Back to Chapter 19

Two months passed. Porker put the time to good use, turning in hours at a time at the laboratory each day. The search for the Grey Emerald continued. Yet, as it transpired, nobody ever thought to ask where Doctor Kintobor was. Sonic’s young friends weren’t used to his presence, so it never occurred to them. Uncle Chuck was used to Kintobor disappearing into a world of his own for weeks at a time, so nothing seemed unusual to him. Porker, perhaps out of politeness, didn’t push the issue and ask the Kintobor Computer why he was so confident the real Kintobor wouldn’t be returning any time soon. And Sonic, of course, knew the truth, but was too wracked with guilt at his involvement in the ordeal to tell everyone else.

It was a glorious sunny day in the Green Hill Zone, as was quite often the case. Sonic and a handful of his friends were enjoying a walk through the Zone. Sally was leading the way, as she often did, while discussing her ideas for the group’s next sporting contest- a rounders tournament seemed to be the popular choice, though Joe had previously protested that he wasn’t really built for any kind of sport that required running. Antoine, as Sally’s dedicated (if, perhaps, self-appointed) bodyguard wasn’t too far from her side. And Johnny and Sonic were discussing their favourite thing: speed.

“I mean, if you ask me, that’s why he was such a good athlete,” Johnny noted.

“Look, Lightfoot,” Sonic raised an eyebrow, “I appreciate the importance of a good diet, but if you’re telling me I have to eat nothing but seaweed for the rest of my days, I think I’ll stick to my current training regime”

“Alright,” Johnny opened his palms defensively, “Just don’t come crying to me when you get out-sped by the fastest eel on Mobius”

“Ah, zis weather, c’est magnifique” Antoine breathed in the clean, cool air.

“I agree,” Sally nodded, “Though there’s a bit of a chill in the air”

“It must be because I’m here,” Sonic ventured, “what with me being so cool and all”

Sally rolled her eyes, “As a cucumber, Sonic”

N.I.C.O.L.E. spoke up, “Apologies for the intrusion, Sally, but I’m receiving a message from the Kintobor Computer. He would like to know if anyone has seen Porker Lewis as he hasn’t shown up to the laboratory today”

Johnny shrugged, “I haven’t seen him”

“It’s not like Lewis to miss a day at the lab,” Sonic rubbed his chin.

“Qu’est-ce que…” Antoine squinted and held a hand above his eyes as he looked towards the sun quizzically.

“Antoine?” Sally asked.

“Zere seems to be somesink in front of ze sun, non?”

Everyone looked upwards. Antoine was right. Something was definitely in the way of the light. As the shape grew larger, it became clear it was, in fact, three somethings.

“What on Mobius are those?!” Sonic exclaimed.

The three somethings zoomed towards the group, revealing themselves to be hornets- or, at least, they looked like hornets. These creatures seemed to be made of a polished metal. And most hornets didn’t have jet exhausts sticking out of their bodies.

“We are Badniks- loyal servants to the great Doctor Robotnik!” the apparent leader of the robotic trio announced.

“And you are about to become one of us!” the second Badnik declared.

Suddenly, without warning, the Badnik’s chest compartment flung open and a mechanical claw reached out and snatched Johnny.

“Woah-- help!” Johnny yelped out in surprise.

“Hold on, dude,” Sonic called out, crouching down in readiness, “Now’s my chance to try out something I’ve been working on”

Sonic leapt into the air, curling himself into a ball as he did so. Colliding with the Badnik with the force of a cannon shell, the Spin Attack smashed it into a thousand pieces.

Sonic turned to see one of the other Badniks careening towards Sally, but Antoine was ready. Drawing his sabre at lightning speed, Antoine sliced the head of the robot off and it crashed into the ground, where the rest of it shattered.

“That just leaves you, ugly,” Sonic announced to the ringleader Badnik, “Don’t go away, I’ve got a present for you. Can you guess what it is?”

