Chapter 13: Settling Down, part II

Sonic and Tails spent the next thirty minutes in the SAIC's office on the couch following the conversation. At some point during that time, the fox fell asleep on the hedgehog's shoulder. He was now snoring peacefully as he held onto his twin tails brought about in front of him like a bolster. Sonic simply smiled wordlessly through it all. Meanwhile, McLaughlin was back at his desk typing something, presumably a report of his rather interesting meeting, at his computer, deep in concentration.

The SAIC's cell phone buzzed, and he quickly picked it up to look at the received message. It made him stand up. "Finally."

"What's that? Alan's here?" Sonic inquired. At the same time, Tails started to awaken groggily.

"Yes. He's just arrived, headed up here now."

"Wonder if he'll be surprised to see us here," Sonic thought out loud.

"I think that's unlikely."

Another minute passed before the glass door swung open and a very familiar face came through. "Sorry I'm late, sir," Special Agent Alan Doherty said to his boss before facing the mobian duo. "And nice to see you again too."

"Hey, Alan!" both of them greeted before getting off the couch and walking up excitedly to the weary-looking Doherty, who had taken off most of his gear except for the pistol holster. "You alright?"

"I'm fine now, thanks," Alan answered, "though if I ever go past the speed of sound again, it better be under more controlled circumstances."

Tails looked at him apologetically. "I'm really sorry about that, it's just…it was necessary."

Deep down, Alan wasn't really sure that was true, though he didn't want to bring it up now, at least not with them. "I understand. Anyway, I guess you've met my boss, and I need him to debrief me. I can't talk to you both now." Though I do have to talk about you. "So yeah, you'll have to excuse us."

"Eh, okay," Sonic replied in understanding, "how long will it take, though?"

"Hopefully not long. Ryan?" he called out to an agent outside the door.

"Yeah? Glad to see you back here, by the way."

"Me too. But right now, I need you to escort Sonic and Tails to the waiting room downstairs. Give them something to read or drink."

"Got it," the blond man acknowledged with a nod. "This way, please," he said to the visitors, who walked towards the door to follow.

Before leaving the room, Sonic turned to Alan a last time. "Glad you're okay, by the way."

"Likewise. See you in a few minutes," he said before the door closed.

"So, Alan, good to have you back," McLaughlin said with a wry smile.

"I'm thankful, sir, but I've just heard that about a dozen times," Alan responded, also smiling, as he took a seat in front of the SAIC's desk.

"I can imagine," he said with a chuckle as he got back onto his leather chair. The smile faded as the time to talk business came. "Anyway, you know why you're here."

"Yes, sir, I do," Doherty replied, also sounding serious now. "Before anything else, I want to know about what happened in the warehouse that day. After I…left, that is."

"Our boys survived, thankfully, and so did the guy you managed to subdue. Couldn't get much out of him other than angry rambling, though. He's currently awaiting deportation."

"Lucky bastard," Alan said with a frown, "as if Adabat's prisons have done so well holding ARA members in."

"A shame indeed," McLaughlin agreed, "but let's talk about more, shall we say, immediate matters."

"Sonic." Upon mentioning the name, Doherty frowned again. "Right, so what did you ask him?"

McLaughlin took out his cell phone, pressed a few keys, and played the conversation it had recorded earlier to Alan. After it finished, the special agent crossed his arms. The emotion on his face was hard to decipher. Indifference? Annoyance?

"I guess it's time for my side of the story," he said, his voice just as emotionless as his expression.

"How did it begin?"

"What he said there was pretty much true. He saved my life. They let me live at their place."

"What about this Robotnik, then?"

Doherty paused. "Yeah, I encountered him, all right. Turned out they'd been having trouble with him for ten years, like Sonic said. I guess I felt like doing something to help in return, and because Robotnik had recently stolen some of the Emeralds, and I needed all of them to come back here. But that's not all, sir." He cleared his throat. "It's also, well, it's certainly worth investigating, right? A human from our world stuck on another without any of us knowing? And being a dangerous madman there throughout the whole time? I couldn't just ignore that."

"Good point," McLaughlin said, nodding. "How exactly did you go undercover with him?"

