my desk while going to get lunch."

"I'm afraid that's not the only thing that's gone." Robotnik said.

He stepped to the side, revealing the empty display case that once contained Sonic's Power Sneakers.

"No…" Eggatha gasped. "Sonic's escaped?!"

"Indeed he did," Robotnik mused. "And right after your reveal as a double agent. How coincidental."

"Y-you don't think I did it, do you?"

"Of course not, my dear," Robotnik assured. "For one, you're far too clever to do something so blatant. For two, the cameras in Sonic's cell are still active."

He brought up the footage, which displayed, clear as day, Snively letting Sonic out and handing him his sneakers and ring pouch.

"Wow…" Eggatha sighed. "How can he be such a mechanical genius and yet be so dim?"

"And he questions why I favor you over him…" Robotnik muttered.

Eggatha glanced up at her uncle, concerned and curious.

"What are you gonna do?"

In response, Robotnik pressed the intercom button on his arm.

"Snively, would you kindly report to the throne room, please?"

-X-

In his room, Snively was gathering his things, stuffing them in a suitcase. He heard the summons over the speaker and just gave it a lewd gesture with his finger. After grabbing the last of his things, he prepared to leave. However, when he opened the door, he came face to face with Metal Sonic.

"The Doctor wants to speak with you."

"Tell that oversized tub of lard I have nothing to say to him," Snively sneered, shoving Metal aside.

He made it two steps before Metal grabbed him by his few remaining hairs. The bot vented harshly as he began dragging the kicking and screaming stooge down the hall.

"Ow! OW!" Snively yelped. "Please, anything but my hair!"

Metal roughly tugged him to his feet, forcing him forward.

"You should have thought of that before you betrayed Robotnik," he hissed.

After a few more minutes of dragging, Metal made it to the throne room, tossing his prisoner before Robotnik and Eggatha. Snively got up, rubbing his scalp as Metal took his place next to the two scientists by the throne.

"Framing me, Snively?" Eggatha asked. "I'd say that's low for you, but honestly, it's in character."

"Do you really take me for such a gullible lemming, Snively?" Robotnik demanded. "Aside from the fact that this happened literally right after I found out about your sister's double dealings, we have security cameras all over the citadel. You really did not think your cunning plan all the way through."

"I wasn't trying to frame her," Snively told him, stifling a gulp of fear now that he was truly facing his Uncle's wrath. "I was just trying to stick it to you like that brat in your lap has done. Besides, what are you going to do about it? You wouldn't kill your own nephew, the brat would be upset. It's clear she has you wrapped around her little finger, and making her sad would just break your heart."

Robotnik grabbed him by the shoulders and Snively's brave facade crumbled. He yelped as he was pulled in closer.

"Tell me, Snively," Robotnik began threateningly. "What color is my heart?"

He opened his mouth as wide as humanly possible, forcing Snively to look down his throat.

"Um…" Snively gulped. "I-I don't see a heart, sir."

Robotnik pulled away. "Exactly."

"I may be a double agent, but at least I'm smart about my acts of treachery," Eggatha remarked. "No wonder Dad kicked you out."

"Dad was an asshole!" Snively shot back. "He never fully appreciated my intellect! So I came to Dr. Robotnik, only to be faced with more of the same!"

"Your intellect is only overshadowed by your stupidity!" Robotnik shot back. "And for the record, even if Colin wasn't a perfect father by any means, he was entirely in the right to kick you out of the house. With your little antics, you brought it on yourself, Junior."

Snively's eye twitched, and Eggatha winced and hissed through her teeth at the name.

"Now... all that's left is to decide an appropriate punishment." Robotnik pondered for a moment, snorting in rage. "After all, I finally had Sonic where I wanted him. He was helpless, imprisoned, and alone. A chance, I highly doubt will come again."

"Perhaps I can make a suggestion," Metal piped up. "I've wanted nothing more than to tear this slimy piece of filth apart for a long time."

"Just don't kill him, okay?" Eggatha requested. "He's a piece of poop, but he's still my brother."

"Agreed," Robotnik nodded. "Regardless of his personal failings, Snively is family. Try not to cause any permanent harm. And when you're done, I never want to see his sniveling, cowardly face ever again!"

