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Chapter Text

Stepping out of the ring, I hear my dad shivering behind me. We've entered into a large, snowy area, a blizzard blowing around us. He's on a mission to research other planets for inhabitants, edible food, and living conditions, and he took me along with him. I lost my mom a long time ago, so he's all I have left.

The planet we've just arrived on is the last is our long mission, and there's only one ring left to take us home when we're done. My dad's boss was on a budget and only gave him just enough rings to go to each planet and back, with none left for emergencies. The ring closes behind us, and my dad starts scanning the area around us with his device.

"We're only going to be on Earth for a few days, Lucky. I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to. Our initial scans a decade ago showed signs of hostile life, but also other Mobian life. First, I'm going to look for shelter to wait out this blizzard, then we can send out a signal to search for the Mobian. There's no telling if they survived this long, or how many there are."

My dad is what people on Earth would call an Eastern Cottontail rabbit, so his brown fur is standing out in the snow around us. My mom was a Snowshoe hare, and so am I, so my thick white fur is keeping me warm. It only turns white when I'm in snow, like we are now. From what Dad let me see of the last scans of Earth, there are lots of predators that would hurt us without hesitation, including the planet's dominant species, humans.

After walking for a while, we finally found shelter in a large cave. Dad made sure to scan for possible predators there first before we settled down. We started making a fire to warm up, my dad's fur now looking almost white from how much snow he got covered in. His device says we're located in the continent called Antarctica, but it doesn't say whether it's populated or not. After warming up, the snow melting from my dad's fur, he pulls the last ring from his bag.

"I'll let you use this one when it comes time to leave, Lucky. You remember how to use it, right?"

I nod.

"I picture in my head where I want to go, and throw it."

"That's right. But you have to make sure the picture in your mind is clear. If you're indecisive on where you want to go, there's no telling where you'll end up. You have to be sure."

I nod again as he places the ring back into his bag. He takes his gloves off for a moment to set them on the ground by the fire to melt the snow off of them. Pretty much everyone wears gloves on Mobius. Other planets have a more defined sense of 'decency' like Earth, where they make themselves wear clothes covering nearly their entire bodies, but on Mobius we only have to wear gloves and shoes, though some people wear more. Usually girls or if they wear a uniform for work.

I like dressing up sometimes. Dad usually wears a white lab coat, since he's a planetary researcher, but I like wearing skorts - skirts with shorts underneath - and jackets. I'm not wearing those today, but I have them in my bag. While I started making dinner on the fire, Dad was typing away on his device to send out a signal.

Signals to other Mobians on unfamiliar planets is usually done through large beams of light, and Dad tried disguising ours as the Southern Lights, or as Earth calls it, Aurora Australis, but other Mobians would be able to recognize it as one of ours. After dinner, the fire started dying down, so Dad put his gloves back on, and we curled up near the fire to go to sleep. My white gloves and shoes blended into the snow below us, so I held my hand out to hold Dad's to go to sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter trigger warnings: blood, gunshot wound

I wake up to the sound of gunshots. My dad screams. I shoot awake, and when I look around, my dad's torso is covered in blood as a group of humans dressed in dark clothes with thick vests and huge guns. How did they find us? Did they use our signal to track us? How would they do that? I stand up, running over to my dad, my hands shaking as I try to put pressure on his wound to staunch the bleeding like my mom taught me, but I'm pulled away by one of the humans, pulling me by my ears.

"Dad! Dad! What do I do? Don't let them take me!"

My dad's weak voice calls out, "I'll be okay, Lucky. Just do what they say, and you'll be okay. I love you."

My dad is getting pale, losing more blood as they surround him, blocking my vision of him as I'm pulled away. Another human grabs my wrists and holds them behind my back, clicking them together with metal handcuffs.

"Dad!"

A third human clamps something over my mouth, locking my jaw shut. They toss me into the back of a large black vehicle, and I clamber to my feet to look out the rear window at the cluster of humans surrounding my dad. As the vehicle I'm in starts moving away, I watch as the humans surrounding my dad part, dragging my dad's limp form to another vehicle, snow starting to cling to his fur again. I don't even get to see if he's still breathing or not.

I start tearing up, tears blurring my vision. Is he okay? Is he alive? I blink away tears, sitting against the wall of the back of the vehicle. There's a thick wall between me and the driver and passenger, like I'm some kind of criminal. I curl up against the cold steel, my knees bent in front of me. The drive is long, and in my exhaustion and the adrenaline wearing off, I fall asleep, my head resting on my knees.

I wake up to the back of the vehicle being opened, and one of the humans grabs me by the handcuffs, more humans flanking me as I'm brought into a building nearly hidden by the blizzard. Our footsteps echo around the metal walls,seemingly nobody else around. What is this building? What are they doing in a continent like Antarctica? The initial scans didn't reveal any inhabitants in the area, so they must've entered the area in the last decade or escaped our radar somehow.

After a lot of twists and turns around corners, the halls of the building acting like a strange labyrinth, I'm lead into a room with a large metal cell. One of the humans retrieves a key from his pocket, unlocking the cell door before unlocking my handcuffs, and the second my wrists are free, I'm roughly shoved into the cell, the door swiftly locked behind me.

I want to call out to them, ask them if my dad is okay, who they are, why they brought me here, what they want from me. But I can't. The metal muzzle they put on me doesn't let me move my jaw, and my stupid overbite means my jaw is shut too tight to even part my lips. The humans exit the room after locking me in the cell, leaving me in confused, fearful silence.

They caged and muzzled me like a dangerous animal. Like I'm something to be feared. How did they find us? What do they want from me? Where did they take my dad? Why did they shoot him? Is he okay?! I start hyperventilating, curling up on myself and burying my face in my knees, hugging my legs to my torso.

The muzzle certainly isn't helping my panic attack, and in fact, I think it's making it worse. All of a sudden, I remember the ring in my dad's bag. I could use it and go home once I'm with Dad. We're the only family we have. As soon as I find out where they took Dad, I'm going to find a way to him so we can go home.

Chapter Text

After my panic attack, my ears perk, hearing echoing footsteps getting louder. An unmasked human entered the room, standing on the other side of the bars. My long ears droop again, and I start shaking. He just stares at me for a while with a strange look on his face before asking me a question. Does he not recognize me? My fur is green again, now that I'm somewhere warm.

"How did you do it?"

What? I raise an eyebrow at him, and he sighs, reaching into his pocket and gesturing for me to get closer. I shake my head, not wanting to get closer to any humans than I need to. He sighs.

"Just come over here. I want to take off that muzzle they put on you so you can talk."

We stare at each other for another moment. I don't dare move. His squared shoulders drop slightly.

"I'm trying to help you here, kid."

I stare at him for another moment before slowly standing up, walking closer to the bars. The human reaches a hand into my cage, sliding the key into a lock on the side. It eventually makes a loud clack, the muzzle dropping to the floor. I instantly kick it to the wall behind me. I'm not letting him get that thing back. I'm not letting him put it back on me. I back away, sitting down against the wall, facing the human. Glaring at him, really. I'm still shaking. He sighs again, asking me the same question.

"How did you do it?"

"How did I do what? What exactly do you think I did?"