"First step was to scrape off the FBI lettering off my outfit. Then I was sent to a location where one of Robotnik's underground bases was suspected to be hidden, in a remote grassy area. Convinced him in front of one of his robots that I was a mercenary being pursued by Sonic as a victim, so it led me into his place. Pretty much bought the whole hook, line and sinker, and in retrospect I'm damn glad he didn't check me for identification," he reported flatly.

"What did you find out in there?"

Doherty shook his head. "Bad mojo, sir. He'd been keeping a whole group of mobians, that's what they're called, as slave laborers to build his robots. His plan was to force most of their population into the same position. I learned as much as I could about the guy, including how he planned on using some doomsday weapon, the same one that blew up the Stockdale, before signaling Sonic and Tails to come in and trash the whole place and save the prisoners."

"You got to talk to him, then? What did you learn about the man himself?"

"I found out that he…" Alan stopped to think for the shortest way to put it. "…that he'd lost it. Simple as that. The thing is, he's smart enough to know how those emeralds work. He could have chosen to just teleport himself back here anytime after escaping them," he continued before sighing heavily. "He didn't."

"Hmm. Then how did you intend to deal with him?"

"I planned on leaving him to Sonic and the authorities."

"You never considered bringing him back here with you?" McLaughlin asked with a raised eyebrow.

Doherty froze. Somehow that consideration never came to him, Sonic, Tails or Knuckles. However, he was able to immediately come up with reasons why it may not have been a good idea. "I never considered it, sir. Even if I brought him back, there'd be absolutely nothing we could charge him with, not with crimes he committed on a different planet that none of us even knew existed. And I learned just how far over the edge he'd gotten while with him. If he came back here, he'd just be let loose before disappearing, and I can bet he'd use his genius skills not for the good of others." As he finished, he realized that there was no proof of Robotnik's death earlier, and that that was probably no longer hypothetical. Goddammit.

"Then how did it come to this? You and your new friends were supposed to have brought him down, right?"

"That's how it was supposed to be, yes," Alan confirmed, sounding regretful. "But then we learned that none of the authorities anywhere would take him in because his robot reinforcements would come in and break him out of prison, which had happened many times before I arrived, killing large numbers of people in the process. And there was no way Robotnik would tell us where all his secret bases were. He was at our mercy, though, so I opted for a more…" he took his Smith and Wesson out of his holster and placed it on the desk, "…permanent solution. Or rather, I wanted to. But I was stopped," he added with a tinge of exasperation.

"What?" McLaughlin looked confused. "Who?"

The agent's eyes narrowed. "Who do you think? I'm giving my side of the story, remember?"

The SAIC's eyes did the opposite by widening. "But then…why?"

"Turned out that there had been things they didn't tell me, that would remain secret even after I'd supposedly left. But since the plan got shot to hell, it all came out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they're evil or insincere. On the contrary, it's the opposite problem. Basically…Sonic tries to save the world. Tries to save everyone. Including the bad guy."

McLaughlin leaned in closer. "Go on."

"Sonic actually knew about the abuse Robotnik had been suffering at the hands of his fellow mobians and wanted to save him, but his own adopted parents were among the bullies, and he was very young then. No one knew about his super speed at the time, and he didn't want to become an orphan again because he was different, like Robotnik. So he buried it, until a year later, when Robotnik came back with a vengeance and bombed his town, killing his parents."

"But then wouldn't Sonic become vengeful against him as well?"

"You'd think so, but no. His own mother, before dying, told him to use his powers for good and not do the same thing she did. So Sonic's been at it with Robotnik ever since, trying to just get him to stop rather than killing him outright. After that, he let him go, and there wasn't anything I could do about it." He shook his head again. "At least not until later. Robotnik almost immediately got into a flying fortress, that thing we saw earlier, and I was the only one who knew it. I tried to hide it from them with distractions so that I could go kill him myself. But they came along anyway, and they had to, as the damn thing was going to blow up Angel Island. His vaporizer hit the Master Emerald, the big one, by accident. The rest of the story, you all saw it," he concluded, throwing up his arms. "I hope the main concern is just as obvious to you as it is to me, sir."

The SAIC held his chin. "Quite a story you had there. Yes, I think I see the problem as well."

"We have no idea if Robotnik really is dead after his fortress sunk," Doherty pointed out. "Now I don't know what Sonic and the rest were doing flying there, but all I know is this. We have to assume Robotnik is alive, and we cannot let the same damn situation between them happen on Earth during their stay here."