"The feeling's mutual, Uncle," Snively sneered. "But you will see me again, only it will be when I finally show you the error of underestimating me."

Metal approached him, ready to deliver a beatdown.

"Are you ready?" the bot asked.

Resigned, Snively held up a finger before pulling out a rag and tying it around his eyes.

"Alright, Metal. Do your worst."

Metal grabbed him and dragged him off. "My plan exactly."

As they left, Eggatha turned to her uncle..

"What about Sonic?"

"His Warp Rings were destroyed by the Swatbots," Robotnik replied. "On that leg of his, he couldn't have gotten any farther than Springtrap. I'll send teams to scour the area. They'll comb every inch of the town until they find him."

Springtrap Village

Later, Badniks had been dispatched to Springtrap Village, searching around. The 6-S were among them, though most of them had interpreted "comb the village" as "literally run giant combs across the ground of the village". (1)

"Are we being too literal?" Scratch pondered.

"No, you dope," Grounder insisted. "We're following orders. We were told to comb Springtrap, so we're combing it."

Orbot sighed. "Why must I constantly be surrounded by frickin' idiots…"

"I know!" Cubot piped up. "We'll never find him with that small a comb!"

Luckily, the Swatbots were taking their job much more seriously, ruthlessly searching the village. From the abandoned apartment he was in, Sonic spotted the flooding bots and felt a surge of panic shoot through him. At the same time, Egg Drones were sweeping the area, scanning around. Sonic got away from the window.

"Think fast, Sonic…" he muttered.

He tried to stand and instantly fell over, clutching his mouth to stifle a scream of pain. Unfortunately, it caught the ear of one Swatbot, who turned toward the door. As he heard approaching footsteps, Sonic scooted to the back of the wall and into a corner, wracking his brain for a solution. The door was thrown open, the Swatbot looking around, only seeing what looked like an abandoned kickball in the corner.

"Identify yourself!" he ordered.

"Uhhh…" Sonic let out, "meow?"

"False alarm," the Swatbot said. "Designation: Mobini cat. Moving on."

It departed. Sonic uncurled just enough to look around and make sure the coast was clear. Still somewhat hyperventilating from more terror than he'd felt since almost drowning, Sonic remained curled up.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold out here," he managed. "But I can't even stand anymore, much less run. If only this damn leg wasn't busted!"

He looked down at his shaking form, an idea forming as he recalled something he read in a comic book when he was little.

"Wait... that one issue of the Rush I read back in the day," he realized. "If I use my super-speed to vibrate the molecules in my body, I could maybe accelerate the cell growth in my leg to heal up and get outta here!"

He uncurled, leaning against the wall. "That, couple with Chaos Energy… it just might work."

He focused, sparking slightly even as his right leg began to vibrate. This time, the pain began to fade at a much faster rate. He gasped in shock, then grinned and kept at it.

"It's working…" he managed. "Thank Aurora it's working!"

He focused on healing up even as Swatbots continued their patrol...

Author's Note:

(1): From Spaceballs.

Looks like Sonic is free of the cell, but is still in a heap of trouble. However, perhaps he just might get out of this yet.

Now, a few points to address. First off, gorillablazer. The OCs and characters for this story have already been planned out and chosen. If you want a story featuring your character, write it yourself. Nobody knows your character better than you. Also, the story is rated T for a reason. Language for one, and dark themes. We will not be making it K or K+ because that is not what it is.

And… Void Reader. You have officially lost review privileges. Any review you post will be immediately deleted, and I am in the process of deleting your previous ones as you read this. If you cannot be respectful and honor my multitude of requests to stop badgering me and accept that this is MY story, and I decide when to post and what is or is not added, then you will be punished. I. Am. DONE. As said in chapter 1, "CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM is appreciated, but NO FLAMES! If you don't like it, don't read it". Your criticism has not been constructive in the slightest and your latest review, in which you called me a bitch and a know-it-all, was flat-out crossing the line. You have no one to blame but yourself, and quite frankly, I should've done this a very long time ago..

Please R&R. Until next time!