"When those guards brought you here, you were invisible on our camera feeds, same with the cameras in here. You were also invisible on our infrared cameras in the blizzard. I'll ask you again; how did you do it?"

I let his information sink in before finally responding.

"I don't know."

I honestly don't know. I knew it felt like I was being watched, but that feeling went away pretty quick. The man raises his eyebrow at me like he doesn't believe me.

"Why are you here on Earth?"

"Why should I tell you? I don't even know who you are. I should be asking you why your men hurt my dad and kidnapped me!"

"That's fair, I suppose. I am Commander Walters, and you're in the custody of GUN, the Guardian Unit of Nations. While I regret that your father was shot, that was not my fault. They were surprised by seeing an alien and may have become trigger-happy."

"Where's my dad? Is he okay?"

He looks away for a second before responding, "His wound is being treated. He should be fine."

"But you don't know for sure."

"No. GUN's medical team has never seen anatomy like your kind's."

So there's a strong possibility he'll die. But it's also not impossible for him to survive.

"Are you a boy or a girl? It's hard to tell."

"Neither. I'm nonbinary."

"What's that mean?"

"I use they/them instead of she/her or he/him."

Commander Walters raises an eyebrow, then shrugs.

"Alright, then. What's your name, kid?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I'm trying to help you!" I keep glaring at him, and he sighs, saying, "I don't think you're a threat, but my superiors do. They want to run tests on you; try to figure out what you're capable of. I think it's inhumane, but I can't do anything about it. Might as well make sure you have someone to talk to. Not all humans are as awful as you might think we are."

My glare wavers, but I keep eyeing him suspiciously. Should I even trust him? Commander Walters continues standing in silence for a few minutes, before turning to leave. Just as he opens the door, I blurt out my name.

"Lucky. My name is Lucky."

Walters turns to face me, a slight smile on his face. The next day, after a bland meal of toast, dry oats, and water, I'm taken to a kind of laboratory. They start conducting tests on me, connecting me to a bunch of monitors I don't understand, and they watch me on cameras, making me try to make myself invisible and visible on their monitors. I haven't told them, but if I close my eyes and really concentrate, I can see what the nearby cameras see.

This testing continues for weeks. Maybe even months. I never see Dad in any of the rooms they walk me past. I have no idea if he's okay or not. I'm always handcuffed when the guard humans take me to and from my cage, and at least one of them has a gun on them, a hand on the gun 'in case I try anything'.

But they never use it. I do what I'm told, and I stay quiet. I don't speak unless spoken to. And these people almost never speak to me. They treat me like a non-sentient animal. Like I'm some freak to be studied.

Commander Walters comes in to talk to me every couple weeks, and he's nice, but I get the feeling he doesn't trust me. He never tells me anything about my dad, even though I ask every time. He just sits down and asks me about my day, even though it's always the same. I don't tell him anything about my past or anything like that. It's always just small talk to pass the time.

All it takes is one day for the routine to change. One day, just like any other, a human guard enters the room and unlocks my cage and clacks handcuffs around my wrists. However, instead of taking me to the lab, more guards gather around as I'm lead to the roof of the building, a helicopter's propellers whirring. My fur is turning white again in the cold.

"Where are we going?"

Commander Walters steps out of the helicopter.

"You're being shipped to America. We're releasing you into the custody of Dr. Ivo Robotnik to assist him on the case of a blackout. We think it may be connected to someone from your planet, given the strange nature and sheer power of the blackout."

"Why me? What could I even do to help?"

If I even wanted to help, which I don't.

"Robotnik is brilliant, but even he doesn't know what your people are capable of. You are to aid in his investigation in any manner he sees fit."

"What would I get out of it? You're not just gonna make me help this guy and then stick me back in that cell for more testing, are you?"

Commander Walters lets out a heavy breath.

"No, Lucky. If you are able to help Robotnik capture the alien, we will grant you your freedom."

"What about my dad?"

He hesitates, then answers.

"He'll be as free as you."

I take a minute to think about it.

"I'm in."

Chapter Text

The helicopter flies for a few hours, but I don't let myself take a nap, no matter how tired I am. This is the first bit of Earth I've seen outside of the GUN research facility and the bleak white of Antarctica - the warmth of the air making my fur green again - and I'm taking in all of it. It's loud, smelly, bright... beautiful. Whatever Mobian's been here for the last decade must've been lucky to get to see all this.

When it finally lands, we're in a large, fenced-in field. I think it's called a baseball field. My dad let me look into a lot of Earth history and customs when I heard we were coming here, since he knew we wouldn't be seeing much of it if his research trip went as planned. Which it didn't. We got to see so much more of the other planets, but our time on Earth should've been brief. It's been deemed a hostile planet toward Mobians, and for good reason.

Commander Walters exits the helicopter first and walks over to a darker-skinned human in a black suit, the propellers still whirring loud enough I can't hear what they're saying. After a few minutes, Walters gestures to the GUN agents on either side of me, and they stand up, one pulling me up by my handcuffs into a standing position.

We exit the helicopter and over to Commander Walters and the black-suited man, who looks at me with wide eyes. Is this the Robotnik guy I'm supposed to help? But he doesn't really look like a doctor. After a moment of staring at each other, Commander Walters finally speaks.

"Agent Stone, this is Lucky. They're going to aid Dr. Robotnik in his investigation. I hope I can trust you to keep this alien situation confidential. I went through quite a lot of trouble just to bring them here."

The dark-skinned human nods.

"Yes, Commander."

Commander Walters nods back, and makes a gesture at the humans on my sides. They seem hesitant, but one pulls a key from his pocket and unlocks my handcuffs. I rub my wrists, having felt chafed from the tight metal around my wrists. Walters gestures at them again, sending them back to the helicopter. He takes a moment to look at me again, and walks back to the helicopter. As it takes off, Agent Stone walks over to me. He has a strange look on his face.

"So... Would you care to join me in the truck? I'll take you to the Doctor and let the two of you get acquainted."

I let out a loud sigh.

"Whatever. I just wanna get this done as soon as possible."

Agent Stone walks me over to a large, grey truck, opening the passenger door for me. I grab the handle at the top of the vehicle's door frame to pull myself up to the seat and sit down. Stone closes the passenger door, walking over to the driver's door, seating himself and starting the truck. It's eerily silent between us as he starts driving, and I stare out the window next to me. I can see in my peripheral vision that he keeps sneaking looks at me as he drives, making me feel uncomfortable. I finally turn my head towards him after a few minutes of this.

"You gonna keep staring at me, or are you gonna ask me something? It's getting creepy."

Agent Stone looks surprised.

"Oh! It's just... Why were you handcuffed earlier? You don't look dangerous to me."

I scoff at that.

"I'm not. But because I'm different than them, they think I am. They think I'm some kind of freak to be studied, and they don't want their precious lab rat escaping."

"But then, why did they let you out?"

"Something about that blackout. They think someone from my planet caused it, and they want me to help track them down. Not that I had much of a choice."

And there's that awkward silence again. After a few more minutes of driving, Agent Stone tells me we're almost to this doctor guy. Stone gets this weird light in his eyes when he talks about him. Just as a huge white and black truck that Agent Stone calls 'the portable lab' comes into view, another truck speeds out of the driveway.

