#such an event would make it really easy for another robotnik to take control without a hero going around to stop her

[mephiles-the-jester]

its 12am for me and i have many thoughts about this au where i just traumatise two older sibling sonic characters (and make metal a transgirl dating amy)

[archiesoniconline]

QnA: Zone Cop Briefing

Zally: Hello there everyone.  I’m Zally, Head of Communications for the Zone Cops.  Joining me today is our top officer Zonic...

Zonic: Hi there! Zally: And his protege, Zails. Zails: Uh, hello.  That’s a lot of people w-we’re talking too. Zally: The staff at Archie Sonic Online have received a lot of questions about Zones, Zone Travel, Time Travel, and several covering some combinations of these topics.  And so, they have asked us to give this briefing, to hopefully explain some of the basics about Zones and Time Travel, and with luck we’ll answer your questions as we do so. Just before we begin however, it’s important to say that, while what we will say today is the case for… hmm…. At least 9 out of 10 situations, there are several exceptions.  Zonic: Not to mention Nega and that Genesis Wave messing everything up… Zally: Ahem!  Going into all of them would take far too much time, so we’ll just say for now that ‘exceptions to these rules do exist’ and start the briefing. To begin, most Zones fall into two distinct types.  There are the True Zones, such as say the Prime Zone and the Sol Zone, complete universes in themselves.  Then there are the Pocket Zones, which have limited internal dimensions, can often be found within a True Zone, and can also be disrupted by tremendous emissions of energy.  The Special Zone, formally the Zone of Silence, was one such Zone, as was the Pocket Zone destroyed when Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles from the Prime Zone fought. There are multiple ways that Pocket Zones can be created, natural and artificial.  But for True Zones, they are only created when a Triggering Event occurs in the Prime Zone.  Other Zones cannot split to form new Zones.  It might help to think of the Multiverse almost like a tree, with the Prime Zone as the trunk, and other Zones the branches growing from it. Triggering Events have a few requirements.  There has to be a number of likely possible outcomes.  And the different outcomes must have fundamentally different effects on the future of the Prime Zone.  For example, Prime Sonic choosing how many chilli-dogs to eat might have several different likely outcomes, but none would result in any fundamental change, so it would not be a Triggering Event.  In the opposite way, Prime Robotnik debating whether to use the Robotizer certainly had a massive effect on the events in the Prime Zone, but the chances of him choosing to not use the device were so slim, no new Zone was created. A Triggering Event need not be a single decision made by one person.  It could be several smaller decisions made by a group of people that nevertheless results in a different outcome.  It could even be the results of a natural occurrence.  When life was reforming after the Gene Bomb in the Prime Zone, there were so many different directions it could take, that this is where the vast majority of Zones were created.  Numerous Zones were also created when the Prime Zone first formed, some with wildly different laws of physics. When a new Zone is created, it is completely duplicated.  The entire timeline is copied, not just from the Triggering Event.  Though on that subject, the passage of time can be different between Zones.  Time runs faster in some Zones compared to the Prime Zone, such as the Zone Robo-Robotnik hailed from.  In some, it runs slower, such as in the Twilight Cage.  And in others, it can run at the same rate as the Prime Zone, but the point where the Prime Zone and the other Zone meets are at different points in their timelines. That covers the creation of Zones.  So moving onto Zone Cop operations, I’ll turn to Zonic. Zonic: Thanks Zal… uh, Zally.  As I’m sure most of you are aware, the Zone Cops monitor activity within the different Zones, as well as travel between the different Zones.  Different units of Cops have different roles, from general monitoring, to patrolling the Cosmic Interstate, to protecting against threats to the Multiverse.  For me, my job means I’m called in when direct action is required in another Zone. This is… a difficult job.  You could well ask why don’t we help out whenever something bad happens in the other Zone.  Truth is, that could cause a horrible imbalance, and lead to more disastrous consequences further down the line.  It’s not easy sitting on the sidelines, but sometimes we have to. But then, there are times we do need to act to make sure a greater threat doesn’t rise.  You’re likely aware of some of those times, as that’s when I’ve brought in Prime Sonic.  Why him?  Well, the Prime Zone is only a step away from all the other Zones, even wildly different ones like the Sol Zone.  And Prime Sonic is, in all honesty, one of the most capable Sonic’s in the multiverse, so I know it’s in good hands.  We could send in a squad of Zone Cops instead, but one Sonic can do, with very little disruption, what it would take several squads to accomplish. This has all gotten a lot harder recently, with Eggman Naga swarming over the Multiverse causing massive disruption, and the recent damage inflicted to Zone Jails. Alright, there’s a bit more to cover, but that’s for the end.  Right now, I’m gonna turn to Zails.  He’s still training to be a Zone Cop, but as one of his training projects, he’s done a Case Study on Silver the Hedgehog, so he’s here to talk about time travel.  Take it away Zails. Zails: Uh… Alright *deep breath* You can do this Zails.  Silver the Hedgehog is a time travelling Hedgehog… That’s redundant, isn’t it?  Uh… so… Silver has travelled through time, but there have also been incidents where he’s interacted with different Zones aside from the Prime Zone, known as Light Mobius and Dark Mobius. So, er, Time Travel and Zone Travel do share many similar principles.  Travelling between Zones is easy, as No-Zone and the Cosmic Highway connect all Zones.  Even travel that doesn’t use the Cosmic Interstate, such as Star Posts, tend to make use of that connection.  Time Travel is much harder, though it is easier to travel forwards, going with the flow of time, than backwards, working against it. This means it’s very easy, if you don’t know what you’re doing, to accidently move between Zones when Time Travelling.  Er… *checks notes* Jani-ca from Dark Mobius did this, accidentally travelling to the Prime Zone when she went back in time.  It’s easier to do when you are going back before the Triggering Event that created your Zone. And so, if you know how to Time Travel, it is much easier to travel to other Zones. Which leads us, uh, to the next question.  ‘Does time travel create new Zones?’  The answer is ‘it depends’.  Keep in mind, looking at Silver, given the chance it was unlikely he wouldn’t go back in time.  And when he found out about Mecha-Sally, also unlikely that he wouldn’t stop her.  So his actions changed the future, without creating a new Zone. On the other hand, King Sonic of Light Mobius.  Once, it was the future of the Prime Zone.  But when he went back in time, his actions created such wild changes, that Light Mobius became its own Zone, and the future of the Prime Zone was shifted away from it. Which then leads to a bigger question.  *takes a breath, checks notes*  ‘If you change the future, doesn’t that create a paradox where you wouldn’t have gone back to change the future?’  Okay, when someone goes back in time, they become part of the past, as if they always existed there.  So when they return to the future, they’ll still remember their old life, even if their actions have created massive changes.  We think.  This is partially theoretical, based on observing Silver.  There is one last question: ‘Why are some things from Light Mobius seen in Silver’s future?’  This is because of the way Light Mobius was created.  There is still a connection between Light Mobius and the Prime Zone.  Sometimes, things leak through.  Maybe just objects, but at some point, even Tikchaos, or part of her, was able to slip into the Prime Zone. *looks over notes* Uh… that’s everything from me, so, er, back to Zonic. Zonic: Thanks Zails, you did great. *gives thumbs up*  Our last topic is on Zone Numbering and Naming.  There are countless Zones, and each is given an ‘official numbering’, based on the date and exact time of its creation.  These numbers, as you might expect, are VERY long.  So instead, we usually refer to the ‘Case File’ Numbers.  These numbers, after the first 100, are based on when we start to take an interest in that Zone.  The first 100, well, we were trying to rate the Zone’s by importance.  We really messed that up! *chuckles*  For naming a Zone, that honour is given to the team who first open a Case File on a Zone.  *communicator beeps* Oh, that’s right!  Just one other thing to note.  We've heard rumours of another 'Sonic Prime'.  We don't know any details yet, but we're investigating.

Okay, I think that is everything.  Zally? Zally: Yes, we’ve just about covered everything.  I hope we’ve managed to answer most of your questions.  But before we leave, we’ve had numerous requests for knowing the name and designation of a number of Zones.  So we’ll leave those with you. Thank you so much for listening.  Now, here’s the list:

#001 – The Prime Zone – This is the zone where all others originate from, where Sonic and the heroes of Mobius fight against the tyranny of Dr. Eggman.

#017 – The Stealth Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where the superhero Stealth the Hedgehog fights villains such as Professor Egg.

#059 - The Serene Zone - This Zone features a Mobius where Julian Kintobor never managed to gain control after the Great War, and the Kingdom of Acorn stood strong.

#100 – The No Zone – Our Zone, from here the Zone Cops organization strives to maintain order across the multiverse.

#109 – The Legal Zone – This zone features a Mobius with a city called Litigopolis where law and order are the way of the world.

#196 – The Freedom Zone – This zone features a planet Freedom which is divided into two realms – the Land of the Sky and the Land of Darkness.

#199 – The Underground Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Prince Sonic and his siblings, Manic and Sonia, seek to find their mother, Queen Aleena, and become the Council of Four to overthrow the dictator Dr. Robotnik.

#220 – The Lightning Zone – This zone features a planet Earth where Sonic has traveled and been adopted by a police officer named Tom and stops the plans of the overzealous scientist Dr. Robotnik.

#372 – The Anti Zone – This zone is a mirror reflection of the Prime Zone, where our heroes are bad and their villains are good.

#403 – The Earth X Zone – This zone features a planet Earth with a city called Station Square. It is the home of Chris Thorndyke and his friends and has been protected by Sonic the Hedgehog.

