Launch Base Zone

[Rose Fox]

Rose switched her communication line. She was still keeping an eye out on the fight on the beach, as well as the right in the burning shroom forest. But now it was time to talk back with the Doctor.

[“Dr. Robotnik, Gerald is heading your way right now,”] she began, coming over his radio. [“He –may- be a little out of it. The stupid SWATbots hit him in the solar plexus with a stun ray! Bolts for brains, why is it that they can’t comprehend the words ‘Do. Not. Harm’?!?! Oh, also, he’s insisting he’s not a professor. Oh, and another thing: He’s a really bad liar…”]

[Dr. Robotnik]

Robotnik paid little attention to Rose, as he promptly shifted his communications channel to the ship that Gerald was in.

"So...we meet at last."

Normally Robotnik would say that in an evil-sounding tone, but this time he sounded as if he was in awe at the chance of getting to talk to Gerald. The words projected a feeling of reverence.

"I think it may have been worth it to screw up the whole world, simply for this one opportunity. You have no idea how much I admire you."

[Gerald Robotnik]

Surprised by the sudden voice, Gerald sat up straight. He muffled a groan, from the pain his sudden shot up brought as he began to look around the cockpit. Gerald figured after a moment or two that the voice was coming from the radio; much like the girl. He didn’t pay much attention to what he had just said, as he was still trying to regain his bearings.

He certainly didn’t recognize the voice. And the way the words were spoken reminded him a lot about his classmates back from college. Which made him feel a little weird in his current situation. Wasn’t Chadin saying before hand that he was egotistical? If so, how come he sounded like he respected him so much?

“…Doctor Robotnik I presume?”

It was all he could muster to say. He didn’t know where this was going to go or how.

[Dr. Robotnik]

Robotnik had a sharp intake of breath.

"I'm amazed! You even addressed me by my proper title! I thought you'd call me something less formal, since you are my grandfather after all."

The doctor beamed with pride for a moment that he'd been called a doctor by the one he looked up to most.

"Now then, I'm very anxious to find out why you're so eager to join me. Do you want to be a part of my little schemes too? Having another great mind around can't hurt at all."

These were very rare words coming from Robotnik. Normally, the doctor would keep such a brilliant person at arms length and under his thumb, so Robo could have all the control. But not Gerald. He would definitely be an exception.

[Gerald Robotnik]

‘What?’

“What?”

Gerald was beyond confused. He felt like his brain had just snapped into. Did that man just call him grandfather? He placed his hand on his forehead and looked down, rubbing one side of his temple.

“Wait, just hold your horses a minute.” he said before pausing. He was running what Robotnik had said in his head. He started to take a deep breath in before cutting it short. “I think you have me mistaken for somebody else. I’m no-bodies grandfather at the moment. I don’t even have children.”

For some reason he felt like it was a lie. But he would think he would remember something like that. But, then again he was thinking like he was in a place where time would make sense. And since the dimensional merge all of time had been completely jumbled; and he was a sure-sign of it. But, no, there was no way this man was somehow his grandson. He hoped, at least.

[Dr. Robotnik]

Robotnik gave a little smirk, before he continued on in a smug tone.

"You're right about not having children...at least as long as we're talking about the time you came from. But the world is no longer bound by those rules. Time and dimensions have collided now, bringing you into a time and place where I'm actually older than you...in spite of being your grandson."

The doctor rubbed his head a little some. He thought he felt a headache coming on.

"I must say, as remarkable as this is, it does make your brain hurt."

[Gerald Robotnik]

“Well, not really considering that-”

He stopped in midsentence. He had just remembered something Robotnik had said earlier before.

“Wait a minute….YOU caused all this!?” Gerald began, in a concerned tone. “You mean to tell me that you’re the idiotic fool who created a dimensional paradox that caused the emeralds to react late and caused a chain reaction in the whole entirety of space a time!?!? And you’re HAPPY about it!?!?!?”

All the time while he said this his anger was clearly rising, and for good reasons.