A human man is in the driver's seat and a blue hedgehog Mobian is in the passenger seat. Stone slams on the breaks, running toward the house the truck sped away from, and I sigh, taking my time to step out of the truck and make my way to the house. Why didn't he just go after the truck instead of stopping to get Robotnik?

The front door is still open, and I lean against the doorway, watching the men's interaction. A man in a long black coat with black hair and a black mustache with curled ends is holding Stone by the jaw and pulls him close. I'm guessing this is Dr. Robotnik. His whole vibe just screams 'cartoon villain'.

"You know what's hard about being the smartest person in the world?"

Agent Stone's response is slightly muffled into the gloved hand holding his jaw.

"Everyone else seems stupid."

"Stupid, yes! Way to go! You got that one!" Robotnik releases Agent Stone's jaw and wipes his gloves on Stone's coat. God, he's so condescending! He continues, "Whatever this creature is, it's our job to secure it. Neutralize it. Uncover the source of its power. And if it resists, we take it apart. Piece by piece. See what makes it tick." He picks up a pair of glasses with black lenses and puts them on, but the glass is cracked, and the frame is messed up. "Stone?"

Agent Stone's eyes light up.

"Doctor?"

"Call Optical Illusions. Tell them I need new frames." He takes off his broken glasses and tosses them to the floor. "They know what kind I like." He starts walking away but stops, adding as he points to a glowing blue quill on the table, "Oh, and bring that quill."

"Yes, Doctor."

As Robotnik starts walking toward the front door, his head snaps toward me, seemingly just noticing me.

"Stone?"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Why is there another one? And why isn't it running?! It makes the chase less fun."

I scoff, crossing my arms.

"You can just ask me. I'm not stupid."

Robotnik's eye twitches.

"You're not smart either. If you were, you'd be scared of me. You'd be running like that other future lab rat! As annoying as that creature is, at least it has some semblance of self-preservation."

"Been there, done that. It didn't do me much good."

Stone walks over to us, tucking the blue quill into a pocket on the inside of his suit-jacket.

"That's Lucky, Doctor. They've been released to you to aid your investigation. They know more about their people than we do, so Commander Walters flew them to America to help. He said to tell you not to make them your lab rat, since GUN's done all the tests necessary to prove they're not a threat."

Robotnik's shoulder's drop, looking annoyed.

"Ugh, fine. Maybe after I catch that blue rat, then. They'd be able to keep each other company. If I let either of them live, that is." He laughs and I roll my eyes, following the men to the 'portable lab' truck. "So, what can you do, anyways? The other creature has super speed, but I highly doubt that's universal on your planet since you're different species."

I sigh. I knew this question was coming sooner or later.

"Different races, not species. Anyways, my thing is stealth. I can make myself invisible on all types of cameras, including infrared."

Robotnik presses buttons on his glove, making a holographic screen appear in front of him, displaying multiple camera feeds where I'm visible. I'm guessing they're coming from the white egg-shaped drones that are on their way back to the truck.

"Incorrecto, my full-footed rabbit. I can see you just fine."

"Just watch."

In an instant, I disappear from his cameras. The goosebumps on my arms go away as I stop feeling like I'm being watched. The egg drones continue on their path to the top of the truck, hiding away into pods to charge. Robotnik's eye twitches again. Looks like he doesn't like being proven wrong.

"You see? Pretty cool, isn't it?"

Robotnik doesn't answer, just opening the back door of his lab-truck and stepping inside, a peeved look on his face. I look up at Stone, and he just shrugs with a smile on his face. He must be used to this.

Chapter Text

Stone drives the lab-truck to the local police station so Robotnik and Stone can interrogate the cops there, since apparently the human that drove off with the Mobian was a cop, so Robotnik's gonna accuse him of terrorism or something. I don't get to do anything there, since I'm also an alien and meant to be kept a secret, so I get locked into the lab part of the lab-truck while Robotnik and Stone do their thing so I don't 'escape'.

They don't know I'm watching and listening to them through the camera mounted in a corner by the ceiling. There's GUN agents lining the walls of the police department as Robotnik does his thing. It's pretty much boring so far, just Robotnik asking the same questions over and over again in increasing frustration for hours because of the stupidity of the cop. I'm about to let myself take a nap when the phone rings, the officer Robotnik's been interrogating - I think his name was Wade Whipple - answering it.

"Hello. Green Hills Police Department."

The person on the other end of the line is muffled, but I can just barely make out what he's saying.

"Wade, it's me."

"Hi, I'm so glad that you called. Uh, so, some guys came in asking questions. Uh, they're a little creepy. Kind of reminded me of, uh, the guys from Men in Black, but not as likable or, uh, charming as Will Smith."

"Wait, what kind of questions?"

"Um, questions about... terrorism?" He chuckles nervously. "I told them that I've gone ice fishing with Tom." So the cop helping the Mobian is named Tom. "He doesn't know how to make a bomb! He can't even make, like, bait in the cold!"

"Alright, Wade, listen to me. This is really important. Don't tell them that we talked, okay?"

Wade looks up at Robotnik and Stone staring him down.

"You know, I think they already know."

Robotnik grabs the phone from Wade, talking to Tom.

"Mr. Wachowski."

That's a weird last name. Then again, most names on this planet are strange to me. Tom groans on the other end of the phone.

"Ugh, Tom."

"I want you to know that the only person who ever punched me in the face was the school bully." So Tom punched Robotnik? That must be why his glasses were broken. Robotnik continues, "He hit me in the cafeteria, causing a blunt-force contusion to the soft tissue surrounding my orbital bone. Humiliated me in front of the entire school! And you know what I did in response?"

"Uh, I'm assuming that you reported him to the principal's office 'cause, you know, that kind of behavior is really unacceptable."

"No, I examined the inefficiency of a world where brawn trumped brain, and I used technology to resolve that inefficiency. The boy ate his meals through a straw for a year. And I have never lost a fight... until today."

"Hey, hooray for me then, huh?"

"No, because you're about to become the bully with the straw! I'm coming for you, Mr. Wachowski. And when I catch you, I'll-" The phone makes a monotone sound, and Robotnik asks, "Hello? Hello? Hello, hello, hello?"

Wade points to the phone nervously.

"I think he actually hung up, because I noticed the light isn't on..."

"Thank you, Officer Brainfart."

"If you give me a second, I can get an outside line..."

"No. Don't be bothered. You just sit there and be 'u'... seless."

Robotnik, Stone, and the other agents file out of the room without another word, leaving Wade and the few other cops looking confused.

"No one's gonna... erase my memory here? I will tell people about this!"

The back door to the lab-truck slams open, spooking my eyes open as I see Robotnik glaring at me.

"Taking a nap, are we?"

"I was just-"

"Get out. My egg babies and I have had enough of you stinking up my lab back here. The mouth-breather wasn't on the phone long enough for a full trace, but I was able to track the city and state they're hiding in. Go help Stone in the front and leave me alone."

I take a deep breath, suppress my fist's desire to connect with his face, and hop out, sliding into the passenger seat in the front of the vehicle.

"Y'know, I get the feeling he doesn't like me."

Stone just shrugs as he starts driving.

"It's nothing against you personally. He doesn't like anyone, human or otherwise."

I roll my eyes.

"Oh, really? I couldn't tell."