"How do you suppose we do that?"

"We do what they've said. Try and find out where he is now and bring him in. In the meantime, I can convince them to do things our way here. That it's for the best. They still trust me, despite what's happened."

"And what about…their accommodation?"

"Let them live at my place. Trust me, sir. If they're going to be stuck here, might as well be somewhere we can keep an eye on them. Besides, they have nowhere else to settle down. They don't know anyone else, and there's no way they'll stay on that floating rock with Knuckles. They're…not that kind of people."

Doherty's boss placed a hand to his forehead. "I'll have to call the Director and at least a few dozen other people for that, Alan."

"You do that. But temporarily, at least, this can't be such a bad idea. I can tell they're tired right now, and as much as they like running around, they still need a place to sleep." He placed a hand above the other on the desk. "One night, sir. Let's give it a try. I've never asked for much, but I think this'll be worth it. And not to mention, it's only fair that I, and we all, return the favor to them."

McLaughlin crossed his arms on the desk, looking away from Doherty and at his bare desk. After being silent for a minute, he gave his response. "Very well. I trust your judgment. For the moment, at least, I'll leave them to you. But we both will still have to answer a lot of questions."

Alan got up from the chair. "Thank you, sir. I'll make it work. Believe me. And don't worry about publicity, I'll keep it down. Although frankly, I'm pretty sure my name had already appeared all over the news after that night," he said while brushing his hair.

"It did, but are you sure you can handle it if that constantly happens?"

"As long as my face doesn't show up everywhere, I'll be fine," Doherty answered before stopping abruptly, as he realized he had forgotten about something incredibly important. He couldn't believe he didn't ask about that first. "Sir, I have one more question."

"What is it?"

"How's Cheryl and Alicia?" he asked, suddenly sounding very worried.

"Oh, they're fine," McLaughlin said casually. "I spoke with them this morning, actually, assured them that we were doing everything we could, and that there was a chance you were still alive." He smiled. "Want to give them a call now?"

"That'd be great, thanks," Alan replied with a smile of his own, but it faded as he was reminded of yet something else. "Actually, speaking of phones, there's one more thing, sir."

"Go ahead."

Doherty brought out his own cell phone. Its remaining battery power was low, but sufficient. Checking it for a while to confirm its contents were still there, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding before handing it over to his boss. "I did some research on their equivalent of the internet while I was there. Took some pictures. Some evidence on how their world is like."

McLaughlin looked through the photos, which appeared to be that of a computer screen, showing information after information about a whole other civilization that existed out there somewhere. He looked back up at his subordinate with an expression of wonder. "You do realize the significance of what you've just given me here?"

"I do, sir, which is why I did it." Alan took his phone back gently. "But before that, I have something else important to do on this phone…if you don't mind."

On a couch in a lounge downstairs, Tails had fallen asleep again on Sonic's shoulder, and the hedgehog himself was barely able to keep himself awake. The events of both today and yesterday had taken their toll, and although the magazines and newspapers seemed rather interesting, it wasn't enough to prevent their snoozing. A number of agents stood around, keeping watch on them with folded arms and emotionless faces.

The glass door near the couch opened with Alan Doherty walking in. Sonic, who was on the brink of joining his friend in sleepy land, immediately forgot all about his tiredness as he sat up to see the human coming up to him. The sudden movement also caused the fox to wake up groggily again. "Hey! So how'd it go?" he asked curiously before turning to Tails, who was rubbing his eyes. "Sorry, bud."

"Okay, I guess," Alan answered. He shook his head roughly, as he himself wasn't exactly feeling energetic too. "Hey guys," he asked the other agents present, "my car's still in the same place, right?"

"It is. We just left it there," one of them confirmed.

"Thanks a lot," Doherty said as he felt the car keys he'd just collected in his pocket. "Alright, you two," he called out while walking towards the door, "follow me."

"Where to?" Sonic asked as he and Tails got off the couch.

Alan turned to face them as he held the door open. "Home."

A few minutes later, Sonic and Tails were riding in a car again, this time in the backseat of Alan's Chrysler. They didn't expect their second time being in a car to come so soon, though they didn't complain, as it was far more comfortable than the FBI van.