#492 – The Image Zone – This zone features a planet Earth that is protected by heroes such as Spawn, Savage Dragon, and The Maxx.

#496 – The Dark Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius nearly purged of life from a corrupted Knuckles the Echidna who became Enerjak.

#589 – The Discovery Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius resembling a gritty film noir.

#593 – The Boomer Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters; Johnny Lightfoot, Porker Lewis, Tails, and Amy, face various foes including the evil Dr. Robotnik.

#623 – The Real Zone – This zone features a planet Earth where Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game character.

#905 – The Mobius X Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and his friends call home. Sonic and his friends have been transported off this planet into the X Earth Zone.

#1054 – The Kaiju Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Dr. J Kintobor uses a super sized mecha, Giant Robotno, to fight enlarged mutants.

#1072 – The Sentai Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonicman and the Chaos Ninja Team fight the villainous Sallactor.

#1084 – The Cyborg Zone – This zone is home to a planet Mobius that has been left a ruined wasteland thanks to it’s Dr. Robotnik. This is the zone from which Dr. Eggman hails.

#1100 – Maginary Zone – This zone is where the dreams of all other zones are born from. It is entered via the Precioustone and is guarded by the powerful Illumina.

#1103 – The Light Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius very similar to our heroes’ world. King Sonic and Queen Sally rule the Kingdom of Acorn in this zone.

#1105 – The Sol Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Blaze the Cat guards the Jewelled Sceptre and the Sol Emeralds.

#1114 – The Boom Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and his friends live on Bygone Island and deal with regular shenanigans from Dr. Eggman.

#1241 – The Archie Zone – This zone features a planet Earth with a town called Riverdale. It is the home of Archie Andrews, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Josie and the Pussycats amongst others.

#1291 – The Luna Zone – This zone features a Mobius that is protected by the pretty guardian Sally Moon and her crush Tuxedo Knux.

#4235 – The Galaxy Zone – This zone is the home of the Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy, a group that patrols their universe facing cosmic threats such as Robolactus.

[mobius-prime]

235. Sonic the Hedgehog #167

Mobius 25 Years Later (Part Two): Tempus Aeternus

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley Colors: Jason Jensen

Lien-Da is incredibly happy with herself on this fine evening, sipping a glass of wine and bragging about how she and King Shadow orchestrated the arrests of Tails, Lara-Su and Sonic, and how as a result she's had a hand in "bringing down the line of Edmund." Rutan watches silently from the nearby stairs, looking conflicted and upset, while Dimitri (still confined to being a head in a bubble) coldly remarks at how ashamed he is to be related to her due to her behavior, even more ashamed than when he in the past worked with Dr. Finitevus. Wait, what?! That hasn't happened yet! A hint of what is to come in the main comic, perhaps…? After all, though Lien-Da implied that Dimitri was dead during the Return to Angel Island arc, we know he can't actually be if he appears in this future. In the dungeons beneath the castle, Sonic, Tails, and Lara-Su have been chained up next to a despondent Rotor. He is frustrated that the three of them don't seem to be taking their position seriously, as the first two mostly joke around about this "bringing back memories" while Lara-Su complains that Rutan will make fun of her for all this. At that moment, Knuckles walks in, looking very stern.

What, did you think Knuckles was gonna be the villain of this piece? Nah, he has way too heroic of a spirit to end up like that! (I mean, so does Shadow, but we already saw how that's being ignored in this arc, so.) Apparently, he was even counting on Lara-Su to overhear his conversation with Tails, precisely so that she would rebel and allow him to set up a coup like this without Shadow realizing that his head enforcer wasn't loyal. Tails says that he'll hack the castle's security systems to allow the others to get a clear path to the throne room, and Knuckles says he'll keep Queen Sally safe while Sonic battles Shadow. Lara-Su wants to come along, but Knuckles convinces her that now the best way for her to help is to get the injured Rotor to a hospital, which she reluctantly agrees to. Sonic and Knuckles race along the hallways to the throne room, where Sally quickly follows Knuckles to safety. Apparently, she too seems to know about the other timeline, surprised that her husband does as well. With Sally safe, Sonic tries to attack Shadow, but his punch has barely any force behind it.

Ouch. I mean, yeah, saw it coming, but ouch. Things are looking bad, until suddenly Lara-Su bursts in, ready to continue the fight on her own terms. Shadow becomes irritated at her smack-talk, and reminds her that he wields Chaos powers, only for her fist to glow as she smugly invites him to "join the club." Shadow tries to fire off some Chaos Spears in her direction, but she merely dodges them while reciting Tikal's prayer (you know, the "Chaos is power enriched by the heart" one) and performs a Chaos Control, freezing Shadow in place.

Bit of an ignoble ending to Shadow's story, don't you think? I said it last issue, but again, I'm really not okay with how this AU just wants to turn Shadow into this brutal villain. I mean, especially considering his whole character arc in the games - the only times he ever acts truly violent and uncaring of others' wellbeing is when he's being manipulated by an actual villain or otherwise brainwashed, and once he discovers who he truly is he's never anything less than a goddamn hero. I just think that turning Shadow the Hedgehog into Shadow the Evil Dictator is doing a huge disservice to him as a character, and not even bothering to try to work in an ending where he realizes the error of his ways is at this point just spitting in his face.

Meh, whatever. Knuckles comes running back in, concerned, but Lara-Su just excitedly informs him of how she defeated Shadow. She then says a seemingly nonsensical line about how she "already took care of him" that only makes sense if you assume that Knuckles asked her something along the lines of "But I thought you were taking Rotor to the hospital," so I can only guess that they forgot to include that dialogue bubble. Sally and Sonic walk into the next room, and she tells Sonic how Knuckles explained all the timeline shenaningans to her, and how she always felt that something wasn't right all these years. She then awkwardly explains that she never married Shadow for love, but only to try to bring stability to her kingdom. Frankly, I find that to be a pile of crap. Sally Acorn, the lifelong ringleader of the rebellion against not one but two different Robotniks, passively married an evil autocrat who likes to use torture on his enemies? Not fricking likely. Sally would have been at the head of the resistance against Shadow from the very start. It seems that even under a different writer, Mobius 25 Years Later is doomed to have every member of its cast acting completely out of character.

Wow, it's that easy to get back together after twenty-five years apart? *sigh* Look, I think the reason this two-part arc fails is because it's ultimately working off an already-flawed base. I understand that some closure needed to be brought to the tangled mess that Kenders set up at the beginning of this era, but hell, I think it could have been done a lot better. Some people do like the whole King Shadow and dystopian future thing, but personally, I think it's just as inexplicable and out of character as everything in Kenders' version of events. I'm just glad to be done with it, as next issue we actually get to go back to the normal, interesting stuff.

Hedgehog Day

Writer: R. Chacon Pencils: Dave Manak Colors: Josh Ray

Well, we do have this little story before that happens. Apparently everyone in Knothole has decided to put together a second birthday celebration for Sonic several days after the previous one, the one Scourge crashed. Sonic wakes up at 10am on the morning of the make-up party, and begins his morning routine as his alarm clock informs him that Mina's latest hit "Soldier Boy" has just finished playing (note that this issue came out one year before "Soulja Boy" was released, so it's not a reference), that it's going to be in the mid-70s (Fahrenheit) today, and that many important people will be at the celebration such as the king and queen and Mina herself. However, the announcer on the radio then says that everyone is wondering where Sonic is as the party has already started, which wakes Sonic up out of his sleepy daze. He realizes that he accidentally set his alarm for the time the party was to start rather than when he actually wanted to wake up, and rushes to get ready, racing out the door and nearly barreling into a bunch of reporters looking for him.

Ouch! Well, at least there's always tomorrow, right? The next morning, Sonic wakes up at 10am on the morning of the make-up party, and begins his morning routine as his alarm clock informs him that Mina's latest hit "Soldier Boy" has just finished playing, that it's going to be in the mid-70s today, and that many important people will be at the celebration such as the king and queen and Mina herself. However, the announcer on the radio then says that everyone is wondering where Sonic is as the party has already started, which wakes Sonic up out of his sleepy daze. He realizes that he accidentally set his alarm for the time the party was to start rather than when he actually wanted to wake up, and rushes to get ready. However, he hesitates before he races out the front door, struck by a strange suspicion that there's reporters outside waiting for him.

Hmm, something's a bit fishy here… The next next morning, Sonic wakes up and shuts off his alarm, a bit disappointed that he didn't wake up in time to listen to "Soldier Boy." He asks the alarm clock if it's going to be in the 70s for his party today, and the announcer dutifully reports that it will be, repeating the same spiel from the past two mornings.

I mean, maybe if you walked instead of ran, you might make it there in one piece, bro. But then again, this is Sonic we're talking about. He buries himself back under the covers to avoid the prying eyes of reporters looking in through his windows, but that doesn't stop them. They start looking for another entrance, ultimately climbing on top of his roof, which buckles and collapses under their weight. This time, Sonic isn't the only one stuck in the hospital, as all the reporters are injured from their fall as well. Finally, the next next next morning, Sonic has had enough and wakes up three hours before his celebration, making his way there and sitting in one of the folding chairs as everyone sets up around him, confident that now, there's no way he can miss the party!

Though the title of the story is a parody on the movie Groundhog Day, I do find it kind of funny that despite this clearly seeming like another fantastical and silly plot device, stuff like this actually does happen to people. They're called false awakenings, and consist of dreaming that you wake up and perform your morning routine, only to then "wake up" into another similar dream, and this repeats until you finally do regain consciousness for real. They can also be paired with stress dreams, meaning that you might wake up in a panic that you're late for school or work, only to wake up into the same situation again and again in a bizarre loop. So, in a way, this story is actually one of the most realistic in the entire comic! I'm sure that wasn't the intention, but the point still stands!