“You fool! Do you REALIZE what you’ve done?!?!” Gerald exclaimed, “The only reason we’re still even living is because someone was using an incredible amount of positive Chaos energy! And despite that we’re still on a one way to complete and utter destruction! And….And…”

He couldn’t quite finish the last part of his sentence. He was feeling a build up of anger he’d never been used to before as his hands clenched tightly along with his arms. The only thing he had to compare it too was the amount of anger he had when he got into a fight at the dance. The place where he met his wife, Clarice; where he’d gotten into a fist fight and got stabbed all because she had dragged him into her little escapade and because he didn’t like seeing women getting hit.

Strange how he would end up marrying someone after something like that, but love worked in strange ways. Like how he officially wanted to pummel the man he was talking to for taking Clarice away from him. Because thanks to his little paradox, he didn’t know where she was; let alone if she still existed. And a part of his heart broke just to think of it.

[Dr. Robotnik]

Gerald would hear a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the speakers. Robotnik felt upset...nay, mortified...that he'd be so harshly rebuked by his idol. It was like he'd been physically stabbed in the gut. The doctor didn't say anything for a few moments, as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"...I certainly wasn't expecting you to react that way. Not with all the things I know you will do later in your life. Perhaps it would be better if we talk face to face."

The line went dead.

A few minutes later, the SWATpod had arrived at the mining ship in the center of Robotnik's camp. As the exit door opened, Gerald would find himself stepping into a gigantic, echoing space. Blistering heat flattened everything, as gigantic smelting vats worked in the background to separate the emerald shards from the raw Angel Island ore. Everything glowed bright orange from the light that all of the massive cauldrons gave off.

Robotnik himself marched towards the pod's exit, flanked by a few SWATbots as small bits of flaming ore spattered on the ground outside the vats, making dramatic sparks everywhere. The doctor clearly wanted this to look like an impressive background to have behind him, but he looked too uncomfortably sweaty to pull it off.

However, he dropped his discomfort and replaced it with admiration as he caught his first sight of his mentor. The doctor honestly wasn't sure what to say, now that Gerald had spoken to him like that before. So instead, he decided to change the subject.

"Well...welcome to my mining ship. What do you think of it?"

The doctor half expected praise, but he wasn't sure if he'd get it with the earlier outburst.

[Gerald Robotnik]

Gerald wasn’t so sure of that. Nothing could erase the fact that he was the one to cause all this. As the pod landed and he stepped out he was suddenly taken aback from a trip to memory lane. And not a nice trip, no it was the part of memory lane that he wanted to avoid at all costs. The sweltering heat, the echoing sounds of machinery off the walls, smelting vats- all brought an unpleasant taste and feeling into his being. Because it reminded him of his early youth where he was working; in the same kind of hot, dark, dreary factory he had been in oh so long ago.

But, as he looked out towards Robotnik with what was obviously a very unhappy face, he froze; like a deer in the headlights. His gut felt like it jumped out of his body, did a one-eighty and proceeded to twist like someone was drying a wet towel. Behind Robotnik, and his Swatbots Gerald saw an all too familiar humongous, black, iron furnace where he could hear a blood curdling scream that pierced through him like a knife through warm butter. He could see a chard hand that showed bone and flesh reaching out from the large mouth of the fiery pit.

The few seconds he saw this, the look of fear plastered on his face easily. Even with his glasses on the sudden shade of white he turned, as well as the utter look of horror he expressed showed it clearly. His headache suddenly appeared again, making him bend over in riving pain as he held his head over his ears. It was like his brain was bouncing off the walls of his cranium which somehow was made of metal.

He didn’t say anything and by now he wasn’t even aware of where he was; or that he wasn’t the only person around.

[Dr. Robotnik]

Robotnik gave a little sigh at that look that Gerald had upon first entering the factory.

Definitely not praise..

Then Gerald gave him a look that positively bewildered Robotnik. However, it appeared he was looking at something behind Robotnik instead of Robotnik himself. What that was, he didn't know. The doctor turned around to follow Gerald's gaze, but didn't see anything of interest. Just the industrial machinery he'd brought with him here.

When he looked back, the doctor got even more puzzled as Gerald suddenly turned white and bent over in pain. If this were any other person in the world, anyone else, Robotnik probably would have done nothing and just walked off. But not Gerald. He immediately rushed to Gerald's aid to see what was wrong.

"Are you all right? Is there something you need? I can get you anything you need for that headache."