Ironically, it was Tails who couldn't sit still rather than Sonic, as the fox, ever curious about new technology, was glancing around the beige interior. Then he stared at the center console next to Alan. "I should have sat in the front seat," he remarked.

"I'm more than willing to talk to you about this car," Alan said, having noticed Tails' behavior. "Although, you better be prepared to do something similar."

"Hmm? What do you-" Tails stopped before realizing it. "You mean the Tornado?"

"Exactly. My boss called the airport manager, who says you can keep the plane there for one night, and there'll be people to watch over it, but for one night only. After that, you'll be flying it to Edwards Air Force Base. I'll show you where it is later."

"I'll have to show it to the military?"

"Of course, but most of the people looking at it will be scientists. The way your plane is powered is something they've tried to achieve for decades, so they're naturally going to want to know all about it. I really hope you don't mind. And besides, if you want to continue flying it, the Air Force will be able to help you with its maintenance. It's a lot better than salvaging from a junkyard. Speaking of which, they are also going to be really curious how you, or the plane, managed to evade all those satellites and radars completely."

"Huh, um, okay," Tails replied, sounding uncertain. "I've never done anything like that before. Showing off the plane, or whatever I've created, that is." He looked at Sonic. "What do you think?"

"I can go there with you, if you want, just in case," Sonic assured. "Besides, you've said you'd like to able to showcase what you've developed publicly one day, rather than keeping it all to yourself. This could be your chance, Tails."

The fox considered it silently before replying. "Yeah, I guess."

"We kinda owe them an explanation anyway, since otherwise they're gonna be pretty scared of us," Sonic added with a smirk.

"Alright, we're finally here," Doherty announced as he pulled up in front of the two-storey house – a most welcome sight to his eyes. He took out a remote controller from a storage compartment and opened up the garage door before driving in. After the large black sedan had entered completely, he closed the door. "Okay, I'd like you to stay in the car for a while until I call you out," he said as he took off his seatbelt and turned off the engine. "Oh yeah, I forgot about this just now. Here, Tails," he said, taking out a small familiar object from his left pocket and tossing it to the fox, who caught it in his hands. It was his wrist computer.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. "We'll wait here."

Alan stepped out of the car, rather excited to see his wife and daughter again. He reached the door, opened it, and entered the living room, walking a few steps. Sure enough, the two ladies were standing there with a mixed expression of shock and happiness. They had suspected that only one person could drive that car into their garage, but they didn't believe it until now.

"My god, Alan!" Cheryl practically leaped into her husband's arms, who expected it and caught her, firmly wrapping his arms around her body. "I know I talked to you over the phone, but I still couldn't believe it until-"

"Hey, I'm here now," Alan said quietly. "I'm okay. And, uh, quite hungry, actually." That elicited a laugh from the straight-haired, forty-two-year old woman.

"Dad, I'm so glad you're back," Alicia said in relief, walking up to her father. He let go of Cheryl and hugged her teenage daughter. He wanted to pick her up, but reminded himself that she'd already left high school. She was years too old for that.

"I've already cooked, it's all on the table," Cheryl happily said, "come on. We haven't eaten in a while too."

"Thanks, Cheryl. Although to be honest, I have something really important to tell you. Or show you, rather."

"What is it?" Both of them looked curious.

"Before that, I want you to keep your surprised exclamations to a minimum. I know how loud you ladies can get," he said, unable to resist a smile.

"A souvenir? Something we'll like?" Alicia wondered out loud, already sounding a bit excited.

The smile vanished. "I'm not sure I'll say that…yeah, I don't want to waste time anymore. One moment." He turned and walked to the garage, through the door and disappeared to the right. A moment later, he walked back into the living room, and behind him was…they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"My God!" Cheryl exclaimed, "is that, I mean, isn't that what-who we saw on TV?"

"One of the guys who saved the airport hostages!" Alicia chimed in, her voice already rising in pitch.

"Hey, ma'ams," Sonic the Hedgehog greeted. It occurred to him that this was the first time he was seeing human women face-to-face. "Looking good, both of you," he added with a grin.

"Wow! He talks!" Cheryl and Alicia practically screamed. "Nice to meet you!" The older woman added in a slightly lower voice, extending her hand to the hedgehog.

"Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog," he introduced himself proudly as he took the human teenager's hand. "And this here is-" As he turned around, he realized his friend wasn't there. "Aw, come on, bud, is it really that scary?"

