Back to Chapter 17

A few months later, Sonic was spending his day with Doctor Kintobor at the hidden lab. Over the months, Sonic and Kintobor had grown quite close, with Sonic assisting the scientist in whatever way he could, usually ferrying objects across South Island at high speed and Kintobor doing his best to educate Sonic on scientific concepts. Kintobor generally had very little luck in this regard as Sonic simply didn’t “do” science, but he admired his friend’s enthusiasm all the same.

Sonic had spent much of the last week with his friends so felt he ought to give Kintobor some of his time. Kintobor didn’t mind Sonic’s absence- he was quite happy to work alone and, truth be known, some days he didn’t even realise he was doing so. Kintobor’s immersion in his work often meant he didn’t focus on other parts of his life that perhaps needed attention.

During the past week, Kintobor had been working on the R.O.C.C., upgrading elements of its hardware. It now took power from the mysterious golden rings that were so prevalent across the surface of Mobius. It was the human scientist Dr. Morgan that first discovered the energy properties of the rings and Uncle Chuck would be one of the first to adapt these properties in his work, designing and constructing a power converter, into which a ring could be clipped. These converters could then be attached to a variety of electrical and electronic devices, providing free, clean, largely renewable energy that simply required a ring to be replaced whenever its power had been used up. When a ring’s power had run dry, it simply disappeared with a chiming noise, though new rings appeared across the planet daily in seemingly inexhaustible supply. Kintobor had attached one such ring to the R.O.C.C.’s control panel.

On that fateful day, Kintobor was making the final adjustments to the R.O.C.C.. He’d gone without food or sleep for the last three days as he worked tirelessly and endlessly to bring about the end of evil across Mobius. Sonic, for his part, wasn’t being particularly helpful- not that he could if he wanted to as he had no clue how the machine worked, so Kintobor was perfectly alright with Sonic putting his feet up to read the latest issue of Attack of the Killer Zombie Penguins.

So far, Kintobor’s relay network had yielded nothing but dead ends on the search for the Grey Emerald. As a matter of fact, most of the relay points had been either ignored or mistaken for video-telephone points. Kintobor was disappointed, but not entirely surprised. The Grey Emerald had remained hidden since ancient times, he knew he couldn’t expect to find it in a matter of months. All the same, his impatience had led to him creating a neutraliser to simulate the effects of the Grey Emerald and hopefully combat the more violent qualities of the chaos energy the remaining six emeralds exuded.

Kintobor finished screwing the neutraliser into place in the seventh housing unit atop the R.O.C.C. and clambered down, wiping his brow.

“I feel a bit peckish,” Kintobor announced, “How about you, Sonic?”

Sonic didn’t glance up from his comic, “Great! I’ll have a triple-decker burger with cheese, salami, salad, pickle, mayonnaise and mustard!”

“I’m not sure we have all those things in the fridge!” Kintobor said, looking over his shoulder at Sonic, instead of at the keyboard he was using to activate the neutraliser, mistyping a 1 instead of a 2 and a 2 instead of a 1.

Sonic popped down his comic and wandered over to the fridge. He opened the door and was greeted by a smell so strong it practically karate kicked Sonic in the nostrils. Sonic took a moment to fight his gag reflex. The fridge was completely bare aside from a single, very rotten egg.

“Oh dear,” Kintobor tutted to himself, “I must have forgotten to go food shopping again… still! We can share this egg if you like!”

Sonic used every ounce of energy he had to hold back his churning stomach, “Doc, that egg stinks! How long has it been in there?!”

“Oh, only about six months or so,” Kintobor shrugged, “A little salt and it should be fine!”

Kintobor plucked the egg out of the fridge and wandered back across the lab floor. Staring a little too deeply at the egg, he failed to pay attention to the length of cable trailing across the floor.

“Doc! Watch it!” Sonic shouted.

But it was too late.

With a shriek, Kintobor tripped over the cable and went hurtling towards the R.O.C.C. control panel.

Kintobor’s empty palm slammed into the control panel, right onto the “RUN PROGRAM” button as well as five or six other keys.

A huge spark emanated from the machine.

Between the mis-keyed digits meaning the neutraliser wasn’t properly programmed and Kintobor hitting the keyboard with such force, confusing the R.O.C.C. while simultaneously activating it, the machine was done for.

In the space of a third of a second, eight things happened:

1) An electric current ran through Kintobor’s body.

2) The R.O.C.C. overloaded.

3) The neutraliser, owing to two inversely typed digits in its coding, failed to activate.

4) The R.O.C.C. transferred some of the evil energies contained within the Chaos Emeralds into the control panel, through Kintobor and, crucially, the rotten egg.