I sigh leaning my head against the window. Stone eventually breaks the silence after a while.

"How old are you, Lucky?"

"13."

"You said earlier something about not having a choice in helping the Doctor."

"That's 'cause I pretty much didn't. It was either continue to be tested on and caged for the rest of my life without ever seeing my dad, or help you guys and get a chance to go home with my dad. Even if I don't get to be free after this, at least I'd get to see more of Earth than the research facility."

There's another moment of silence before Stone, once again, breaks it.

"About your dad..."

I turn to Stone when he says this.

"What? You know something about him? Do you know where he's being held?"

Stone's lips purse, and he has a hesitant look on his face.

"He's not being 'held' anywhere. He's... dead."

"What?!"

This can't be happening.

"He was shot when you were captured, wasn't he?" I nod, and he continues. "Commander Walters told me earlier when he was briefing me about you. He didn't make it. The doctors did their best, but they couldn't save him."

Commander Walters knew? The whole time?

"But... but he said he was okay! He said that I'd get to go home with him if I helped you!"

"I'm sorry, Lucky."

So even if we do capture the Mobian, I'd be all alone. I blink away a tear, feeling it sting my cheek as I turn away from Stone, staring out the window. What am I supposed to do without my dad? He was all I had.

Chapter Text

I wake up the next morning feeling pretty warm. I don't even remember falling asleep. My eyes are crusted with dried tears, so I have to wipe them. When I can finally open my eyes, I realize that the warm feeling surrounding me is coming from a blanket. I yawn and stretch, the blanket falling from my shoulders.

"Morning."

I look to my left at Stone, who has a slight smile on his face. I'm guessing he's the one that put the blanket on me. I yawn again.

"Morning." I look out the window, and the vehicle is still moving. "Have you been driving all night?"

Stone yawns, making the answer obvious.

"I can't afford to fall behind on the trail. We're getting close to the cell tower that they pinged off of last night."

I take a deep breath, relaxing into my seat. After a few minutes, a pit stop called the Piston Pit comes into view, looking pretty destroyed. Curious, I close my eyes, looking into the camera's history over the last few hours. Just as we're about to pass the pit stop, I see that Tom and the Mobian were here, and they were the ones who trashed the place.

"Wait, stop the truck!"

He slams on the breaks, and I hear a thud in the back. I smirk as I hear Robotnik's groan. Stone looks worried and pulls into the pit stop's parking lot, and the back door of the truck slams open and shut.

"What is it? Do you need to use the bathroom? Because there's a much easier and less dangerous way to ask."

"No! Well, kinda. But they were here! Tom and the hedgehog!"

Robotnik pulls the passenger door open quickly, a furious look on his face.

"What do you mean, rodent? How could you possibly know that?"

"It's hard to explain, but just trust me. They were here."

Robotnik rolls his eyes, letting out a loud breath.

"Fine. Come on, Stone. It's about time I stretched my legs, anyways. We'll do some questioning, but I doubt we'll find anything." Stone looks between me and Robotnik before exiting the vehicle. "And you, green furball. Stay in the truck and out of sight or you'll be in for a world of pain."

I roll my eyes, pulling my door shut as my ears lower behind my head. I slide down into my chair and slide down out of view of any passersby. Now that Stone mentioned it, I actually do have to use the bathroom. I sigh, opening the passenger door again when I'm sure nobody's around to see me, and find a spot in the tall grass a few feet away to do my business.

When I'm done, I hop back into the truck and close my eyes to watch the camera feed. Stone is interviewing a patron sitting at the bar with a cast around his neck, showing him a printed photo of Tom, the human I saw taking off with the Mobian.

"Did you see this man last night?"

The bar patron sighs.

"He might look a little familiar."

"Did he say where he was going?"

The patron takes the photo from Stone and takes a closer look at it.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Like I'd ever tell you."

He uses a finger to roughly push the photo into Stone's chest, making Stone raise an eyebrow, looking offended. Robotnik appears behind Stone and gently pushes Stone aside.

"Stand down, Agent Stone. This well-meaning citizen obviously doesn't understand the urgency of the matter."

The patron stands up, his height towering over Stone and Robotnik and looks Robotnik dead in the eyes, not fazed by the doctor's words.

"Really?" Robotnik gives him a smug grin, picking him up by the collar of his shirt and holding him high in the air, the patron's eyes widening in fear. "San Francisco! He had a San Francisco shirt on!"

Despite getting the answer he wanted, Robotnik still hurls the patron out the brand new window that had literally just been installed while they were in the building. I open my eyes to see Robotnik and Stone walking out of the building. I can't hear what they're saying anymore, but I can see Robotnik holding a hand behind him for a high five.

When Stone reaches to return the high five, Robotnik pulls his hand away and punches Stone in the abdomen. Robotnik keeps walking while Stone has to take a moment to gasp for air, finally standing straight up again, shaking it off as they both head back to the truck. I roll my window down as Robotnik starts heading toward the back of the truck.

"Told you they were here."

Robotnik's smile immediately lowers into a frown at the sound of my voice, and he lets out a deep breath.

"I'll ask you again; how did you know? You couldn't possibly have just guessed that accurately."

"I didn't. Cameras are my thing. I saw it in the camera's recent history."

Robotnik taps a few buttons on his gloves and activates a holographic screen, typing away at it. I can see a photo of me as well as a couple paragraphs written about me. GUN's records of me, I'm guessing.

"That's not listed on here."

"Let's just say I didn't tell GUN everything."

Robotnik finally smirks.

"You're smarter than I thought, Cottontail. Still nowhere near my intellect, but then again, nobody comes close to me."

I smile back at him, and roll my window back up as I hear the back of the truck open and close. I think he might be starting to like me, now that I'm proving myself useful to him. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, though.

Chapter Text

After a couple minutes, Robotnik lets Stone and I in the lab part of the truck. He types away at his screen, showing an image of a road map.

"Judging by the quickest route to San Francisco, the approximate speed of their vehicle and local weather conditions..." He continues typing. "They should be right about... here."

The image of the road map zooms in and shows Tom's truck. Stone looks on in awe as my eyes widen.

"That's brilliant, sir."

I nod, adding, "I will admit, that's pretty impressive."

Robotnik fakes a smile, saying, "Thanks." He turns back to his screen, and I barely catch him whispering, "For nothing." My smile falls. Okay, so he's still a douche. I don't know why I'm surprised. Robotnik begins to set up his capture plan, looking through a holographic screen and watching the road from a vehicle's perspective. "Eeny, meeny, miny... Mayhem!"

He sends out a large drone car toward the truck, quickly catching up to Tom and the Mobian as it shoots a harpoon straight through the back of the truck and catches the dashboard, making the human and Mobian scream. Robotnik pumps his fist in celebration.

"Yeah!"

Tom swerves to try to yank the harpoon loose, and Robotnik activates the drone car's winch, pulling Tom's truck toward it slowly.

The truck starts speeding faster, and the harpoon starts coming loose. The truck slams against a traffic barrier, knocking the Mobian out of the truck and onto the windshield. I can't hear what they're saying from the drone car's camera, but they look like they're arguing. The Mobian starts radiating blue energy, and a moment later, the truck speeds faster again, the harpoon letting go of the dashboard.