Another figure's head slowly appeared at the garage door. Sonic gestured to him to come over, and after some hesitation, the small two-tailed fox finally came out. Where Sonic had strode in confidently earlier, Tails moved slowly and shyly with his hands behind him, though he tried to keep eye contact with these two rather loud women as he approached them. His twin tails waved around just as hesitantly to his sides.

"Oh," they said. "Hey, there! Aren't you a cute one?" Alicia remarked as she got closer to the orange-yellow fox, trying hard not to squeal.

Tails, meanwhile, was trying hard not to blush. He was failing miserably. "H-hi," he managed to speak, reaching his own hand out. "I'm Miles Prower, but my friends call me Tails." He reminded himself that he would need to get used to saying that more often.

Alicia shook the gloved hand enthusiastically. Her smile was warm and pleasant. "Nice to meet you too. Miles Prower, huh? Cute name for a cute guy!"

The fox's face turned even redder while his other hand reached to the back of his head, rubbing it. "T-Thanks. A lot. No one's ever…no one's ever said that to me before."

"That's kinda hard to believe!" she replied in astonishment. To the side, Sonic was snickering at the scene.

"Alright, both of you," Alan spoke up after observing how first contact went between the mobians and his family, which was better than he expected. "I'd like you to meet my wife Cheryl and my daughter Alicia. You're going to live with us for the time being," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, really?" Sonic said with a smile. "That's nice of you. Thanks a lot."

"It's the least I could do, giving you what you gave me on Mobius. I hope it's okay with you two as well," he said to his wife and daughter.

"Oh, no problem, we can manage. So they're the guys you met while you were away, huh? Wow," Cheryl remarked. "Let's hear about it over dinner, then! I think we have enough for two more. If not, I'll just cook an extra share."

"Could I help?" Tails asked, almost as a reflex action. He didn't realize it until the words actually came out, and it made him freeze.

"Oh? You know how to cook?" Cheryl asked. She didn't sound skeptical or questioning, just curious.

Tails felt himself locking up. Oh, why did I say that?

"He does," Alan answered, solving the fox's problem. "Believe me, his chili dogs and ham…they're great."

"Oh, really? That's nice. I've never cooked chili dogs before. Could you show me?" she asked Tails politely.

"Um, okay, sure, I'll be glad to," he replied softly before smiling himself.

"Well, let's go!" Sonic said. "I just realized we never had dinner too, so the timing's just right. By the way, smooth move there, bro," he told Tails with a wink.

"Oh, whatever, Sonic," Tails answered with a dismissive wave and chuckle.

"Actually, Sonic, could I have a word with you for a while?" Alan asked. "The rest of you go first, it'll just be a minute."

"Okay, dad," Alicia said before walking across the living room to the dining room, following Cheryl and Tails.

"What is it?" Sonic inquired. He had a feeling this was about something a bit more serious.

"Look, uh…" Alan began, closing his eyes briefly, "despite everything's that's happened, I want you to know that I, my colleagues and the country are grateful to you, Tails and Knuckles for what you did in the airport. I know it probably wasn't easy to get all the way here from where you all ended up in."

"No prob," the hedgehog replied casually, "we'd do it all over again."

"That's nice of you, but that's also what I want to address," Doherty said, his tone becoming more somber. "You don't…we would prefer that it doesn't have to happen all over again. Robotnik's likely still out there. When he's found, he will go to prison, and that's the end of that." He knelt down to face Sonic at eye level. "Are we clear? He will still be alive and in a secure position where you can talk to him and we can give him a proper mental evaluation. Is that fine with you?"

Sonic shrugged. "As long as we don't have to kill him, it's good. I can accept it, and I'm sure Tails will too."

Alan stood up again, looking calmer after hearing Sonic's answer. "Thank you for your understanding."

"Likewise, Alan. Likewise," Sonic said in return before returning to his usual joyful state. "Anyway, I'd like to eat, and maybe get some rest. You coming?"

"Soon. I think we've got a room for you two. You go first."

"Sure thing." And with that, Sonic started to head towards the dining room. He wasn't running though, as he knew better than to do that in a small house like this.

Alan opened the front door and walked through it. He stopped just short of the patio's steps before looking upwards, staring at the night sky. Still no moon, but the stars were in abundance. Maybe one of them was Mobius?