[the7thzeti]

Questions Sonic 06 made me ask

-Why DID they decide to make Eggman look realistic in that game? They didn't think that looked off? -more over, I can understand having humans in the game (I wouldn't believe that Eggman is the only human alive anywhere) but what was with the choice of having photorealistic people walking around with 3-foot tall, spikey mammals? -How was Silver THAT easy to fool? -Shadow basically had to go 10 years in the past before the story's events to seal Iblis.... but 10 years before that, wasn't he sealed away, waiting for Robotnik to wake him up? -Speaking of 10 years, how did Elise go 10 years without crying? ESPECIALLY RIGHT AFTER HER DAD DIED??? -Adding on to that.... What if someone tells her a really funny joke and tears run down her eyes? Does that count? - They didn't get in trouble for their depiction of a religion of sorts in this game? I know it's not really BASED on any religion that I know of, but like... they were actually celebrating so that their God didn't destroy them. They still let that fly in an E rated game??? - Why in the hell did Shadow go to work with GUN? These guys made his life HELL for decades, with murdering his best friend being the straw that broke the camel's back. How was he able to work for the people who took EVERYTHING from him? - Sonic Rush said Blaze was from another dimension. Now she's suddenly Silver's best friend/mentor IN THE FUTURE? How does that work? - Why didn't Shadow just take off his inhibitor rings in the first place? He just TORE THROUGH what would've been sudden death for anyone else, and he didn't look like he was drained when he put them back on or anything. Was he just showing off? - Silver gives some his blue chaos emerald in one scene of the game, I wanna say Sonic, at one point... but in Shadow's story, he's holding the thing almost the entire time??? -this one isn't really much of a question rather than a nitpick, I don't get how Elise got close enough to Sonic to truly be upset about his death when a majority of her time onscreen was spent being kidnapped. Seriously. -I understand personality and all that, but did SEGA go out of their way to make Elise incredibly WEAK or something? You'd think that given she's a princess and one of the last things her dad wanted her to do was be strong, she would actually seem like she would want to show some authority or something instead of regularly backing off with her hands clasped. -Where in the Hell did Mephiles get all of the emeralds for the Last Story? He just.... suddenly HAS all of them. Everybody else was Chaos Controlling all over the place, so you'd THINK he would only have like 2 or 3, not all seven out of nowhere. -Was this game the start of everyone seemingly forgetting that Knuckles is supposed to guard the Master Emerald with his life? Because nobody seems to be at all concerned in this game with it. -Was that kiss really necessary? -What kind of brat is Elise that she basically says that she doesn't care that the world could be thrown into complete chaos at a moment's notice as long as she doesn't lose Sonic? Has she ALWAYS been that selfish? -Exactly what is being celebrated at the end? If the celebration was to make sure that Solaris didn't destroy them.... and Solaris is gone now.... are they just trying to get smashed? And most importantly.... Did SEGA really think that it was fine to have an ending in a game like this where everything you spent hours to witness.... basically never happened?

[disrepairhouse]

::Return - Chapter 18

“This is where the path splits.”

Zero raised an eyebrow towards the hedgehog who had been silent for the past hour.  Itara looked up at him from her notebook, closing the small portal she’d opened with the help of the Ruby prototype.  “I was looking into the validity of Tails’ plan.  According to what we found in Chemical Plant, the Phantom Ruby requires an immense amount of power to maintain and the only source large enough is the Death Egg.  They plan to run a diversionary tactic in Green Hill, disable the Death Egg’s weapons from the computer in Chemical Plant, and send a team up to destroy the Death Egg’s power source from inside.  I wanted to make sure it would be a success,” she explained, jumping off the bed and grabbing the shoes she’d tossed – though stared at them warily beforehand.

“And?  What did you find?”

“There’s a massive split in the timeline in the next twenty-four hours.  To be honest, it’s a lot like the split in my timeline when Iblis was first released. There was a timeline where Sonic was sent to the future and never seen again, which created the Crisis City path. Then another where he came back but was still too late to save Elise, resulting in another Crisis City incident. Then the “final” timeline where he returned in time to save her, she never died, and Iblis was never released in monster form.  Of course, that path led to Sonic’s death and the creation of Solaris and thus the end of all timelines, but…,” she trailed off before shaking her head and refocusing.  “The point is, there’s a similar split with the current plan.  I think this is where our interference may be most needed.”

“Right.  And you’re certain our interference isn’t what causes this split?”

She remained silent, staring up at him with a blank look, before reaching back to pull her backpack on again.  “Well of course it is, that’s why we’re here.  Well, okay, not entirely.  There are other factors to some of them, situations out of even my control, but yes, for the most part our involvement is necessary here.”

“Necessary.”  Zero’s tone suggested he doubted her word choice, but he didn’t question it further and instead followed after the hedgehog when she finally left the small room. Whatever finished this mission so he could return home.  “So do I get an actual explanation or not?”

“I’ll explain it to everyone at once, saves time.”

“Says the time traveler.”

Itara stopped for a moment to stare back at the robot, though her attempt to give him a dirty look was heavily diminished by the almost excessive height difference.  “One mission with Sonic and suddenly you’re a wise cracker?”

“I’m a learning AI.”  The smirk on his face as he looked well over her head at the hallway before them made her want to punch him.  But even if she could reach over the top of his too-tall boots, it would hurt her far more, so she resisted.

She opened her mouth for a rebuttal but only huffed and spun back around, nearly tripping herself in the process.  Apparently she needed to hurry and get Zero away from Sonic. Metal was bad enough.  She stormed her way down the hall to the meeting room, her frustration never quite leaving her face even once they entered, catching the end of the ongoing discussion.

“I’ll run the diversion at Green Hill.  Sonic, Tails, you handle Chemical Plant.  Vex, Espio, Charmy, head to the Death Egg and wait for our signal,” Knuckles commanded with little more than a quick glance back at the newcomers.

“No way, Knuckles, you’re too easily distracted. That’s not a good characteristic for a diversion,” Amy snapped, getting a scowl from the echidna.  “Besides, you’re our leader, we need you here.”

“Zero can handle the mission at Green Hill,” Itara cut in as she calmed her face, getting a side-eyed glance from the robot, “Amy is right, we’re going to need your leadership, Knuckles.  Considering the Death Egg isn’t the only source of power for the Phantom Ruby.”

The room went silent as all eyes turned to the still heavily bandaged, doll-carrying hedgehog.  “What do you mean?” Tails questioned, his brows furrowing, “You were with me when we looked at the plans for the Ruby.”

Itara nodded and looked for a chair to sit down, still wary about the rocket shoes activating and wanted to be off her feet as much as possible.  Once she found a desk chair, she hopped up onto it and turned back towards everyone, “I looked further through the files and found some more information Robotnik had in a hidden file.  The Death Egg is the current source of energy for the Phantom Ruby so it absolutely still needs to go down, but there’s a backup generator.”  Her own brows furrowed in confusion, “I don’t know what you all did, but the Robotnik in your world is weirdly competent compared to the one I know.”  She shook her head and continued, “In any case, he’s built the backup under Metropolis, which, as you can imagine, provides a whole new host of problems in taking it down.  We can blow the Death Egg up; we can’t really do that to the entirety of Metropolis.”

“So we just send an extra team to Metropolis to take the power out there, too,” Knuckles shrugged.

“It won’t be that easy.  Getting to the Death Egg is one thing, Robotnik’s not watching it as closely since Sonic escaped.  Even with the diversion in Green Hill, Metropolis won’t be so easy to sneak into. Not to mention we don’t actually know where the generator is located.  It wasn’t in the file.  There’s a chance we could end up pushing the plan forward if he catches on.  Not to mention Infinite…”  She went silent to let them consider the situation, giving her legs a couple small kicks since they couldn’t quite reach the ground from the chair.  After a few moments of silent consideration, she continued, “There’s a possibility I can get into whatever lab is hosting the generator without detection, but if I run into trouble… I’m a terrible fighter.”  She motioned towards the many, many bandages.

“Well then we just send someone with you, easy,” Sonic suggested.

“It’d have to be someone capable of going completely covert but powerful enough to potentially face Infinite, if he shows up.  Someone who can make sure he can’t alert Robotnik to our presence.”

The room turned to silence as everyone considered the possibilities, but slowly, one-by-one, all eyes fell to the glaring, disinterested Shadow leaning against the wall at the back of the room.  His arms were already crossed and as soon as he realized he was being silently volunteered, his scowl only darkened before he sighed in frustration.  “Fine.”

Itara gave her own silent, mental sigh at the realization that Shadow was, indeed, the best option.  Again.  Espio would have been a viable option, as well – and she was half-tempted to make the suggestion just to get away from Shadow – but he would more than likely be needed for Death Egg mission.  Besides, as powerful as Espio actually was, he wasn’t quite ‘Ultimate Lifeform’ powerful. And considering what she knew of Infinite, if he showed up, they would need ‘Ultimate Lifeform’ powerful.  Though the idea of being alone with Shadow still terrified her, if it was to save her world, she would have to suck it up. With that essentially decided, she turned back to the others and added, “We’re going to need to time this perfectly to pull it off.  We only have twenty-four hours until this plan of theirs goes off.  Twenty-four hours to run a distraction, disable the weapons, destroy the Death Egg, and power down the generator under Metropolis. All without Robotnik realizing what we’re doing.  Also, Sonic, I need you to stay away from Robotnik and Infinite.”