5) Five of the Chaos Emeralds took on multi-hued properties.

6) The R.O.C.C. exploded.

7) The Chaos Emeralds were launched at astronomical speed out of the laboratory, through the mountain wall and into the stratosphere.

8) The golden ring powering the R.O.C.C. absorbed a tremendous energy influx.

All of this happened practically in the same instant, with the smoky explosion frightening Sonic to his core. This wasn’t like the clean explosion that accompanied his sonic boom. This was an angry, fiery explosion. He remembered the day he came to the Green Hill Zone, the scene he’d run away from. This was rather like that explosion.

The laboratory sprinklers activated and extinguished the flames that remained. For a few moments after the explosion settled, the lab fell silent. Sonic shook a little nervously.

“Doc!” Sonic cried out, “Doc, are you alright?”

As the last of the dust began to settle, a form became visible to Sonic.

“Don’t worry about me, Sonic,” a rather sinister voice replied.

As the smoke cleared, what stood before Sonic was not the Doctor Kintobor he’d been used to. This grimacing figure looked to be Kintobor’s physical opposite- short and grossly round and fat, sinister and imposing- with hollow, black eyes and tiny red pupils staring back at Sonic.

The doctor grinned wide, bearing a mouth of pearly white gnashers, “In fact, I’ve never felt better”

Sonic looked at the name badge on the man in front of him. Even that had been reversed.

“Doctor Ivo Robotnik?” Sonic nervously squeaked.

“Eggs-actly!” replied Doctor Ivo Robotnik.

“Doc, I…” Sonic was at a loss for words, “We need to get you help! We’ve got to—”

“What are you gawking at, you ugly blue pincushion?!” Robotnik exclaimed, “Stand still so I can rip out your spikes and turn you into an armadillo-bot!”

“Woah!” Sonic leapt back defensively, “What’s got into you?!”

“Don’t you understand, you little spiked rat?” Robotnik snarled, “Get back to your rodent hole! It’s over. You’re finished! I’m in control now and I shall rule Mobius forever!”

Robotnik swung a hand towards Sonic in an attempt to grab him but found himself lacking the speed needed to catch the hedgehog as Sonic deftly avoided the attack. Sonic knew he had to get to the exit hatch but Robotnik was blocking it with his huge, rotund body. He had to buy some time.

“Oh yeah?” Sonic shot a cocky look at Robotnik, “And how’re you gonna do that?”

“The Emeralds!” Robotnik declared, looking up at the holes in the lab roof, “It’s all in the Emeralds! Beautiful, symmetrical, unstoppable- just like me! With them and their evil energies powering my machines, I’ll control the world!”

As Robotnik had his back turned to him, Sonic moved around closer to the exit.

Robotnik spun around, “Now you know my plan, you spiked wretch! You shall be eggs-terminated!”

Robotnik lunged at Sonic, catching the youngster by surprise. All the same, the doc was no match for Sonic’s agility. Sonic leapt out of the way as Robotnik crashed to the floor, then the scared hedgehog dived for the hatch. Slamming the hatch shut behind him, Sonic sped back out into the Green Hill Zone.

Robotnik got to his feet and looked around the deserted laboratory, cursing Sonic as he did. There was nothing here that would suit what needed to be done now. If Robotnik was to succeed, he knew he’d have to destroy Sonic. But he couldn’t hope to catch Sonic himself. He’d need to build something for the job. He’d need an army. And, with his brilliant mind, he’d be able to create one.

Robotnik’s head throbbed as new ideas filled it all at once, “I’ve got to get away from here. Need time to think. To plan”

Robotnik eyed a prototype hovercraft sitting in the corner of the lab. It had been created by… someone. He couldn’t quite remember… he’d made it, hadn’t he? Or had he? Robotnik felt at once that the hovercraft was something he’d built and yet that it was built by someone else. He dismissed the thought. Robotnik flicked a switch and a large metal door slid open, revealing the sky outside. Starting clambered on board the hovercraft and started the ignition. The large device lifted off the ground, allowing Robotnik to steer it through the door and out into the Green Hill Zone. Despite the tremendous explosion, nobody was around- he couldn’t risk staying put or Sonic might come back and ruin his plans. That wouldn’t do.

Robotnik made a note that he’d have to install a nice comfy seat on the hovercraft. First, however, he’d need to head towards the highest point of South Island. He’d build a monument to his genius- a city-sized laboratory, an enormous computerised mind to help him formulate his plans! A gigantic mechanical brain made from the scrapped materials he discarded as he constructed his army!

As he flew off towards his destiny, Robotnik thought of returning to the Green Hill Zone to turn everything that lived there and the entire landscape into a mechanical nightmare. Robotnik laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

On to Chapter 19