He sighed, though he wasn't sure what for. Regret? Relief? Perhaps both. It didn't really have to turn out like this, but at the same time, could have gone much worse. The next few years were going to be very interesting indeed, and he hoped Earth would only get the best out of its first extraterrestrial guests, hopefully including even Robotnik. If he counted as one. No, he thought someone sadly, that kind of behavior isn't from outer space.

He let the fact that they were his responsibility now sink in. Sonic and Tails would undoubtedly do what they could to help the world, and he hoped he could lead by example on how to do so, and to give it back to them.

Special Agent Alan Doherty turned around and walked back into his home, closing the door. His work had only just begun.

The waves hitting this beach were rather strong tonight, as was the wind, which fiercely blew the leaves of the coconut trees. It seemed like an ideal tourist spot, and it would have been one, if not for the fact that it was located to the northeastern part of the Republic of Adabat, an area considered to be under the de facto control of the Adabat Revolutionary Army, even if the government sternly denied it. As such, it would have remained isolated even during the afternoon.

This was why when what seemed like an unidentified, advanced vehicle of some sort washed up on the beach, there was only one group that would have ever discovered it.

The first signs of life in the area came in the form of headlights of the approaching cars on the nearby road. Hardly any civilians ever drove through here due to how worn out it was, though it did not pose a problem for the ARA Jeeps and Land Cruisers that were about to pass by the beach as part of a routine patrol to defend against government troops or police.

"¡Espere!" the man riding shotgun in the front vehicle ordered. "What is that thing there?" He pointed at the large object on the beach. "Drive over there. Guerrez will not tolerate unauthorized visitors here. Let's check it out."

"Sí," the driver said obediently. He drove the Cherokee off the worn road and onto the sand while radioing those behind him to do the same.

The SUVs stopped around the strange large object at the edge of the water. It was grey and blocky in shape, with what appeared to be a slanted window in front. A craft of some sort, large enough to fit several full-sized men. Also noteworthy was how its surfaces appeared to be heavily charred.

The men got out of their vehicles and walked towards the craft with their AK-47s slung behind them. Was there anyone in this thing?

They got their answer as a loud, mechanical sound was suddenly heard, coming from the back of the craft, facing the ocean. Alarmed, the troops immediately brought their rifles up and aimed at the sides of the vehicle.

Circling it slowly, they walked around it until the rear was visible, stepping into the strong waves in the process. A door of some sort seemed to be opening up. They did their best to steady their weapons at whoever was coming out. It took a while before a large, obese figure fell out and collapsed into the water, almost causing them to fire. As they realized that the person here seemed familiar, they approached him slowly, their weapons still raised.

Doctor Ivo Robotnik's head hurt, and it wasn't helped by the saltwater he was now in. Still weak from having just regained consciousness and amazed by how he was still alive, he struggled to get up as he placed his hands onto the sand and pressed against it.

After finally standing up, he took several deep breaths while holding the wound on his head. He slowly looked around to discover that he wasn't alone.

"¡Dios mío!" the ARA members exclaimed. "Isn't he the man who appeared on the news? Thought he was dead."

"Guess he managed to escape," another said, "Hombre afortunado."

"Who the hell are you people?" Robotnik asked, trying to sound assertive despite being completely at their mercy with no way to fight back.

"We are the Adabat Revolutionary Army," one of them, a tall, dark-skinned thirty-year-old replied in accented English. "You are in our territory. You are to come with us to meet our leader. I do not believe you have a choice," he continued in a flat tone.

Realizing that it was true, Robotnik sighed as he nodded. "Fine," he replied in annoyance. "But give me a moment. I need to get something," He climbed back into the craft.

A minute later, he re-emerged from it with each hand holding what seemed like steel briefcases. He noticed them eyeing him suspiciously. "Oh come on. Certainly I can pack a few things for myself."

"We will take them for you," the same man said before saying something to the others in Spanish. Two goons approached Robotnik and took the briefcases from his hand, each carrying one. They found that they were rather heavy. "Our vehicles are here," the man continued. "We must leave this place and your craft here before anyone else arrives."

"Good idea," Robotnik agreed, although not for the same reason as they thought. Escorted away from the detached fortress' bridge, he was pleasantly surprised to discover he could fit in the backseat of one of the SUVs despite his size.