“What?  Why?” the blue hedgehog looked almost insulted by the idea.

“Because if you run into them in Metropolis before we can power the Phantom Ruby down, you’re going to get stuck somewhere not even I can get you out of unless I’m with you and I’m going to be busy taking care of the generator.  So stay out of Metropolis until the final battle,” Itara nearly hissed, garnering confused and suspicious stares around the room.

“What do you mean?  How do you know that?”

“Because I…,” she sighed in frustration, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose though winced when she touched a sore spot and put her hand back down.  “Look, I can… see potential futures.  It’s one of the powers I get from Solaris.  It’s not a perfected power, I can only see potentials, but it’s enough to know that you can possibly be lost forever to a void dimension.  I shouldn’t need to explain why that’s bad.”  Of course, she was heavily downplaying her abilities but she didn’t want to reveal her full power to anyone unless it was necessary.  The less they knew about her, the better.  She was already uncomfortable with how much they already knew.

Though, the more she considered it, the more parallels she drew between the Soleanna event and this one.  It was as if this was the delayed form of it.  It cemented her decision to leave the current princess of Soleanna out of the equation, though.  The further Iblis stayed from this world’s Mephiles, the better.  But what would happen if she tried to take the Phantom Ruby out of this world and back to her own?  That was her intent in coming here, to find a power to bring back home.  But what would be the consequences?  She shook her head of the thought soon enough.  She would deal with that later.  First, they needed to stop Infinite and this impending disaster. Then she could consider what to do with the Phantom Ruby.

When she zoned back in, she found Sonic – and the rest of the room – staring at her, as if waiting for a response.  She never heard the question, though, and stared back in confusion, “What?”

Sonic studied her and repeated the unheard inquiry, “About that vision we saw yesterday…”

“Right, yes.  Zero told me about that,” Itara stated, reaching up to rub her head, “from what he described, it sounded like you got a glimpse of my world.  Though I can’t be sure why.  Due to my powers, it’s not uncommon for me to see visions of other worlds.  In fact, I’m certain now that I had a dream about Infinite before I ever left home, but I don’t know why you were able to see that.  Has this happened before?”

“Not that I can recall,” Sonic shook his head, “things have definitely been strange since that Infinite guy showed up, but no world-shattering visions, no.”

Itara’s mouth pulled back, looking away to consider the implications.  “I initially thought it was this power source I’ve been searching for that’s caused all the… alterations.  But, judging by what Tails and I found yesterday, I’m no longer sure.”  Then again, if she was right about the Phantom Ruby housing this world’s Mephiles, maybe it was still possible.  If Zero hadn’t shown up long before the Gods reawakened back home, she would simply assume it was their battle that was causing the breaks, but this clearly started long before that.  So what was the actual cause?  Was it coming from her world?  Or theirs?  Was it somewhere else?  Would stopping the Gods be enough to put everything back to how it should be or was it something bigger?  She was less sure every day and she had no further time to debate it, either, as Shadow was looming above her rather suddenly.  When did he get there?  “What?”

“Let’s go.”

“Wait, what?  Now?”  She looked around and realized everyone was moving about, getting ready to take off. It was true they didn’t really have much time to waste but shouldn’t they finish discussing the plan first?!

“If we want to find Robotnik’s lab in time to shut it down, then yes.  Now.” Shadow growled, no more please about the situation than she was.  Not that it could really be helped.  Itara had long since realized her fighting – and fleeing – abilities left much to be desired.  She wasn’t built for physical exertion in any way.  “Tell me everything you found in that file so we can get this done.”

She slid off the chair and looked up at Zero, who was studying the map displayed on the computer screen while Knuckles went over the plan with the others in the order everything needed to be carried out. “Well, uh,” she stammered, looking back at Shadow again, then around the room.  She’d lied about there being a file so she wasn’t entirely sure how to explain what she’d found to Shadow.  “Uh, sure, I’ll explain on the way,” she finally managed, figuring once they were out of earshot of the others, she could just explain how she actually found out.

“Fine, then let’s go,” he commanded and headed for the door.

Itara sighed heavily but looked to Zero, “You know what to do?”  He gave a short nod but said nothing.  “Alright. Then I likely won’t see you until the final battle that’s soon to come.  Things are about to fire off, one after the other, so just stay in contact with everyone.  You’ll know what to do from there.”  He glanced down, studying the look of concern she was attempting to hide, before nodding again.

“Be careful.”

“I’ll… try.”

To be honest, there was a knot in her stomach that she was struggling to get rid of.  It felt too familiar.  She wanted to keep everything on track for the ‘right’ timeline of events, the one that led to success, but the future was always uncertain, even to a time traveler. Sometimes, even the ‘final’ timeline could go wrong somehow, for someone.  Especially her.  She was sure she was on the right track this time, and even fighting for the right team for once, but even still, it did little to quell her fear and not even her notebook could predict everything.  As she saw.  Multiple times.  She would just have to trust her instincts and the people around her, for once.  If she fought for the right side, with the right people, things would work out.  It always did for heroes, right?  Even if she, herself, was no hero, if she worked with them, if she fought for their outcome, she couldn’t fail.  Right? That’s how it worked, right?

Then again, her world was destroyed right now and even Sonic was struggling to survive.

Was it because of her?  Was it because she helped Solaris first?  Because she helped Mephiles?  Because she allied with Robotnik’s most dangerous creations?  Did it all really fall down to her, alone? Or was Crisis City and the destruction it caused just inevitable, no matter what.  Someone would always cause it.

Her ears flattened against her head as she followed Shadow out of the room, struggling to keep up as she pulled Kipper tighter against her.  But she wouldn’t help Mephiles this time.  She was keeping Iblis far away from him.  She was keeping Sonic out of harm’s way and doing everything she could to stop Infinite.  She may have messed up her own world, but she would do everything she could to save this one and maybe it would help save her own.  Her thoughts were once again interrupted when she smacked face-first into Shadow’s back, sending her tumbling back with a yelp.  She shook her head and scowled up at him to question why he stopped so suddenly, but his own scowl stopped her first word before it ever left.

“Tell me what you know now,” he demanded, turning around to face her and cross his arms, glaring down at her.

If she wasn’t so used to being towered over by much taller, much bulkier robots, she might have been somewhat intimidated by the stare-down. Instead, she huffed in annoyance and looked around to get her bearings again.  They were already outside of the base and a decent distance away, which she hadn’t expected so quickly.  Just how far back in her head had she gotten?  Had he been talking to her at any point during their walk?  With a glance up at him again, she quickly shook her head of that idea.  No. Neither Shadow nor Zero were much for idle chatter.  They made sure people were listening if they chose to speak.

She pulled herself back to her feet and brushed the dirt off before looking up at him, “What do you want to know, exactly?”

“Start with the suggestion to Sonic.  You know more than you told them.  What danger is Sonic in and how do you know?”

“I thought I explained this.  I checked the timelines.”  She debated leaving it at that, just to get on his nerves, but sighed and reconsidered.  They didn’t have time for beating around the bush.  “Okay, fine, there’s more to it.  The truth is, the timeline splits drastically in the next twenty-four hours, depending on what happens, specifically around Sonic.  I wanted to make sure Tails was on the right track with his plan so I checked.  For the most part it goes off without a hitch so long as everyone stays focused, but there’s a point where we could possibly lose Sonic.  If he goes to Metropolis and faces Eggman and Infinite, he’ll be pulled into another dimension that not even he has a chance of escaping on his own.

“As much as it pains me to admit, I shouldn’t need to explain to you guys especially why losing Sonic would be bad at this point in time.  For… any world, really,” she stared off for a moment, but shook the memories away to continue, “so there were two possibilities to keep that from happening. Either I stay with him and help him back or he stays out of Metropolis in the first place.  The latter made more sense and frees my time up to focus on the backup generator.”  Just because she technically could travel through time and be both places at once, she preferred to save her energy.  Her power wasn’t… Infinite.  She almost smirked at her mental pun but the urge disappeared when she looked back to Shadow.

He remained silent to debate what she told him, likely considering whether or not to believe it in the first place.  His gaze drifted off again, “And the information about the backup generator?  I’ve never known Tails to miss information so easily.”

“That’s because he didn’t.  I got that from the timeline, as well.  Robotnik reveals that information just before sending Sonic to Null Space.  I figured we could save time and just take care of it along with the Death Egg. Which is why I don’t know exactly where it’s located.”

“How am I supposed to believe all this?” Shadow questioned sharply, narrowing his eyes and facing her again, “Not only does it sound like you can do a lot more than just see possibilities, as you claimed, but you came out of nowhere and started commanding everyone.  Just because the others believe you so easily doesn’t mean I’m so foolish.  How do I know you haven’t been working with Robotnik and Infinite this entire time and you’re leading us directly into a trap?”

Itara stared blankly up at him, unblinking, for several moments.  Her mouth pulled to the side as she briefly looked away, contemplating how to answer him. She wasn’t surprised at the accusation. In a different situation, that may very well have been exactly what she would have done.  It wouldn’t be the first time she led someone into a trap working for what was essentially Mephiles.  But that wasn’t the case this time and she wasn’t entirely sure how to convince him of it.  Nor did they have the time to be fumbling about like this, either.  Finally, she simply sighed and questioned, “Alright. Fine.  I may have underplayed my abilities a bit earlier. Can you blame me?  I’m not from here and I don’t actually know any of you. Would you trust everyone with everything about you so easily?”  She knew she had him when his mouth pursed into a tight line.  “But I’m not lying.  How do I prove that to you?”