The Mobian goes flying off the truck's windshield and goes flying before he curls into a ball and slamming into the drone car, releasing an electromagnetic pulse that knocks the drone car on it's side. The truck turns around, Tom driving back over to the Mobian. He's finally close enough we can hear what he's saying.

"Sonic! Sonic!"

The blue Mobian, Sonic, uncurls and gets up slowly, groaning.

"Guess I had a bonus life." His head turns toward the drone car on it's side and runs up to it. "Oh, yeah, baby!" He starts dancing, swaying his hips side to side and bringing his arms around to either side of him. "Sonic: 1, big tank: 0. I'm sorry, did we get that on camera?"

I scoff.

"Unfortunately."

Tom shouts, "How are you not dead?"

Sonic responds, "I have no idea! Did you see me dancing?"

"Yes, I saw you dancing."

Sonic turns to the drone car again, a smug grin on his face.

"Is that all you got?!"

Robotnik smirks.

"No, but thank you for asking."

He sends out another robot drone to continue the pursuit. Sonic looks worried, his eyes widening.

"Uh oh."

"Sonic! Get back in the truck!"

"You go! I'll catch up!"

Tom drives away, and Sonic zips back to the truck and climbs in, fumbling for the passenger door before finally closing it. A smaller car drone deploys from the damaged drone car. The smaller drone car prepared its weapon, and shoots homing mines at the truck.

Tom swerves at the last second to avoid being caught in the explosion, and the homing mine heads straight for another vehicle ahead of Tom. It attaches itself underneath the vehicle and emits an electromagnetic pulse, sending it flying as Sonic climbs to the back of Tom's truck.

He jumps from the back of the truck and runs toward several more homing mines, throwing one at another, skating on two of them, and the finally approaches the smaller drone car with a homing mine in his hand. He peers right into the robot's camera, his face taking up the entire screen, infuriating Robotnik.

"Hey, everybody! Welcome to my livestream! Today, we're destroying robots! Step one!"

Sonic slams the homing mine down on the smaller drone car and the electromagnetic pulse sends it veering off course, crashing into hills as Sonic hops back into Tom's truck. An even smaller one-wheeled drone continues the pursuit. My eyebrow raises.

"Why are there so many of these drone things? Not that it's not cool, but where did you get the funding for all this?"

Robotnik smirks, turning around in his seat to face me.

"Ever wonder where your tax dollars are going?"

"What tax dollars?"

Robotnik rolls his eyes, turning back to his monitors. The one-wheeled drone brandishes sharp spikes on both sides of its wheel as it catches up with Tom's truck. Tom opens the door and swings a flashlight, but the robot dodges. If Tom is holding onto the vehicle, then is Sonic driving? If he is, he's doing a terrible job. The truck swerves violently to dodge the drone.

All of a sudden, the truck speeds up, then the truck slows down, slamming the drone against the door, giving Tom the opportunity he needs and swings the flashlight upward in an uppercut, knocking the drone over. Tom climbs back into the truck, and Robotnik stands up, clearly furious.

"Oh! Give me a big, fat break!"

He sends out one last drone, a tiny helicopter, and it catches up to Tom's truck. Sonic looks at the tiny drone, smiling at it.

"Aw, this one is cute. Let's keep him."

The drone starts using its propellers to slice through the metal of the truck, working its way around the window frames. Tom is driving again, and he looks annoyed.

"Oh, come on!"

"How could something so adorable be so terrible?!" The helicopter is almost done slicing. "You've got car insurance, right?" The whole window frame comes loose and flies off, causing Sonic and Tom to scream, then Sonic grabs the helicopter. "Buzz off." He yanks off the body, but now the core is stuck to his hand and starts beeping like a bomb. "That doesn't sound good."

"No, beeping is bad! Get rid of it!"

"I'm trying!"

Sonic tries to shake the bomb off his hand.

"Throw it out the win- Throw it anywhere!"

"I can't get it off!"

"Alright, I'm pulling over!"

Tom pulls over and drives a little ways away while Sonic tries to get the bomb off his hand, one of Robotnik's cameras watching them.

"Did I get it?"

The bomb is stuck to Sonic's forehead.

"Nope." Tom runs to Sonic with a handkerchief. "Here, hold still."

Tom pries the bomb off Sonic's head with the handkerchief and throws it far away.

"It's going, it's going... It's still here!" Tom holds his hands up, the bomb stuck to one of them. He tries to shake it off as well, but Sonic gets it off his hand and tries prying it off his own hand with a stick. "Get off me!" The bomb is now stuck to a large rock, and Sonic laughs. "Nailed it!"

He starts walking away, and the bomb explodes, sending Sonic flying, and Tom jumps off the ground from the shockwave. As the dust starts settling, Robotnik is panting and breathing heavily while Stone and I watch the monitors.

"Did we get 'em? No, no, there they are. They're real survivors, those two."

I let out a long sigh, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, and now they're getting away again."

Robotnik, not panting anymore, turns to Agent Stone.

"Can we have a moment?" The two walk over to a wall. "Pin yourself to the wall." Stone does so obediently, and Robotnik presses his face very close to Stone's. How many times has he pinned himself to the wall like this? "You know, I won't miss you when you're gone. Human beings are unreliable and stupid, and I care very little about them." He turns to look at me, adding, "Especially whatever the hell they are."

"Mobian."

"Don't care." He turns back to Stone. "But my machines are diligent, relentless. They're everything to me!" A faint blue light glows from inside Stone's coat, reminding me and Robotnik about the quill. Robotnik pulls out Sonic's quill and inspects it. "Omoshiroi."

That definitely wasn't in English. Robotnik presses the tip of the quill to his tongue and the energy gives him a shock, making his head twitch violently. He offers the quill to Stone, who looks a little confused. Robotnik looks at me, and as I realize what he's thinking, I start shaking my head and hands.

"Oh, no, no, no. You're not getting my fur, you weirdo."

He shrugs.

"Another time, then."

"Never happening."

Chapter Text

I was taking a nap in the back of the lab-truck when I wake up to loud music being played. Based on the lack of movement, I think the truck is stopped for a pit stop. I stretch, watching Robotnik connect power conductors to Sonic's quill, causing the power to go out, the music stopping. Robotnik carries a lighter and opens a breaker panel, turning on the backup power and inserting to quill into a capsule to scan it.

I sigh, crossing my arms as the music returns, Robotnik dancing. It's good music, but I'm too tired for this. Robotnik pulls up a giant holographic screen, playing a video of a snowcap as he pretends to ski, then a giant dinosaur as he pretends to run from it. He eventually stops, ducking his head down to mimic his head being eaten as the holographic screen disappears.

Robotnik keeps dancing with his head ducked as the lights start flashing like strobe lights. He eventually pops his head back up, not noticing as Stone enters the lab part of the truck, carrying two disposable coffee cups. Stone starts dancing with Robotnik, the latter not realizing since his back is turned. Robotnik eventually turns to face Stone, screaming as the music and flashing lights finally stop. Stone, unfazed by the screaming, just smiles and offers Robotnik one of the coffee cups.

"I just thought you might like a latte with steamed Austrian goat milk."

"What do I look like, an imbecile? Of course I want a latte. I love the way you make 'em!"