After the vehicles started up and drove away from the craft, the men heard a loud noise from behind. They saw in the rearview mirrors a massive fireball swallowing the craft whole. Dr. Robotnik simply smirked at them in response.

The ride lasted for a while, with the SUVs driving deep into a jungle on narrow, muddy, routes. Eventually, they got out of the vehicles and had to proceed on foot, which took another five minutes. Throughout the whole journey, the ARA goons did not cease pointing their pistols at Robotnik, who seemed unfazed by this.

They eventually reached the steep side of a hill with a small wooden door. They stopped for a moment to say something in Spanish, likely a codeword, before the door opened. Robotnik was concerned for a moment that he wouldn't fit through, but it was just wide enough.

The interior of the place was a poorly lit but spacious cave, filled with weapons caches and wooden tables with food and CB radios on them. On the walls hung black-and-white portraits of vaguely familiar looking faces. As Robotnik was escorted through the area, he managed to recall that they were that of Marx and Lenin. Who are you people? he did not say out loud.

The fat doctor earned stares from all of the men sitting and standing around. He ignored them. Finally, his escorts brought him to a bearded, black-haired man with a scar on his face, who was sitting on a simple stool in the far side of the room, discussing something with a few others next to him before looking up at their unexpected guest. Robotnik could tell from the positioning of his 'throne' relative to the rest of the room, the way he was dressed in some sort of uniform, and how he was talking with the others that he was in charge.

The dark-skinned escort informed the leader of what had happened. After he finished, the man stood up to reveal his height of six feet three. He eyed the fat doctor while stroking his beard. "You are the man from the news? From…the emerald?" he asked in clear English.

"You could say that, I suppose," Robotnik answered. "Where is this?"

"This is our hidden base of operations. I am Alfonso Guerrez, leader of the Adabatian revolution," he said, holding out a hand. His guest held it firmly in his own and shook it.

"Doctor Ivo Robotnik," the fat man said in return. "Revolution?" he inquired curiously.

"Yes," Guerrez replied. "This government has to go. This country only has room for either us, or them. It's non-negotiable," he added, firmness creeping into his voice. "And if I'm right, you seem like someone who can help."

"Well, that depends," Robotnik said, staring at his host. "What do you think you're right about?"

"You developed that spaceship and everything on it on your own, did you not? In that case, you are a mechanical genius. Not to mention the fact that you seem to know much about these emeralds, one of which we tried to obtain several days ago. You must be aware of its immense power, just like we found out over the last few months."

Robotnik decided not to say that the hidden base turned fortress was actually created by Extro, but he did modify it and the others he had rather substantially, so he could still get credit for that. "That's right."

"And this briefcase of yours," Guerrez added, "they must contain something advanced, yes?"

The briefcases had combination locks on them, so they could not open them to check their contents. "Allow me," Robotnik said as he took them, daring to sound a little pompous.

He put in the combinations, causing them to pop open. One contained an inactive computer terminal, a laptop of some sort, where areas the other was what something the others had never seen before. It was undoubtedly something advanced, with a digital readout in the top left corner of the otherwise smooth, steel surface, labeled 'remaining charge' displaying: 99.75%.

"Extracted emerald energy," he said with a slight bit of pride. "It's what I used for my fortress."

The room fell silent as the men looked at each other. Guerrez walked up closer to Robotnik. "Join us," he told him.

The doctor almost laughed in response. "What? Why? What's in it for me?"

"Think about it. You have nowhere else to go, not after what you did in LA. If you appeared in public anywhere, even if that hedgehog doesn't hunt you down, the United States certainly will. No one else knows for sure that you are alive. With us, your survival remains a secret. And we have a vacancy. Our best technicians have been killed recently. You seem a more than qualified replacement. You will have a place among us to do what you are good at."

Robotnik paused to think. The man had made some good points. He would be a lot freer here than anywhere else, as it was unlikely he could really disguise himself given his weight. And they seemed to have already planned to accept him. It was actually a very fortunate offer.

If it really is an offer, he added. This base was clearly supposed to be secret. They were probably not going to let him go now.

He held out his hand this time, and Guerrez shook it with a smile. "Good answer, amigo. I believe this will work out well for us."

Oh, it will, Doctor Ivo Robotnik thought, putting on his own grin. But for me most of all.