“Show me.”  Her head tilted sideways.  “Show me this time travel power and I may just believe you.  Prove you’re not getting your information from Robotnik, himself.”

Her face twisted up slightly, “But… I’ve never been able to….” Her brow furrowed.  She looked down to consider his demand.  She’d never been able to bring anyone with her through time before and most people couldn’t see the visual portals she opened to look through time.  But maybe… she looked up again, “Do you… have a Chaos Emerald by any chance?”  Mephiles had used the emeralds to send all of them through time in her world.  It made sense she could, too.

“Why would I trust you with a Chaos Emerald, even if I had one?”

“Because I’m not powerful enough to bring other people with me through time.  But I might be able to with an emerald.”

Shadow remained silent, contemplative, though something was clearly bothering him.  Itara watched him carefully, curiously, as he struggled for a response.  Finally, he admitted, “We haven’t been able to locate the emeralds.  It’s one of the reasons Robotnik’s gotten as far as he has.  I was searching from them the first time I ran into Infinite, but there’s been no sign of them.”

Itara recoiled at the news, her eyes widening before narrowing again as her finger went up to her mouth.  That explained a lot, really.  She’d been wondering why they hadn’t even been brought up since she arrived, especially with someone as powerful as Infinite running around.  But not even Shadow could find them?  Or Knuckles?  Then again, it hardly seemed like they had time to keep searching once Infinite showed up, either.  Should she go back and search for them?  But they’d managed just fine so far without them, maybe they didn’t need them. She’d rather not waste any more time. Though it did still leave the problem of Shadow’s disbelief.

What about the Ruby prototype?

She’d kept it a secret up until now to everyone but Zero. Could it boost her power enough to bring Shadow with her through time?  With a heavy sigh, she dropped her head to the side and glared up at him, silently.  He eyed her suspiciously as she reached back and pulled the gem out of her backpack, taking a cautious step back once he caught sight of it.  “What is that?!”  This did not make her look any less suspicious, she realized, but she didn’t see any other option.  Plus, now that she was back in her own world, she had been wanting to test just how much power it could give her.

“It’s one of the prototypes.  I found it in Zero’s world.  I can’t explain how it got there, but it’s how we got here.  I didn’t realize what it was until I got here but I can use it to boost my power.  Hopefully it’s enough to bring you with me.  So tell me where to take you and we’ll go.”

Shadow looked ready to attack at any wrong move, and she silently feared actually getting kicked by him again, but remained quiet and waited for his response.  His eyes darted around the area, looking for the trick, the setup, the ambush, but when nothing came, his gaze fell back to her.  He was no less on edge, but finally, at long length, responded, “Fine. Let’s see the timeline you got your information from.  Let’s see this interaction between Sonic and Robotnik.”

“Only if you swear not to interfere.  We’re fixing this timeline, not that one.”

His eyes narrowed further, but once he nodded, Itara sighed and tapped into the gem’s power.  It sparked to life and she reached out to the timelines, opening a portal to the original future of this world.  One where she and Zero never showed up.  Once it was stable, she motioned for Shadow to lead the way and followed soon after, closing the portal behind them.  She would need to make sure she returned them to the right time on the trip back so they didn’t miss the deadline for shutting the backup down.

The portal opened to a Metropolis rooftop.  They exited on the far side of the building but Robotnik, two of his robots, and Infinite were within view, waiting and watching over the city.  Itara quietly reminded Shadow not to draw attention before returning her attention to the scene about to play out.  Before long at all, both Sonic and Tails ran up behind Robotnik, Sonic taking the lead and grabbing the doctor’s attention.

“Welcome, Sonic!  Glad you could make it to your funeral.  Infinite, do it.”

The black and white jackal floating beside him moved forward, creating a small, pulsing orb that seemed to suck the surrounding light into it.  Shadow hitched but Itara shook her head and checked that they were both behind one of the large, metal protrusions on the roof.  They didn’t need to get stuck in Null Space, themselves.

“What is that?” Sonic questioned, motioning for Tails to step back further, just in case.

“That, my spiky frienemy,” Robotnik grinned, “is Null Space.  It’s a little something that the Phantom Ruby cooked up, a closed-off space where absolutely nothing exists.  Not even time.  Goodbye, Sonic, my soon-to-be-eradicated nemesis.  Enjoy all the nothing!”

The doctor sped off in his hovercraft while Infinite shot the pulsing space with the red-black energy created by the Phantom Ruby.  The orb expanded and a vortex opened, sucking in everything around it.  While Sonic panicked and attempted to keep his ground, Itara moved further behind the protrusion.  She looked to Shadow again, watching the frustration spread across his face, but remained silently relieved when he made no move to interfere.  She wouldn’t exactly have been able to stop him if he had.  Sonic was sucked into the vortex, though Tails managed to hang onto the pipe he moved behind until it was gone.

As soon as the wind stopped, Tails looked up at the nearby floating Robotnik in shock and horror, “But… we destroyed the Phantom Ruby’s power source.”

“Tsk, tsk,” Robotnik grinned, “since you ALWAYS destroy the power source of my weapons, I decided to learn from my mistake.  I had a backup power source created under Metropolis.”

Itara turned to Shadow again, motioning towards the conversation and quietly asking, “believe me now?  This is what happens without my interference after you destroy the Death Egg. Unfortunately, without me there, Sonic has no way to escape that Null Space.  Otherwise, no one but the wielder of the Phantom Ruby can open it again.”

“So why not just go with him now, then?”

“Because, as I said before, it’s easier if he just avoids this situation altogether.”  She opened another portal leading back to their present and, though he hesitated a moment, she and Shadow returned to their proper time.  “Something similar happened in my world, eleven years ago, during the Soleanna incident.  Instead of a dimension, Sonic was lost to time, itself.  In the original timeline, he just vanished one day and was never seen again,” she explained once they were back, looking up to study the blue, almost perfectly clear day.  There had been so many times, throughout her many lives, where she hadn’t been able to see a blue sky.  Even now, in her present, the sky was burnt.  Her voice grew somber, almost destitute, as she continued, “without him, Iblis was released incorrectly and the world was consumed by his flames. Soleanna became known as Crisis City… and it was an apt description.  When I first came into existence, I had only been able to see blue skies for two days before the fires scorched it.

“I lived, for two-hundred years, in a constant fight to survive.  I had no one. I didn’t even know who I was. Everyone I relied on either abandoned me or died and no one could ever explain my powers.  Until he appeared.  He protected me, gave me a safe place to stay, and even taught me to use my powers.  He gave me a purpose, for the first time in my too-long life.  I would have followed him anywhere.  I…,” she trailed off, staring at the sky, but eventually shook her head. And now she was working to stop him. The thought was still uncomfortable, but she could no longer ignore the blatant lies.  With a quick slap of her face, she turned back to Shadow, who had been silently and curiously watching her.  She couldn’t quite read the blank expression on his face, for once it wasn’t a scowl, but she finished, “My point is, I don’t want anything like that to ever happen again.  You avoided the Soleanna incident in this world, but something similar can happen if anything goes wrong today.  Our worlds are obviously connected and if this world is doomed, it may doom mine, as well.  I have friends back home counting on me.  Not just my world’s Sonic and Shadow but…,” she looked away, debating whether to reveal more, wondering if this Shadow had the same history as hers, eventually chancing it, “my world’s Metal Sonic.  He’s broken free of Robotnik in my world.  I want him to experience a world not torn apart by Solaris.”

There was a split second of shock on Shadow’s face before it returned to its normal resting scowl.  That was confirmation enough for her.  This Shadow also had a soft spot for Metal Sonic.  Constants and variables.  But that seemed to do the trick to finally convince him she wasn’t leading him into a trap, at least.  He didn’t say much more on the subject, but he prompted them to move on to Metropolis. She was curious about what was going through his head to change his mind, but she knew better than to ask. She wouldn’t get an answer.  Not that it mattered.  What mattered now was finding that backup generator and turning it off without getting caught and without flattening the entirety of Metropolis. It wasn’t an easy mission, even for her, but she was confident they would succeed.  They had to.  Failure wasn’t an option.

[alphawave-writes]

Experimental Design chapter 3: Dominant

Synopsis: Robotnik and Stone must go on a mission to find the mysterious 'Black Dragon', but a few sexy encounters might give Robotnik a whole new perspective on 'torture'.

Read it here on or AO3. You guys can also find me on twitter @alphawave13.

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Robotnik said he'd have a punishment for Stone, but he didn't. Not for lack of trying. He had an entire list of potential punishments that he’d been stockpiling in encrypted documents, waiting for the day that Stone did something to warrant their use, but what punishment was suitable for ‘too much wriggling’? He tried to think of something, but Stone’s wriggling had seemed to seep his brilliant mind, distracting him from his work even when Stone was not physically present. This wasn’t the first time Robotnik’s thoughts had drifted to Stone. The agent had a way of getting into Robotnik’s head, but there was something almost insidious about the way Stone controlled his thoughts now, reminding him of that gentle smile and the strength of his impossibly warm hand as it gripped Robotnik’s shoulder.

He should've made better notes. As a scientist he prided himself above all else for his extensive note-taking, but it seemed the variables had increased. Robotnik didn't remember Stone ever smelling so good, but the faint musky scent of dollar-store perfume was enough to make his mind blank for just a moment. Robotnik had taken a sample from the air and traced the perfume to a cosmetics store in the nearby downtown area, but when he went to smell it for himself, it didn't smell nearly as good. In fact, it smelled exactly like how Robotnik expected dollar-store perfume to smell like.

