Chapter Text
Alarms blared around the facility as a blue blur expertly dispatched all the deadly traps laid out for him. Even the newest boss robot of the week guarding the door to his destination was no worry for him. No- for him, it was just another Tuesday.
Within the room beyond the door, an ancient figure focused his red, pinprick eyes on the screen, each bypass-ventilator assisted breath he heaved shook his whole body. The dusty room that made him prone to violent coughing fits was only clean in two spots- where his mustache touched the ground.
His eyes that were focusing intently on the blue menace in his camera feed suddenly diverted to a new popup on screen from his daughter. “Father, Sonic has nearly dispatched Croctobot. Shall we take any further precautionary measures?”
Dr. Robotnik coughed his vocal chords into action. “No, Sage, don’t bother. You’re relieved of duty for now.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to do anything about the door, father?”
“I’m sure, my daughter. Go have fun.”
The console chirps happily before going to sleep mode. Robotnik, heaved his form over to face the door instead as he heard one, two, three great spin attacks slice his reinforced duralumin door. Finally on the fourth try, the blue figure burst through the door in an explosion of shrapnel and light.
Green eyes searched the room quickly for their target. Weak, tattered, now floppy ears (that were once sharp as pinpricks) picked up the great heaving that came from the centre of the room, shrouded in darkness. Sonic sighed and straightened up, flipping the switch next to the door.
The room was suddenly bathed in light as the ceiling panels opened up to the heavens. Though of course, a durable panel of glass shielded Dr. Eggman’s environment controlled atrium from the elements outside. He couldn’t let the rain the plants there desired so much affect his machinery, but he had happily compromised with an efficient drip-irrigation system. The leaves of the various vines and small fruit trees still shrouded the photophobe in darkness as his nemesis drew close.
“You should open up the ceiling more often, doctor .” Sonic teased as he watched the megalomaniac, more man than machine now, blink and rub his eyes with his good hand. Sometimes the mere sight of him made him feel young again. “You wouldn’t want to get a Vitamin D deficiency in your old age too.”
“Bah, you blasted hedgehog,” the emperor grumbled as he kicked a chair out in the direction of the hedgehog, the beginning of the hospitality he was going to show him that evening. “My bones are titanium . Replaceable. And also none of your concern. Especially with those knee braces , heh-HAH. What’s wrong? Running’s getting a little tough? It took you four tries to get through my door this week, maybe you’re the one who needs more sun.”
Sonic rolled his eyes and climbed into his designated chair, designed high enough to put him at eye level with the good doctor. Not for respect for his guest or anything of course, it just seemed like a smarter option than having two separate tables.
“Well if not for you then how about for the plants?”
“Bah these blasted plants. What don’t I do for them? You keep bringing me the fussiest saplings just to inconvenience me. I know it. I’ve never seen a bougainvillea that refused to climb anything but jute before!”
Sonic snickered. “You know you don’t have to take care of them in your special little arboreum, right? You could, like, donate some to a national park.”
“Donate!? What am, a charity? Besides, regifting is for heathens . Not that I expect any better from you.”
Sonic had a smile twinkling in his eye as he watched his old nemesis prattle on, resting his head on the gingham tablecloth. Forty years and he hadn’t changed even a bit. Sure his heart was more polymer than muscle now, and his veins were full of lead, but he still had the same stubborn personality from so long ago…
“Enough, enough. I’m hungry. What’s for tea?”