Sonic rocketed upwards and kicked the Badnik in the face, denting its head and sending it hurtling into the ground with a slam where it cracked open.

None of the assembled friends were prepared for what they saw next.

“Porker Lewis! I don’t believe it!” Sonic gasped.

“No, please… this isn’t how it looks,” Porker removed bits of scrap metal from about his person, “I was imprisoned in that Badnik! It was using me as- as some kind of power source, I think!”

Sonic could see from how nervous Porker looked there was no way he was lying, “Alright, bud. What’s the story?”

“I decided to take the scenic route to the lab this morning. Some guy by the name of Doctor Robotnik captured me and put me inside that thing!”

Sonic winced at the mention of Robotnik’s name.

Porker continued “He’s completely mad! He wants to rule Planet Mobius!”

Sally stepped forward, “Sonic, we have to find Doctor Kintobor”

“Yeah,” Johnny concurred, “He’ll know how to deal with Robotnik”

Sonic took a deep breath. After a moment he forced himself to admit the truth of the matter.

“We can’t. Kintobor is Robotnik”

The other animals gave out incredulous responses.

“Sonic, if this is one of your jokes, it isn’t very funny,” Sally stated.

“It’s no joke. There was a horrible accident at Kintobor’s lab. It’s like he became… inverted or something. Instead of Ovi Kintobor, he’s now Ivo Robotnik. Instead of being tall and thin, he’s a big ball of blubber. And instead of being kind and wanting to help the world… he wants to enslave it”

“Well… what are we to do?” Antoine asked, somewhat nervously.

“I don’t know. I think if we repair the doc’s R.O.C.C. we might stand a chance at reverting him back to Kintobor. But it’s a long shot. More to the point, I don’t think the machine will be operational without the Chaos Emeralds”

“The other emeralds are lost?” Johnny asked, “We had all on finding just the one but seven of them?”

“I know, I know. I… I didn’t know how to tell you all this. I kind of feel responsible for the accident”

“Sonic, I know you wouldn’t have done something so dreadful intentionally,” Sally answered, “But if you feel to blame then the best thing to do is make it right. And we’ll help you. If this Doctor Robotnik is a threat, I think we’ll all need to work together”

“How can we stop someone as dangerous as that?” Porker shook with fear, “It’s hopeless”

“Hopeless?” Sonic echoed, “If we work together, Porker, I don’t think anything is hopeless”

“You didn’t see what I did, Sonic. That sadistic look in Robotnik’s eyes… I don’t think he’s the kind of person who can just be stopped”

“Yeah? Well he’s not reckoned with Sonic the Hedgehog. Sally, we need to spread the word to everyone to be alert. I think this is only the beginning”

***

Far away from the scene, Doctor Robotnik tinkered on his newest robotic creations. The trial run had proven successful. Admittedly, he didn’t especially want to lose the Badniks he’d sent to the Green Hill Zone, but he’d only been trying out their mobility circuits and artificial intelligence chips. Three Badniks was never going to get the job done and Robotnik knew that. But, given time, he’d have an army at his disposal that would leave the entire planet quaking.

Robotnik’s memory had been affected by the accident. He had no memory of his former life as Kintobor, though he retained all of Kintobor’s knowledge of science. Mercifully, shortly after fleeing the Green Hill Zone, he’d lost the memory of the location of Kintobor’s laboratory. He couldn’t even remember who that hedgehog Sonic was… but he certainly remembered how he felt about him, the raw emotions, the hatred stirred up inside whenever he envisioned that grinning blue face.

How Robotnik loathed Sonic with every fibre of his being. He knew he’d have to destroy that blue pincushion if he were to conquer Mobius. Whatever it took, he’d find a way. Whether it was smashing him, crushing him, immolating him, drowning him, Robotnik would annihilate Sonic.

Robotnik gritted his teeth and snarled to himself.

“I hate that hedgehog…”

On to Chapter 21