He still bought it and tested it on himself, knowing enough about aromatic chemistry that the oils from his skin could alter the scent, but it still didn't smell nice. He should throw it away, but there was something about the scent signature that reminded him of Stone. With every inhale, memories of Stone's pouting lips and almond-shaped eyes resurrected, and those memories sent another spark of longing in his gut. Robotnik kept the bottle in his perfume cabinet next to all the expensive ones that he used on occasion. Just in case he got a spark of inspiration.

Luckily for Stone, Robotnik had no time to dole out his punishment. Today he had a task to perform, and he was certainly going to get it done now before it took any more precious time out of his busy, important life. Robotnik was only given vague instructions of where he needed to go and what he needed to find, but he was a genius with technology at his side. Finding people in this day and age was easy. In fact, it was so idiotically easy that he relegated Stone to find the address, who of course took his sweet time. At least he eventually found it before the end of the day, and he seemed to have fun with his little assignment judging from that massive grin that cut beautifully across his perfectly trimmed face.

"I've already put in the GPS coordinates in, and it will be a fifteen minute drive, doctor." He handed Robotnik a latte. "I also made you a drink. Your usual latte."

Robotnik huffed, though he couldn't help the smile that peeked out from underneath his moustache. Before he might go and say something remotely sentimental, he snatched the coffee out of Stone's hand and took a sip. As always, it was perfect. "This coffee is the one thing that has not disappointed me today." He pressed some buttons on his gloves and a tiny little chime could be heard, signaling that the mobile lab was now in motion.

Robotnik had just settled back to his computer when he felt Stone's presence behind him. Stone was wearing a different perfume, Robotnik realised, and this one smelled even nicer than yesterday's. It was muskier, with an hint of something woody, like sandalwood or cedar. It reminded him of Stone's gyrating hips yesterday, and the day before when Stone was on all fours in front of him, and then every other time he had forced Stone into an awkward or humiliating position.

A brief mental image flashed before his eyes, of grabbing Stone by the lapel of his jacket and pressing his nose down to his throat so he could finally, finally know the secret to that intoxicating scent of his. It was going to drive him crazy, threatening to undo the lines of logic that kept his mind running.

"Sir?"

Robotnik stirred, blinking away the image. He only just realised that his breathing rate and heart rate had increased slightly. He took another long sip of coffee to calm himself down. He made a mental note to add 'scent' to his list of variables for future experiments. "J-just annoyed about this task that buffoon Senator Walkie-Talkie put me on."

"You did insult his mother four times," Stone commented. "And his sister three times."

"His mother is a forest hag that eats children for breakfast, and his sister is a vacuous princess stuck on her fairy tale tower."

"Five and four," Stone smiled.

Robotnik rolled his eyes. "This is the first and last time I do that man's bidding. He may be providing me with some of my funding, but I refuse to be his dog. I'll do his silly little recon mission, but if he puts me on another task after today, I'm using the blackmail file." A sardonic chuckle escaped his lips. "When I'm through with him, the Panama papers will seem like a sticky note on a fridge."

"Or the Paradise papers," Stone added.

"I worked really hard on those two," Robotnik grumbled. "Uncovering all that dirt wasn't easy, even for a genius like me. Let's hope this next one actually does some serious damage."

Stone opened his mouth, no doubt ready to acknowledge his genius with that amazed face of his, or perhaps express his surprise at Robotnik’s involvement in these two world events, but then the mobile lab had rolled to the stop. Another chime. They’ve arrived at their destination.

The door rolled down, and Robotnik tip toed his way down, his polished brogues making an unpleasant crackle as they stepped on gravel. Stone was behind him as always, staring up at a neon sign for a nightclub called 'The Manor'. At least, it was a nightclub officially, but according to Senator Moby Dick, 'The Manor' had links to the seedy underbelly of the city, with a basement floor that was only accessible to those with the correct password. What occurred in the basement floor, the Senator did not say, but it was obvious that it offended his delicate sensibilities. Whatever it was, that was exactly where he needed to go. After all, the basement was where Robotnik could find the Black Dragon.

Just outside the entrance was a small line of guests in big coats and even bigger boots, waiting for their turn to be checked by the security guards. The line was progressing at an incredibly slow pace. At this rate, it'd take a good half hour before they'd get to the front.

Not if I have anything to say about it, Robotnik thought.

"Come on, Stone," Robotnik grumbled, pulling Stone by the arm all the way to the front of the line. He pretended not to see that look of soft surprise on Stone's face, lest he feel another way of confusing, ugly, human emotions.

The two guards at the entrance didn't look too pleased. They were bigger than Stone, with bigger muscles and even bigger sneers.

"Name?" The first asked.

"Why do you need my name?" Robotnik asked.

"Security," the second guard gruffly responded.

"Have you imbeciles been living under a rock your whole life? I'm Dr. Ivo R—" He was interrupted by Stone putting his hand in front of his mouth, stifling him.

Stone gave a polite smile as he said, "Stone and Reznik. We've got an appointment with the Black Dragon."

The first guard gave a quizzical look while the other one coughed nervously into his hand. Robotnik used the distraction to move Stone's distracting fingers away from his lips.

"We don't have all day," Robotnik snapped.

"Takes all sorts," the first guard mumbled as they checked them over for weapons before letting them pass.

Robotnik huffed, deciding at the last second not to scold these guards for their incompetence, and stormed on through to the reception. He was forced to pay an entry fee for both himself and Stone, and then had to suffer the absolutely humiliation of giving them his coat for safe-keeping. He liked his coats. Would've preferred to have them on his person, but at least he still had access to his most important gadgetry; namely the spy camera on his glasses and a few mini-badniks in his pocket, ready for deployment.

Stone gave his own suit jacket to the receptionist, revealing his surprisingly tight black shirt. It made sense that Stone would be muscular given his occupation. Not needlessly muscular like the oafs at the entrance. No, Stone's muscles were form and function, a well-rounded mix of type I and type II muscle fibres. Robotnik wondered what those muscles would look like in the flesh, without a pesky shirt to obscure them from the world.

Stone looked at Robotnik for a second before approaching suddenly, his face inches from Robotnik's nape.

Robotnik stiffened. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you blend in." Stone popped the first two buttons of Robotnik's shirt before taking a few steps back to admire his handiwork.

Robotnik didn't see how a few buttons could change his appearance, but at least Stone wasn't so close to him anymore. It wasn't the same when Stone was the one entering Robotnik's personal space. If this wasn't a public setting, Robotnik might punish Stone here and now. Given his way, he’d strip Stone down to just his underpants and have him parade himself throughout the club. But it was, and though many of his contemporaries claimed he lacked basic social understanding, even Robotnik knew his limits.

Judging from that small little smirk, Stone knew he was safe as well. "You look better like this, doctor."

Robonik's lips twitched, trying his hardest not to smile at the unwarranted compliment. "Of course I do. Now, let's get this over and done with, Stone."

They stepped through the curtained door to find themselves in the main area of the nightclub. Once upon a time, the nightclub used to be a factory, judging by its crude brick interior and vast open space, but at least they've done something to make it look more professional. There were bright lights, and a neon lit bar, and a dance floor with a DJ playing some atrocious modern club music.

It all looked like an ordinary club on first glance, but Robotnik prided himself on his observation skills and his tremendous IQ to spot things no common idiot would notice. The clientele was made up mostly of men, and some of these men made some dubious fashion choices, what with their leather garters and their gigantic boots. There was also a door at the end with a second set of bodyguards, asking for a code. Most people got turned away. That was where he needed to go.

Robotnik was about to tell Stone this, but the agent stared wide-eyed at the scene, as if transfixed by an unseen entity. Robotnik snapped his fingers, and Stone seemed to come to.

"You do remember what we're here to do, right?"

Stone's brows furrowed. "Sir, do you know what this place is?"

"Just answer the question."

Stone seemed ready to protest, but then he let out a quiet breath and seemed to regain his sensibilities. "We have to find the Black Dragon, and deal with them accordingly. The senator said it will become obvious what we need to do once we find them. Or it," he quickly added.

"I'm assuming you're not so much of an idiot that you couldn't sneak some fire power in."

Stone smirked as he pretended to check his shoes. He lifted his pant leg just enough for the end of a military-grade handgun to peek out. Stone glanced up at Robotnik, which reminded Robotnik of Stone on all fours and the strange mix of emotions that filled his chest and took ahold of his mind.

He had to say something. Anything. Robotnik knew this was going into some uncharted territory, and he was not going to explore it without a data pad to record results. "Why Reznik?"

Stone stood up properly. "Hmm? Oh, that. I just thought it sounds close enough to Robotnik."

"But you used your own surname," Robotnik pointed out.

Stone tilted his head. "You didn't actually think Stone was my real name, did you?"

"O-of course I know it's not your real name," Robotnik lied, because of course he never considered the idea that 'Stone' was a cover name. Agent Stone was just Agent Stone. He wasn't worth the neurons spent memorising his real name.

So then why was Robotnik now so insanely curious about Stone’s real name? What could fit this man better than Agent Stone?

Stone laughed his quiet, melodic laugh. "Maybe I'll tell you my real name some other day, Ivo."

Robotnik bristled. "I did not give you permission to call me Ivo."

"You can punish me some other time," Stone patted him condescendingly on the shoulder before pushing past the throngs of people.

Robotnik ignored the heat creeping up his chest as he followed Stone, shoving past half-naked men with leather straps on their chests to make his way to the bar.