He grabs the offered coffee cup, and I walk over to the men. Robotnik takes a sip from his coffee cup as Stone hands me the other coffee cup. It has my name written on the side. I look up at him with a grimace.

"I don't like coffee."

"It's hot chocolate."

I sniff the cup, taking an experimental sip. It's like heaven in a cup. I smile up at Stone as something starts beeping. The three of us turn to the source of the sound, and a screen displays the quill's power level as unlimited, making Robotnik grin evilly.

"Ready the prototype. With this kind of power, my machines can reach their full potential."

Stone nods, turning to a drone, the Eggpod, large enough for a human to ride in, and starts tinkering with it. After he's done, Robotnik shoos Stone and I out of the back of the truck. He emerges a few minutes later in a red and black skin-tight outfit and levitating in the drone, which I notice has a new seat on the top.

Stone gestures for me to hop in it, and it's just my size. Stone buckles me into the seat, smiling at me as Robotnik and I take off. After wandering for a while, I close my eyes, searching the cameras of the buildings we pass by. I eventually get a glimpse of Sonic, Tom, and a dark-skinned human woman on the roof of the second tallest building in San Francisco.

"They're on the roof of the Transamerica building, but they're about to leave! Sonic's got a bag of rings, so you've gotta hurry!"

Robotnik smirks, sending a couple drones to the building first. As we start closing in on the building, Sonic is backing away from the drones, standing on the edge of the roof. The Eggpod hovers over the trio as the cockpit opens to reveal Robotnik and I.

"Welcome to San Francisco, Mr. Wachowski. Are you enjoying the clam chowder?"

I lean to Robotnik's side to make sure they see me as I narrow my eyes at them.

"It's nice to formally meet, but I'm afraid you're gonna have to split apart soon."

Tom turns to the human woman, explaining the situation to her, since she seems confused.

"It's the government whack job who keeps trying to kill us." He turns back to us, adding, "Unsuccessfully!" The remark makes Robotnik scowl. He gestures at me, adding, "And apparently he's not alone this time. Nice of you to swing by on your way to Comic-Con!"

The woman adds, "Yeah, what are you wearing?"

Robotnik looks at his suit and back to the trio.

"It's a flight suit, designed to modulate my body temperature and reduce drag!"

Tom smirks.

"Yeah, and you still are one."

"Oho! Good one. You are catching fire, Thomas. Oh, and speaking of heat, I see you've taken a lover."

I add, "Does she have a name, or should we just call her 'collateral damage'?"

Robotnik chuckles at my quip, drumming the sides of the Eggpod with glee as I smirk. Tom frowns, pointing a finger at me.

"Hey, watch your mouth! Unless you want a little bit of what I gave your friend earlier." He turns to the woman, adding, "I punched him in the face."

Sonic smiles, remembering what happened just before I met Robotnik.

"Oh! He punched him right in the face! It was awesome!"

Robotnik is furious.

"The time for talking is over!" He adds through clenched teeth, "It's time to push buttons!"

"Your flying eggs are pretty impressive, Mr. Eggman, but let's face it, you'll never catch me!"

"Confidence! A fool's substitute for intelligence." He turns his head to me with a grin. "What do you think, Lucky? Should I?"

I nod.

"Oh, absolutely, Doctor."

Robotnik opens a button capsule as the energy from Sonic's quill powers the Eggpod and the flying drones ready their weapons.

"That's not good."

Tom looks worried.

"Sonic, I know you got the super speed and everything, but Maddie and I-"

"Totally defenseless? Probably gonna get blown up?"

The human woman, Maddie, nods.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Don't worry. I know exactly what to do."

Sonic jumps up to the side wall and jumps forward, pushing Tom and Maddie off the roof, screaming as they fall. Robotnik and I look down at them from inside the Eggpod, Robotnik feigning shock, but I'm genuinely surprised. Is he trying to get them killed? Robotnik turns back to Sonic.

"I was not expecting that... But I was expecting not to expect something, so it doesn't count."

The flying drones fire their weapons at Sonic, and he moves so fast I can barely see him as he turns their missiles and bullets back at them to destroy each other. Robotnik finally pushes the button, the quill activating. It makes the Eggpod move as fast as Sonic, and everything else seems to move in slow motion. Is this what it looks like when Sonic moves this fast?

Sonic makes a shooting gesture to two more egg drones as he falls off the building, Robotnik firing a laser blast at him. He barely escapes from the last blast, but it knocks him out for a second. When he comes to again, his ring bag is empty, the rings scattered around him in the air. Sonic tries air swimming to reach the closest ring to him, but it's just out of reach.

"Come on! Come on, come on, come on!" He plucks one of his quills and uses it to grab the ring, running down the building towards the falling couple and tosses the ring behind them, opening a portal to a barn at the last second, the ring fading away while Sonic loses control. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No, no, no!"

He hits several tree branches and lands on the street, rings, rubble, and broken drones raining down around him. He recovers from his fall quickly as the Eggpod hovers over to him. Robotnik smirks, and I mockingly sigh.

"Smart move, hedgehog. Now you've got nobody to help you, and nowhere to run where we can't catch you."

"Can I give you one genius piece of advice? Don't run. It'll only hurt more if you do. And it's bad for your joints; they proved it."

Sonic looks up at us, narrowing his eyes.

"Alright, Eggman. You wanna get fast? Let's get fast!"

In the blink of an eye, Sonic scrambles to gather up all of his rings and speeds off down the street. Robotnik puts on his flight goggles.

"The hard way it is." The cockpit to the Eggpod closes around us as Robotnik gives chase to Sonic, firing laser blasts at him, only to damage certain road sections. He turns left to continue the pursuit. "That was an illegal left, by the way!"

I chuckle.

"I sure as hell won't be the one to turn you in."

The pursuit continues as Sonic dodges more laser blasts from Robotnik, even sliding under a large trailer to avoid them. He grabs a ring from his bag and tosses it, and we end up in France, where a mime is entertaining a little girl and her mother. We speed past, and they move out of the way.

"Excusez-moi, monsieur!" Next, we end up in China, chasing Sonic as he runs along the Great Wall. Sonic and the Eggpod increase their speed until Sonic tosses another ring, opening a new portal. In Egypt, Robotnik fires multiple laser blasts from the Eggpod, destroying the Sphinx in its wake. Sonic skids to a stop in the sand, turning around to the Eggpod and uses his speed to create a tornado of sand that covers our vision. "Lost... visual contact!"

I look around, finally seeing Sonic run up a giant pyramid and point him out.

"There!"

Robotnik looks where I'm pointing as the sand tornado starts dying.

"You're not allowed up there! It's one of the 7 Wonders!"

He blasts out of the tornado, and just as Sonic opens another ring portal, Robotnik fires a laser blast at Sonic, sending him flying through the portal and hurtling him onto the streets of the same small town where I first met Stone and Robotnik. Sonic lays motionless as Robotnik maneuvers the Eggpod through the ring slowly. The chase is finally over. The cockpit opens around us, Robotnik laughing maniacally as he takes off his flight goggles.

"You're an astonishing little creature. It'll be fun to take you back to the lab for a litany of invasive exploratory procedures. Any last words?"

Sonic mutters out with the last of his remaining strength.

"Guac... I like that word..."

He goes limp.

"I don't have to tell you how many scientific breakthroughs have been made possible by animal testing. You're being very selfish. Lucky, at least, has paid their dues."

Tom appears behind us.

"Going my way?"

Robotnik and I turn to face him.

"What the-" Tom punches Robotnik, knocking his flight glasses off his head, and the two start fighting inside the Eggpod, and I unbuckle myself, jumping onto Tom's shoulders and holding him in a chokehold. He shakes his torso side to side, shaking me loose. I fall to the ground as Robotnik grabs Tom by his shirt. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Tom breaks free and punches Robotnik again and grabs him.

"I'm the Donut Lord, you son of a-"

Tom get elbowed by Robotnik, and he's thrown off the Eggpod when Robotnik jerks the steering yoke, Tom landing on the ground next to me. I scowl at him. He's ruining my chances of getting home! Robotnik clicks his tongue in mock disapproval, shaking his head.

"Language! You are in front of children, after all." He puts his flight goggles back on his head, and Maddie rushes to Tom as I get up, standing next to the Eggpod. "Why? Why would you throw your life away for this... thing? That's why I don't have friends. Next thing you know, you're somebody's best man, they want to have the wedding out of town... Like nobody has anything better to do!"

I clear my throat.

"Stay on topic, Doctor."

We're so close. In just a few minutes, I'll have earned my freedom. I can't afford to let a tangent ruin this for me.

"Where were we?" He turns back to Sonic. "Oh, yes; you were about to die."

Suddenly, a bullet ricochets off the Eggpod and grazes my shoulder. I grunt in pain, gripping my new wound as I turn to see Wade holding a gun.

"That's our sheriff you're messing with."

Tom looks up as more townspeople join Wade, one of them being an insane-looking old man with a chainsaw.

"And our Blue Devil, who, as everyone can see, is a very real creature and not at all invented by me!"

Wade gently pushes the chainsaw away with the tip of his gun.

"Careful. Just- just put it away."

Maddie looks over to an unconscious Sonic.

"Tom?"

Tom also turns to see Sonic, matching looks of grief on their faces as Robotnik just grins.

"I don't mean to be indelicate here, but someone should get some ice, keep the body fresh." Tom lowers his head, and Robotnik scoffs. "He's just a silly little alien. He didn't belong here!"

I add, "Earth is no place for our kind."

Tom glares at Robotnik and I and stands up.

"That little alien... know more about being human... than you ever will. His name was Sonic. This was his home. And he was my friend." As Tom says that, Sonic immediately stands, radiating the same blue energy he did when he took out the first drone car. "He's all yours!" He leads Maddie out of the way. "Everyone get back!"

The townspeople move to a safe distance away, and Sonic glares at Robotnik.

"I think you have something that belongs to me!" He clenches a fist, siphoning the energy from his quill in the Eggpod until it's no longer glowing, the energy having transferred back to Sonic. "This is my power, and I'm not using it to run away anymore. I'm using it to protect... my... friends!"

Robotnik puts on his flight goggles and readies the Eggpod's concealed weapons, the laser markers pointing at Sonic. Robotnik grins evilly and fires the weapons and Sonic leaps into action, dodging the projectiles just as I scramble to run away from the Eggpod to get out of his path. He starts to bombard the vehicle with body slams, each barrage increasing in speed until the Eggpod is disabled, just barely hovering in place, which infuriates Robotnik.

"Now you've done it!"

"Guess what, Eggman? I'm not leaving Earth. You are! Donut Lord?"

Tom nods and takes position behind Robotnik and throws a ring opening a portal to a mushroom planet. Robotnik and Sonic charge at each other, but Sonic lands a powerful blow to the Eggpod, reducing it to useless junk and sending it and a screaming Robotnik through the portal and it closes, sealing Robotnik away. The electricity emanating from Sonic fades away with the crowd cheering for his victory as Tom reunites with him.

"I told you, you got this."

"Hey, we got this."

Tom holds his hand up for a high five, which excites Sonic so much, he happily laughs and runs around in a circle at super speed before jumping up and giving Tom a high five, and Tom holds the ring bag out to Sonic.

"I think these belong to you."

"Thank you very much."

Before Tom gives Sonic back the rings, he makes a rule.

"No more pushing people off buildings."

"You know I can't promise that."

Tom gives the ring bag back to Sonic.

"You did pretty good, space 'hog."

"Thanks, Donut Lord."

Maddie walks over to the two.

"You're gonna have to explain this 'Donut Lord' thing."

Tom shakes his head.

"Nope, sorry." Maddie laughs. "That's between me and the little guy. Right?" Sonic nods. "We got our own thing, you got your thing with your... sister."

"Oh my God, my sister! We can never go back there."

"I mean, are we? 'Cause it kinda feels like we're home right now."

"Really?"

"I kinda feel like I checked the 'save a life' box off my bucket list. Now all I want to do is spend my life with the people I care about. I want to check that box."

"Yeah, I like that."

Tom and Maddie hug, and Wade attracts everyone's attention.

"Alright, everybody. Nothing to see here." He claps his hands together. "Let's disperse." Everyone goes back to their ordinary routine. "Just another ordinary day in Green Hills. Carl, I'll take that chainsaw." Sonic, Tom, and Maddie start walking home as Wade continues to disperse the crowd. "Come on, let's go! You act like you've never seen a fight between two intergalactic space rodents and a robot with a doctorate!"

I continue standing there for a few minutes in shock. There goes my chance. There goes my freedom. Without Robotnik, where am I supposed to go? GUN's gonna know we weren't able to capture Sonic, and they'll be after me. Where am I supposed to go? Without a ring, I'm stuck on Earth. I eventually run, but I'm not sure where I could go to hide.

Chapter Text

My eyes slowly open, and I feel sluggish. I look around, and the first thing I see is cell bars. I guess GUN must've found me again. Was I drugged? It certainly feels like I was. The last thing I remember is finally making it to Idaho, and I found shelter in the woods. I think it's been about 2 weeks since Sonic sent Robotnik to the mushroom planet.

My arm feels better than it has in days, and when I look at it, there's some gauze bandage wrapped around the wound. And I'm handcuffed again. Great. I guess I really am going to spend the rest of my life being a lab rat for the government. I sniffle, trying to hold back tears. Just when I thought I was safe, I woke up in captivity again.

I finally calm down after God knows how long, and I rest again, closing my eyes to watch the hallway camera feeds. If I'm going to be here forever, I might as well watch the humans like they're watching me. After a few hours of nothing but guards standing and doing nothing, occasionally changing positions in the halls, I'm about to let myself take a nap when I see Stone.

During shift change, Stone sneaks between them, going unseen by anyone but the cameras. Why is he sneaking around like that? Isn't he a GUN agent? He starts making his way toward the room I'm in, and I open my eyes as the door opens.

"Stone? What are you doing here?"

My words are slurred. Stone shushes me.

"I'm getting you out of here."

He pulls a lockpick out of his pocket and unlocks the cell door, then walks over to unlock my handcuffs. I try to stand up, but my legs feel like jelly. Stone picks me up and holds me close, and we make our way out of the room. Stone continues sneaking past guards unseen, but just as we're at the facility's front door, we hear someone clearing their throat. Stone turns around, and we see Commander Walters.