The lone bartender was polishing empty beer glasses when Stone sat down at one of the stools. Robotnik grumbled to himself as he took the seat next to Stone, surveying the options of alcoholic beverages on display. He never liked alcohol personally. He claimed it was because it killed his brain cells, but the real reason was that he never liked the taste. That, and he refused to associate with those frat dudes from college who insisted that a keg stand was a true judge of mental and physical fortitude.

"Any drinks, gentlemen?"

"Water," Robotnik said.

"I'll have the same, thanks," Stone smiled, gracing the world with his pearly whites.

The bartender flitted about, filling two glasses with water from the tap before dropping them on two of the bar's coasters, the logo of the club printed in bold red. Stone was about to open his wallet, but Robotnik had already slapped a ten dollar bill on the counter and said, "I'm paying for both. And keep the change."

The bartender shrugged, while Stone stared at Robotnik. He tried not to glance back as he took a long gulp from his glass, wincing at the metallic aftertaste. He didn't see what the big fuss was. It was just money.

"I don't remember you lot," the bartender said. "You two new?"

"We are new," Stone said. "You wouldn't happen to know how we can get downstairs, would you?"

The bartender's brilliant blue eyes narrowed. "Why you asking?"

Stone paused for a few seconds, his tiny mind struggling to compute a reason as to why they wanted to go downstairs. Of course Stone would blow their cover already. He was strong and capable and a bit smarter than the average person, but he was still an idiot compared to Robotnik.

Robotnik was about ready to throw him a bone when Stone said, "We're a couple."

In Robotnik's defense, he did not spit his drink out. Even if he thought about doing it.

"A couple?" The bartender asked.

"Y-yeah." Stone found Robotnik's hand and entangled their fingers together, lifting them up so the bartender could see. It took all of Robotnik's willpower to not slap the hand away. He was starting to feel some funny things again. "It's our first time here, but our friends recommended we come here," Stone continued. "Said we should try the Black Dragon."

"The Black Dragon?" The bartender looked Robotnik up and down, not unlike how a judge would appraise a dog for a grooming competition. "I'm assuming you're the top."

"Of course I am the top. I'm always at the top," Robotnik replied.

The bartender stifled a laugh, while Stone looked away in embarrassment. What was wrong with what he said? It was a perfectly true statement.

"You two are some weirdos, but then again this place kinda caters to your bunch." The bartender shook his head. "If you've got an appointment, I guess you must be alright. Just head to the door on the opposite side over there and tell Terry that Matt approves."

“Thanks,” Stone said.

Robotnik downed his glass of water in one fell swoop and stood up, not bothering to wait for Stone. He heard Stone scramble to finish his drink before jumping out of his seat.

“Hey, wait up, sir.”

"Enough of these games," Robotnik growled.

"You're making a scene," Stone said.

Robotnik stopped, swiveling sharply on his heel. “Me? You've been subjecting me to ridicule ever since we got here. Pretending we’re a couple? Unbuttoning the top two buttons of my shirt? Why not just kiss me right on the lips like this is some trashy yaoi manga from the late 90s? That'll really seal the deal, wouldn't it?”

A strange look flickered through Stone's eyes, a flash of lightning before the horrendous thunder. Robotnik only realised he had made a mistake when the thunder hit, and Stone's expression turned dark and cold, a storm brewing behind pitch black irises. “Sir, if I may, this is supposed to be a espionage mission.” He gestured at their surroundings. “Do you know what this place is?”

“Do you think I’m an imbecile? I know very well this is a nightclub.”

“A gay nightclub,” Stone pointed out.

Robotnik went silent for several seconds. His face betrayed no emotion, even as his racing mind struggled to conjure up a response. Looking now at the other clubgoers, it explained most of the peculiarities. It should have been obvious. In hindsight, it was very obvious. Clearly, Stone was distracting him. That had to be it.

Stone smirked knowingly. “You didn’t even consider that possibility.”

“W-why should I?” Robotnik spat.

Stone let out a small sigh. “Doctor, if I may, you are a genius, but I have more experience with this line of work. If we want to go through this mission without incident, we need a cover identity.” He took Robotnik's hand in his own. "We're just blending in. No one will bother us, and no one will ask questions."

Robotnik bit back a frown. He never really liked people touching him. People that did touch him were usually out to harm him in some way. At least, it was true when he was just a child. Stone, however, would not hurt a fly. Robotnik had often wondered why Agent Stone was so highly commended when he was such a pacifist. The main reason why he chose Stone as his assistant was because all his superiors feared the man. But why would they fear such a simple, well-meaning idiot?

He stared at their conjoined hands, then at Stone's expectant face. It was such a stupid expression that he couldn't help but smile a little bit. "If this goes badly, I'm blaming you."

"It won't," Stone smiled. "Trust me."

Despite what little he knew about Stone, Robotnik did trust him. Not that he'd ever say it out loud.

They walked hand-in-hand to the door leading downstairs. The people who used to stare at him had now turned their head away, unconsciously confirming Stone's theory. Robotnik had to admit, it seemed to work, and he didn't have to shove his way through sweaty simpletons either.

The two bodyguards were somehow even bigger than the ones at the entrance, their muscles so big and bulging that Robotnik was sure they were both abusing anabolic steroids.

They glanced Robotnik and Stone over. "Password?"

"Which one of you is Terry?" Stone asked dumbly, even though it was clear by the name tags that the first one was Terry.

"It's our first time here, we've got an appointment with the Black Dragon, yada yada. Matt at the bar said he approves."

The first bodyguard—Terry—blinked rapidly, but stepped outside, having at least enough common courtesy to pull the curtain back for the doorway so they could pass through. Robotnik and Stone followed down the narrow stairs lined with lush red velvet, taking the stairs one step at a time. It was dark, with barely enough light from the lightbulbs above their heads. On one side was a hand-rail, while the other had a variety of different posters talking about different acts. It was a lot of men dressed in various leather gear, holding something. What that something was, Robotnik couldn't tell with the low lighting, but he felt that familiar heat creep up his chest, a feeling he now associated with Stone and experiments and punishments.

It took Robotnik a few seconds to realise he was still holding Stone's hand, and wretched it out of the man's grasp. He made a show of wiping his glove on Stone's shirt before sticking his hands into his pockets. Another strange look passed over Stone's face.

"Do you know what the Black Dragon is?" Robotnik asked.

"No. I thought you did, sir."

"Senator Will-they-won't-they didn't tell me anything, and obviously by that statement, I assume you've also found nothing. I would've thought I'd see some hint or trail about this elusive Black Dragon by now, but there's nothing. Just cryptic garbage that means nothing to us. No poster, no gossip. Nothing." Robotnik felt his eyes narrow, his fingers twitching inside his pockets, as they often did when he was frustrated.

Stone turned to Robotnik. "I know that look, sir. There's something on your mind."

"This isn't right, Stone," Robotnik said. "The circuit is incomplete. There's a missing connector preventing the current from running through my massive mind."

"I'm sorry?"

"We're either missing something, or there's something more nefarious at work. Much as I despise the illogical expression, I have a gut feeling it is the latter." Robotnik glanced at the bottom of the staircase, the sound of murmured chatter echoing. "Keep what little wits you have about you. We could be entering danger."

Stone smiled. "I think we can handle it, sir."

At the bottom of the staircase was a final door. A sign that simply said 'the basement' hung in front. The door was slightly ajar, letting in a slip of noise and light. There was no music, but there was laughter and chatter, and the whooshing sound of a thin object travelling at high velocity. Stone offered to open the door, but Robotnik shoved past and opened the door for himself, letting it swing open.

Of all the things he expected, an almost-naked man getting whipped on their bare ass by a man in a latex bodysuit was not one of them.

Robotnik walked forward slowly, trying to take in the menagerie of leather-bound men participating in what looked like a convention of sorts. There were stalls, and exhibitions, with almost-naked performers tied up in elaborate ways with crimson rope, or strapped to devices and left in vulnerable positions, all but exposing their most sensitive parts to the world. People chatted mindlessly while tugging on the enlarged pet collars of men on all fours, or leading others with blindfolds and ball gags up and down the strips between the stalls like it was a parade. There were handcuffs, and leg cuffs, and ankle cuffs, and a variety of clothing that restricted limbs.

This wasn’t just a gay nightclub, Robotnik realised. It was a BDSM nightclub. A festival of torture for the delight of others. A place of limitless punishment, with the tools of the trade up for sale.

“Uh, sir?”

Robotnik could easily imagine using these implements for his own methods of punishment. Stone had been quite disrespectful of late, and these people were so obedient even in the face of humiliation. He could chain him up, or cuff him up, or tie him up, or strap him down. For once, Robotnik had to admit defeat. His punishments seemed almost laughable compared to these artisans and their gadgets. His ideas were so narrow-minded, so childish, but this scene before him had introduced him to a whole new world of torture.

A swell of excitement filled his bones. His mind was suddenly swimming with ideas. There were so many ways he could punish Stone, and they were right there, hidden beneath the veneer of public decency.

“S-sir,” Stone repeated.

Robotnik shook his head. “C-come on, don’t just gawp like a fish out of water,” Robotnik said, acutely aware that his excitement was creeping into his voice.

They surveyed the stalls and the products they had on offer. Smack dab in the middle, strangely enough, was an information booth, where a bored-looking young woman in a leather bikini and spiked thigh-high boots sat. When they approached, she perked up, the picture of customer service friendliness.

“How may I help you gentlemen?”

“The Black Dragon,” Robotnik huffed. “Do you know where it is?”

The lady smiled pleasantly, although there was a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. “Got a group appointment?”

“Of course we do, otherwise we wouldn’t be asking. Just tell us who the Black Dragon is, and where we can find them.”