"Going somewhere?" Stone moves me to one arm and rests his hand on his gun. "Relax, Agent Stone. Just go. I won't stop you. Not this time. Keep them hidden, and we won't have any issues. We'll pretend we didn't see each other, and Lucky got out on their own. They're invisible on our cameras, after all."

Stone stands still for a moment, watching Walters as he walks away. Once Commander Walters is out of sight, Stone opens the front door, running over to his grey truck, setting me down on the passenger seat and buckling me in.

"Why did you help me?"

"Why not?"

I chuckle, watching out the window as the vehicle starts moving. I'm lulled to sleep by the movement and comfort, and when I wake up we're in Green Hills, just outside a coffee shop called the Mean Bean.

Chapter Text

Agent Stone and I have really turned this place around. After recovering from whatever the GUN agents drugged me with, I started helping Stone with cleaning up the coffee shop he bought. Apparently Robotnik left behind a manifesto where, in the event of his disappearance, Stone was to find somewhere safe and set up a safe house while we wait for him to return.

It never said anything about me in the manifesto, unsurprisingly, but Stone chose to help me escape GUN anyways when he was leaving being an agent. Stone never doubted that the doctor would return, but I don't think he'll ever come back. I think it's getting harder for Stone the longer Robotnik's gone, though, like he's losing hope he'll ever see the doctor again.

Luckily, Stone was able to buy this place with cash he'd been saving up, since GUN froze his and Robotnik's assets and bank accounts. He told me that he acquired it after framing the previous owner of money laundering and got the place for a steal. The building was large enough that Stone was able to set up a living area for the both of us on the second floor.

I got my own room, and after earning enough money from the cafe, Stone got me a few outfits. He was even able to buy some fabric and made me a dark green letterman jacket with my initials on it - LS. Stone sorta adopted me, so my name is now Lucky Stone. Most Mobians don't have last names, so I feel honored that Stone let me use his. Even after living with Stone for so long, I still don't know his first name, or if he even has one.

Wade comes in a couple times every day for the same cup of coffee, and he always apologizes to me for accidentally shooting me. I never respond, just sweeping and pretending I didn't hear him. The grazing from the bullet left a scar, and the fur over the scar never grew back.

Tom and Maddie sometimes come into the Mean Bean, but whenever they do I go upstairs to my room. They adopted Sonic, and I've got a bone to pick with that hedgehog. Robotnik was my only chance at earning my freedom from GUN, but because of Sonic, I have to hide out in the same stupid small hick town as him.

It's been about 8 months since Stone and I moved to Green Hills, and he's been very down lately. He's been getting depressed without Robotnik, and he's started drawing the doctor's face onto lattes and dissociating. He's doing it again today, staring down at the completed latte art as I start making hot chocolate for a customer.

"Doctor, where are you?"

A customer aggressively stirs the cup and drops the spoon he used onto the counter, calling Stone a freak. My eyes narrow at him as he takes a seat at one of the tables to enjoy his ruined drink. I've seen this guy in here before, and he's always ungrateful. When he glances up at me, I fake a smile. He rolls his eyes and starts scrolling on his phone.

I brush off my apron, grabbing a completed cup of hot chocolate. The customer that ordered hot chocolate is sitting next to the rude customer, but I don't think she came in with him. I walk over to her and set down her hot chocolate on the table as the rude man take a sip.

I start walking away and 'accidentally' bump the man's coffee cup with my elbow as I walk back over to the counter, spilling his hot coffee down his shirt. I smirk when only Stone can see my face. Nobody makes Stone upset like that on my watch. He saved me from GUN, so the least I can do is try to make him happy.

The man stands up and starts sputtering out coffee, grumbling in anger as Stone's smartwatch dings. I don't know what message he got, but his eyes widen, and he looks nervous.

"Oh! I, uh, I'm sorry, folks, I- I have to close early. Everybody out! Everybody out! Thank you for visiting the Mean Bean! Alright, good night! Good night."

After the customers are all gone, the rude coffee-soaked customer having to be pushed out of the building, Stone flips the sign from open to closed and removes the health inspectors grade of A, revealing an F-. He runs up to one of the coffee boilers, and the temperature gauge on it transforms into a retina scanner and scans Stone's eye. Afterwards, a red button appears on the spill guard of a drink machine, and Stone presses it.

"Uh, Stone? What are you doing? Why did you kick everyone out?"

"He's back."

"What?"

"He's back!"

Stone is beaming as he starts making a goat's milk latte. Robotnik's back? How? Regardless, if he's back, then it looks like I get another chance to go against Sonic. Maybe I'll be able to earn my freedom this time. If not, I'd be happy to see Sonic knocked down a peg.

Chapter Text

Stone rushed upstairs to change out of his uniform and into his suit, and I changed into my letterman jacket. Once Stone was changed, he made Robotnik's favorite latte, and used his tools to draw himself and the doctor into the foam. When Robotnik steps in a few minutes later, Stone puts on a straight face, but I can tell he's barely containing a smile.

"Doctor. It's really you."

I look up at Robotnik, and I raise an eyebrow. He's bald, and his mustache is brown instead of the black it used to be.

"You look... different, doctor."

"Papa's got a brand new 'stache."

Robotnik does a full spin and poses, scoffing in delight. Stone isn't able to hide his smile anymore as he walks around the counter to give Robotnik his latte.

"I knew it. I knew it! I knew you'd come back, sir. I never stopped steaming your Austrian goat's milk."

Robotnik takes the cup and drinks it.

"Could use some mushroom."

I raise an eyebrow, and the door finally closes, drawing my attention to the individual that was holding the door open. It's another Mobian, one of the echidna tribe. I didn't know there were any echidnas alive anymore. They were wiped out by the Owls over a decade ago, but somehow he managed to survive. Stone also seems to have noticed him, narrowing his eyes at the echidna.

"You brought something. Some kind of space porcupine."

The echidna scoffs and clenches his fists.

"Porcupine? I am an echidna! Trained since birth in all forms of lethal combat, destined to restore honor to my tribe, and willing to destroy anything that gets in my way."

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms.

"Okay, edge-lord. Wanna put those guns away until we actually need brute force?"

The echidna's glare turns to me.

"What are you saying to me, grass-muncher?"

I sigh, covering my forehead with a hand.

"Just calm down for a few, echidna. You're gonna want a level head if you're going to help us against Sonic."

The echidna's eyes look me up and down before he finally unclenches his fists.

"Very well, rabbit. I am Knuckles."

"Lucky."

Robotnik smirks at the two of us.

"Welcome to the team." I hold my hand out for a handshake, and Knuckles grips my hand tightly, making me grunt in pain. When Knuckles lets go, I bite my lip to not scream, and I shake my hand out as Stone does the same. I think I heard something pop in his hand, and he bends over in pain. I don't think humans are as resilient as Mobians. "That means he trusts you two. Now, let's renovate this dump!"

Stone takes a moment to compose himself before saying the passcode to the lair.

"Latte with steamed Austrian goat milk!"

The entire coffee shop transforms as the walls shift and flip, revealing a massive computer that displays Robotnik's logo, and Robotnik's egg drones, Badniks, in the walls. The counter turns into a holographic table, and Robotnik just looks on in delight.