The lady giggled into her fist. “Oh darlin’, it’s not a person, it’s…you know what, I’ll let y’all see it for yourselves.” She pointed toward the back. “Right at the end, you can’t miss it. Oh, and enjoy the ride for me, will ya?” She winked.

They followed the woman's instructions, heading deeper to the back. The further they went, the more serious it got. Where people were dressed provocatively near the front, at the back they were all but naked. Genitals and private parts were on full display, alongside more hardcore BDSM gear like chastity gear and clamps. Robotnik tried to avert his eyes but it was getting increasingly difficult. Suddenly he was glad his jacket was back at the entrance, because he was sure he'd be sweating. Even calm and collected Stone looked a bit hot under the collar, glancing furtively between the different implements, keeping his head turned away from Robotnik's direction. Robotnik was kinda glad he wasn't the only one feeling awkward here, even if he felt a little disappointed that Stone wasn't looking at him.

At the literal back was a small crowd observing what looked to be a performance. A proprietor in what could only be described as a sexy ringmaster costume was manipulating what appeared to be a robot in the shape of a limbless mannequin. It would've looked identical to any mannequin in a store, except for the jelly-like material it was made of, and the fact that it was sporting a gigantic cock, complete with fake veins. With the click of a button, the robot moved, repeating a motion like a trinket in a music box. There was something attached to the mannequin, Robotnik realised, near its bottom. Something long and thick and dark as ebony.

He pushed past the crowd, coming close enough to read the sign. The show was for a store that sold sex toys. There were dildos at various price ranges, each with their own length and circumference measurement to the side, as well as a 'performance' price for if people felt brave enough to try them out in front of an audience. Their biggest and most intimidating one? A dildo by the name of the Black Dragon.

Amidst the cacophony Robotnik heard a click. On the opposite side of the stall, just barely in sight, a man had his phone up. By his side Stone tensed suddenly. A second passed as Robotnik's gaze connected with the stranger.

Then, the stranger ran.

"After him!" Robotnik ordered.

Stone didn't need to be told twice. He shoved through the throngs of people, Robotnik following shortly behind him. A few clicks of the buttons on his gloves, and the mini-badniks spilled from his pockets, hovering near the ceiling, tracking the stranger down. Robotnik was never a fast runner, but he didn't think he was a clumsy runner either. And yet he was like a newborn baby compared to Stone with his perfect form, the likes of which an olympic athlete would be jealous of. And those eyes, normally so soft, now sharp like blades and dark as the night. Dangerous.

Stone had almost lost track of the man as they darted through stalls, but Robotnik could see him through his scouting badniks. "2 o'clock, red door," he called out.

They sped forward, nearly colliding with a man in a full latex suit, as the stranger shoved the door open, Stone and Robotnik following shortly behind. It was clearly supposed to be a private room of sorts, with two naked men making out on a very plush bed. They screamed, but a single glance at the badniks made them pile their clothes up and hurry out. As soon as they were out of the room, Stone closed the door behind him and locked it shut.

The stranger pressed a finger to their ear. "Code Orange, I repeat, code oran—gaagh!" Robotnik pressed a few buttons on his gloves and the little speaker in their ear buzzed and fizzed, making them scream in pain.

A wicked grin spread across Robotnik's face. "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, Little Red Riding hood," Robotnik said, his face pleasant even as his words dripped with venom. "Senator Thickhead couldn't bother to lift his pinky toe off the floor for one second, so he got you to do the job? What was it, blackmail? Murder?"

Instead of answering, the man pulled out a gun. A second later and Stone pulled out his own gun with military efficiency. They both flicked the safety off at the same time.

"John Stevenson," Robotnik uttered. He knew he had the man when their eyes widened in horror. "Think I don't know who you are? A minute ago, you would've been right, but from that itty bitty little spider in your ear, I've now got your whole life in front of me. Two kids and a wife? I wonder if they know what you do."

John grimaced, pressing his free hand to his ear. "Code Orange, I repeat, code orange!"

"Don't bother, no one can hear you. And any incriminating images on that phone are gone already. That's what you get for trying to go against a genius like myself." The phone made a whining sound, and then what sounded like a cackle. It was completely unnecessary to do, but it was worth it for the look of horror that flashed in John's pitiful, ugly eyes.

John's gaze flickered between his gun and Stone. Slowly, he moved his gun, training his aim at Robotnik instead. His hand was shaking, but from this distance there was still a 70% of getting shot. Robotnik's moustache twitched slightly, the only tell he would show as his heartbeat raced and his breathing quickened.

Unfortunately for Robotnik, he was still human. Despite the near limitless knowledge at his disposal, despite the fact that he had the upper hand, even he feared death.

"H-he told me he wanted to get rid of you," John stammered. "And I will. So stand down!"

"You shoot me, and I'll make sure your life is so miserable you'll make Bridge to Terabithia seem like a comedy. From the grave or the hospital, my robots will destroy you so completely and utterly that there won't even be enough of you for your family to cremate into a bottle cap. You are nothing, and you will be nothing in life and death when I'm finished with you."

John's eyes suddenly went dark, and the air shifted. It reminded Robotnik of when the music cut out when playing a visual novel, the world drowning out until there was only himself, and John. The mini-badniks weren't cut out for combat. He didn't have any weaponry that was faster than a bullet. His options dwindled by the microsecond.

Robotnik could count on one hand the mistakes he'd made that he could say were completely and utterly his own. Unlike the very, very few he had made in his life, he would pay the ultimate price for this one.

"I'll take the risk," John said emotionlessly.

Robotnik closed his eyes as he heard the sound of a single gunshot. For what felt like an eternity, he waited for the searing heat and the merciless pain and the cynical laughter of the Devil, but instead he felt a draft as a shadow blocked the soft lights above. He opened his eyes, and Stone was in front of him, smoke billowing from his gun. John collapsed onto the ground, blood oozing from his shoulder to the floor. Reality flooded back as Robotnik heard the commotion outside, people screaming in fear as they raced up the stairs.

He should care about how they get out of here, of the bleeding body on the floor, but instead all he cared about was his own reflection glittering in Stone's soft eyes, frazzled and vulnerable. The last time he remembered looked like this was back at the Orphange decades ago. He never thought he'd resemble that brat ever again, in a gay BDSM club of all places.

"Are you alright, doctor?" Stone asked softly.

He wanted to say yes, because obviously he had not sustained any damage, and obviously this wasn't his first time seeing a dead body. He should say it, and get the hell out of here. But instead he was quiet, staring into the eyes of a man he thought he knew, but didn't. After all, Stone never looked so intense before, with that dark, unyielding stare. Those were the eyes of a merciless killer. A man who has no doubts or hesitation. And that man saved Robotnik's life.

Robotnik jerked his head away. "D-d-don't just stand there and play with your moisturized thumbs. Let's get out of here."

A small, relieved smile played on Stone's lips as he flipped the safety back on. "Right away, sir."

As they joined the crowd and blended in with the sea of black, being jostled and shoved as people scrambled for the entrance, Stone reached for Robotnik's hand, gripping tightly. Robotnik decided not to punish Stone for touching his hand without express permission. Not this time.

Senator Willingham woke up in a sterile room he did not recognise. Tiled white walls and tiled white floors surrounded him. As he tried to move, he suddenly realised that he couldn't. His hands and his legs were strapped to a chair.

When he got used to the light and opened his eyes, Robotnik was before him, a vicious sneer on his cruel, uncaring face. He expected some childish insult, some boast about his intelligence. Instead, Robotnik silently put his hand out to Agent Stone, who produced a folder from his jacket. Robotnik's eyes did not leave Willingham as his fingers skimmed through the folder, taking out a single sheet of paper. He pulled it out with a flourish, and spun it around for Willingham to see.

A cold sweat dripped down his forehead. His face was pale.

"Do you know what this is?"

Willingham let his lips dip, but said nothing.

"That is you, just last week at the nightclub, getting pissed on by two well-known male escorts." His lips curled up into a sinister smile. "Always thought the only subject you ever passed in school was urine."

"What do you want?" He spat.

Robotnik put the picture back in the folder and got dangerously close. "I'll say this so simply, even an utter idiot like you could understand. You'll increase your funding by exactly 50%; that's a 50% increase. You'll let me do my job without your thoughtless intervention. Most importantly, you'll never try a stunt like last night on me, or my agent, ever again. I find out you attempt to blackmail me, or murder me, or do anything that affects me in a negative way, and I will leak this, as well as every sordid, detestable thing you've ever done. You'll be ruined in an instant." Robotnik leaned back upright. "Do you understand me? Or do I need Stone to dumb it even further down to you?"

"You are a maniac," Willingham rasped.

Robotnik straightened up, a darkness that threatened to block out all light. His smile shifted into something that seemed almost pleasant. Something that looked a lot like excitement.

"You know, I must give you credit, you did introduce me to such a lovely place. After all, it opened me up to a whole new world of punishment." A small swarm of egg-shaped robots appeared behind him, pointing their at Willingham's chest. "And you're the lucky man that gets to be my first guinea pig."

Senator Willingham may not have been smart or observant, or anything special in the brain department, but he saw the slightest shift in Stone's eyes as he stared at his boss with admiration, and something much more intense. He'd seen that look before, back at The Manor on the most willing and obedient of submissives. It was the look of a hungry predator masking themselves as prey, thinking about all the different ways it can consume or get consumed. And that look was directed at Robotnik, while the doctor was too busy fiddling with his robots.

I always wondered why he stuck with that vile man, Senator Willingham thought. Perhaps there really is something more going on with those two.